TABLE OF CONTENTS:
Introduction
“Full-time” and “part-time”
enrollment
Advisors
M.A. Public Anthropology
Requirements
Internships
Schedule of completion of degree
Transferring credits from other M.A. programs
Comprehensive Exams
Non-Thesis Options
M.A. Thesis
Application for Graduation
Ph.D. Anthropology
Requirements
Race, Gender and Social Justice concentration
Schedule of Completion of Degree & Extension of
Candidacy
Comprehensive Exams
Tools of Research
Dissertation
Application for Graduation
How Do I…?
Frequently Asked Questions about Departmental Procedure
INTRODUCTION
This booklet is designed to inform students about department, graduate school
and university policies, procedures, requirements and regulations that are
in place to earn a graduate degree at American University. Much of this information
is available in other places: on the AU website, in the current American University
Catalog and Academic Regulations, in the College of Arts and Sciences Guide
to Preparation of Theses and Dissertations. This information complements the
Anthropology Graduate Student Handbook that includes less administrative aspects
of graduate studies. Students should consult these sources where needed. In
case of contradictions in policies, please speak with the Director of Graduate
Studies or the Department Chair!
NOTE:
It is the student’s responsibility to see that her/his file is complete
and up-to-date at any given time; current students’ files are kept in
the main Anthropology office and may be accessed by asking the administrative
assistant to get the file. If a student has difficulty getting a faculty member
to process a form or complete an evaluation, see the Graduate Program director
or the department Chair.
Students must:
It is the advisor’s responsibility to be accessible to students and advise them well. Where needed, advisors must fill out and process forms promptly and accurately.
It is the faculty’s responsibility to evaluate student work promptly and thoroughly, to make themselves accessible to students, and to provide frequent feedback and advice to students.
It is the Chair of the Graduate Program’s responsibility to insure that regulations are followed and, together with the Graduate Studies Committee, evaluate exceptional cases and recommend decisions to the Anthropology Council. Final graduate clearance is overseen by the grad program director.
It is the comprehensive examination coordinator’s responsibility to arrange for comps exams to be written and taken as scheduled, by students who have registered themselves in a timely fashion. The comps coordinator also reports comps grades back to students and to the registrar.
FILES AND FORMS are kept in the main Anthropology office and in the Sociology mailboxes on the right side. Students must maintain their own files that are kept, alphabetically, in the filing cabinet marked “Graduate Files A – Z”. The department MUST have copies of EVERYTHING for your file or you risk problems and hang-ups later on.
All department, grad school and university forms needed to record progress through the graduate program/s are available in the filing cabinet under FORMS or in the first column of mailboxes to the left of the main entrance to the main office.
“FULL-TIME” and “PART-TIME”
ENROLLMENT
in the GRADUATE PROGRAMS
As a matriculating student in either the M.A. or Ph.D. program, you must maintain
your matriculation by registering for at least one credit hour every spring
and fall semester through graduation. You must apply for a leave of absence
if you do not enroll in any courses during a given semester.
A course load of nine credit hours is considered “full-time”. Full-time study is required for international students and students with financial aid awards, and usually for students with loans. In order to maintain “full-time” status during periods of study for comprehensive exams or while doing research, writing, etc., you may fill out an “In Lieu of” form, having it signed by your advisor, and submitting it to the registrar. Be sure to file a copy of this form in your personal file.
ADVISORS
Students are assigned a faculty advisor upon admission. These assignments
are considered “best matches” based on admissions material, but
students may change advisors as their interests develop. If a faculty member
is going on leave, it is her/his responsibility to work with each advisee
to arrange for another faculty member to serve as advisor during the absence.
Advisors can provide information regarding internships, career development, courses outside the department (in the University and Consortium), field schools, conferences, grant applications, selection of committees for comprehensive exams, NTOs and thesis/dissertation. Be sure to maintain a close relationship with your advisor!
Students’ advice about advisors!!!
To ensure good relations with your advisor, be persistent and clear about
communications. Come to your advisor with plans and options. Sometimes pertinent
information can be obtained from the department administrative assistant,
departmental committee chairs and more senior students.
