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Why Study Anthropology? |
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Who to See in the Anthropology Department |
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Requirements for Anthropology Major |
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Requirements for Anthropology Minor |
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Resources for Majors |
Facilities
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Opportunities for Majors |
Study
Abroad
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Study Abroad Policies |
Summer Field Work |
Anthropology Faculty and Research Interests |
Honors Program Guidelines |
Timetable
Summary for Senior Honors Theses
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Dr. Kathleen Cook, Academic Coordinator |
McMillian 107, 935-5271, hkcook@artsci.wustl.edu |
| --For declaring a major or minor, choosing an advisor, and general questions about the anthropology major. |
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Dr. Gayle Fritz, Undergraduate Coordinator |
McMillan 126, 935-8588, gjfritz@artsci.wustl.edu |
| --For Senior Honors Thesis and general advice about anthropology as a major, minor or career. |
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Dr. David Browman, Curriculum and Study Abroad Cooridnator |
McMillian 118, 935-5231, dlbrowma@artsci.wustl.edu |
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transferring credits from other U.S. institutions. Transfer of credits
is usually a routine matter, and you should first see the Office of Student
Records in the basement of the Women's Building. If you encounter problems,
see Dr. Browman. --For semester abroad study: all anthropology majors planning to study abroad must get approval from Dr. Browman. See Study Abroad on pp. 8-9 for the documents you will need. |
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Your Major Advisor |
| --For course planning advice, academic questions and graduate school strategies. |
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Dr. Richard J. Smith, Chair |
McMillan 120, 935-4843 |
| --For department issues for which no other advisor is appropriate. |
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The
Deans and Advisors in the College of Arts and Sciences are best qualified
to answer questions about the new ArtSci Curriculum, Distribution Requirements
and other matters not directly connected with your major. For students
entering in or after the 2001-2002 academic year under the new ArtSci
Curriculum, an anthropology major or minor satisfies the Social Sciences
cluster requirement.
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| Make an appointment with Dr. Kathleen Cook, Academic Coordinator, McMillan 107, either by signing up on the schedule posted on her door or by phone or e-mail. Bring to the appointment an unofficial copy of your transcript and a declaration of major (or minor) form from the College of Arts and Sciences (205 S. Brookings) or from your school. You will choose a major advisor in consultation with Dr. Cook, and she will introduce you to the requirements of the major and the resources of the department. After declaring a major (or minor), you must return the signed and completed form to the College Office or to your school. |
Units Required: |
| Departmental requirements for first or second majors in Anthropology require completion of at least 28 units of Anthropology courses, of which 18 must be at the 300-level or higher, including at least 9 from the 400-level. If you choose, all of your required upper division courses, other than 3700, could be 400-level. Majors should register under the L48 code for any courses that will count toward the major (or minor). |
Courses Required: |
| Majors are required to complete three introductory courses - Introduction to Human Evolution (Anthropology 150A), Introduction to Cultural Anthropology (160B), and Introduction to Archaeology (190B). In addition, majors are required to complete the 1 unit Proseminar (Anthropology 397) and The Works and Ideas of Great Anthropologists (Anthropology 3700). 3700 counts as an upper-level requirement. Courses taken pass/fail do not fulfill the major (or minor) requirements, nor do courses in which a student earned less than a C-. Anthropology courses taken in University College can be counted toward the major or minor. |
Electives: |
| Each student is expected to demonstrate greater control of one of the three subdisciplines of Anthropology. For that subdisciplinary area, the student should elect at least one course that deals with the specific methodology employed by that focus. Each student will consult with his/her departmental advisor to select the most appropriate course(s) in that subdisciplinary area. |
Capstone Experience: |
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The Department of Anthropology offers several options for completing a capstone
experience. Students who do not choose options 1 or 2 below enroll in Anthropology
4999, "Capstone Experience" during one semester of their senior
year. 1. Those students who demonstrate academic excellence may write an honors thesis. 2. Completion of one of the following research or writing courses with a C or better: Anthropology 4181, Comparative Methods in Physical Anthropology Anthropology 4343, Behavioral Research at the St. Louis Zoo Anthropology 4481, Writing Culture Anthropology 489, Pathways to Domestication 3. Students in any 400-level course in the department may ask the instructor for permission to simultaneously enroll in the one-credit course, Anthropology 4999, "Capstone Experience." The instructor and student will develop an individualized plan for expanding the normal content of the selected 400-level course into a capstone experience. |
Additional Information: |
