Curriculum

The Department of Anthropology places a strong emphasis on an integrative approach to the discipline. Students are expected to develop a broadly based understanding of the ways in which the major subfields of anthropology (archaeology, bioanthropology , and cultural/linguistic anthropology ) provide complementary approaches to the study of human origins , behavior and culture. The Department has established the following general goals for each of the first three years of graduate work.

First Year: Introduction to the four-field approach at Northwestern and possible ways to bridge and integrate the subfields, historical grounding in the discipline, development of research questions and specific subfield and regional areas of specialization, writing and critical thinking skills, language work if necessary.

Second Year: Focus on specific subfield and regional areas of specialization , further development of research questions/problems based on fieldwork experience, developing familiarity with research methodologies, writing and critical thinking skills, inter-disciplinary course work, also continuation of language work.

Third Year: Preparation of research proposal and further subfield/regional specialization , inter-disciplinary course work, continuation of language work, qualify for dissertation research. Students who enter the program with three quarters of transfer credit are expected to meet these goals in two rather than three years.

Core Courses

Anthropology 401(1,2,3,4) The Logic of Inquiry in Anthropology

Anthropology 470 History of Anthropological Theory

Anthropology 496 Bridging Seminar

One Course in Formal Methods

Cultural/Linguistic Anthropology

Anthropology 472 Seminar in Political Anthropology

Anthropology 473 Seminar in Economic Anthropology

Anthropology 474 Seminar in Religion and Values

Archaeology Courses

Anthropology 422 (1) Archaeological Thought in Historical
Perspective

Anthropology 422 (2) Archaeological Field Methods

Anthropology 422 (3) Archaeological Data Sets

Anthropology 490                    Topics Seminar (topic must be
                                             archaeological)
                                             One course in archaeological
                                             materials
                                             Two graduate seminars in
                                             biological, cultural, or linguistic
                                             anthropology

Research Papers and Proposals

First-year students, with the exception of those entering with transfer credit equivalent to an MA, are also expected to prepare a Research Problem Statement to be completed during Spring Quarter of their First Year, in addition to satisfying course work requirments. In this paper students will specify their developing research questions/problems as they relate to theoretical debates in the literature and discuss potential methods appropriate for their research as well as its significance to anthropology and other disciplines. The format of the paper follows the requirements of NSF dissertation proposals, including an abstract, a summary, ten single-space pages of project description and a bibliography. Generally, students take a 590 during the winter or Spring quarter to prepare this statement. In certain cases, the First-year paper requirement may be amended in order to allow students to substitute a Critical Literature Review focusing on a specific research question in lieu of a Research Problem Statement. The decision to make such a substitution would be made by the student in conjunction with his/her advisor, and is subject to the advisor's written approval.

Second-year students (or First-year students entering the program with three quarters of transfer credit) will prepare a Research Paper that should be based on original field work, laboratory or library research and should be suitable for publication. The paper should be completed in the Spring Quarter of the second year. The format of the paper must conform to the study style required by a major journal in the field of the student's interest (e.g., American Anthropologist, American Ethnologist, American Antiquity, American Journal of Physical Anthropology, etc.). Each paper must be accompanied by a one-page abstract in a style appropriate to the format of the relevant professional journal. Although usually not required by journals, a table of contents is a useful addition which helps the writer to better organize material. Second-year students who entered the program with MA transfer credit will be expected to meet the requirements of Third-year students by submitting a Dissertation Proposal, as explained below.

During the Second-year process, each student registers for 590 "Research" with the faculty member who will serve as adviser for the Research Paper. Students should work closely with their adviser and utilize all resources that are available through the expertise of their readers and other faculty.

Third-year students prepare a formal Dissertation Proposal that will be presented before the student's dissertation research committee at a formal dissertation proposal defense. Each student should work closely with his/ her adviser on the preparation of the dissertation proposal. Ideally, the proposal should be started during the second year and completed early in the third year of graduate work because of the deadlines of funding agencies . Most deadlines cluster in October to early January. Special care should be taken with this requirement since the funding of field work depends almost entirely on the quality of the proposal. Students should be prepared to adapt the form of the proposal to the differing requirements of various funding agencies, and should bear in mind that preparation of an acceptable proposal is time-consuming for both students and faculty.

Evaluation of the First-year Research Problem Statement, Second-year Research Paper and the Dissertation Proposal is determined by a committee composed of the student's adviser and two additional faculty members (see discussion in Departmental Advisory System). Students will be evaluated for continuation in the graduate program, for Graduate Assistantships (TA), and for summer field work using grades in course work, faculty evaluations and a specific evaluation of the First-year, Second-year and Third-year paper/proposal requirements. The full range of evaluations are:

"Pass": This evaluation permits a student to continue in the PhD program. The student is eligible, but not guaranteed, financial aid.

"Pass after acceptable rewrite": This evaluation permits a student to continue course work in the PhD program, but the student will not be eligible for advancement to candidacy until the Research Problem Statement or Research Paper or Dissertation Proposal is rewritten and accepted by the student's committee. After the paper/proposal is accepted by the committee the student will be eligible for financial aid.

"Acceptable for terminal MA" (Second-year Research Paper): This evaluation means that the quality of the student's work meets the Department's standards for the Master's Degree, but is not of sufficiently high quality to permit the student to continue in the PhD program. The student may be eligible for a Master's Degree if all other requirements are met .

"Fail": This evaluation means that the quality of the student's work meets neither the standards required of students continuing in the PhD program, nor the standards required for the Master's Degree. The student will not be permitted to continue in the Department, nor will he/she receive a Master's Degree, regardless of the student's grade-point average.

Qualifying for Candidacy: Students who have satisfied Graduate School requirements and Department course work requirements with a grade average of B or better, and who pass their Second-year Research Paper and Third-Year Dissertation Proposal requirements will qualify for candidacy.