Marisa Fontana

Half-time Associate Professor of Anthropology

Sociology & Anthropology

Contact

+1 630 637 5343

mdfontana@noctrl.edu

I am an archaeological anthropologist specializing in indigenous warfare of the precontact period. I have excavated all over the United States, most extensively in the southeastern U.S. My current research project utilizes laser ablation-inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry, which involves shooting lasers at samples of Native American pottery to aid in answering questions about prehistoric trade and migration among indigenous groups in central Alabama. I enjoy taking students into the field with me to expose them to archaeological methods and laboratory practices, as well as introduce them to new cultural experiences. I love to teach and see how students take the knowledge they learn about in class and apply it to their own personal worldview. On my own time, I enjoy riding motorcycles, listening to music, watching tv/movies, reading, and traveling to new & exciting places.

Selected Scholarship

Keeley, Lawrence, Marisa Fontana, and Russell Quick

2007  "Baffles & Bastions: the Universal Features of Fortifications." Journal of Archaeological Resources 15:55-95.

Courses Taught

SOA 205 Introduction to Physical Anthropology

SOA 165 Introduction to Archaeology

SOA 155 Native Americans

SOA 105 Introduction to Cultural Anthropology

SOA 305 Cultural Ecology

Additional Credentials

North Central College Swing Grant recipient 2014-2015

Field Museum of Natural History Collaborative Research NSF Grant recipient 2014-2015

Areas of Interest

Archaeology, Physical Anthropology, Cultural Anthropology, Native Americans, Warfare, Fortification, Social Complexity, Evolution

Degrees

B.A., Wayne State University, 1996; M.A., 1999, Ph.D., 2007, University of Illinois at Chicago