Crystal Koenig

Assistant Professor of Anthropology Southern Utah University

  • Cedar City UT

Assistant Professor of Anthropology, History, & Sociology; Specializing in biological anthropology and primatology

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Southern Utah University

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Biography

Dr. Crystal Koenig is an assistant professor of anthropology in the Department of History, Sociology, and Anthropology at Southern Utah University. Dr. Koenig is a biological anthropologist and enjoys teaching biological anthropology, primatology, and forensic anthropology.

Dr. Koenig’s research has focused on the portrayal of primates in nature documentaries, the use of primate documentaries in teaching, and the overlap of humans and monkeys in Singapore. She has 13 peer-reviewed publications, eight other scholarly publications, and many conference presentations.

Dr. Koenig earned her PhD and MA in biological anthropology from Washington University in St. Louis and an MA in social psychology from New Mexico State University. She has a BA in psychology and religious studies from The College of Wooster.

Social

Media

Industry Expertise

Education/Learning
Research

Areas of Expertise

Forensic Anthropology
Wildlife Ecology
Behavioral Ecology
Wildlife Documentaries
Biological Anthropology
Primatology
Social Psychology
Wildlife Conservation
Physical Anthropology

Education

Washington University in St. Louis

Ph.D.

Biological Anthropology

2018

Washington University in St. Louis

M.A.

Biological Anthropology

2014

New Mexico State University

M.A.

Social Psychology

2009

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Accomplishments

Distinguished Educator Award

2023

Innovative Pedagogy Award

College of Humanities and Social Sciences, SUU, 2023

Early Career Award

College of Humanities and Social Sciences, SUU, 2022

Media Appearances

Master's of Interdisciplinary Studies Welcomes Professor Crystal Koenig

SUU University News  online

2020-02-23

Southern Utah University's Master's of Interdisciplinary Studies program would like to welcome Crystal Koenig to the family!

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Only a third of primates have appeared in wildlife documentaries

Elsevier  online

Large primates like chimpanzees and baboons dominate wildlife documentaries, meaning other species facing conservation issues are less known by the public.

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Articles

Portrayals of wild primates in documentary films: reason for concern?

Primates

Riley Koenig, C. M., Koenig, B.L., & Sanz, C. M.

2022-09-19

Documentaries are the primary means by which many people observe the behavior of wild primates. By influencing layperson perceptions of wild primates, documentaries could impact viewer conservation-related beliefs and behaviors and, therefore, the well-being of wild primates.

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Primate Documentaries: A Critical Analysis of Their History

Society & Animals

Riley Koenig, C. M., & Koenig, B. L.

We provide an analysis of the history of primate documentaries, with a focus on how and why misrepresentation happens. We summarize why wildlife documentaries are important, and then we explain concerns over documentaries’ mischaracterization of nonhuman animals.

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Portrayals of wild primates in documentary films: reason for concern?

Primates

Riley Koenig, C. M., Koenig, B.L., & Sanz, C. M.

Documentaries are the primary means by which many people observe the behavior of wild primates. By influencing layperson perceptions of wild primates, documentaries could impact viewer conservation-related beliefs and behaviors and, therefore, the well-being of wild primates. To investigate such portrayals, we examined documentaries depicting the four species that were most represented in documentaries: rhesus macaque, chimpanzee, ring-tailed lemur, and mountain gorilla.

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Courses

ANTH 4700 - Special Topics: Anthropology in Film and Media

Occasionally, anthropology faculty will offer courses on a special area of interest or a particularly timely topic under this course number. The class schedule and handouts in the department will provide further information on each Special Topic course.

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ANTH 3400 - Primatology

This course will provide a broad overview of the study of non-human primates. We will explore primatology from anthropological and biological perspectives, incorporating psychological perspectives when relevant. Topics addressed will include primate evolution, taxonomy, behavior, cognition, and conservation.

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ANTH 2220 - Introduction to Forensic Anthropology

This course provides a comprehensive overview of the discipline of forensic anthropology. Forensic anthropology employs methods from biological anthropology, archaeology, and other disciplines to locate, identify, and interpret human remains. While these methods are useful in a variety of contexts, forensic anthropologists often work closely with law enforcement. This course will cover topics such as human decomposition processes, locating and recovering skeletal remains, skeletal anatomy, and interpretation of skeletal remains (e.g. age-sex estimation, height estimation, recognition of disease indicators in the skeleton).

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