Honors Program in Anthropology
Malinowski Prize for Undergraduate Research
Ruth Fulton Benedict Paper Prize
The Zora Neale Hurston Prize for Creative, Multimodal Anthropology
Reza Zarif and Rufina Paniego School of Social Sciences Undergraduate Award for Excellence
in Anthropology
Current and Past Malinowski and Ruth Fulton Benedict Award Winners
Lambda Alpha
Honors Program
The three-quarter Honors Program in Anthropology is designed to allow undergraduates to write an Honors thesis on a topic of their choice under the guidance of a faculty member of the Department of Anthropology. Research projects may involve assimilating new insights from previously published materials and publicly available data. While not required, it can also involve ethnographic methods including interviews and participant observation, and/or archaeological methods. In consultation with your faculty advisor, part of all of the thesis may be a film, podcast, or other nonwritten form.
ELIGIBILITY
To be eligible for the Honors program, students should:
- Be Anthropology majors
- Have an overall GPA of at least 3.3
- Have a GPA of at least 3.5 in Anthropology major courses
- Have completed or be concurrently enrolled in ANTHRO 100A
- Be in residence on campus Fall Quarter (for instance, not on study abroad or doing UCDC). If you will not be in residence on campus Winter Quarter, Spring Quarter, or both, with permission you may still apply to the program.
Admission to the program is based on a formal application submitted in Spring Quarter of your Junior year. You must find a professor willing to serve as your research project advisor on the basis of a mutually acceptable abstract that indicates the goal and significance of the study. The faculty advisor must be a full-time regular faculty member in the Department of Anthropology. Any other potential advisor is subject to the approval of the Undergraduate Honors Program Director.
APPLICATIONS
To apply for the honors program in 2026-27 (you must expect to graduate in spring or summer 2027): Complete the Docusign Application Form and have your advisor sign it by 5:00 p.m. on Wednesday, May 15, 2026. You will be notified of application results via email by Friday, May 15, 2026. If you have any questions or concerns, please contact the Anthropology Undergraduate Honors Program Director, Professor Tom Boellstorff (tboellst@uci.edu).
TIMELINE
Spring Quarter, Junior Year: Find a topic and advisor, and apply to the Honors program. If accepted, meet before the end of the quarter with (1) your advisor and (2) the Undergraduate Honors Program Director. One important thing to confirm at these meetings is if you will need Institutional Review Board (IRB) approval for your research. If so, you will want to get your IRB application turned in before the end of the quarter.
Fall Quarter, Senior Year: Enroll in the first Honors seminar, which requires in-person attendance (ANTHRO H190A). In this seminar, you will develop your research questions and read relevant scholarly literature. If conducting ethnographic or archaeological research, you will also develop and employ methods for data collection and analysis. During this quarter, you must concurrently be enrolled in 1 unit of ANTHRO 199 with your advisor.
Winter Quarter, Senior Year: During Winter Quarter, you enroll in 4 units of ANTHRO 199 with your thesis advisor.
You continue your research and analysis.
- DUE Monday of Week 10: at minimum, an annotated outline with chapter or section abstracts, delivered to
your advisor.
Spring Quarter, Senior Year: During Spring Quarter, you enroll in the second Honors seminar (ANTHRO H190W). In
this seminar, you will complete your analysis and write an Honors Thesis that is typically
30 to 80 pages long. During this quarter, you must concurrently be enrolled in 1 unit
of ANTHRO 199 with your thesis advisor.
- DUE Monday of Week 7: a full first draft of your thesis, delivered to your advisor. In order to graduate
with Honors, you must submit a full draft of your thesis to your faculty advisor by
this date. If you do not submit a full draft of your thesis to your advisor by this deadline,
you will NOT receive Honors at graduation. The draft should be a complete thesis that requires only minor stylistic or bibliographic
work, or easily fixable revisions, before being submitted in final form.
- DUE Friday of Week 10: final thesis, delivered to your advisor and the Undergraduate Honors Program Director.
