INTRODUCTION Welcome to our community of graduate students, faculty, and staff. We hope that this guide – known in its paper version as the “Red book” – will answer many, if not all, of your questions about procedures and programs. It is intended to provide a helpful summary of and supplement to the Dedman College Graduate Catalog. In the event of a discrepancy between these two documents, the Dedman College Graduate Catalog takes precedence. This 2008-2009 edition of the Redbook provides guidelines for this academic year and – for entering graduate students – will continue to serve as your guide until you complete your degree requirements. Our curricula are reviewed periodically, with considerable attention given to student course evaluations. While you are with us, there may be some program changes, often in response to student suggestions. Changes in requirements are never retroactive. You may follow the guidelines in effect at the time you entered the graduate program or you may elect to adopt a subsequent set of guidelines published in a later Redbook. However, you cannot “mix and match;” you must follow all of the procedures in a given Redbook. Beyond the Redbook, you should consult other information sources, including the Dedman College Graduate Catalog for the current year and the Schedule of Classes for the current semester. You also should consult the SMU Home Page and the Department Home Page at: http://www.smu.edu/anthro. The text of the current Redbook, with additional material and links, is incorporated into the Anthropology Department website. INTELLECTUAL GOALS The Department of Anthropology offers two degree programs: the MA in Medical Anthropology and the PhD in Anthropology (with an MA awarded en route to the PhD). In the PhD program, you can concentrate in Archaeology or in Cultural Anthropology either in “Medical Anthropology” or “Globalization and International Development” The details of these programs are outlined toward the end of this document (starting on page 18, and in Appendix 1 and 2). What follows is a description of the shared elements of our graduate program in anthropology. Our program is designed to produce scholars – creative, energetic, articulate, and literate scholars. We endeavor to produce anthropologists whose research is sufficiently innovative to attract the notice of their peers, who will seek and receive research funding, and who will apply their training to the constructive development of the human groups with whom they work. It is our aim to train students in specialized skills based upon the broad understanding of anthropology acquired before entering our programs. Beyond providing you the skills necessary to becoming a professional anthropologist, the faculty also will endeavor to impart a professional attitude and a desire to practice those skills with precision and with passion. Your reputation demands nothing less. ADMISSION Students holding a Bachelor’s degree or Master’s degree in Anthropology can apply for admission directly to the Office of Research and Graduate Studies, SMU, Dallas TX 75275 or through e-mail: smugrad@mail.smu.edu. In addition, applications can be made online at http://smu.edu/graduate/forms.asp or by contacting the Dept. of Anthropology, SMU, Dallas, TX 75275. Admission requirements and other information are contained in the current Dedman College Graduate Catalog. Only a limited number of students are accepted. Three letters of recommendation (using a form supplied by the Office of Research and Graduate Studies) are required of all applicants. To be admitted to the Department, you should have:
NOTE: To be considered for financial support, an application must be complete and submitted by February 1st of the calendar year in which the applicant is seeking Fall semester admission. After your application is complete, the Departmental Admissions Committee reviews your record, and a consensus on admittance is reached. Our recommendation is forwarded to the Dean of Research and Graduate Studies, who will write to you soon thereafter with the official letter of admittance – which you will need to sign and return promptly. FOR ARRIVING GRADUATE STUDENTS Upon entering the program (and no later than the end of the first semester), you will select an Advisor who will guide you in your graduate program (helping you, for example, in selecting your courses, identifying appropriate committee members, and chairing your Qualifying Exam and Dissertation Committees). If you are unsure who to select, feel free to talk to the Department Chair for suggestions; please note that if your interests change, it is possible to change your Advisor, as may be appropriate. In all faculty meetings dealing with student evaluations and financial support, your Advisor will present your case and endeavor to look after your interests. If you have any problems during your time in our program, you should first take them to your Advisor, and if a solution cannot be found then to the Department Chair. They will know which channels of formal communication should be used to solve your problem. Financial Support Nearly all private Universities are expensive; SMU is no exception. Everyone, student and faculty alike, is concerned about securing and distributing financial support. The Department of Anthropology has a limited amount of financial support available for new and continuing graduate students. Decisions to award financial aid are based on the faculty’s collective evaluation of overall student performance, made at special faculty meetings at the end of the Fall and Spring semesters. A notice of deadlines for student requests for support is posted well in advance of these meetings. If you are to receive support for the coming semester, the Departmental Chair will send you a letter following those meetings (generally in late December or late May) with details of your assignment and compensation. NOTICE: If you request any kind of financial aid (departmental or otherwise), you must fill out the free application for federal student aid. For current forms, consult the SMU Office of Financial Aid, at http://smu.edu/financial_aid/Graduates/Grad_index.asp Types of Financial Support: Department/University-based Assistantships Teaching Assistantships (TA's) typically pay a stipend plus remission of tuition/fees. Basic health insurance coverage will be provided for students who maintain full-time status and have support through a stipend/assistantship of at least $10,000/AY. Assignments are made by the Department Chair after consultation with faculty members. Note: Before you can participate in classroom instruction as a Teaching Assistant (or Adjunct Lecturer), you must attend a teaching assistant symposium sponsored by the Center for Teaching Excellence. In addition to the symposium, you will be required to take, at the earliest opportunity, a one-hour non-credit teacher-training seminar (ANTH 6034). This seminar normally is offered every other semester. Department Assistantships (DAs) typically pay a stipend plus remission of tuition/fees. Basic health insurance coverage will be provided for students who maintain full-time status and have support through a stipend/assistantship of at least $10,000/Academic Year (AY). Assignments are made by the Department Chair. Graduate Research Assistantships (GRAs) are provided to graduate students who work on sponsored research projects led by individual faculty members. The compensation paid to GRAs may vary, according to the guidelines of the funding agency, and may cover summers as well as the fall/spring semesters. Under most circumstances, GRAs will receive remission of tuition/fees and will be provided with health insurance coverage. Assignments are made by the Principal Investigator of the research project and confirmed by the Department Chair. Readers/Graders. From time to time, there are opportunities to work as a reader (or grader) for departmental or extra-departmental courses on an “as needed” short-term basis. Compensation and responsibilities will vary. Please see the Department Chair if you are interested in working in such a role. Campus Jobs. Over the years, graduate students in anthropology have been creative in finding employment on campus beyond the Department of Anthropology. They have worked in the libraries, in other academic centers (e.g., Women’s Studies Program Office), in the residence halls (as dorm directors), to name just a few. If you are being funded as a TA, DA, or GRA, before you can additional accept part-time or full-time employment on campus beyond our department, you must obtain approval from the Department Chair and the Dean of Dedman College. For more information about campus employment, contact: Federal Work Study Program (FWSP) and Texas College Work Study Program (TCWSP) funds are available at SMU for those financially eligible. If you believe that you are eligible, please indicate this in your application for admission. Tuition Awards Tuition Awards (covering tuition/fees) usually are tied to Teaching Assistantships, Department Assistantships, and Graduate Research Assistantships. In exceptional circumstances, partial tuition awards may be made to students in other situations to expedite their movement through the program. Tuition Equalization Grants (TEG), available from the state of Texas, (9 hours for one term). These are available only to Texas residents. If you believe that you qualify, please indicate this in your application for admission. External Funding Sources Fellowships and Grants. Students are strongly encouraged to submit proposals to the National Science Foundation Graduate Fellowship Program, the Ford Foundation, and other appropriate agencies. Successful applicants may receive as much as $30,000/year plus remission of tuition/fees, and health insurance coverage. Information is available through the Office of Research Administration, Dean of Research and Graduate Studies, the Department Chair, or your Advisor. Student Loans are available through federally supported and federally-non-supported programs, to those who qualify, from local or hometown banks. Research and Travel Awards The Dr. Mary Moore Free Ethnology Research Awards (funded by The Dwight A. and Mary Moore Free Endowment Fund) help to support graduate students conducting pre-dissertation research in cultural anthropology, typically during the summer following their first or second year of graduate study in the department. Awards are made after an evaluation of proposals submitted each spring semester. See the Department Chair for more information. The Robert Van Kemper Endowment Fund for Research in Social and Cultural Anthropology (funded through a bequest from the estate of Professor Kemper’s mentor, George M. Foster, Professor emeritus at the University of California Berkeley). The fund will provide support for training and field research for graduate students in anthropology, primarily for preliminary field experience for doctoral candidates. Proposals should include a description of the project and its relationship to the student’s anticipated dissertation project, a brief discussion of methods and data analysis, a time frame for the research activities, and an estimated budget. Projects budgets should not exceed $3,000. The level of funding will be based on actual reimbursable expenses during the research project. Students who receive support will be expected to deliver a final written report (limited to 10 pages) and a public presentation (e.g., a Brown Bag Luncheon talk) no later than the end of the semester following their return from field research. Except in unusual circumstances, proposals will be received once a year, usually no later than mid-April, for proposals for summer field research projects. Paul Steed Travel Awards (funded through The Paul Steed Endowment Fund) are designed to assist in defraying travel costs for graduate students delivering papers at professional meetings. Each applicant will be judged based upon the quality of a single paper submitted to the Award Committee. Applications for this award can be submitted twice a year. Click here for criteria and application. Departmental Travel Awards. In addition to the Steed Travel Awards, departmental funds may be available to help you with expenses related to delivering papers at professional meetings. The procedures for evaluating papers and making awards are similar to that for the Steed Awards. See the Department Chair for further information. Graduate Dean Awards: Grants up to $400 are available from the Dean of Research and Graduate Studies (one per student/year); requests with matching funds from another source given higher priority. These grants can be used to attend conferences (lower priority if not making a presentation), training workshops, research travel, or other research-related expenditures for which you are responsible but lack other funding sources. Deadlines are Sept. 30, January 31 and May 31 of each academic year. You must fill out a cover sheet (available from the Departmental Administrative Assistant), a one-page proposal describing your project, and a one-page vita. Applications should be approved by your Advisor, affirmed by the Department Chair, and then submitted to the Office of Research and Graduate Studies, Room 342 Dallas Hall, SMU Box 240. The sponsoring faculty member should send a letter of recommendation directly to the Dean of Research and Graduate Studies. ISEM Research Grants. The Institute for the Study of Earth and Man (ISEM) occasionally has funding for graduate student research. Proposals are accepted on a rotating basis. You should prepare a short proposal and a budget. This should be approved with a letter of support from your faculty Advisor, submitted to the Chair of the Department for signature, and then submitted to Dr. Louis Jacobs, Director of the Institute. Teaching Opportunities for Students with MA Degrees Adjunct Lectureships. A limited number of opportunities are available each term (fall, spring, and summer) for students with MA degrees in Anthropology to teach courses independently. The compensation is determined on a per course basis and does not necessarily involve remission of tuition/fees or provision of insurance coverage. Dissertation Write-Up Awards The Garry A. Weber Graduate Fellowships are awarded to students in the final phase of dissertation writing in conjunction with a dissertation completion award from the Dean of Research and Graduate Studies. Please see the Department Chair for more information on this award. A limited number are available each academic year. Dissertation Fellowship Awards: Dedman College offers a small number of dissertation fellowship awards. To receive an award, you must be recommended by your dissertation Advisor to the departmental faculty and confirmed by the Dean of Dedman College. You must complete and defend your dissertation by the end of the academic year in which you receive the award. Research Awards/Prizes Graduate Research Day Awards are made to students who participate in the annual Graduate Research Day. The Department awards a cash prize for the best paper presentation and the best poster. Further information is available from the Dean of Research and Graduate Studies. Student Office Space Student offices are located in the Heroy Building. Priority is given to those who are serving as Teaching Assistants, and thus need to keep office hours, to students working on research projects of Department faculty, then to students in coursework, and finally to students who have completed fieldwork and are writing their dissertations. If you have problems concerning office space, consult with the Department Chair. We will do our best to accommodate you, but the Department cannot guarantee office space for every student. Teaching Assistantships: Responsibilities and Obligations Teaching Assistantships provide an opportunity for you to gain direct experience in the formal conduct, organization, and teaching of a course. This includes, but is not limited to, experience in formal presentations. The faculty member supervising you in your role as a TA will ensure that the assistantship is at least in part an apprenticeship in teaching, and that opportunities exist for the faculty member to 1) make informed judgments of the TA’s competence in teaching and 2) to make recommendations for improvement. SMU holds an annual Teaching Assistant Seminar in August before the beginning of the fall semester. The Dedman College graduate program is strongly committed to this seminar and requires that all students attend. The department staff have information about this seminar; they can assist incoming graduate students in registering for it. In addition, all students are required to take a non-credit one-hour “Teacher Training” seminar offered in the Department. This normally occurs no later than the second semester of your first year. The responsibilities of TA's include the following: 1) To work 15-20 hours per week on course-related activities as provided by the supervising faculty member. You can anticipate working more than 20 hours during weeks when you are grading papers and exams; this should average out against weeks when the workload is somewhat lighter. 