The Desert Studies Institute (DSI), established in 1997, is a cooperative program between the Department of Anthropology at Boise State University and Celebration Park. Each year, the Desert Studies Institute provides a broad range of academic offerings of interest and value to students, teaching professionals, Idaho’s citizens, and visitors.
The mission of the Institute is to provide educational programs and scholarly presentations concerning the prehistory, history, ecology, and politics of Idaho’s desert environments and deserts worldwide. The programs are presented to enrich the understanding and appreciation of complex desert ecosystems in Idaho and to promote their perpetual preservation as educational resources for the future.
Faculty
The faculty is selected based on their expertise in areas relating to the objectives of the DSI. Faculty from Boise State University and the region forms the core of the instructional faculty. The institute regularly arranges for the participation of distinguished scholars from other institutions.
Cost
All workshops are one credit each unless otherwise indicated, and are available for undergraduate or graduate credit, plus a small workshop fee. All workshops are listed under anthropology; most are cross-listed with other disciplines. For more information, call Boise State Summer Programs/Extended Studies at (208) 426-1709.
Desert Studies Institute Workshops Summer 2025
Our workshops are two days each and span from May until July.