Honors theses are read and evaluated by the advisor and the Undergraduate Honors Program
Director.
Note: If you plan on submitting your thesis for a paper prize, these deadlines may need to be revised to earlier dates. Talk to your advisor and the Undergraduate Director for details.
Anthropology Honors Students, 2024-2025
Marilyn Chang
Abigail Elkadi
Caia Murphy
Matthew Reilly
Berta Soler
Anthropology Honors Students, 2023-2024
Ethan Cole Ambrose
Gavin Michael Mosher
Giselle Jacquelin Solorio
Mathew Clinton Margrave
Natali Vivian Lemus
Anthropology Honors Students, 2022-2023
Madilyn Salgado
Anthropology Honors Students, 2021-2022
Jacob Ryan Clayton
Andrea Danielle Valentini
Sadat Zaman
Anthropology Honors Students, 2020-2021
Obeydah Mona Darwish
Christine Ji-Young Kim
Layla Dawn Athena Littlemeyer
Mara Jordan Shaprio
Anthropology Honors Students, 2019-2020
Talin Abramian
Tanya Michelle Bertone
Arian Karimi
Victoria Angela Maola
Karla Denisse Milicich
Jael Alanah Nixon
Nina Parshekofteh
Lafayette Pierre White
Anthropology Honors Students, 2016-2017
Soha Bayginegad
Madison Marie Dixson
Aaron Goeser
Yuneun Pamela Lopez Acosta
Amanda M. Ortscheid
Anthropology Honors Students, 2015-2016
Medha Asthana
Harwood Garland II
Krystina Jarema
Eurie Kim
Natalie Schroeder
Anthropology Honors Students, 2014-2015
Arielle Margot Arambula
Ricardo Avelar
Jordan Harrison Glenn
Victoria Hoerth Litvin
Allison Stoddard Krebs
Amanda Victoria Ramirez
Ashley Kayrinna Wellls
Anthropology Honors Students, 2013-2014
Ali Shamsuddin Alkhatib
Christopher Bucklew
Sharon Ho
Linh Khai Le
Jacqueline Anh Nguyen
Nadia Nikroo
Samuel Puliafico
Alexander Tron
Anthropology Honors Students, 2012-2013
Jessica Michelle Holland
Shadia Jennifer Mansour
Esther Marie Mealy
Mika Alyssa Smith
Jazmine Ka Yan Wong
Anne Marie Mariscal
Anthropology Honors Students, 2011-2012
Jaime Allen
Autri Baghkhanian
Markie Bear
Meghan Brady
Jennifer Bui
Marc Calilan
Julianne M. Holloway
Emily K. Johnston-O'Neill
Khuyen Lam
Yuliya A. Polovinchik
Anthropology Honors Students, 2010-2011
Anun Arshad
Caroline Clausen
Farley Hamada
Elizabeth McDowell
Merusha Nasoordeen
Nahal Nikroo
Shahrzad Mossanenzadeh
Donna Vuu
Honors Students in Anthropology, 2009-2010
Shaheen Amirebrahimi
Jamie Bennigsdorf
Ian Collins
Hadia Hakim
Kate Rippel
Sarah Seif
Paper Prizes in Anthropology
The Department of Anthropology at the University of California, Irvine, announces three undergraduate student paper prizes that recognize outstanding achievement in anthropological research and communication. The recipient of each paper prize will receive a $100 award.
The Malinowski Prize for Undergraduate Research
The Malinowski Prize for Undergraduate Research recognizes outstanding original research. Original research encompasses independent data collection based on any combination of the following methods: participant observation, interviews, surveys, documentary research, collection of images or texts from popular culture, and/or formal data collection and analysis. Anthropology majors who conduct such studies as part of regular coursework, an Honor's thesis, UROP, SURP, EAP, or other such programs are eligible. Papers written in collaboration with faculty members may NOT be submitted.