| It is strongly recommended that students planning graduate work take one course at the advanced level from each of the three subdivisions: archaeology, biological anthropology, and sociocultural anthropology. If the student is specializing in one of the three areas of anthropology, the student's advisor will provide guidance on which specific courses are most appropriate for the specialization. Fieldwork in the St. Louis area is offered in all three sub-areas. |
Units Required: |
| Departmental requirements for minors in Anthropology require completion of at least 18 units of Anthropology courses, of which 9 must be at the 300-level or above. |
Courses Required: |
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Minors are required to
take at least two of the following three introductory courses: Anthropology 150A, 160B, and 190B. |
Electives: |
| Any additional Anthropology courses originating within the Department can fulfill the elective requirement. |
Supervising Faculty: |
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Professor Gayle J. Fritz McMillan Hall, Room 126 Telephone: 935-8588 gjfritz@artsci.wustl.edu |
Additional Information: |
| The student may wish to use the requirements for majors as a guide in selecting appropriate courses for the minor. The student and the minor advisor will establish an appropriate set of courses tailored to the student's needs. |
Facilities: |
| The Anthropology Department is located in McMillan Hall with the main office in room 112. Faculty and TA offices are located on the 1st and 3rd floors and in the basement of the building. A listing of faculty and graduate student offices can be found in the hallway outside the department office. Faculty labs are located in the basement and on the 1st floor of the building. The archaeology teaching lab is room 117. |
Undergraduate Mailboxes: |
| Each Anthropology major will have a file folder mailbox located in the alcove near McMillan 117. These are intended to facilitate departmental communication with and among our majors. They will not be used for the return of exams or papers. |
Lambda Alpha: |
| Lambda Alpha is a national anthropology honorary society open to majors who maintain at 3.0 GPA and have taken a minimum of 12 hours of anthropology courses. The local chapter is active and has funding to underwrite events. The national organization has one annual scholarship that has been won in the recent past by a Washington University Anthropology major. Membership in the organization confers honors at commencement. The faculty representative is Dr. Kathleen Cook. |
Lunches for Majors: |
| Anthropology majors are invited to a series of lunches in the McMillan Dining Hall. These gatherings are designed to give majors a chance to meet informally with each other and with faculty. Come and join the conversation. The lunches will be held at noon on several Fridays during the semester, and majors will be notified by e-mail. |
Prizes: |
| The Anthropology Department hosts a graduation ceremony for all graduating majors at which awards are presented to outstanding graduating majors who have been nominated by the faculty to receive one or more of the following awards, which may be shared: |
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Senior Honors in Anthropology |
For those who receive Latin Honors |
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Awards of Special Merit: |
Leadership | For outstanding leadership |
| Excellence in Research | For independent work apart from Latin Honors |
| Service | For service to the discipline or community |
| Contributions to Anthropology | For exceptional participation in the discipline |
| Excellence in Anthropology | For academic excellence in Anthropology among the top 10% of graduating majors |
| The John W. Bennett Prize to the Outstanding Graduating Senior in Anthropology is given to one or more graduates who have the highest combination of GPA and excellent honors thesis. |
Study Abroad: |
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The Department recognizes and accepts courses from a number of semester
or year abroad programs. Anthropology majors have access to the exchange
program between the Department of Anthropology and the Institute of Archaeology
at University College London, a program of intensive anthropological coursework.
Other study abroad options are available through the Office of Overseas
Programs. There are also local and international field schools where majors
can participate in anthropological fieldwork during the summer.
See Study Abroad Policies for specific information on how to enroll in a study abroad program. |
Internship Opportunities: |
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Anthropology majors can gain pre-professional experience and earn up to
3 units of credit by taking part in internships in businesses, cultural
institutions, and agencies in the community. Examples of recent internship
sites include the International Institute, Missouri Historical Society,
St. Louis Zoo, and Focus St. Louis. Anthropology Internships are available
to majors who have completed at least 9 hours of coursework in Anthropology
and who sign an agreement with a faculty sponsor, internship site supervisor,
and the Academic Coordinator to perform 8-10 hours of supervised work
per week. See the Academic Coordinator for internship possibilities, or
you may have the department approve a site you have found through the
Career Center or on your own. If you want to get credit for your internship,
you must have approval before you begin the internship.
Start planning the semester before you want to begin your internship so you will have time to interview at prospective sites. Be aware of the time commitment required by an internship, and think about how it will fit your academic schedule. |
Research Opportunities: |
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Anthropology Majors can take part in research and gain credit through
approved independent study with faculty who have ongoing research projects.
Some of the possible research opportunities include projects in paleoethnobotany,
genetic studies, zooarchaeology, human osteology, human ecology, and primate
studies.