If you experience communication problems, talk to more senior students, to the Chair of the Graduate Studies Committee, the department chair, or identify a professor you can talk to.
REQUIREMENTS
Requirements for the MA degree in Public Anthropology include at least 30
semester hours of approved graduate work, with an earned cumulative GPA of
3.00 or higher. Students who elect to write a thesis in partial fulfillment
of course requirements (see below) must be registered for at least 6 hours
of the Thesis Seminar (Anth 797).
Required Courses:
Anth. 632 Contemporary Theory: Culture, Power, History (3 credits)
Anth. 552 Anthropological Research Methods (3 credits)
Distribution of course credits:
INTERNSHIPS (Anth 691, taken for variable credit) are encouraged as part of the Public Anthropology M.A. degree (and for the PhD degree). Internships within museums, government or private agencies provide opportunities for hands-on experience in the fields of anthropology. Many students have obtained research positions and paid employment through this program, and have landed permanent employment through their internship opportunities. Students have also assisted faculty in developing research proposals and carrying out programs to explore areas of cultural diversity in Washington, D.C., economic development in rural Mali, ancestral language maintenance on Indian reservations, organizing the World Archaeological Congress. Students have held internship positions in places such as Smithsonian Institution, U.S. Agency for International Development, the Inter-American Development Bank, the National Congress of American Indians and National Association of Retired Persons.
For more information on special opportunities, consult the collection of internship information available in the anthropology office, on the internships bulletin board, or from your advisor. Use the Department of Anthropology Internship Form to establish the supervisor of your internship and the conditions under which an internship will earn Department of Anthropology credit.
SCHEDULE OF COMPLETION OF DEGREE
Generally, students (part-time or full-time) are expected to complete the
M.A. in Public Anthropology after two years of course work, with an additional
summer for writing the thesis or non-thesis papers; the university requires
completion within three years, with the possibility of two one-year extensions
being granted, upon request to the Graduate Committee and CAS (for a total
of five years) See “ Extension of Candidacy”
under PhD program. Students must be enrolled for at least one credit hour
in university fall and spring semesters during the entire time of their matriculation,
or they must apply in writing for a leave of absence, semester by semester.
TRANSFERRING CREDITS FROM OTHER
PROGRAMS
No more than six credit hours can be transferred to Anthropology from courses
taken at other universities or in other schools/departments at American U.
prior to entering the American U. M.A. degree. Students may only transfer
twelve credit hours of anthropology courses taken at AU as a non-degree student
unless a special waiver is granted from the administration.
M.A. COMPREHENSIVE EXAMINATION
One written comprehensive examination (Anth. 008 - Public Anthropology) is
required for the M.A. Public Anthropology degree. This exam is offered two
times each academic year: in mid-January (during the week before spring semester
classes begin) and in late May (the week before Memorial Day). Students must
take this exam no later than after their third semester of full-time graduate
study. Part-time students must take the exam no later than following 27 hours
of coursework.
It is the student’s responsibility to schedule to take this exam by filing the “Registration of Intent” form with the Anthropology faculty member who serves as Comprehensive Exam Coordinator, not your advisor. This form must be filed by Nov. 15th (for the January exam), or by April 1st (for the May exam). Student should also submit to the Comprehensive Exam Coordinator a paragraph describing their primary anthropological interests and the areas they are concentrating on in their studies. This paragraph will guide the construction of questions that focus on specific student interests.
Once scheduled, students must register with the university that they are taking the comprehensive exam during a specific semester. This formality is accomplished by completing the “Application for Comprehensive Examinations” and paying a $25 fee at the Office of Students Accounts.
M.A. Comprehensive Exam Content
The Masters Comprehensive Exam includes material covered in the Public Anthropology
core courses, other courses related to your specialization and interests,
and items on a departmental reading list prepared by the Anthropology faculty.
