AnthropologyOffice: Social Science Building
Anthropology is a humanistic social science dedicated to understanding the worldwide diversity of social institutions and cultural traditions. Because there is increasing awareness of the importance of sociocultural factors in domestic and international relations, a bachelor’s degree in anthropology has become accepted as a valuable preparation for careers in law, medicine, education, business, government, and various areas of public service. Anthropology majors can qualify for a California teaching credential from UCSD through the Teacher Education Program. The department offers a full range of courses in cultural, social, psychological and biological anthropology, as well as archaeology. Courses include offerings which focus on specific societies or regions of the world as well as more theoretically oriented materials. The department offers undergraduate minor and major programs, a senior thesis program, an undergraduate internship program, and a graduate program leading to the doctoral degree. Students may also enroll in a UCSD Archaeological Field School held in Israel, Jordan, San Diego county, and other regions. The Undergraduate ProgramLower-DivisionLower-division offerings in anthropology are concentrated mainly in the core series, ANLD 1, 2, 3. These courses are designed to provide a comprehensive orientation to the ideas and methods of anthropological investigation and a familiarity with case materials from a number of different societies and historical periods. Students who intend to major or minor in archaeological anthropology are advised to take ANLD 3. Students who intend to major or minor in biological anthropology must take ANLD 2 (or equivalent), which is prerequisite to most upper-division biological anthropology courses. ANLD 23, which may not be offered every year, satisfies the campus-wide requirement for a course in American Cultures. Students who have already completed ANPR 105, 106, and 107 may not receive academic credit for ANLD 1. Other lower-division courses are offered from time to time and will vary from year to year. The MinorStudents may choose a minor in general anthropology, archaeological anthropology, or biological anthropology. Each consists of seven anthropology courses. At least five courses must be upper-division; at least four should be taken at UCSD. The list of courses offered for each minor is available from the undergraduate coordinator. Transfer credits from other anthropology departments are usually accepted. Education Abroad Program credits are acceptable at the discretion of the undergraduate adviser. The MajorTo receive a B.A. degree with a major in anthropology, the student must meet the requirements of Revelle, John Muir, Thurgood Marshall, Earl Warren, Eleanor Roosevelt College, or Sixth College including the following requirements of the Department of Anthropology:
The Major in Anthropology with Concentration in ArchaeologyThe department offers an additional B.A. degree, “Anthropology with Concentration in Archaeology.” This degree requires the following:
The Major in Anthropology with Concentration in Biological AnthropologyThe department offers another B.A. degree, “Anthropology with Concentration in Biological Anthropology.” This degree requires the following:
Senior Thesis ProgramThe senior thesis is prepared during two successive quarters of ANPR 196, senior thesis research, and is counted as two of the twelve upper-division courses required for a major. Students are admitted to the program by invitation of the faculty. Under normal circumstances, eligibility for the program requires the student (1) to have completed eight upper-division courses, including the core sequence, and (2) to have achieved grade point averages of at least 3.6 both overall and in the anthropology major by the end of the junior year. Some of these requirements may be waived by vote of the faculty. During the first quarter of the program (fall quarter), students select their research topic and write a preliminary paper. Those who receive a B+ or better will be invited to continue in the program and complete a thesis on the chosen topic by the end of the winter quarter. The thesis will be evaluated by a committee consisting of the thesis adviser and one other faculty member appointed by the department chair in consultation with the thesis coordinator. The thesis adviser has the sole responsibility for the grade the student receives in the winter quarter. The reading committee advises the faculty on the merit of the thesis for departmental honors. A senior thesis is required in order to be considered for department honors as commencement. Students who wish to be considered for the Senior Thesis Program should notify the department’s undergraduate adviser by the second week of the spring quarter prior to the senior year. Internship ProgramThe department sponsors an internship program that allows students to gain academic credit for supervised work in the Museum of Man, the San Diego Zoo, or the Wild Animal Park. The three tracks of the program allow internship experience in (1) biological anthropology, (2) ethnology and archaeology at the museum, or (3) primate behavior and conservation at the Zoo or Wild Animal Park. A combination of on-campus and on-site supervision makes these courses intellectually provocative but practical and applied. They are an especially valuable complement to a major or minor in anthropology. One four-unit internship (AIP 197) taken with the corresponding two-unit internship seminar (ANBI 187A, C and ANPR 187B) can be counted as one of the twelve upper-division courses for the anthropology major or