Independent studies have led to senior honors theses in archaeology, cultural, and physical anthropology. In most cases, students express interest in working with a faculty member after taking the professor's course and learning about the research. The Academic Coordinator also keeps a list of faculty members who can offer independent study opportunities for students whose interests coincide with the research project. |
Effective Date: August 14, 2000
Revised: August 16, 2002
Departmental Coordinator: |
Dr. David L. Browman McMillan 118 Tel: (314) 935-5231; Fax: (314) 935-8535 dlbrowma@artsci.wustl.edu |
1. Requirements: |
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All students expecting to enroll in any Study Abroad Program in Anthropology
for credit during the spring, summer, or fall terms should contact the Departmental
Study Abroad Coordinator at least two semesters prior to the proposed date
of entry into such a program. Many anthropology majors opt for semester abroad opportunities that are not on the WU list. Students wishing to pursue one of these alternative programs should be aware that such applications have earlier deadlines. The deadline for applying for a non-WU program for the spring semester is May 1 of the previous year. Upon returning to Washington University, students who want credit for study abroad programs must bring a portfolio of work undertaken abroad. The curriculum coordinator will review the work before assigning appropriate credit. You should bring the following materials with you when you seek advice and
departmental |
| Enrollment: (a) Copies of all forms required by the Washington University International Studies Overseas Programs Office. (b) Copy of your internal W.U. record. We will need to review your planned program in terms of both your performance in classes to date, and your major requirements. (c) Copies of materials from the program(s) you wish to apply to overseas. (d) An explanation of the academic reasons for your selection and the benefits you expect to derive from your proposed program. This is of crucial importance if you are hoping to enroll in a program not already on the general list of W.U. approved sites provided by the Overseas Program office at Stix House. Note that for alternate programs, you will need to bring a written draft of this statement for review. (e) A proposal detailing how you expect to comply with the requirement for a project or portfolio (see page 2 for description of projects and portfolios.) |
2. Approved W.U. Overseas Programs: |
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Pick up the forms for Approved Programs from the Overseas Office. The
Overseas Office has a list of faculty on campus who have volunteered to
serve as experts for specific overseas programs. You will be expected
to have contacted these individuals during the process of officially applying
for permission to enroll in the specified program, or at the institution
where the program is offered, even if you are interested in a program
at that institution other than the one W.U. has previously approved.
After you have consulted the appropriate campus contact, make an appointment to discuss your list of proposed courses, ideas for your portfolio, and required forms with the Study Abroad Coordinator, for Anthropology. |
3. Alternative Programs or Institutions: |
| Pick up the separate set of forms for alternate programs. As with the approved programs, you will need to bring a list of proposed courses, and ideas for your portfolio. Note that for these alternate programs, the Overseas Office also requires a separate statement from you, explaining why the specific alternative program assists in your career goals. You must prepare and bring a draft of this statement with you to the appointment, along with the other documentation mentioned in section 1 above, in order to receive approval at the departmental level. |
4. Changes in Programs while Overseas: |
| The departmental Study Abroad Coordinator will be available by e-mail (or regular mail) to provide you with advice should it be necessary to change your original approved course plan. |
5. Required Projects, Logs, Portfolios, and Reports: |
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Prior to recommending approval of overseas course work, the college office
directs each department to consider additional documentation to assist in
evaluating your record. In some cases your overseas course work will be more
in the nature of securing special training or skills. In other cases, you
may be able to obtain original research materials. Expectations of additional
documentation that you need to provide the department will vary according
to the exact series of courses and training involved in your specific case.