Criteria: Students may submit only one paper for consideration for this prize. Papers should be no more than 40 pages in length. Honor's theses may be submitted, but must adhere to the length requirement. The winning research paper will be posted and archived on the Departmental website and the recipient of the prize will receive an award at the Department's Spring awards ceremony.
Deadline: May 16, 2025. Please submit your project via the Google Form. Faculty may nominate student projects (only one project per student); please submit a copy of the project with your nomination by 1 pm on May 16, 2025.
The Ruth Fulton Benedict Paper Prize
The Ruth Fulton Benedict Paper Prize recognizes outstanding writing in anthropology. All undergraduates are eligible. The
recipient of the paper prize will receive a $100 award.
Criteria: Students may submit only one paper for consideration from an anthropology class at
UCI. Papers should be no more than 30 pages in length. Honor's theses may not be submitted.
The paper need not report on original research, but it must demonstrate analytical
acuity, creativity, and dexterity with the conventions of anthropological writing.
The winning paper will be posted and archived on the Departmental website, and the
recipient of the prize will receive an award at the Department's Spring awards ceremony.
Deadline: May 16, 2025. Please submit your project via the Google Form. Faculty may nominate student projects (only one project per student); please submit
a copy of the project with your nomination by 1 pm on May 16, 2025.
The Zora Neale Hurston Prize for Creative, Multimodal Anthropology
The Zora Neale Hurston Prize for Creative, Multimodal Anthropology recognizes outstanding anthropological engagement across multiple media, including
film, image, sound, and digital technologies. All undergraduates are eligible. The
recipient of the prize will receive a $100 award.
Criteria: Students may submit only one project for consideration from an anthropology class
at UCI. These may include videos, podcasts, animations, photo essays, graphic narratives,
performances, games, ethnographic fiction, posters, or other multimodal projects.
Projects should demonstrate effective and creative communication of anthropological
methods and insights. Projects may be accompanied by a brief (1-2 page) written description
or artist's statement. The winning project will be posted and archived on the Departmental
website, and the recipient of the prize will receive an award at the Department's
Spring awards ceremony.
Deadline: May 16, 2025. Please submit your project via the Google Form. Faculty may nominate student projects (only one project per student); please submit
a copy of the project with your nomination by 1 pm on May 16, 2025.
Current and Past Malinowski and Ruth Fulton Benedict Paper Prize Winners
Malinowski Prize:
2024 - Sebastian Calderon
2023 - Chinaenye Ibeanusi
2022 - Alvaro Garcia
2021 - Christine Kim
2020 - Victoria Angela Maola, "Dinner Table Conversations: An Ethnographic Collection of a Speech Community of Bilingual Italian-Americans in North County San Diego, California." (Faculty sponsors: Kris Peterson and Justin Richland)
2019 - Nina Parshekofteh, "A Green Strand in the Urban Fabric" (Faculty sponsor, Valerie Olson)
2018 - Aaron Michael Goeser, "Evading Capture: The Affective Movements of a Samurai Art" (Faculty sponsor, Valerie Olson)
2018 - Amanda Ortscheid (Honorable Mention), "The Inevitable Ascendance of Artificial Intelligence: A Modern Conceptualization of Social and Scientific Progress" (Faculty sponsor, Valerie Olson)
2017 - Madison Marie Dixson, "Humans and their Emotional Support Animals: Challenging Legal and Social Discourses with Lived Experiences" (Faculty sponsor, Angela Jenks)
2016 - Medha Asthana
2014 - Linh Khai Le, "Documentary: An Argument for Subjectivity" (Faculty sponsor, Roxanne Varzi)
