Advising

Meet the Anthropology Director of Undergraduate Studies

Our Director of Undergraduate Studies is Dr. Vincent LaMotta (pronouns: he/him/his), Associate Clinical Professor specializing in Southwestern archaeology at UIC. Dr. LaMotta, a certified “cat dad,” has been teaching at UIC for over a decade.

How Can Dr. LaMotta Help You?

Dr. LaMotta can help you with deciding to declare an anthropology minor, major, or double-major; course-planning; setting up internships and research opportunities; finding field programs; getting involved with Anthro Club; and coping with any personal or academic difficulties you may face during your undergraduate career.

How to Contact Dr. LaMotta

The best ways to contact Dr. LaMotta are to email him (vlamotta@uic.edu) or to attend his drop-in hours virtually or in-person (BSB 3128B). Dr. LaMotta’s drop-in hours for the Spring 2024 semester will be posted soon.

Meet the Anthropology Major/Minor Advisors

We have TWO major/minor advisors!

Alexa Maseth (pronouns: she/her), Senior Academic Advisor, has a decade of experience in academic advising with seven years in general advising for the College of LAS at UIC. In 2025, Alexa joined the ANTH advising team. She is originally from Pittsburgh, PA and earned her bachelor’s degree in Advertising and Public Relations from Duquesne University and master’s degree in Student Affairs in Higher Education from Indiana University of Pennsylvania.

Kiki Wessel (pronouns: she/her), Senior Academic Advisor, joined UIC in 2021 as a general advisor. She transitioned to her current role in 2022. Kiki earned her bachelor’s degree from the University of Cincinnati in Organizational Leadership (HR) and a minor in economics and her master’s degree from University of Iowa in Higher Education and Student affairs.

How Can Alexa and Kiki Help You?

Alexa and Kiki are departmental academic advisors within the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences (LAS) for the following major and minors: Criminology, Law, & Justice major and minor, Law & Society minor, Anthropology major and minor, Medical Humanities certificate, and Global Middle East Studies minor. They are experts in your area of study and can assist you with declaring/changing your major/minor/certificate, outlining the specific requirements for your major, key course sequencing, mapping out course plans to graduation, and general information about related career options. You can also meet with either of them to discuss internships, undergraduate research, and independent studies related to the major. You can learn more about major/minor advising on the UIC Advising website.

How to Contact Alexa and Kiki

You can make appointments on iAdvise by visiting go.uic.edu/majorservice. or you can click here. Alexa and Kiki offer virtual appointments Monday – Friday as well as some in-person appointments Tuesday – Thursday (even over the summer). When scheduling your appointment, it’s helpful for you to include the reason(s) you’re scheduling your appointment. You are also more than welcome to email this new combined email (lasanthadvising@uic.edu) for support. Please refrain from reaching out to all three emails (Alexa’s, Kiki’s, and the general ANTH advising account) and choose either the combined ANTH email or one of their individual emails. Make sure to include your full name and UIN in your messages!