Typical examples of the kinds of documentation which might be expected are as follows: (i) For a summer field work training course, the requirement might entail a daily log or journal, including samples of your field notes. (ii) For a fall or spring series of regular academic courses, the requirement might involve providing a portfolio of copies of your course papers, laboratory notes, or internship reports. (iii) If your overseas program ultimately is to be part of an honors thesis or capstone experience, work and research from this experience would be employed in the research for one of these other departmental writing projects. By the end of the second week of the first semester after returning from your overseas experience, the agreed-upon documentation must be filed with the departmental Study Abroad Coordinator. While journals, logs, and portfolios are expected to be completed by that date, it is not expected that a complete draft of a senior capstone document, senior project paper, or senior honors thesis will be finished by that point. In this latter case, the requirement usually requires the development of an outline, a kind of contract, mutually agreed upon by you, your advisor, and the departmental Study Abroad Coordinator, which specifies how the data involved will be utilized, and which includes a series of dates/deadlines for completion of various components of the agreed upon writing/research for the project, capstone, or thesis. |
| In order to receive credit for summer field work, you must have your field program pre-approved by Dr. David Browman, Curriculum Coordinator of the Department of Anthropology. Make an appointment to see Dr. Browman at dlbrowma@artsci.wustl.edu, 118 McMillan, and bring with you a copy of the description of the field work, your statement of academic purpose, and evidence of at least a 3.0, preferably 3.25, GPA. |
Field Work in Foreign Sites: |
| While you do not need approval from the Overseas Office once Dr. Browman has approved your proposal for summer field work at a foreign site, you do need to file the following three forms with the Overseas Office: 1)your data sheet; 2) assumption of risk; 3) parental consent. You will not be officially approved for summer field work credit until the Overseas Office has received these materials. |
Required Portfolios and Reports: |
| For any summer field program for which you wish to receive credit, you must submit to Dr. Browman a portfolio of your work. This might be a daily log or journal, samples of your field notes, or a report you completed. It is wise to take care of this as soon as you return to campus because credit for your field experience cannot be granted until your portfolio has been reviewed. |
| The faculty in the Anthropology Department are active in research and bring a diversity of experiences to their teaching. In recent years, they have conducted research in Afghanistan, Bolivia, Brazil, China, the Czech Republic, Egypt, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Guyana, India, Indonesia, Iran, Kenya, Madagascar, Mexico, Namibia, Nigeria, Peru, Poland, Portugal, South Africa, South Asia, Tibet, and Uganda, along with many sites in the United States. |
Eligibility |
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Honors in Anthropology involves both demonstration of acquired knowledge
(based in part on GPA) and a report on an original research project. University
Latin Honors requirements are: 3.5 for "Cum laude;" 3.65 for "Magna
cum laude;" and 3.8 for "Summa cum laude." The student is required
to obtain these GPA levels both overall and in Anthropology. Honors students
planning to graduate in May take 4951 in the fall and 4961 in the spring of
their senior year. Your thesis advisor is responsible for assigning a grade.
Students are expected to meet with their advisors frequently and to have written
a substantial portion of the thesis by the end of the fall semester. If you are interested in working for Latin Honors you need to select a departmental professor willing to sponsor your honors project. This may be as early as the sophomore year, but ideally will be during the junior year. The first semester of the senior year is late to begin planning an honors thesis. You should fill out the accompanying Anthropology Honors Program registration form and return it to the Honors Coordinator. Specific questions about eligibility or requirements should be addressed to the department Honors Coordinator (Professor Gayle Fritz, McMillan Hall Room 126, extension 5-8588). |
Time Schedule |
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Once you and your sponsoring faculty advisor have agreed upon a thesis topic,
you must inform the Departmental Honors Coordinator. Two courses, Anthropology
4951 and Anthropology 4961, are available to allow you to secure appropriate
credit for the extra research involved in the honors thesis. For students graduating in May: The Honors Coordinator must be informed in January of the thesis title and your intention to defend the thesis that semester in order to properly register you as an honors candidate with the University. Most advisors ask for a near-final draft in mid-February in order to read it carefully, suggest revisions, and give the student time to make necessary changes before early March, when the other committee members must receive their copies. A defensible draft of the thesis must be completed no later than March 15, the Monday after Spring Break. The honors thesis is evaluated by a three-member examining committee whose members are selected by the sponsoring advisor in consultation with the student and the Honors Coordinator. This three-member committee decides on the quality, suggests revisions, and makes its recommendations to the department no later than March 22 on the level of Honors to be awarded. The final copy, with all changes required by the committee, is due April 26. For students graduating in December: please see the Honors Coordinator for time schedule. |
Thesis Format and Length |
| As a rough guide, honors theses typically consist of about 60 pages of text. In consultation with his or her thesis advisor, each student should choose a professional stylistic format and follow standard bibliographic and citation techniques appropriate for the relevant subdiscipline. The published style guide of a lead journal such as American Anthropologist (for cultural), American Antiquity ( for archaeology) or American Journal of Physical Anthropology can provide necessary details. The student is required to supply the department with a final copy of the thesis to be filed in the anthropology library. This copy must be spiral bound with a clear plastic cover. It is customary to provide the thesis advisor (and often committee members) with final copies. |
