Meet Our Faculty
Sharing an Interconnectedness that Binds Humankind
Anthropology faculty at COCC specialize in a wide variety of fields within the program. You'll find faculty eager to guide you through every step of your academic journey, fostering both your professional development and personal growth.
Full-time, tenure-track faculty members/advisers are featured below. Most COCC academic programs include a roster of adjunct and part-time instructors who add diverse expertise and personal experience to the learning environment.
Faculty Profiles
Michel Waller
Associate Professor of Anthropology
Email: mwaller@cocc.edu
Michel's work bridges the fields of primatology, archaeology and human evolution. Since 2001, he has conducted extensive research in socioecology, conservation and the complex interactions between humans and nonhuman primates, with a focus on chimpanzees and bonobos — field studies include chimpanzee/human interactions in Senegal and bonobo/human interactions in the war-torn Democratic Republic of Congo.
Michel is the editor of "Ethnoprimatology: Primate Conservation in the 21st Century," a volume that explores the dynamic interface between human societies and primate populations in an era of rapid ecological change. His published work spans critical topics such as great ape communication, conflict and cooperation, and primate/human competition for forest resources.
In addition to his contributions to primatology, Michel has worked as an archaeologist for the state of Oregon and collaborated on significant excavations with University of Oregon archaeologists at sites including Fort Rock, Connley Caves and Rattlesnake Cave.
As an educator, he teaches a wide range of courses that reflect his interdisciplinary expertise, including Biological Anthropology, The Primates, Evolution of Human Sexuality, Forensic Anthropology, Archaeology and Archaeology of Oregon. His work continues to shape understandings of human evolutionary past and the contemporary challenges of conservation and human-wildlife coexistence.
A COCC student in the late 90s, Michel earned a bachelor's in journalism from the University of North Dakota, a bachelor's in general science from the University of Oregon, a master’s in anthropology from Iowa State University and a doctorate in anthropology from the University of Oregon.
Amy Harper
Professor of Anthropology
Email: aeharper@cocc.edu
Amy's academic background includes studying the ways in which social structures shape
identity and give contour to notions of belonging and marginalization. With a geographic
focus on Europe, she has explored how gender, sexuality, race, religion and immigration
intersect. Her dissertation research, conducted in Berlin, explored how interactions
with foreign residents reshape and challenge notions of belonging.
Amy has presented at national and international conferences, was awarded a Fulbright
Grant to participate in a workshop on Muslim minorities in France and Germany, and
has served as the editor of "Voices," a section journal of the American Anthropological
Association. Locally, she has presented for a number of community audiences — including
a presentation on ethnographic methods for a middle school and a series of lectures
on anthropologist Margaret Mead for the Deschutes Public Library’s Novel Idea programming.
Amy earned bachelor's degrees in anthropology and German from the University of Montana, and master’s and doctoral degrees in anthropology from the University of Massachusetts Amherst.
Arriving at COCC in 2002, she teaches Cultural Anthropology, Language and Culture, Magic, Witchcraft and Religion, Food and Culture, and Medical Anthropology, among other courses.