2) To attend course lectures for the course to which you have been assigned. 3) To maintain posted office hours of at least 2 hrs/week, and to be available for appointments with students as necessary. 4) To present formal lectures or other structured presentations to the class, sufficient to constitute a legitimate “teaching experience,” the nature and extent to be determined by class format and the supervising instructor’s judgment. 5) To comply with all University policy regarding professional classroom behavior, including the policy on sexual harassment and consensual relationships. Please consult: “Operating Procedures: Graduate Student Employment and Other Graduate Aid.” Copies are on file with the department administrative assistant. Leaves of Absence for Medical, Familial, and Personal Purposes We have procedures in place for ensuring that you can maintain your status in our graduate program even if you encounter a medical, familial, or personal situation that prevents you from attending classes or otherwise participating in the program for an extended period. Please consult with your Advisor, and if needed with the Department Chair for the best path to follow for your particular case. It is important to have written documentation of your need for medical, familial, or personal leave of absence from the program. Academic Appeals You are entering a large and complicated organization. We try to be fair to all our members and to uphold high standards of academic training. Your performance in all coursework, and as a Graduate Assistant/Teaching Assistant, is regularly monitored by the faculty. In addition, you are expected to maintain the highest standards of professional responsibility during your graduate student career. Your grades and any written evaluations by those involved in your training will be kept in your file. These are available for your inspection, since we want you to know just where you stand. Should you wish to appeal a decision concerning your progress, your faculty Advisor will help you find appropriate channels. Remember, appeals can be handled within the Department either through your Graduate Representative at the monthly faculty meetings or through the advising system. It has been our experience that most appeals taken first to the Administration are promptly sent back to the Department for consideration. Representation Each year the graduate students elect a member to represent them at our monthly faculty meetings. Your Graduate Student Representative is there to communicate the interests of the students in departmental affairs and to present to the faculty any student-generated proposals. COURSE WAIVERS AND TRANSFER CREDITS Students with an extensive background in anthropology may be credited (course waived with or without credit) for certain courses taken elsewhere. However, applicants should be aware that previous graduate-level coursework (including field school experience) will be rigorously evaluated for transfer or waiver credit; in other words, the granting of credits/waivers is not automatic. A course submitted for waiver or transfer credit should closely resemble one offered in our graduate curriculum or be complementary to our curriculum. Performance in the course must meet the standards of the faculty in the appropriate sub field. The following policy guidelines will help you to select courses appropriate for a petition for waivers and/or credits. (This applies to entering students with undergraduate Anthropology majors, those with graduate work in Anthropology, or those with prior SMU courses in Anthropology). In all cases, you should provide complete documentation (e.g., syllabi, bibliographies, assignments, tests, written work) for each course to be considered for waiver/credit. Note: you must apply for course waivers no later than the end of your first year of coursework at SMU. General Guidelines: Maximum Hours, Minimum Grades, Waivers, Appropriate Courses Normally all graduate level courses are numbered 6000 and above. Graduate students may take courses numbered below 6000 if it is part of the program of study or with the approval of their Advisor. Enrollment for 9 hours of coursework (three 3 credit courses per semester) is recognized as a full load for graduate students. Persons who enroll for fewer than these hours are designated part-time students. After completion of the required credit-hour requirements, all PhD students should retain their student status until graduation, unless granted a leave of absence. Normally, the maximum number of credit hours that can be waived on the basis of prior work at another institution is twenty-four (24). In unusual cases, additional transfer credits may be granted with the approval of the Graduate Dean. If you were an undergraduate major in anthropology at SMU, any 5000-level courses in anthropology or any 4000-level courses with a complementary 6000-level number can be considered for waivers. Consideration of credit for undergraduate courses taken elsewhere can be given only if you took them while you were a graduate student. Requirements may be waived (without hour credit) for such courses taken while you were an undergraduate. If we require that you take some undergraduate courses to make up deficiencies before entering our graduate program, these cannot be considered for hour credit. You can petition the faculty to have special studies or independent study taken elsewhere considered for credit. You should submit the syllabus, bibliography, and written work as part of your petition. No waivers or credits will be given for ANY course for which there is no supporting documentation. In general, only courses for which you earned an A- or better (or its equivalent) can be waived or transferred. In cases where letter grades are not available (for example, for courses taken at some foreign universities), an explanation of the grade from the professor of record will be required. Required Courses Courses can be waived and credit hours granted as meeting SMU requirements only if they are deemed equivalent to our courses. Even if a course taken elsewhere is not deemed to be equivalent to a required course, you subsequently can petition to have the course transferred within the limits imposed for elective hours. For example, you may have taken a course in the history of ethnological theory. Such a course would not be equivalent to our ANTH 5334, a required course that covers the history of all four sub-fields of anthropology, but the course you took still might be considered for waiver/credit as an elective course. Elective Hours If you enter our graduate program with an earned Masters Degree, you may petition to transfer up to 18 elective hours in Archaeology and up to 15 in Cultural Anthropology (the difference between the two programs is based on differences in the proportion of elective to required hours in these programs). An elective course (e.g., Peoples of the Antarctic) with no equivalency in our program will be considered for transfer credit only if taken during graduate studies. Petition Process At your earliest opportunity, you should notify your advisor if you intend to petition for course waivers and/or credits. For courses intended to meet SMU requirements, the material is submitted to the Department Chair, and the Instructor of Record for the particular course for which you are seeking waiver/credit. In addition, all faculty members are notified of the petition, and will have the materials available to them. In the case of petitions for waivers/credits of elective courses, your petition will be circulated to members of the appropriate sub-disciplinary faculty, either archaeology or cultural anthropology. STANDARDS AND EVALUATION Standards of Performance in All Programs
