Faculty Profile

Karen Weinstein

Professor of Anthropology (2001)
Karen Weinstein

Contact Information

weinstek@dickinson.edu

Denny Hall
717-245-1281

Bio

Karen Weinstein is a biological anthropologist with interests in human variation and adaptations to environmental stress, human osteology, human evolution, nutritional anthropology, and comparative primate skeletal biology. She has done anthropological fieldwork and museum data collection throughout the United States, Peru, Chile, Japan, the Cook Islands, the United Kingdom, Puerto Rico, and Tanzania.

Education

  • B.A., Washington University, 1991
  • M.A., University of Illinois at Chicago, 1994
  • Ph.D., University of Florida, 2001
Karen Weinstein

2026-2027 Academic Year

Fall 2026

ANTH 100 Intro to Biological Anthro
This course provides a comprehensive introduction to the field of biological anthropology. We will examine the development of evolutionary theory. We will then apply evolutionary theory to understand principles of inheritance, familial and population genetics in humans, human biological diversity and adaptations to different environments, behavioral and ecological diversity in nonhuman primates, and the analysis of the human skeleton and fossil record to understand the origin and evolution of the human family. Three hours classroom and three hours laboratory a week. Offered three semesters over a two-year period.

FYSM 100 First-Year Seminar
The First-Year Seminar (FYS) introduces students to Dickinson as a "community of inquiry" by developing habits of mind essential to liberal learning. Through the study of a compelling issue or broad topic chosen by their faculty member, students will: - Critically analyze information and ideas - Examine issues from multiple perspectives - Discuss, debate and defend ideas, including one's own views, with clarity and reason - Develop discernment, facility and ethical responsibility in using information, and - Create clear academic writing The small group seminar format of this course promotes discussion and interaction among students and their professor. In addition, the professor serves as students' initial academic advisor. This course does not duplicate in content any other course in the curriculum and may not be used to fulfill any other graduation requirement.

Spring 2027

ANTH 310 Nutritional Anthropology
Food is a biological necessity, yet food preferences and dietary practices are culturally determined and highly variable across time and space. This course examines nutrition and dietary variation from an anthropological perspective. We will first study the basics of food and nutrition, including the nutritional composition of food, nutritional requirements across the human life cycle, and standards for assessing dietary quality in individuals and populations. We will then examine the evolution of human dietary practices and we will explore how dietary variation is at the interface of biology, health, culture, and the environment. We will also learn about the effects of globalization and the commoditization of food on dietary choices, the health consequences of under- and over-nutrition, and the social and historical constraints on food production and consumption in different societies. Prerequisite: ANTH 100, ANTH 101, ANTH/ARCH 110, ARCH 120/CLST 221, or ARCH 130/CLST 224.