minor. Applications to these programs are accepted during the first seven weeks of the quarter before the one in which the internship is to be done. Academic Enrichment ProgramsFaculty Mentor ProgramThe program offers research experience to any junior or senior with a GPA of 2.7 or higher who wants to prepare for graduate or professional school. Participants work as research assistants to UCSD faculty members during the winter and spring quarters. Students present their research papers at the Faculty Mentor Research Sympo-sium at the conclusion of the program in the spring. Summer Research ProgramThe program offers full-time research experience to under-represented (i.e., minorities, women, and low-income, first-generation college) students who are interested in preparing for careers in research or university teaching. Juniors and seniors who have a 3.0 GPA or above and plan to attend graduate or professional school are eligible to participate. Education Abroad ProgramOne of the best ways to understand the concept of “culture” is to live in a different culture for a time. Anthropology majors are encouraged to participate in the UC Education Program (EAP) or UCSD’s Opportunities Abroad Program (OAP). Students considering this option should discuss their plans with the faculty undergraduate adviser before going abroad, and courses taken abroad must be approved for credit to the major by the adviser upon return. More information on EAP and OAP is provided under the Education Abroad Program in the UCSD General Catalog. Interested students should contact the EAP staff in the International Center. The Graduate ProgramThe Department of Anthropology offers graduate training in social, cultural, and psychological anthropology, anthropological archaeology, and biological anthropology. The graduate program is designed to provide the theoretical background and the methodological skills necessary for a career in research and teaching anthropology at the university level, and for the application of anthropological knowledge to contemporary problems. It is assumed that all students enter with the goal of proceeding to the doctoral degree. Admission to the graduate program occurs in the fall quarter only. Graduate AdvisingOne member of the departmental faculty functions as the graduate adviser. The role of graduate adviser is to inform students about the graduate program, approve individual registration forms, and give assistance with respect to administrative matters. After completion of the requirements for the master’s degree, the chair of the student’s doctoral committee serves as the student’s major adviser. Any decision to waive a requirement for either the master’s degree or the Ph.D. must be made by a majority of the faculty. EvaluationIn the spring of each year, the faculty evaluate each student’s overall performance in course work, apprentice teaching, and in research progress. A written assessment is given to the student after the evaluation. If a student’s work is found to be inadequate, the faculty may determine that the student should not continue in the graduate program. The Master of Arts DegreeStudents entering the doctoral program must complete a master’s degree before continuing toward the doctorate. Entering students who already have a master’s degree in anthropology are not permitted by university regulations to receive a second social science or related field master’s degree, but are required by the department to complete the requirements for the master’s degree. Rare exceptions may be made on a case by case basis by the consent of the majority of the faculty and approval of the Office of Graduate Studies and Research. Requirements for Master’s DegreeRequired Courses:
Four of the following six core courses, as designated by the sub-field to which the student has been admitted: Students must take four core courses out of a total pool of six courses identified as “Core.” One of these will be an integrated core course to be taken during the first year. The other three required courses will be specified by faculty of the three sub-fields now identified within the department (Sociocultural, Anthropological Archaeo-logy, and Biological Anthropology) for the students admitted to their respective tracks. ANGR 280A. Core Seminar in Social Anthropology (4 units) Elective Courses Four elective, letter grade courses are required. Required courses may not be counted as elective courses, although the Integrated Core Seminar (ANGR 280F) may be repeated in another year for elective credit (provided the teaching staff for the course have changed). Two of these elective courses must be within the anthropology department. Other electives may be taken outside of the department with the approval of the department chair or the graduate adviser. Master’s Thesis Students must complete a master’s thesis of roughly sixty pages which will be due on the first day of the winter quarter of the student’s second year. They must have completed three quarters of coursework in order to begin writing a master’s thesis. By the end of the spring quarter of the student’s first year, he/she will have a master’s committee in consultation with whom he/she will design the thesis. The graduate adviser will be responsible for organizing the masters’ committees. The thesis will be literature based but will have its own argument, and will not simply be a review of the literature. An option open only to anthropological archaeology and biological anthropology students is to make the literature-based thesis (defended by the beginning of the winter quarter of the second year) one component of a larger project involving the collection of original