Advantages and Disadvantages: |
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Advantages New graduate students often discover on reaching graduate school that there is a considerable gap between what they have learned about a subject from books, and actually formulating and carrying out original research in the field. Making this transition is one of the most important challenges that they face as a graduate student. Doing an honors thesis gives you the chance to take this step as an undergraduate through participating in original research in an area in which you are especially interested. There are also several practical benefits to doing an honors thesis: In the process you learn how to frame a research question, develop methods and analytical techniques with which to address it, and to discuss your results in the context of relevant anthropological literature. In doing so you work closely with one or several faculty members. 1) If you are potentially interested in going on to graduate school, this experience helps you to evaluate whether or not you are really interested in research. 2) This experience also enables faculty members to get to know you
well, and to make any recommendations that they may write much more
substantive. 4) You receive university recognition for this work in the form of university Latin Honors. 5) Sometimes undergraduate honors research can be published. Disadvantages 1) Although faculty will help you as much as they can, you will have to learn to work independently more than you may be used to. 2) Since the final results of your work towards an honors thesis are not
known until |
Mechanics: |
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Choosing a Topic: It is important to work in an area in which you are
especially interested, and with which you have a solid academic groundwork,
i.e., on which you have completed upper level coursework, written a paper,
or done some preliminary research in class. Before agreeing to supervise
an honors thesis, your faculty advisor will generally expect you to have
taken upper level courses that relate to your topic. Past honors theses
are on file and can be accessed through the Anthropology office. These
are useful for ideas about topics, as well as for many aspects of working
on a thesis, such as methods, length, and format. You will need to discuss
potential thesis topics and the data that may be available to address
them with faculty before they agree to advise an honors thesis.
Research Method: Methods will vary greatly with subject, and should be discussed in detail with your advisor. Methods classes in the relevant subdiscipline of anthropology will be helpful. Human Subject Approval: Students conducting research that involves human subjects should obtain approval from the Human Studies Committee before beginning your research. Copies of the guidelines are available online at http://hhsc.wustl.edu. You should consult with your advisor about making this application, and allow some time for the procedure. The Human Studies Committee meets once a month to review applications. Access to Laboratory Facilities: Those of you who are doing laboratory-based theses will need to obtain special permission for extra access hours to laboratory facilities. You will need to discuss this with your advisor and other professors ahead of time. Expenses: You should consider applying for research funds from Sigma Xi. Short proposals are required and you should discuss these with your advisor. The deadlines for proposals are in November each year. Forms are available in the Anthropology office. You should also bear in mind that you get academic credit for doing honors research, but do not have normal expenses such as the purchase of textbooks or laboratory fees. You should save this money toward research expenses such as photocopying. |
| Sept. 2003 | Students must be clear about thesis topics and have advisors willing to work with them. The form entitled "Anthropology Honors Program" should be turned in to Professor Fritz by Sept. 29 from each student conducting thesis work. Use the form on the next page or get a copy from Professor Fritz. |
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Sept. 2003- Mid Feb. 2004 |
Research and writing of the thesis. Given the diversity of possible research topics, some students might be able to complete the research in the fall semester and some might need the winter break for conducting fieldwork or completing analysis. In cases where the research will not be completed until the beginning of spring semester, there are still parts of the thesis, such as the literature review and background that can be written in the fall semester. Students should have frequent meetings with their thesis advisors throughout this period. |
| Mon., Sept. 29, 5:30 P.M. | (Place TBA). First general progress meeting for all Anthropology Majors writing theses. |
| Mon., Nov. 3, 5:30 P.M. | (Place
TBA). Second general progress meeting for thesis writers. |
| Nov. 24 (Mon. before Thanksgiving) | Agreement form with detailed outline or in-depth description of thesis signed by students and their 3-person committees, and turned in to Professor Fritz. |
| Mon., Feb 3, 2004 | Third general progress meeting for all students writing theses to share information and ask general questions. |
| Early Feb. 2004 | List of Honors students given to College Office (for purposes of determining GPAs). |
| Mid-Feb. 2004 | Given the firm College Office deadlines over which we have no control, students are advised to finish and turn in to their advisor by mid-February a near-final draft of the thesis. This gives the advisor at least one week to read the thesis and to return it with suggested revisions. Major revisions could be necessary. Then the student has time to make changes and complete the thesis before a defensible draft is given to all three committee members no later than March 15. |
| March 15, 2004 | (by end of Spring Break). A defensible draft of the thesis must be completed, with copies given to all three committee members. |
| March 22, 2004 | Committee members agree upon the level of Honors to recommend for each student. This is the College Office deadline for Departments to recommend levels of honors. |
| April 26, 2004 | Final revisions due. Spiral-bound copy given to Professor Fritz for Anthropology Library. It is customary for copies also to be given to the thesis advisor and the two other committee members. |