The exam will consist of two take-home questions. One question will explore the relationships between the history of anthropology; anthropological theory; and the theories, methods, and practices of public anthropology. The second question will address an area of specialization such as environmental justice, race and public policy, public archaeology, or human rights. Students will take these questions home, where you will have ten days to answer them. Each answer should be approximately ten double-spaced pages long.
Two readers who are ordinarily the student’s academic advisor and one other member of the anthropology faculty will evaluate the exam. Exams will be graded “Satisfactory”, “Unsatisfactory” or “Distinction”. If there is disagreement between the two readers, the Chair of the department will appoint a third reader as tiebreaker.
Once the student passes the M.A. comprehensive exam, the Anthropology coordinator of comprehensive examinations completes the “Comprehensive Completion Form” and places a copy of the signed form in the student’s file. Students should check that this form IS in their file after they have been notified of the results of their exam.
REMEMBER: you will not be cleared for graduation unless you have taken appropriate action here!!!!
M.A. NON-THESIS OPTION PAPERS
MA students must choose between writing two non-thesis option papers (NTOs)
or a thesis.
Non-Thesis Option papers
NTO papers are generated from a graduate-level course or from a well-documented
internship report, but are subsequently revised to go “well beyond”
a term paper or report. NTO papers are considered complete when two faculty
readers have accepted them. They are not graded.
FORMS and PROCESS
1. The NTO process begins by the student completing an Anthropology Department
“Non-Thesis Option” form, using a separate form for each
NTO s/he intends to write to list topic and title, the course in which the
topic originated, and the readers for each paper. Generally, the student’s
advisor and the original course instructor serve as the readers for a given
NTO. Note that students must be sure both readers will be in residence during
the preparation and completion of the NTO; students cannot count on faculty
availability during the entire summer.
2. Once both readers have signed the NTO form for both NTOs, the form must be filed in the student’s personal graduate file until needed for “finished paper approval” signatures.
3. Keep in mind that papers will likely go through several revisions before final approval, and final approval should come no later than one month before an expected graduation date. During university semesters, each draft will be reviewed and returned to the student within two weeks -- unless drafts are given to faculty members during the week before or during final exams, in which case students can expect to wait more than two weeks for comments. Students should be aware that faculty may not be available as readers for NTO papers during summer months; be sure an understanding is reached that is mutually acceptable.
4. After approval of the finished papers by the two readers, students must provide a clean copy of each NTO paper, together with each completed and co-signed NTO FORM, to the Department Chair who will forward a “Graduate Academic Action” form to the office of Graduation Clearance, to certify that NTO requirements have been met. Students who expect to graduate in a given semester must get everything finalized and to the Department Chair by one week before the graduation date.
FORMATTING: Remember that you must adhere to one of the following
journal styles for citation, footnotes, and bibliography, depending on the
subject matter:
American Anthropologist (cultural/social); American Antiquity (archaeology);
American Ethnologist (linguistics); American Journal of Physical Anthropology
(physical anthropology). Further questions should be directed to your advisor.
THE M.A. THESIS
Masters-level theses are developed from an M.A. student’s topic of interest,
and independently researched with faculty guidance, to make an original contribution
to anthropological study. The thesis length can vary, usually between 40-80
pages. Much of what you need to know is in the CAS Guide to Preparation of
Theses and Dissertations, available in the CAS Dean’s Office, Batelle-Tompkins,
second floor.
M.A. THESIS COMMITTEE
The thesis will be written and revised under the guidance of a graduate committee
of at least two professors selected by the student. The M.A. thesis committee
chair must be a full-time member of the Anthropology faculty, usually the
student’s advisor. The second committee member may be from outside the
Department of Anthropology and, indeed, from outside American University.
The full thesis committee is expected to meet with the student at least once
for the approval of the thesis topic, and once for the thesis defense.
THESIS REQUIREMENTS:
Students who elect to write an M.A. thesis must register for six credits of
the Masters Thesis Seminar (Anth. 797), best planned to be spread over at
least two semesters, or they may take three credits of Anth. 797 and another
research course relevant to the thesis.