Evaluating Student Performance Your grades are an important, but not uniquely decisive, factor in our evaluation of your performance. In addition, there are a number of more general evaluative criteria that guide the Faculty of the Department of Anthropology at Southern Methodist University. These criteria are closely linked to issues of professional promise, professional commitment, intellectual growth, development as a teacher, and performance as an ethical and responsible citizen not only within our University community but also as a member of the profession broadly understood. At the end of the fall and spring semesters, the faculty meet to discuss the performance of each student according to the following criteria: Performance in Classroom/Coursework
Performance in Teaching/Departmental Responsibilities (TA/DA/GRA)
Performance in Research and Fieldwork
Written Statement of Evaluation Following each end-of-semester faculty meeting, you will receive a written statement from the department chair regarding the faculty’s assessment of your performance and recommendations for improvements. A copy of the statement will be placed in your departmental file. Removal from Program and Appeals In accordance with Dedman College rules, failure to meet established minimum acceptable standards of academic or disciplinary performance can result in suspension or dismissal. Suspension is for a set period of time. Dismissal is permanent. Should your performance be judged so unsatisfactory that suspension or dismissal is recommended, that decision will be made by majority vote of the departmental faculty and communicated to you by the department chair. Appeals of such decisions must be presented to the faculty as a whole. Subsequent appeals, if any, will be dealt with according to standard University procedures. Language Requirement Since it is essential for professional anthropologists to be familiar with foreign languages, both in fieldwork and in reading scholarly literature, you should strive to attain a high level of competence with at least one foreign language. This is a requirement for all doctoral students and is encouraged for students in the MA in Medical Anthropology program. For further information, please consult the program-specific language requirements described later in this handbook, as well as Appendix 3 (Language Examination). These requirements should be satisfied as soon as possible (usually by the end of the second year), since by so doing you will be able to use the language as a tool in preparing for your PhD Qualifying Examination. The language requirement must be satisfied before you take your PhD Qualifying exams. Archaeology students must demonstrate an ability to read research literature published in a modern foreign language such as French, German, Spanish, or Russian. You may petition the faculty if you wish to substitute another language or languages. Students in Cultural Anthropology must demonstrate knowledge of the language most relevant to their field research. THE PHD PROGRAM IN THE DEPARTMENT OF ANTHROPOLOGY: In this section we address shared elements of the PhD program in Anthropology, a program designed to provide you with the theoretical and methodological knowledge to teach and undertake research in archaeology or cultural anthropology. If you do not already possess a Master of Arts in Anthropology, you can earn the MA en route to the PhD. Applicants to the SMU graduate program generally have a bachelor's degree from an accredited undergraduate program, most commonly in anthropology or related behavioral and social sciences. We also accept students who have completed or are in the process of completing a Master of Arts degree from another university. Successful applicants are expected to continue through to the PhD, but must complete the requirements for the MA in Anthropology en route. The degree of Doctor of Philosophy is awarded in recognition of high attainment in a special field of knowledge, as evidenced by examination and by a dissertation presenting the results of significant and original research. General requirements are listed below. Residence Residency and Course Work The PhD degree normally requires at least 54 hours of graduate work, including research, reading, and dissertation courses. A minimum of 54 semester hours of course work is required in both the archaeology program and in the cultural anthropology program, including research, reading, and dissertation courses. As a co-requirement, you also must pass a zero-credit teaching seminar (6034). If you are in the archaeology program, then your coursework usually will include six hours (in ANTH 5381 and 5382, or 5681) taken at the Fort Burgwin (SMU in Taos) field school, either during the summer before or the summer after your first year of coursework at SMU. You can petition for credit for appropriate alternative field school or fieldwork experience. Also, if you are in the archaeology program, then you also must pass a proseminar in archaeological ethics (6033). If prior to completing the mandated 54 hours of coursework, you are taking hours toward the degree, but you are not going to be enrolled in courses during a specific fall or spring semester, you can maintain “full-time graduate student status” (including library and email privileges) by signing up for 6049 (Graduate Full-Time Status). After you have completed the mandated 54 hours of coursework, you should sign up for 8049 (Graduate Full-Time Status) to maintain your full-time status in the program. Registration for full-time research status – through ANTH 6049 and ANTH 8049 – is permitted for a maximum of six semesters. Additional enrollments beyond six semesters must be requested in writing to the Department Chair. Continuous registration is required of PhD students and is your responsibility. If you are undertaking full-time research off campus, you may petition the faculty for a research leave ( up to a maximum of two years). The Department will inform the Office of Research and Graduate Studies of all research leaves. If you do not register for two consecutive semesters without being granted a research leave, you will be dismissed from the program. If you do not register for one semester, and do not obtain a research leave, you may petition the Department Chair for re-instatement of your student status. Note: If you need to take a leave of absence for medical, familial, or personal reasons, please consult with your Advisor, and the Department Chair. The minimum residency requirement is a total of 30 semester hours completed within three years of residence at SMU. Foreign students may need to satisfy additional residence requirements to comply with federal immigration regulations. The Normal Sequence for Completing PhD Requirements:
Note: Assuming that you have filed the appropriate request in a timely manner, the MA degree will be awarded to you after you have completed satisfactorily 36 hours of coursework, and passed the MA general examination. You will advance to doctoral candidacy (ABD – “all but dissertation”) after completing the PhD qualifying exams. Scheduling of Exams, Proposal and Defense These events must be scheduled during the academic year (between the first and last day of class in the fall semester or the first and last day of class in the spring semester). These dates coincide with dates outlined by the Office of the Dean of Research and Graduate Studies, and are linked to the awarding of particular degrees. Faculty members are under no obligation to sit for exams and defenses on University holidays or during the summer months. If, because of forces beyond anyone’s control, you need to schedule an exam beyond the academic year as specified above, you must formally petition each of the members of your committee. Unless all members of a committee are able and willing to meet, the petition will be denied. MA Degree En Route The Master of Arts Degree in Anthropology may be conferred en route to the PhD, after successful completion of 36 hours of coursework and a passing grade on the MA general examination. Except in extraordinary circumstances, students who previously completed an MA (or M.S.) degree in Anthropology at another university will complete a minimum of 12-18 hours of coursework at SMU before attempting the MA general examination.