data. Data collection could begin in the summer after the student’s first year and analysis of it could continue after the master’s thesis has been defended. If the thesis includes the analysis of original data which must be shipped back from the field, the student would write the thesis during the winter quarter and hand it in on the first day of the spring quarter. The Doctoral DegreeContinuation in the doctoral program is granted to students who have satisfactorily completed the master’s program and who have completed courses and the master’s thesis at a level of excellence which indicates promise of professional achievement in anthropology. Requirements for the Doctoral Degree1. Required Courses In order to achieve candidacy, students must complete two additional letter grade electives beyond the four required for the Masters. Only one 290-level course may be taken in any one quarter until a student attains Ph.D. candidacy. 2. Research Methods Students are required to develop a plan for their training in research methods and present it to the anthropology department faculty on their proposed dissertation committee in the spring quarter of their second year. 3. Apprentice Teaching In order to acquire teaching experience, each student in the graduate department is required to participate in the teaching activities designated by the department. Teaching may be in the anthropology department or in any other department or program on campus. It can be fulfilled anytime in the first four years of residence. The requirement can be waived by the faculty. The teaching requirement is discharged under the auspices of the course titled ANGR 500: Apprentice Teaching or comparable number in the relevant teaching areas. (1 quarter, 4 units, S/U grade.) 4. Foreign Language Unless a student is planning on fieldwork in English-speaking areas, knowledge of one or more foreign languages may be essential for the successful completion of a Ph.D. in anthropology at UCSD. Students will determine specific language requirements for their degree in consultation with the faculty and their doctoral committee. 5. Formation of the Doctoral Committee Students should choose their doctoral committee by the end of the second year. They must have the completed committee by the end of the first week of the fall quarter of their third year. In consultation with the chair of the doctoral committee, two more departmental committee members are selected, and two faculty members from outside of the department are added. One of the outside members must be tenured. Anthropologists in other departments who are identified by the faculty may serve as either inside members or outside members of the committee. However, there must be at least two inside members from within the department, and only one outside member may be an anthropologist. The final composition of the committee is approved by the Office of Graduate Studies and Research. The chair of the doctoral committee serves as the student’s adviser for the remainder of the student’s program. 6. The Fieldwork Proposal Advancement to Candidacy will be based on the submission of a research proposal of fifteen to thirty double-spaced pages and three papers of fifteen to twenty double-spaced pages in length. One paper must be submitted in each quarter. The papers should be fifteen to twenty double spaced pages in length. They will usually be in the areas of theory, methods and area, though in some cases a different breakdown of the papers will be allowed in consultation with the student’s committee. Three directed reading courses will be allowed in the preparation of the papers (one each in the spring of the second year and the fall and winter of the third year.) All papers and the exam must be completed by the end of a student’s third year, though they may be completed earlier. The proposal and all papers must be turned in three weeks prior to the examination. 7. Advancement to Candidacy In the spring quarter of the third year, after completion of all of the above requirements and submission of the papers and proposal, the student sits for the oral qualifying examination administered by the student’s committee, as required by the Office of Graduate Studies and Research. This examination may contain questions on any aspect of anthropology, but focuses particularly upon the merits of the student’s field research proposal, areas covered in the papers, and accompanying field statements. Successful completion of this examination marks the student’s advancement to doctoral candidacy. These exams will be open to the extent that university regulations allow. 8. Dissertation and Dissertation Defense Upon completion of the dissertation research project, the student writes a dissertation which must be successfully defended in an oral examination conducted by the doctoral committee and open to the public. This examination may not be conducted earlier than three quarters after the date of advancement to doctoral candidacy. A full copy of the student’s dissertation must be in the hands of each of the student’s doctoral committee members four weeks before the dissertation hearing. An abstract of the student’s dissertation must be in the hands of all faculty members ten days before the dissertation defense. It is understood that the edition of the dissertation given to committee members will not be the final form, and that the committee members may suggest changes in the text at the defense. Revisions may be indicated, requiring this examination to be taken more than once. Acceptance of the dissertation by the university librarian represents the final step in completion of all requirements for the Ph.D. 9. Time Limits