This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2011, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
A scholar who is helping reinvent the discipline of anthropology will be at the University of Utah next week sharing her unique perspective to the importance of social networks, from the tribal to the corporate.
Karen Stephenson, a former UCLA business scholar who holds a doctorate in anthropology, started a consulting firm called NetForm and calls herself a "corporate anthropologist." She meets with students on Monday and Tuesday in an event sponsored by the U.'s business school, anthropology department and College of Social Work.
She will make anthropology and business presentations before giving a public lecture Tuesday night, titled "Connected? Social Networking Makes Civic Projects Go." It's scheduled for 7:30 p.m. in the Goodwill Humanitarian Building.
The talk will highlight how Internet-based technologies like Twitter and Facebook can help trusted relationships that build communities and vitalize civic action.
Brian Maffly