Program Description

The Department of Sociology, Anthropology, and Emergency Management offers an M.S. and M.A. degree in Anthropology. This program is based on the principle that graduate level education in Anthropology is a desirable preparation for a growing number of career orientations. The precise plan of study for each student will be established in consultation with the academic advisor. Sample positions that our graduates have obtained include teaching, contract archaeology, folklore program coordination, internatioanl studies administration and research analysis as cultural experts.

The focus of graduate education in Anthropology is directed toward both the development of applied anthropologists and the advanced training of those seeking to pursue a doctoral degree. Students may elect to take courses in a specialty area, or they may pursue a background in general anthropology. Areas of specialization include cultural and biological anthropology and archeology.

The Anthropology graduate program provides students with the opportunity to expand their background and perspectives in research methods and theory. Consequently, the first year of the program is designed to expose students to theory and a variety of research methods.

Two program options are available for students. In the thesis option, students work on a research-based thesis. Students typically test theoretical assumptions using primary or secondary data. The comprehensive study option is designed for students who wish to combine their studies with some type of specialized field experience. Students electing this option are required to complete a comprehensive study paper related to their internship, such as evaluating a program.

Students in the Anthropology graduate program benefit from a favorable faculty-to-student ratio.

Admission Requirements

The Department of Sociology, Anthropology, and Emergency Management graduate program is open to qualified graduates of universities and colleges of recognized standing. To be admitted with full status to the program, the applicant must

1. Hold a baccalaureate degree from an educational institution of recognized standing.
2. Have adequate preparation in anthropology, and show potential to undertake advanced study and research as evidenced by academic performance and experience.
3. At the baccalaureate level, have earned a cumulative grade point average in all courses of at least 3.0 or equivalent. Applications should be submitted directly to the Graduate School before April 1 of the upcoming academic year.

Financial Assistance

Teaching assistantships are available to qualified applicants. Research assistantships may also be available, contingent on faculty research funds. Applicants for assistantships are considered on the basis of scholarship and potential to undertake advanced study and research. To be considered for an assistantship, a completed Graduate School application, official transcripts, and three letters of reference must be received by the Graduate School no later than April 1.

Degree Requirements

Students must complete a minimum of 30 credits and a master's thesis for the thesis option, or a minimum of 35 credits and a paper for the comprehensive study option. An oral defense of the thesis or the paper is required.

Requirements for the M.S. or M.A. degree in Anthropology are as follows:

All students must

1. Successfully complete a
   Theory oriented Anthropology course (such as Anth 680)
   Methods Oriented Anthropology course (such as Anth 650)
2. Complete an additional 24 credits (including thesis) or 26 credits (including comprehensive study).
3. Complete a research-based thesis or comprehensive study paper, and pass an oral defense of the thesis or paper administered by the student's supervisory committee.

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Courses Offered

Anthropology

632 Human Osteology 3 The analysis of human bones. Areas of study include skeletal anatomy, human biological individualization and interpretation of archaeological and paleontological skeletal material.

633 Apes and Human Evolution 3 A laboratory-oriented survey of living primates describing and comparing the diverse behavioral and morphological adaptations of great apes in a human evolutionary context.

644 Peoples of the Pacific Islands 3 General survey of cultures, past and present, in Melanesia, Polynesia, and Micronesia.

646 Current Problems in Paleoanthropology 3 Critical inquiry and survey of biological anthropology. Allows students to construct our ancestors past using evidence from paleoanthropology, archaeology, geology, ecology, zoology, and comparative primate morphology.

650 Cultural Anthropology 3 Examination of the nature of culture, the dynamics of culture, cultural subsystems, and cultural data collection and analysis. Prereq: Anth 111 or departmental approval.

652 North American Indians 3 General survey of native North American Indian cultures. Focuses on cultural systems as anthropologists have reconstructed them for the precontact period.

653 Magic and Religion 3 Comparative religion, religious concepts, practices, and practitioners. In-depth study of selected religious systems with a focus on shamanic religions. Prereq: Anth 111 or departmental approval. Cross-listed with RelS.

658 Indians of the Plains 3 Ethnographic/ethnohistorical survey of major Indian tribes in the Great American Plains region from ancient times to the present.

661 Germans from Russia 3 Study of the cultural and historical background of an important ethnic group in the Great American Plains region: German-speaking people from Russia.

662 Cultural Ecology 3 Analysis of the systematic relationship between human populations and their ecological surroundings. Prereq: Any Anth course.

664 Disaster and Culture 3 Examines human-made and natural disasters through a cross-cultural and historical perspective. Addresses cultural variation across and within relevant communities including those of disaster victims, emergency management systems, and a broad public.

680 Development of Anthropological Theory 3 Focus on major theoretical orientations in anthropology. Emphasis on the ways in which anthropological theories are used to generate explanations for multicultural phenomena. Prereq: Anth 111 or departmental approval.

705 Forensic Anthropology 3 Theory and methods in the recovery, identification and evaluation of human remains for criminal investigation purposes.

The following variable credit courses also are offered:

790 Graduate Seminar 1-3

793 Individual Study/Tutorial 1-3

795 Field Experience 1-15

696/796 Special Topics 1-5

797 Master's Paper 1-3

798 Master's Thesis 1-10