Pre-candidacy status is limited to three years. Candidates for the doctorate remain eligible for university support for eight years. Instructional support (teaching assistantships) is limited to six years (eighteen quarters). The doctoral dissertation must be submitted and defended within nine years. This is in accordance with university policy. Introduction to Required Core CoursesANGR 280A. Core Seminar in Social Anthropology. First-year core seminar focuses on individual action and social institutions. ANGR 280B. Core Seminar in Cultural Anthropology. First-year core seminar focuses on personal consciousness and cultural experience. ANGR 280C. Core Seminar in Psychological Anthropology. First-year core seminar focuses on motives, values, cognition, and qualities of personal experience. ANGR 280D. Core Seminar in Anthropological Archaeology. Integral part of the training for graduate students focusing on Anthropological Archaeology. It is one of a set of core anthropology courses available to graduate students; required of first-year anthropological archaeology students but open for students in other sub-fields. ANGR 280E. Core Seminar in Biological Anthropology. This seminar will examine the central problems and concepts of biological anthropology, laying the foundation for first-year graduate students in Biological Anthropology as well as providing an overview of the field for graduate students in other areas of anthropology. ANGR 280F. Integrated Core Seminar. Two faculty members from different sub-fields (sociocultural, anthropological archaeology, and biological anthropology) address issues of mutual interest, illustrating areas of overlap between the aspects of anthropology. REQUIRED OF ALL FIRST-YEAR STUDENTS. ANGR 281 A-B. Introductory Seminars. These seminars are held in the first two quarters of the first year of graduate study. Faculty members will present an account of their current research and interests. When appropriate a short preliminary reading list will be given for the particular lecture. NOTE: Not all anthropology courses are offered every year. Please check the quarterly UCSD Schedule of Classes issued each Fall, Winter, and Spring, for specific courses. The Melanesian Studies Resource Center and ArchiveThese facilities embody the substantial interests in the Pacific Basin that are represented on the UCSD campus and the special prominence of the UCSD Department of Anthropology in the study of cultures and societies of Oceania and especially of Melanesia. In cooperation with the UCSD libraries, the Melanesian Studies Resource Center and Archive has two major projects. First, there is an ongoing effort to sustain a library collection of monographs, dissertations, government documents, and journals on Melanesia that make UCSD the premier center for such materials in the United States. Second, there is an endeavor to collect the extremely valuable unpublished literature on Melanesia, to catalog such materials systematically, to produce topical bibliographies on these holdings, and to provide microfiche copies of archival papers to interested scholars and to the academic institutions of Melanesia. This innovative archival project is intended to be a model for establishing special collections on the traditional life of tribal peoples as dramatic social change overtakes them. In the near future, anthropological research on tribal peoples will take place largely in archives of this kind. These complementary collections will support a variety of research and teaching activities and are already attracting students of Melanesia to this campus. The Melanesian Studies Resource Center and Archive are directed by members of the Depart-ment of Anthropology faculty, in collaboration with Geisel Library. The Archaeological Research LaboratoryAn archaeological laboratory was established at UCSD in 1995. The facility is geared to the study of lithics, ceramics, biological remains, and other small finds retrieved on faculty expeditions in the old and new worlds, including Anatolia, Israel, Jordan, and Peru. Multimedia research, AutoCAD, and other computer based studies are carried out in the lab. Undergraduate and graduate students are encouraged to participate in lab studies. The Biological Anthropology LaboratoryThe biological anthropology laboratory has twin missions in teaching research. It houses a collection of modern skeletal material and fossil hominid casts used for teaching both at the lab and in local outreach presentations. The primary research focus involves a large collection of histological sections and computerized images of living and postmortem human and non-human primate brains that were obtained through magnetic resonance scans. These are reconstructed in 3D using state-of-the-art equipment for comparative analysis and study of the evolution of the human brain. Undergraduate and graduate student involvement in the lab is welcomed. The Anthropology of Modern SocietyThe Anthropology of Modern Society is an interdepartmental project of graduate training and research dedicated to the study of modernity and its counterpoints in the late twentieth century. The group sees the social life of cities as making manifest this problem in issues of citizenship and democracy, social formations in tension with the nation-state, modern subjectivities, social and religious movements, transnational markets and migrations, and relations of local to global processes. Participants are committed to reorienting anthropological theory and ethnographic practice towards such contemporary social and political problems. Refer to Comparative Studies in Language, Society, and Culture for more information. |
