Cultural anthropologist David Price breaks summer tradition
to teach
May 27, 2011
LACEY, WASHINGTON — Downtime during summer break? Not for
Saint Martin’s University professor David Price, Ph.D.
For the past several years, the cultural anthropologist has
spent his summer afternoons outside the classroom—but not
relaxing under the sunny Pacific Northwest skies. Instead,
Price has retreated to research and write about anthropologists’
work with military and intelligence agencies, such as the
Central Intelligence Agency and Federal Bureau of Investigation.
Price, a professor of sociology and anthropology at Saint
Martin’s, has authored numerous articles in anthropological
journals. His 2008 book, Anthropological Intelligence: The
Deployment and Neglect of American Anthropology in the Second
World War, documents the heavy involvement of anthropologists in
World War II.
“During World War II, anthropologists participated in the war
effort in a variety of ways,” Price explains. “They taught in
jungle survival schools, provided intelligence on island
cultures of the Pacific, and worked on programs designing
domestic and battlefield propaganda.”
This year, Price has new plans for the summer. For the first
time since Price joined the Saint Martin’s faculty 17 years ago,
students taking summer classes have an opportunity to learn from
the esteemed anthropologist. As part of the University’s first
summer session (May 16-June 24), he is teaching Introduction to
Cultural Anthropology.
“It is important to offer courses that support Saint Martin’s
general education curriculum during the summer,” says Price.
“Introduction to Anthropology is a great course for us to mix
classroom lectures, seminars and regular field trips in ways
that fit the summer school pace.”
Price jokes that he “hopes his classroom is out of earshot of
the music from the summer ice cream vendors.” But the dedicated
scholar has a plan to keep students focused and engaged.
“Anthropology is a topic that easily lends itself to using
films, field trips and a variety of offsite activities,” Price
says. “I will be using the longer class periods to do a lot of
activities that move beyond classroom lectures.”
His students are currently experiencing a dynamic six-week
exploration that takes them to places like the mummy exhibit at
the Washington State History Museum.
Price will not abandon his usual summer tradition of
researching and writing—not surprising for a scholar whose work
has distinguished him in the field of anthropology. During the
second half of the summer, he will be working on his next book,
which moves into the Cold War. Describing his research, Price
says, “One of the things that anthropologists did for military
and intelligence agencies during the Cold War was to take
knowledge of Vietnamese cultures and use it to develop
ultimately ineffective counterinsurgency programs.”
Interested in learning from scholars and experts like David
Price? It’s not too late to register for Saint Martin’s second
summer session (June 27-August 5). To learn more about the
University’s summer offerings, visit
www.stmartin.edu/summer_session.
Saint Martin’s University is an independent four-year,
Catholic, coeducational university located on a 380-acre wooded
campus in Lacey, Washington. Established in 1895 by the Catholic
Order of Saint Benedict, the University is one of 18 Benedictine
colleges and universities in the United States and Canada, and
the only one west of the Rocky Mountains. Saint Martin’s
University prepares students for successful lives through its 21
majors and six graduate programs spanning the liberal arts,
business, education and engineering. Saint Martin’s welcomes
1,250 students from many ethnic and religious backgrounds to its
main campus, and 650 more to its extension campuses located at
Joint Base Lewis-McChord, Everett College, Centralia College and
Tacoma Community College. Visit the Saint Martin’s University
website at www.stmartin.edu.
For further information:
Jennifer Fellinger
Vice president, marketing and communications
Saint Martin’s University
360-438-4332
jfellinger@stmartin.edu