Admission to Candidacy for the Doctoral Degree To be admitted to candidacy, you must:
Upon completion of these requirements, the department will recommend to the Dean that you be admitted to candidacy. Supporting documents will include a copy of your degree plan and the qualifying examination report (ORGS Form 1). Your Dissertation As a candidate for the doctoral degree, you are required to present the proposal for the dissertation to a faculty committee. When this committee accepts your dissertation plan (in the context of the doctoral qualifying examination), the Dissertation Advisor will transmit a Dissertation Topic Report (ORGS Form 2) to the Office of Research and Graduate Studies for inclusion in your file. After completing your field research and data analysis, you will prepare and present an acceptable dissertation within the major field of study. It must demonstrate that you have technical competence in the field and have done research of an independent character. It must add to and modify what was previously known, or present a significant interpretation of the subject based on original investigation. The guidelines for preparing your dissertation are outlined in the Thesis/Dissertation Guide, copies of which are available in the Office of Research and Graduate Studies. You also can consult this information at thttp://smu.edu/graduate/thesis.asp Your dissertation must be completed to the satisfaction of your dissertation Advisor and Dissertation Committee, and must meet the guidelines established by the Office of Research and Graduate Studies. Deadlines for the submission of dissertations are outlined at the beginning of each semester. Upon successful completion of the dissertation defense, an original half-title page must be signed by the Dissertation Committee. All dissertations must be prepared for electronic submission. You are responsible to follow these guidelines and to do so in a timely manner. In submitting a dissertation, you grant permission to the Director of Libraries at SMU to make copies at the Director’s discretion, upon the request of individuals or institutions. Dissertation Defense The defense is an examination administered by your Dissertation Committee. The examination focuses on your dissertation and related material. The Dissertation Committee shall consist of:
Notes: If an external reviewer is not an SMU faculty member, a copy of that reviewer’s curriculum vitae must be submitted to the Dean of Graduate Studies along with the Department Chair’s letter approving the membership of the Dissertation Committee. Anthropology faculty members with joint appointments (excluding courtesy appointments) are considered internal members of the anthropology department only, and may not serve as outside members of your committee. Retired, emeritus faculty members can serve on a dissertation committee, but are not permitted to serve as its chair. Well before the proposed date of the dissertation defense, the membership of your Dissertation Committee must be approved by the Department Chair, and by the Dean of Graduate Studies. In accordance with University guidelines, the dissertation defense is open to the public. It will be conducted by your committee, with the participation of other departmental faculty members who may be present (as non-voting members). The chair of the examining committee will set a date, hour, and place for the examination agreeable to the committee members and to the candidate, with public notification at least three days in advance. Notice of the dissertation defense should be distributed to the department community, to the Dean of Dedman College, and to the Dean of Graduate Studies. A unanimous vote of the committee is necessary for approval of the examination. The examination report will be forwarded to the Dean for certification of the candidate for graduation (ORGS Form 3). Graduation Ceremonies and Doctoral Hooding SMU grants doctoral degrees three times a year: in May, August, and December. Depending on when you submit the final, corrected version of your dissertation to the office of the Dean of Graduate Studies, you should plan on participating in the University’s graduation ceremonies (including doctoral hooding) either in May or December. In either case, we invite you to participate in our departmental graduation ceremonies in May of the academic year in which you receive your doctoral degree. Failing the Doctoral Defense Students who fail the doctoral defense may be given a second examination, at a time to be determined by the committee, but not later than one year after the initial examination. Students who fail the defense on the second opportunity are thereby disqualified to receive the PhD degree. Time Limits If you are registered for full-time study, you should plan on taking the PhD qualifying examination at the time specified in each degree program. Ordinarily, credit is not allowed for graduate courses (including transfers) taken more than six years before you take the doctoral qualifying examination. Should this time limit be exceeded, the credits must be revalidated and approved by the Dean of Graduate Studies. Approval is granted only in exceptional cases. The doctoral dissertation must be submitted and accepted no later than five years after you were admitted to PhD candidacy. An extension of one year can be granted by the Dean, upon recommendation of the departmental faculty. Except under special circumstances, if you still have not submitted your dissertation after the additional twelve-month grace period, you will be dropped from the graduate program, and can be re-admitted only by passing a new qualifying examination. (Note: no petition for re-admission and re-examination has been submitted and approved in the history of our department!) If you must take a leave of absence for medical, familial, or personal reasons, the time spent on leave will not be counted toward your time limits. The decision to grant your petition for a leave of absence will be made by the department, and then approved by the Dean of Graduate Studies. If you are a part-time student, time limit requirements will be interpreted appropriately to allow for your part-time status. You should consult the Dedman College Graduate Programs Catalog for further information on time limits. STATEMENT OF NONDISCRIMINATION
DEGREE PROGRAMS IN THE DEPARTMENT OF ANTHROPOLOGY THE PHD DEGREE IN CULTURAL ANTHROPOLOGY Introduction/Overview In the PhD program in Cultural Anthropology, you will be trained broadly in contemporary theory and method in anthropology, while you specialize in one of two tracks: Medical Anthropology or Globalization and International Development. In special circumstances, you can petition to combine these specializations. As noted above, upon arriving you should select a faculty Advisor. The Cultural Anthropology faculty will guide you toward the goal of completing all coursework in three years, and the dissertation within five years, thus meeting all Dedman College and Department requirements. Please see Appendix 1 for a typical sequencing and timetable in the cultural anthropology program. Residency and Course Work Required Courses (27 hours) ANTH 5334 - History of Anthropology Courses in Specialization – MEDICAL ANTHROPOLOGY Core Courses (6 hours) Courses in Specialization – GLOBALIZATION AND INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT Core Courses (6 hours) Additional Note on Electives for Both Specializations With the advice and consent of your Advisor, you may take up to six (6) hours of 3000-level courses may be taken as 6000-level courses (e.g., 6351, 6352) by graduate students who do extra readings and extra written assignments.
To continue in the PhD program, you must demonstrate a high level of proficiency in the MA general examination taken at the end of your second year of coursework. Click here to find a bibliography of key works in cultural anthropology, and here for a list of 24 M. A. General Examination questions for you to consider in preparation for the M. a. exam, and a set of guiding statements to structure your reading. The bibliography, together with material covered in courses during the first two years, will provide the foundation for the MA general examination. The exam normally will be offered on the first day of the spring semester examination period. When you enter the program, you will be given a comprehensive list of MA Exam Questions, from which your specific exam questions will be chosen by the Faculty. You will answer two of three possible questions during the morning of your exam and two of three possible questions during the afternoon. There will be a 90 minute time limit for each question. The questions will be synthetic in nature and broad enough so that you can bring your special knowledge (e.g., in medical anthropology, in a particular world region) to bear in answering the question. Your exam will be graded by two members of the cultural anthropology faculty in residence at the time that the exam is administered. Each question will be graded “Pass with distinction,” “Pass,” “Low pass,” or “Fail” by each faculty member. In the case of a difference of opinion, a third faculty member will read the entire exam. The cultural anthropology faculty in residence at the time of the exam will gather as a group to assess and assign the overall grade on each student’s exam. Your advancement in the PhD program is contingent on achieving a grade of “Pass” or higher on the exam as a whole. Students who receive a grade of “Low pass” on their exam will be awarded a Masters of Arts in Anthropology, but will not be admitted into the PhD program. Students who fail the exam will not receive any degree and will not be allowed to continue in the program. Students will not be allowed to retake the examination, either in part or in whole. Note: Failure to take this