THESIS DEFINING AND WRITING: PROCESS and FORMS
1. The student approaches her/his advisor to discuss thesis topics & committee
composition. The student approaches additional member/s to constitute the
thesis committee that then meets to approve the thesis topic and title. At
this point, the “Anthropology M.A. Thesis Form” is used
to register the approved thesis topic, the proposed title of the thesis, name
of committee chair and other member/s of committee, with addresses of non-department
committee member/s.
2. Once committee members have signed the M.A. thesis form, the student will file the form in the student’s personal graduate file until needed for “finished paper approval” signatures.
3. Keep in mind that the thesis will likely go through several revisions before final approval. During university semesters, each draft will be reviewed and returned to the student within a month. Students should be aware that faculty may not be available to read thesis chapters during summer months; be sure an understanding is reached that is mutually acceptable.
4. After the thesis committee chair approves the finished thesis, an oral defense is held, attended by all committee members and open to the public. If successful, the following forms are signed:
Deadlines for completing the final manuscript of a thesis are published in the Schedule of Classes each semester. Observing this deadline, the student circulates a clean and approved copy of the thesis to the Department Chair who will forward a “Graduate Academic Action” form to the office of Graduation Clearance, to certify that thesis requirements have been met. A copy of the Thesis/Dissertation Completion Form, signed by the Department Chair and the Dean, must be taken to the Office of Students Accounts to pay the microfilming fee. The thesis then goes to the Dean’s office in CAS and, with the Dean’s approval, to the University Library.
Application for Graduation
Students are also responsible for filing an “Application for Graduation”
with the Office of the Registrar, in which you indicate how your name should
appear on the diploma, etc. There is no fee for this, but it must be submitted
early, at the latest during the registration period of the last semester you
are enrolled at AU.
Check the university calendar for graduation application deadlines -- you can always resubmit if you don’t finish in time!!!!
REQUIREMENTS FOR GENERAL PH.D. in ANTHROPOLOGY:
At least 72 semester hours of approved graduate work must be completed with
an earned cumulative GPA of 3.00 or higher. Students entering the program
with an M.A. degree in anthropology are normally granted 30 semester hours
of transfer credit, but no more than 15 transferred credits will be accepted
for non-anthropology courses, approved on a course-by-course basis. Two tools
of research, four comprehensive examinations, and the completed doctoral dissertation
complete requirements.
Required Courses:
Anth. 631 Foundations of Cultural and Social Anthropology (3 credits)
Anth. 632 Contemporary Theory: Culture, Power, History (3 credits)
Anth. 634 Foundations of Archaeology (3)
Anth. 637 Discourse, Narrative and Text (3)
Anth. 799 Doctoral Dissertation Seminar (minimally 6, and usually no more
than 12, credits),
taken during proposal, research, and write-up. (Note: students entering the
PhD program
with a BA and needing a total of 72 credits may take up to 24 credits of Anth
799.)
Remaining course work selected in consultation with faculty advisor.
Distribution of course credits:
Requirements for Concentration
in Race, Gender, and Social Justice
This advanced concentration pre-requires a 30 hour M.A. in Anthropology or
an affiliated field. Thirty-six hours of additional coursework, plus at six
and no more than 12 hours of Dissertation Seminar credits, with an earned
cumulative GPA of 3.00 or higher, plus two tools of research, four comprehensive
examinations, and the doctoral dissertation are also required.
Required Courses:
Anth. 632 Contemporary Theory: Culture, Power, and History (3 credits)
Anth. 635 Race, Gender and Social Justice
12 additional credits of anthropology-based course work in Race, Gender and
Social Justice
studies, chosen in consultation with the student=s advisor.
15 additional credits in at least two cooperating teaching units, including
Justice, Law & Society, History, School of International Service, Sociology.
3 credits of internship or other practical experience in Race, Gender and
Social Justice.
6 credits (minimum) of Anth 799, Doctoral Dissertation Seminar, including
a 3-credit capstone seminar in Race, Gender and Social Justice, taken during
proposal, research, and write-up.
