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 |  Biological Anthropology, 3/e Michael Alan Park
A Personal Note to My ReadersI've always appreciated knowing something about the authors of the books I read and so I think you should know something about me--especially since you are relying on me to introduce you to anthropology.
I started my college career at Indiana University as a biology major, then switched two or three times to other majors. I took my first anthropology course because it sounded interesting--and because it fulfilled a university general education requirement and met at a convenient time. But soon I was hooked. Once I learned what anthropology was all about, I realized it was the perfect combination of many subjects that had always interested me. I went on to get my undergraduate degree in anthropology and stayed in Indiana for graduate work, specializing in biological anthropology--first human osteology (the study of the skeleton) and forensic anthropology and later redirecting my interests to evolutionary theory and evolutionary processes as they apply to the human species. This was the focus of my field work and research among the Hutterites. I received my doctoral degree in 1979.
In 1973 I started working at Central Connecticut State University where I've been ever since, teaching courses in general anthropology, human evolution, human biocultural diversity, forensic anthropology, the evolution of human behavior, and the human ecology. I have also taught courses in the biology department and the university's honors program. I consider myself primarily an educator, so it was a natural step from classroom teaching to writing textbooks.
In addition to my personal and professional interest in anthropology, I'm also concerned about the quality of science education and about public knowledge and perception of scientific matters. I have written and lectured on such things as teaching about evolution, scientific investigations of palm reading and psychic detectives, and environmental issues.
On the purely personal side, in case you're interested, I live in rural Connecticut with my wife, two dogs, and four cats. When I'm not doing anthropology, I enjoy reading (although most of what I read seems to have something to do with science) and travel (although our trips nearly always include museums and archaeological sites). I'm sort of a vegetarian (but eat fish regularly), and a loyal Macintosh user. |
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2002 McGraw-Hill Higher Education