exam at the specified time can result in dismissal from the program. Only serious extenuating circumstances will be considered as a reason for postponement, and these must be presented in the form of a well-documented petition to be approved by a majority of the anthropology faculty. No written exam will be given during the summer. Language Examination (Please see Appendix 3 for details). PhD Qualifying Examination Admission to Candidacy To be admitted to candidacy, you must satisfy the language requirement, remove all Incomplete grades, complete the required minimum of 54 hours of course work (including any credits/waivers for courses taken elsewhere), and pass the PhD qualifying examination. Upon completion of these requirements, the department will recommend to the Dean that you be admitted to candidacy. Supporting documents will include a copy of your degree plan and the qualifying examination report (ORGS Form 1). Qualifying Exam Committee Upon successful completion of the MA general examination, you should meet with your Advisor for the purpose of naming the chair and other members of your PhD Qualifying Exam committee. This committee must be set up in accordance with University guidelines and approved by the committee chair. The list of members then should be filed with the Department, and will be placed in your file and forwarded to the Dean of Graduate Studies. You should begin to work with this committee as you continue to develop your theoretical and regional interests. Note: No faculty member is obligated to serve on your PhD qualifying committee. Nor are you obligated to have any specific faculty member on your committee. The Written PhD Qualifying Examination The PhD Qualifying Examination consists of two parts: a take-home written exam and a proposal defense. No later than the sixth week of the sixth semester (or no later than the sixth week of the semester in which you are completing course work), you will take a written PhD Qualifying Examination. This exam will be tailored to your research topic, and will be set and evaluated by the student’s Advisor and Committee. There will be two questions in the area of specialization, one on the region of research, the other on methodological and/or theoretical matters related to the proposed research. This will be a take-home exam, with a time limit of one week. Each answer should be no more than 15 typed double-spaced pages (Times-Roman 12 point font, 1 inch margins). Your papers should be thoroughly documented with appropriate citations, demonstrating your scholarly command of the anthropological literature and of the issues. These essays should, in other words, offer a concise survey of important literature and, where appropriate, a critical assessment that suggests to us what your own position is with regard to significant debates. Please employ a formal and professional language and tone. Each answer should include a bibliography of sources referenced (not counted in the page limit). You are expected to comply with the University’s Honor Code when taking these exams. Your Qualifying Examination will receive a written evaluation from your committee. Option 1 -- If the committee decides that you have passed the written component of the qualifying exam, then the committee chair will meet with you to convey the committee’s views regarding the strengths and weaknesses of the papers. Copies of the committee member’s written comments will be provided to you and also will be placed in your departmental file. Option 2 -- If the committee decides that you need to rewrite one or both of the papers, then the committee chair will convey this decision to you. The committee chair will provide a written summary of the committee’s views and will discuss with you the written comments of all committee members. The discussion will focus on the strengths and weaknesses of the papers and the issues to be considered for rewriting the paper(s). Taking into account the additional work that may be necessary before the rewriting should begin, you and committee chair will agree on a date for re-starting the exam clock for the paper(s). Regardless of the number of papers to be rewritten, you will have seven days to rewrite and submit the paper(s) to the Administrative Assistant to the Department Chair. Note: Failure to take these exams at the specified time can result in dismissal from the program. Only serious extenuating circumstances will be considered as a reason for postponement, and these must be presented in the form of a well-documented petition for approval by a majority of the anthropology faculty. No examinations will be offered in the summer. Schedule At the beginning of the sixth semester (or semester in which you are completing coursework) – notify the Director of Graduate Studies about your committee’s membership (minimum: Advisor and two cultural/medical faculty); also, meet with your committee to determine the region and method/theory of your chosen dissertation topic. Within the first six weeks of classes – begin your exam by obtaining two [take-home] questions from your Advisor. This can happen sooner if all committee members agreed on an alternative date. Within 7 days of beginning your exam – submit finished answers to your committee. Whenever you start, you have one week to hand in the answers. Dissertation Proposal and Defense No later than during the sixth semester, you are expected to complete the proposal for your planned research project. To allow time for revisions, you must submit a complete version of this proposal to members of your committee at least one month in advance of the scheduled date of your proposal defense. All faculty members on your committee must receive a final version of the proposal two weeks in advance of the proposal defense date. Late submissions will not be accepted. The PhD Proposal Defense can occur no later than the final day of classes of the final semester of course work (normally, the sixth semester in residence or the fourth semester in residence for students who entered the program with MA backgrounds). You will defend the proposal orally before your committee. Suggestions for changes or improvements made by the committee during the defense should be included in the version submitted for funding. It is your responsibility to adhere to this schedule, to ensure adequate time for resubmitting revised drafts, and to coordinate the availability of committee members for the exam and defense. It is your Advisor’s responsibility to schedule the exam/defense with the Departmental Administrative Assistant. IRB (Human Subjects Research) Application Nearly all research proposals in cultural anthropology will need to be approved by the campus IRB committee. The proposal will be submitted in the name of your dissertation committee chair since, as a student, you are not an agent of the University for IRB purposes. For additional information and guidelines for submitting an application, please go to the following URL: http://smu.edu/humansubjects. All federal funding agencies, and many private foundations, require IRB approval of your research proposal before funding will be released to the University for your project. PhD Candidacy (ABD and Field Work) PhD Candidacy is conferred upon the completion of 54 hours of coursework, completion of the language requirement, successful completion of the written qualifying exam, and successful defense of a dissertation proposal. Preparing for the PhD Dissertation
After successfully defending (and revising, if needed) your research proposal, you should constitute your dissertation committee (which need not be the same in composition or size as your PhD qualifying exam committee). Students must file with the Department the composition of the dissertation committee, and must include a curriculum vitae of the required outside committee member, if that person’s c.v. is not already on file. Conducting Your Dissertation Field Research Usually, as soon as your funding becomes available, you will conduct your dissertation research, although in exceptional circumstances, you may need to wait for visas from the country(ies) where you plan to do field work. While in the field, you should remain in regular contact with your dissertation committee. We strongly recommend that you use email (if available) to send electronic back-up copies of your field notes and other materials to a “safe” address. Also, be sure to request enrollment in ANTH 8049 in order to maintain your full-time graduate student status (note: this may be important for retaining eligibility for student insurance coverage and for keeping at bay student loans).
Writing Your Dissertation When you return from the field, you must develop a detailed outline for the dissertation. This outline must be shared with and approved by all members of the dissertation committee. Once approved, this outline will serve as the basis for preparing the dissertation. Committee members must receive a draft of the entire dissertation, already vetted by the chair of the committee, at least six (6) weeks in advance of the University-mandated deadline for dissertation defenses. You can expect to receive feedback from each committee member within three (3) weeks of receipt of draft chapters. Based on their comments, you will revise the dissertation and re-submit it for the committee’s approval before the dissertation defense is scheduled. Dissertation Defense and Graduation You are responsible to schedule the defense through the Administrative Assistant to the Department Chair. Please see above and the Dedman College Graduate Catalog for further details about the defense. Any additional recommendations raised during the formal defense of the dissertation should be incorporated into the final version of the Dissertation before it is submitted to the Office of the Dean for Graduate Studies.