Schedule of Completion of
Degree: Extension of Candidacy
Ph.D. students (part-time or full-time) entering the program with an M.A.
degree have five years to complete degree requirements; they have seven years
if they enter with only the BA/BS degree. Students may petition to have up
to two additional years to complete degree requirements if all requirements
have not be satisfied within the indicated time period. Extensions are given
in one year increments.
The process begins with the student submitting a memo to his/her advisor, requesting a one-year extension of candidacy. The memo should specify the degree requirements already completed, the requirements remaining to be satisfied, and the work to be undertaken during the additional requested year.
The advisor brings the petition to the Graduate Committee which reviews it and indicates support on a Graduate Academic Action form which must accompany the petition as it goes forward. The department chair reviews and endorses the petition. Then the documentation goes forward to the CAS Dean’s office for review.
Extensions of candidacy are not awarded in all cases. The petition should be prepared thoughtfully and in sufficient detail to justify an additional year of study. Refer questions (or drafts of the petition) to your advisor, the Grad Studies committee, or the department chair.
REMEMBER: Students must be enrolled for at least one credit hour in university fall and spring semesters during the entire time of their matriculation, or they must apply in writing for a leave of absence, semester by semester.
PH.D. LEVEL COMPREHENSIVE EXAMINATIONS
Four comprehensive exams are required of the PhD candidate, the last of which
is the defense of the dissertation proposal.
Ph.D. Candidates
Comp 1 ANTH 006 (Anthropological Foundations)
Comp 2 ANTH 016 (Ethnographic Theory) OR ANTH 017 (Archaeological Theory)
Comp 3 ANTH 020 Subfield of Specialization
Comp 4 ANTH 021 Defense of Dissertation Proposal
RGSJ (Race, Gender, social Justice) Ph.D. Candidates
Comp 1 ANTH 009 RGSJ Foundations
Comp 2 ANTH 019 RGSJ Theory
Comp 3 ANTH 020 Subfield of Specialization
Comp 4 ANTH 021 Defense of Dissertation Proposal
(1) General PhD Program
FIRST COMP: Anthropological Method and Theory (Anth 006)
The final exam or end-of-course project in three foundation courses (631:Cultural
/Social Anthropology, 634: Archaeology, and 637: Discourse, Narrative and
Text) satisfies the first doctoral comprehensive requirement. Each course
instructor evaluates the final exam/project for comps purposes; the student’s
advisor will also review the exam/project if an additional evaluation is required.
Students must earn a score of Satisfactory or Distinction on at least two
of the three exams/projects, to earn a Satisfactory or Distinction on the
first comp as a whole. Once the student has completed three foundation courses
with at least two “satisfactory” comps scores, the student files
an “Application to Take Comprehensive Exam” form and
pays $25 to the Office of Student Accounts. The faculty member serving as
Comprehensive Exam Coordinator completes the “Comprehensive Completion
Form” and places a signed copy of it in the student’s file.
Students should check that this form IS in their file.
Some students enter the PhD program with a previously-earned M.A. in Anthropology and strong evidence of a three-field background in anthropology. These students may be recommended by the anthropology graduate committee (at the time of admission), or by the in-coming student’s advisor (during advisement for the first academic semester), to waive the first comp exam and bypass enrollment in the foundation courses. In these cases, the first comp exam is substituted with a public university presentation re: the student’s M.A. thesis or project, or a presentation at a professional meeting attended by the faculty, or a publication in a professional journal, etc. Such students must still file and “Application to Take Comprehensive Exam” form and pay $25 to the Office of Student Accounts. The student’s advisor must notify the Comprehensive Exam Coordinator about the waiver, and the Comps Coordinator completes the “Comprehensive Completion Form” and places a signed copy in the student’s file. Again, students should check that this form IS in their file.
SECOND COMP: Ethnographic or Archaeological Foundations (Anth 016
or 017)
The second comp is administered as a take-home written exam, offered in mid-January
(the week before spring semester classes begin), in late May (the week before
Memorial Day), and (with sufficient evidence of demand) in late August (the
week before fall classes begin) of each academic year; full-time students
generally take it in January or May of the second year.