2013 - Not Awarded
2012 - Not Awarded
2011 - Farley Hamada, "Of Plight and Providence: Big Pharma and the Effects of Pharmaceutical Advertising
on U.S. Patients with RLS, Insomnia, GERD, and GAD"
(Faculty sponsor: Keith Murphy)
2010 - Not Awarded
2009 - Hadia Hakim, "Palestinian Identity-Formation in Yarmouk: Constructing National Identity Through the Development of Space" (Faculty sponsor, Victoria Bernal)
2008 - Ana Siria Urzua, "Gentrification and Displacement: Assessing Responses in Santa Ana, California" (Faculty sponsor, Michael Montoya)
2007 - Kevin Michael Smith and Raul Perez, "Research in Intentional Communities: Past and Present" (Faculty sponsor, Bill Maurer)
2006 - Ashley T. Brenner, "Analysis of the Perception of the Paradigms of Archaeology and the Effect on the Discipline" (Faculty sponsor, Bill Maurer)
Benedict Prize:
2024 - Zara Kihm
2023 - Antoni Kalkowski
2022 - Jiaxin Li
2021 - Monica Rodas
2020 - K Persinger, "'Online you can...seek out people you know are going to accept you': A Discussion of LGBT + Digital Fandom Community" (Faculty sponsor: Anneeth Hundle)
2019 - Lafayette White, "Urban Aesthetic Authoritarianism" (Faculty sponsor: Valerie Olson)
2018- Sarah Shiori Mahoney, "The Machiya Boom: Remodeling Identity Through Space" (Faculty sponsor: Sylvia Nam)
2017 - Angela Romea
2016 - Natalie Schroeder,
Carmen Chem, Honorable Mention
2015 - Not Awarded
2014 -Jazmin Martinez, "Join Us In Mouring"
2013 - William Larsen, "Fishing for Answers"
2013 - Mallory Bruno, "Death is Cute: Global Consumer Images of the Supernatural Aspects of Death"
2012 - Not Awarded
2011 - Elizabeth McDowell, "Birth Control, Out of Our Control"
(Faculty Sponsor, Susan Greenhalgh)
2010 - Ariana Keil, "Genital Anxieties and the Quest for the Perfect Vulva: A Feminist Analysis of Female
Genital Cosmetic Surgery"
(Faculty Sponsor, Susan Greenhalgh)
2009 - Monica Murtaugh, "Constructing the Haitian Zombie: An Anthropological Study Beyond Madness"
(Faculty sponsor, Angela Garcia)
2008 - Not Awarded
2007 - Katie Harrison, "The Image of the Disney Princess and the Impressions of Feminism"
(Faculty sponsor, Susan Greenhalgh)
2006 - Jeannine Stepanian, "Post-Exposure Prophylaxis Policies in the U.S."
(Faculty sponsor, Tom Boellstorff)
Hurston Prize
2024 - Angelina Miller
2023 - Angeline Phu
2022 - Mia Isabelle Castro
2021 - Nicole Diem
2020 - Mirindah Yang, "The Mystical Wellness of Ankhlettes" (Faculty sponsor: Ian Straughn)
2019 - Nichole Yuki Wong, "An Encounter with Biomedicine. A Story about a Cholecystectomy" (Faculty sponsor: Angela Jenks)
The Reza Zarif and Rufina Paniego School of Social Sciences Undergraduate Award for Excellence in Anthropology
2013 - Not Awarded
2012 - Adrienne Nguyen
2011 - Julianne Holloway
2010 - Claudia Moya
The value of anthropology in Claudia's words: "College has opened my mind and it has
expanded it beyond all my expectations...If it had not been for anthropology, I would
not have been able to accept the fact that there are more important things in life
than letter grades. And this is where anthropology's biggest life lesson comes in:
everyone has a story. One of my goals in life is to help tell someone's true-life
story and to help make one life easier to live. The more we open our eyes and our
minds to the world around us, the more we learn about ourselves. Thus, it is a win-win
situation. You just have to be willing to take risks and respect differences."
2009 - Elizabeth McDowell
The value of anthropology in Lizzie's own words: "While nations may be able to amass
an impressive arsenal of weaponry, they will not possess the tools to discover the
root cause of their conflicts, many of which are seated in cultural differences. That
is why anthropology is the most advantageous tool one can possess. By using it, a
wealth of knowledge can be gained and applied to propose concrete solutions when we
are in dire need of them."