DEGREE PROGRAMS IN THE DEPARTMENT OF ANTHROPOLOGY THE PhD PROGRAM IN ARCHAEOLOGY The Archaeology program at SMU is largely focused on the New World, with faculty research interests ranging from the earliest hunter-gatherers to complex societies across North, Middle, and South America. The program offers broad training in contemporary archaeological theory, method, and scientific application, and is strongly field-oriented, with current projects in various localities in the Americas. Upon arriving you should select a faculty Advisor (see page 3 of this document). The Archaeology faculty will guide you toward the goal of completing all coursework in three years, and the dissertation within five years of advancing to candidacy, thus meeting all Dedman College requirements. Fifty-four hours of coursework are required. You can waive up to 24 hours for equivalent coursework (18 hrs elective courses plus 6 hrs field school) taken before you entered the program. For waiver procedures, consult page 8 of this document, and seek your Advisor’s counsel. Please see Appendix 2 for typical sequencing of courses. Group A: Required Courses: 18 hours (all courses but the Proseminar are 3 credit hours) Note: Proseminars are zero-credit training seminars for graduate students; they meet once a week for one hour, with one required reading assignment discussed during the meeting. Group B: Elective Courses: 36 hours Note: With the advice and consent of your Advisor, you may choose other courses offered within the Department or University as electives. Group C: Field Courses: up to 9 hours All graduate students must complete an archaeology field school of field experience equivalent prior to or during their time at SMU. A waiver for this requirement can be granted if you have completed a field school or have sufficient field supervisory experience prior to entering the SMU graduate program. Your waiver will be signed by the faculty member currently responsible for teaching the SMU archaeology field school. Group C includes various workshops in Archaeological Sciences for 2 or 3 hours credit offered occasionally at Fort Burgwin. The options include Palynology and Ethnobotany. Register for these courses under a Research in Anthropology number. You can fulfill three of the nine hours with Anthropology 6332, but check that the class will be offered in the coming semesters.
MA General Examination Upon entering the graduate program (i.e., during your first week in the department), you will receive a list of 24 questions. These questions will serve as the pool from which will be drawn some of the specific question on your MA general examination, taken at the end of your fourth semester. You will be required to provide answers to four of these questions during a one-day written exam (two covering archaeological theory and method in the morning, and two on aspects of world prehistory during the afternoon). There will also be two questions (an additional one in the morning and in the afternoon) that are not on that list of 24 questions, but will be based on material from your year(s) of study. Note: If you enter our program with an Master’s degree in anthropology, you will be expected to take the MA general examination at the end of your second semester of classes. Note: If you have not completed an archaeology field school or had equivalent archaeology field training, you must do so prior to taking the MA general examination. Note: No MA general examination may take place in the summer. The exam will be administered toward the end of your fourth semester (second semester for entrants with an MA in Anthropology), the date to be determined based on that semester meeting and class calendar. The date will be announced at the beginning of the semester. Answers will be prepared on computer, and be anonymous. You will have 3 hours in the morning, and 3 hours in the afternoon, to answer each set of three questions. All members of the archaeology faculty in residence will grade the exam. Each question will be given either a “Pass with distinction,” “Pass,” “Low pass,” or “Fail” by each faculty member, and the average of these grades will stand as the grade for that question. The average of all of the grades will determine your overall performance on the exam. You will receive your results by the last day of the same exam week. Your advancement in the PhD program is contingent on achieving a grade of “Pass” or higher on the exam as a whole. Students who receive a grade of “Low pass” on their exam are awarded a Masters of Arts degree in Anthropology, but will not be admitted into the PhD program. Students who fail the exam will not receive any degree and will not be allowed to continue in the program. Students will not be allowed to retake the examination, either in part or in whole. Failure to take this exam at the specified time can result in dismissal from the program. Only serious extenuating circumstances will be considered as a reason for postponement, and these must be presented in the form of a well-documented petition to your Advisor, and be approved by a majority of the archaeology faculty. Continuing Course Requirements After you have received a “Pass” or higher on the MA general examination, you will be expected to take the following two additional courses as soon as possible: ANTH 6342 – Science and the Human Past ANTH 7317 – Research Strategies in Archaeology PhD Qualifying Examination Committee Upon successful completion of the MA general examination, consult with your Advisor (see page 3 of this document) about selecting a Chair and other members of your PhD Qualifying Exam committee (if you have not done so already), in accordance with University guidelines. The list of committee members should be filed with the Department, forwarded to the Dean of Graduate Studies. You will meet informally with your committee on many occasions as needed to determine the topic for your dissertation research. Note: No faculty member is obligated to serve on your PhD qualifying committee, nor are you obligated to have any specific faculty member on your committee. PhD Qualifying Examination and the PhD Proposal Defense The PhD Qualifying Examination consists of two parts: a take-home written exam and a proposal defense.
Note: You may not take the PhD Qualifying Examination before (a) completing 54 hours of coursework, (b) removing any Incomplete grades, and (c) passing the Language Exam – see Appendix 3 in this document). The Written Exam You will take the written PhD qualifying exam during the semester in which you are completing your coursework. The exam will be tailored to your research topic, and will be scheduled and evaluated by your Advisor and Committee. There will be two questions in the area of specialization: one on the region of research, the other on methodological and/or theoretical matters related to your proposed research. These will be take-home exams, with a time limit of one week. The Written Examination is a diagnostic test only, and is not graded. Rather, your Advisor and Committee will read it, and the Advisor will provide a written evaluation of the Examination, with input from the Committee members, who will send their written comments to the Advisor within two weeks. The evaluation will identify strengths and weaknesses, and will suggest areas of further study as necessary. You will receive the written evaluation before your proposal defense [see below]. Schedule When your last semester of coursework begins, follow this schedule: End of first week of classes – last day to notify the Director of Graduate Studies about your committee’s membership (minimum: Advisor and two archaeology faculty); also, last day for you to meet with your committee to determine the region and method/theory of your chosen dissertation topic. Start of sixth week of classes – last day for your Advisor to hand you two [take-home] questions. This can happen sooner if all committee members agreed on an alternative date. End of sixth week of classes – last day for you to give finished answers to your committee. Whenever you start, you have one week to hand in the answers. As in the case of the MA general examination above, failure to take the PhD Qualifying Examination at the specified time can result in dismissal from the program. Proposal Defense You also will prepare for the proposal defense during the semester in which you are completing your coursework; i.e., during the same period that you take the written exam. Submit a complete version (including text, references, vita, and budget) of your dissertation research proposal to your Advisor at least one month in advance of the scheduled date of your proposal defense. Your committee should receive a final version of the proposal two weeks in advance of the proposal defense date. Schedule – the proposal defense can occur no later than the last day of the exam week at the end of your final semester of course work. You will defend the proposal orally before your committee. Introduce the topic in a 10-15 minute presentation. Visual aids are encouraged, but not required. Questions from the committee will follow. Suggestions for changes or improvements made by the committee during the defense should be included in the final draft of your research proposal. Once approved by the committee, the final draft must be submitted to a funding agency. Note: It is your responsibility to adhere to the schedules, to ensure adequate time for resubmitting revised drafts, and to ascertain that all committee members will be available for the exam and defense. It is your Advisor’s responsibility to schedule the exam and defense times and locations with the Departmental Administrative Assistant.