It is the student’s responsibility to register to take this exam by filling out the “Registration of Intent” form with the Comprehensive Exam Coordinator (not your advisor) by Nov. 15th (for the January exam) or by April 1st (for the May exam), or to discuss the option of an August exam with the comps coordinator by May 1st. Students must also register with the university that they are taking the comprehensive exam by completing the “Application for Comprehensive Examinations” and paying a $25 fee at the Office of Students Accounts.
The second Ph.D. comp exam covers, but is not restricted to, material presented in major courses as well as items on a bibliography, which the student prepares. Questions on this exam ask students to survey current perspectives and approaches in Ethnography, Archaeology, or Race, Gender and Social Justice studies, locating contemporary issues within the history of theory of the field. Students generally answer two questions, 8-10 double-spaced pages each.
The exam will be evaluated by two readers (ordinarily the student’s academic advisor and one other member of the anthropology faculty) who together assign a grade of Satisfactory, Unsatisfactory or Distinction to your performance on each part of the exam. If there is disagreement between the two readers, a third reader will be appointed as tiebreaker. Students must receive a grade of Satisfactory or Distinction on the exam as a whole.
Once the student passes the 2nd comp, the comps coordinator fills out the
“Comprehensive Completion Form” and places a signed copy
of it in the student’s file. Students should check that this form IS
in their file after they know the results of their exam.
THIRD COMP: Subfield of Specialization (Anth 020)
The third doctoral comprehensive exam focuses on current issues and central debates that surround the student’s research area and that provide theoretical and substantive context for your research. The content of the exam is based on a bibliography compiled by each student and approved by her or his advisor at least one month before the exam is taken. In agreement with each student’s advisor, the third comp is usually fulfilled by one of the three options:
a. A take-home written literature-reviewing essay that covers scholarship within and outside the anthropology relevant to research interests. The exam essay is generally around 20 pages long, double-spaced and demonstrates broad coverage of the literature. The literature review will not be graded during the period May 15 - August 31. Two readers, including the advisor, will normally grade the take-home exams, but a third reader will be employed if a tie-breaker is needed.
b. An oral exam based on material that covers the student’s research specialization. Candidates may not use notes but may have a copy of her or his bibliography with them. The advisor will appoint two additional examiners to make up a committee of three faculty, to conduct the oral exam.
c. A take-home written exam based on material that covers the student’s research specialization, composed in a one-week period. Each student chooses a question from a set of questions developed by faculty and addresses it in a double-spaced 20-page essay. Two readers, including the advisor, will normally grade the take-home exams, but a third reader will be employed if a tie-breaker is needed.
FOURTH COMP: Defense of Dissertation Proposal (Anth 021)
The fourth comprehensive exam is an oral defense of the dissertation proposal.
The student schedules the exam in conjunction with her/his dissertation committee.
(2) RGSJ Concentration
FIRST COMP Policy for graduate students in the RGSJ Ph.D. Concentration
For students who enter the program without an MA in anthropology (i.e., either
an MA in another field or a BA), there are 3 options:
1) The same first comprehensive as the regular Ph.D - i.e., take the three
foundation courses and use the final exams/projects to satisfy the first comp
requirement.
2) Submit a written paper that illustrates the student's understandings of
anthropological method and theory as appropriate to the student's interests
in RGSJ studies. This paper should be a synthesis paper that gives emphasis
to its RGSJ themes. It should be approximately 30 pages in length, double-spaced,
exclusive of bibliography, tables, and illustrations.
3) Submit two term papers from courses taken during the first year in residence.
These papers should give emphasis to their RGSJ themes.
The student should discuss with her/his advisor which of these options is most appropriate before registering for first semester classes. If Option 1 is chosen, this will be graded and processed in the same fashion as for students in the regular Ph.D. program. For options 2 and 3, the paper(s) will be reviewed by two members of the anthropology faculty; one of these readers will ordinarily be the student's advisor.
