Dr. Amber Johnson
Sociology, Anthropology and Criminal Justice Studies Department Chair; Professor of Anthropology
Ph.D., Southern Methodist University
Amber Johnson has been at Truman since 2001. Dr. Johnson received her bachelor’s degree at Rice University. She holds master’s and doctorate degrees from Southern Methodist University. Dr. Johnson is a member of the Society for American Archaeology. Her primary research interest is how humans adapt to their environment and the extent to which cultural changes are driven by demographic versus environmental changes. Current research focuses on explaining macroecological patterns in the transition from foraging to food production. Interested students are encouraged to participate in this research. In the program, Dr. Johnson teaches New Majors Seminar, Anthropology of Gender, World Prehistory, Research Design, Data Analysis & Reporting, a variety of upper level topics courses, and Capstone: Career Preparation. Across campus, she also sometimes teaches Self & Society: Living in the Anthropocene and a Junior Interdisciplinary Seminar on Human Impact of/on Climate Change.