Michael Murphy

Michael Murphy

Honors I Transfer

Class of 2021

Sociocultural Anthropology

Focus: Migration & Refugee Studies, Crisis & Disaster Ethnography

Roosevelt College

Interests: Narratives, storytelling, folklore, perspectives, identity construction

Courses:
Please note, we are not counselors. This reflection is meant for informative purposes only, and is not meant to be a guide to graduation. Please contact your major and college counselors for official advice. 

ANSC 191: Narrative and Subjectivity. A fabulous course for understanding perspective and storytelling, and very useful for ethnographic methods.

ANSC 124: Cultural Anthropology. A deep dive into theories, contextualized by the history of the discipline. Really great for getting familiar with the foundational texts of the field. 

ANSC 173: Ethnography in Practice. Really a bedrock methodological course. I spent most of my time at UCSD trying to learn ethnographic methods and only had the chance to take this course in my last year. Definitely in my top 3. 

ANSC 104: US-Mexico Border. This course was useful on so many layers. As a history course, it pulled back the curtain to tell the stories that we don't (but ought to) learn in our core education, and in effect demonstrates one major way that the US conceptualizes itself. As an anthropology course, it adds context to the social upheavals of the modern era. 

ANTH 196 A-C: Honors Studies in Anthropology. It is really an amazing opportunity to create and execute your own project as an undergrad. You learn so much, not just about your topic, but about the research process and methods throughout. To get to spend a full year on that project is an even greater boon. It allows for you to really sink your teeth into every facet of the process, which is a rarity in the quarter system. Note: reach out early and maybe spend the summer doing some preliminary research. 

ANTH 228: Community-Engaged Research. Partners, not subjects. Much of the work of modern anthropology works toward a movement of decolonization. This course takes a critical look at our own work, the researcher-researched relationship, and the power dynamics at play in it, while also presenting alternative relationship structures. Additionally, the course considers novel ways of presenting research so that it is accessible and helpful to the general public, instead of coded and hoarded for the privileged.  Note: this is a graduate course, so you will need to apply for it through EASy. 

Honors & Awards:

Summa Cum Laude.

Hallowell Award for excellence in sociocultural anthropology.

Timothy McDaniel Award for undergraduate excellence with an international focus. 

Honors Thesis Graduate.

TRELS Scholar.

Organizations:

Anthropology Club at UCSD - President 2021.

No Lost Generation at UCSD - Partnership & Outreach Director 2019-2021. NLG is a multi-campus student network dedicated to refugee education, assistance, fundraising, and in-kind support. 

Green New Deal at UCSD - Member 2020-2021. GND-UCSD is a coalition of students and staff, dedicated to enacting meaningful change in UCSD and the greater San Diego region for just, equitable, and clean energy solutions. 

Prospect Journal - Staff Writer 2019-2020. Prospect Journal is a student-run journal concerned with international news.

Volunteering: 

International Rescue Committee - Immigration Assistant 2019. The IRC is one of the world's largest immigrant and refugee aid organizations. They have offices in El Cajon and City Heights. 

The Museum of Us - Volunteer 2018-2019. The Museum of Us is San Diego's historic anthropology museum.

Extracurriculars:

Archaeology Field School 2018. I took part in a field school through my community college, which spent five weeks in Olomouc, Czech Republic, excavating a terminal bronze - iron age Celtic urnfeld (burial field). While my major has always been sociocultural, I was lucky enough to dabble in archaeology methods and practice ethnographic methods for my own projects. 

Work (bartender) 2018-2021.

After Graduation:

I will be continuing my education in Oxford University's MSc of Migration program in the 2021-2022 school year. 

Ongoing Projects:

My honors thesis focused on the ways in which Rohingya refugees and journalists were using the platforms and genres of social media to present themselves in specific ways, to specific ends, during the COVID-19 pandemic and concurrent coup in Myanmar. I have continued working with these journalistic groups beyond the scope of the honors program. 

Contact Information:

Email: m.w.murphy2015@gmail.com
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/michael-w-murphy/