For students who enter the program with an MA in anthropology and strong evidence of a three-field background in anthropology, they are encouraged to follow the same procedures as those who enter the Ph.D. in anthropology. That is, these students may be recommended by the anthropology graduate committee (at the time of admission), or by the in-coming student's advisor (during advisement for the first academic semester), to waive the first comp exam and bypass enrollment in the foundation courses. In these cases, the first comp exam is substituted with a public university presentation re: the student's M.A. thesis or project, or a presentation at a professional meeting attended by the faculty, or a publication in a professional journal, etc. Relevance to RGSJ themes should be emphasized.
These students may also choose one of the three options open to students entering without an MA in anthropology, but they should recognize that this may slow their progress toward their doctorate.
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Note that passage of each comprehensive exam (for M.A. or Ph.D.) requires
completion of the “Comprehensive Completion Form”. Students
must pay a $25 fee at the Office of Students Accounts for each completed examination.
NOTE, in conclusion:
***When preparing your comprehensive bibliography for the third exam, first
give it to your advisor. Once his/her advice is incorporated, get advice from
other faculty.
***Oral exams begin with the student’s brief introductory statement after which the committee asks questions, altogether lasting about 1.5 hours. Exam results are made known the same day.
***Generally, oral examinations will not be scheduled between June 1st - August 31st.
PH.D. TOOLS OF RESEARCH
University regulations require that doctoral students demonstrate proficiency
in two different tools of research. Generally these are two languages, or
one language and statistics or another research “tool”. According
to academic regulations, these tools should relate to research in the discipline
in which the student is studying.
The department faculty strongly believe that a well-educated anthropologist will:
Ideally, one tool will be a language other than English.
The second tool may either be a second language or a technical tool. The student and his/her advisor jointly determine which additional tool is appropriate and useful in the student’s dissertation research. The department Chair approves the selection of research tools by signing the “Application for Certification of Proficiency in a Tool of Research” form. Once the Chair’s signature is registered on this form, students file the form in their own personal files until all certifications are complete.
Certifying language competence:
A. Certification of commonly taught languages with a literate tradition may
be made by:
1. Course work at an appropriate level, with a grade of B or better;
2. Examination administered by the Department of Language and Foreign Studies at AU;
3. Examination administered at another appropriate institution;
4. Translation examination administered by the Department of Anthropology; or
5. Departmental certification of status as a native speaker.
B. Certification of field languages that are not widely taught and may not have broadly known literate traditions may be certified by:
1. The same means as commonly taught languages (as above); or
2. Written certification by a teacher or native speaker that the student’s competence is sufficient for fieldwork use.
In general, students must demonstrate a sufficient level of language competence to be able to read anthropological literature in that language; certification of such competence must be registered on the “Tool of Research” form.
Non-language tools of research:
Tools other than languages may include statistics, particular quantitative or qualitative techniques (e.g., formal/content analysis of spoken or written text), computer languages, or other appropriate techniques as decided on by the student and advisor. Such tools may be certified by appropriate course work with a grade of B or above. Statistics may be certified via the use of appropriate statistical methods in the dissertation. In this case, the tool of research form will normally be filled out after data analysis is completed.
The department recommends:
NOTE: Anth 552 Anthropological Research Methods may not be used for certification of the tool requirement.
Students who take courses to fulfill the Research Tool requirement should have the appropriate “Research Tool” form certified immediately after completing the course. However, tools need to be chosen with the dissertation in mind; the department will not certify tools that have no connection to the proposed dissertation topic.
Doctoral Dissertation
The doctoral dissertation represents an original scholarly contribution to
the field of anthropology. In most cases, the dissertation is based on a program
of sustained field research or other first-hand engagement with the issues
under discussion in this project.
The dissertation committee
Dissertations are written and revised under the guidance of a committee of
(at least) three scholars. The chair of the committee (usually the candidate’s
academic advisor) must be a member of the full-time faculty in the Department
of Anthropology at American U and hold an earned PhD. At least one other member
must also be a full-time AU faculty member.
The dissertation proposal
The dissertation process begins with the preparation of a dissertation proposal.