PhD Candidacy (ABD, “All But Dissertation”) PhD Candidacy is conferred upon the completion of 54 hours of coursework, completion of the language requirement, successful completion of the written qualifying exam, and successful defense of a dissertation proposal, and submission of the proposal to a funding agency. The PhD Dissertation Committee -- After successfully defending and submitting your research proposal, you should constitute your dissertation committee, if you have not already done so, following the guidelines above. During Fieldwork – You should enroll each semester for ANTH 8049 in order to maintain full-time graduate status. You are responsible for contacting the departmental staff to verify your enrollment each semester. Remain in regular contact with your Advisor and committee. You have five years from the time you attain ABD status in which to complete the PhD dissertation. During those five years you will be required to provide, before the end of the year student evaluation meeting (which takes place the week after exam week), a written statement discussing your progress on your dissertation. This letter will become part of your permanent file. Dissertation Production: All guidelines for dissertation production should be obtained and studied before writing begins. Consult appropriate personnel in the Office of Research and Graduate Studies in person before final formatting of your graphics. Scheduling the Defense – Procedures for scheduling a defense are outlined on page 22 of this document. A complete first draft of the finished dissertation should be handed to your Advisor well in advance (a month or more) of the defense date. With your Advisor’s approval, you will send the second draft to the committee members, again well in advance (weeks) before the scheduled defense. The Defense – Procedures for a dissertation defense are outlined above. You will meet with your committee immediately following the public proceedings, and receive any additional recommendations to be incorporated into the third and final version of the dissertation, before it is submitted to the Office of Research and Graduate Studies.
DEGREE PROGRAMS IN THE DEPARTMENT OF ANTHROPOLOGY THE MA DEGREE IN MEDICAL ANTHROPOLOGY
Introduction/Overview The Master of Arts in Medical Anthropology is designed to prepare graduate students for professional employment and to meet the growing community need for personnel with a cross-cultural perspective in health fields. You may come to this program from an undergraduate major in the social and behavioral sciences (including, but not limited to, anthropology), or from some health field such as nursing, public health, counseling, or medicine. The goal of the two-year program is to increase your knowledge, skill, and readiness for involvement with the programs and problems of agencies, hospitals, clinics, medical organizations, and health delivery programs at home and abroad where applied anthropologists can make positive contributions. The program provides you with training in the basic principles and methods of cultural and medical anthropology, as well as cultural sensitivity important for employment in health-related fields. Residency and Course Work The MA degree in Medical Anthropology is based on 36 hours of coursework at the university, as follows: Required Courses (15 hours) ANTH 5336: Anthropology and Medicine Elective Courses (21 hours, of which 2 must be on health/medical topics)) Tweny-one elective hours of graduate coursework must be completed. At least two of these courses must be on health/medical topics; one course should be taken outside of the department (for example, PSYC 5359 “Death and Dying” or PHIL 3344 “Medical Ethics”); the remainder must be, either in medical anthropology or globalization,. You should meet with your Advisor each semester to ensure an appropriate selection of courses is made. ANTH 6303: Political Economy of Health For courses outside of the anthropology department, you must obtain the approval of your Advisor before enrolling. You should also discuss your enrollment in these courses with the Instructor of record in the appropriate department or school. You may have the option of taking these courses, particularly those in the Law School, on a “Pass/Fail” basis. This option should be discussed with the Instructor and your Advisor, before enrolling. You should be aware that the calendars of the professional schools may differ from that of Dedman College. Field/Clinical Experience An internship with a field or clinical component is an intrinsic part of the MA program. This will involve your participation in some extramural medical, anthropological, or medical research project, clinic, facility or agency. You should identify the agency, facility, or program where you want to work by the end of your 2nd semester. The internship/experience should last approximately 8-10 weeks with between 10 and 20 hours of service each week. Work may be limited to observation, or may be more involved, and may or may not involve an independent research question. A site supervisor must be identified, who will evaluate your efforts and provide a brief, written report to your Advisor at the end of the internship. Internships may not occur where you are currently employed, nor should they be in the same type of work in which you are already knowledgeable and working. A one-page written proposal of the internship/experience, including evidence of a willing site-supervisor, must be submitted to and approved by your Advisor no later than your 3rd semester. If you wish to propose a small independent research project to conduct during your internship/experience, this proposal must be submitted to and approved by both your Advisor and site supervisor no later than your 3rd semester. Ideally, the internship will be completed in your third semester of coursework, under the auspices of ANTH 6353. You will prepare a written report on your field/clinical experience that is a minimum of twenty pages of text. It must include a bibliography and be written in appropriate anthropological style and format. This report does not need to conform to the thesis requirements for the University. Please consult with your committee chairperson regarding the necessary and appropriate content and form of the report. The report needs to be submitted at least six (6) weeks in advance of the scheduled date for the MA exam since it will be discussed during that exam. Examples of past reports are on file in the Department office and are available to students. MA Examination in Medical Anthropology Upon satisfactory completion of all course work (including the removal of any grades of Incomplete), you must pass an oral examination of approximately one hour designed to review your competence. Under conditions described in the Dedman College Graduate Catalog, the MA examination will be scheduled and conducted in consultation with your advisor and with the members of the MA Examination Committee. MA Examination Committee You should form your MA Examination Committee late in your second semester, but prior to finalization of your internship proposal. The examining committee will consist of at least three members, two of whom must be from the Anthropology Department; the third member must be from a department other than Anthropology. Normally, the student’s Advisor serves as committee chair. You are responsible for choosing the committee members, but should do so in close consultation with the Committee chair. The Department Chair will officially nominate this committee to the Dean of Research and Graduate Studies for approval. The MA Degree You must file for the degree early in your final semester in the MA program. Please consult with your advisor about deadlines and procedures. Note: Financial support for graduate students is limited. Except under extraordinary circumstances, Teaching Assistantships and Departmental Assistantships are not available to students in the MA program.
GRADUATE STUDY IN ANTHROPOLOGY AT SMU
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