Ordinarily the proposal contains:
The candidate prepares the proposal in close consultation with the Chair
of his/her dissertation committee and with other faculty members on the committee.
After committee members are satisfied with the proposal, the advisor schedules
an oral defense of the proposal. (Note: this defense counts as the candidate’s
4th comprehensive examination. Registration is required for the exam/defense,
as explained above, under Comprehensive Examinations). A satisfactory defense
of the proposal allows the student to begin work on the dissertation project,
as planned.
The Chair notifies the CAS Dean’s office of the successful proposal
defense by filling out the appropriate sections of the Graduate Academic
Action form. A copy of the dissertation proposal title page signed by
the Chair and other members of the committee must be included with this submission.
Claiming ABD status
Once the candidate has satisfied all four comprehensive exams requirements,
completed the tool of research requirements, and completed all course work
other than dissertation hours, the candidate is officially ABD (all-but dissertation),
and may fill out the necessary forms to receive a MA in Anthropology if the
candidate has not already received that degree.
Dissertation hours
The candidate is required to enroll in a minimum of six hours of dissertation
seminar (ANTH 799); students generally sign up for one to two credit hours
per semester. The seminar meets regularly throughout the academic year, and
regular attendance is expected of all students in the D.C. area who are working
on dissertation projects. Grades in the seminar are only Pass/Fail.
Stay in touch with your advisor and committee
Regular communication with your committee and especially with your dissertation
advisor is expected throughout the research and writing period. Some advisors
want to see drafts of individual chapters as soon as they are prepared while
others prefer to read all the chapters at one time. Committee members should
be asked for their preferences about how involved they wish to be in the earlier
writing stages. The candidate should heed the commentary and suggestions of
advisors and committee members. Candidates may want to ask staff, e.g. in
the university’s Writing Center, to review text and make suggestions
regarding style and clarity of presentation.
Format
The format for the dissertation is strictly defined by university regulation.
Requirements are outlined in the publication A Guide to the preparation of
Theses and Dissertations, available through the CAS Dean’s Office. It
is the candidate’s responsibility to ensure that the dissertation meets
these requirements. Documents that do not conform to university stipulations
will not be accepted by the CAS or by the University Library.
Dissertation defense
Once the advisor is satisfied, chapters are circulated to other members of
the dissertation committee for their review and critique. When the committee
determines that the dissertation is near completion, the advisor arranges
for the formal dissertation defense. This event is open to the public; it
opens with the candidate describing the dissertation research. Then the advisor
and other committee members pose questions about the project, after which
the advisor invites questions from other members of the audience.
If the committee decides that the candidate has successfully defended the
dissertation, they sign the title page of the document. The defense usually
concludes with the committee giving the candidate a list of changes and additions
that need to be made to the dissertation text.
Final formalities
Deadlines for completing the final dissertation manuscript are published in
the Schedule of Classes each semester. Once those changes/additions are completed,
and the advisor and other committee members are satisfied with the product,
the procedure follows the same course as the M.A. thesis: the student circulates
a clean and approved copy of the thesis to the Department Chair who will forward
a “Graduate Academic Action” form to the office of Graduation
Clearance to certify that thesis requirements have been met. A copy of the
Thesis/Dissertation Completion Form, signed by the Department Chair and the
Dean, must be taken to the Office of Students Accounts to pay the microfilming
fee. The thesis then goes to the Dean’s office in CAS and, with the
Dean’s approval, to the University Library. One copy of the dissertation
must be given to the Department of Anthropology.
Application for Graduation
PhD students are also responsible for filing an “Application for
Graduation” with the Office of the Registrar, in which you indicate
how your name should appear on the diploma, etc. There is no fee for this,
but it must be submitted early, during the registration period of the last
semester you are enrolled at AU.
Students receiving the Ph.D. are always recognized individually during January
and May graduation ceremonies. A candidate wishing to receive this recognition
indicates the intention as part of the application process. Appropriate academic
regalia also need to be order, through the Registrar’s Office, at that
time.
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