Anthropology at PSU
Programs

Department Assessment Materials
Undergraduate Programs
Graduate Program

Department Assessment Materials

• Learning Goals
• 2004 Assessment Report
• Curriculum Map
• Rubrics for Anthropological Theory, Communications Skills, Methodology, and overall program performance

Undergraduate Programs

Advising
Admission Requirements
Major in Anthropology -- B.A., B.S.
Minor in Anthropology

The curriculum in anthropology is designed to develop an understanding and appreciation of human life from various perspectives. It does this by providing both general survey courses and a balanced view of the anthropological subfields of biological anthropology, archaeology, linguistics, and sociocultural anthropology.

The departmental major provieds the liberal arts student with a broadly based view of human adaptation, evolution, variation, and achievement. The department offers a variety of ethnographic and archaeological survey courses for persons with particular regional interests, including East Asia, Southeast Asia, South Asia, Latin America, Africa, Europe, Oceania, and North America (including the Pacific Northwest). Finally, the major provides the necessary general anthropological background for those interested in graduate study in anthropology.

ADVISING

We strongly recommend Anthropology majors work with an adviser in the Anthropology Department. All of our tenure-line faculty (Ames, Butler, Carstens, Everett, Gamburd, Thornton, Vasey) are knowledgeable about major requirements and are happy to help you plan your course work to achieve your academic and professional goals. If you have narrowed your interests to one of the sub-fields, try to find an adviser whose background matches your main goals. Faculty post their "drop in" office hours at the beginning of each quarter at the entrance to the department and with Ms. Cash, the office Manager. If possible, use these times to meet with faculty advisers. No appointment is necessary during these open periods. Faculty may also be available by appointment. We recommend that students obtain a DARS (Degree Audit Reporting System) print-out prior to the advising session. This will provide an up-to-date account of your progress and help you and the faculty identify the courses you need.

We have created a simple planning form for you and the adviser to use in scheduling your course schedule during your time at PSU.

Please also see the schedule for Anthropology Course Offerings. These offerings are subject to change.

ADMISSION REQUIREMENTS

Admission to the department is based on general admission to the University.

DEGREE REQUIREMENTS

Requirements for Major. In addition to meeting the general University degree requirements, a student majoring in anthropology must meet the department's minimum requirements of 52 credit hours. This includes courses in biological anthropology, archaeology, sociocultural anthropology, a course in linguistics or statistics, and elective requirements. Majors must also demonstrate second-year proficiency in a foreign language.

Limitations: No student majoring in anthropology will be permitted to offer more than 72 credits of work in anthropology for the bachelor's degree. This limitation will be waived only through petition to the department.

All anthropology students (B.A. or B.S.) must complete two years of a foreign language or demonstrate equivalent proficiency.

Elective Requirements. Upper division electives shall be selected from at least two subfields of anthropology (biological, social/cultural, or archaeology) and include at least one methods course (i.e. 412, 415, 452, 453, 454, 455, 478). At least 8 of the 24 credits must be in formally numbered 400-level courses (i.e. not including 401, 404, 405, 407, 410). Note: In exceptional circumstances, the department may permit a student to apply a maximum of one lower-division course to the upper-division elective requirement.

All anthropology courses used to satisfy the departmental major requirements must be taken for a letter grade and must have been assigned a grade of C- or better. Courses taken outside the department as part of the departmental requirements (i.e. Ling 232, 233, or Stat 244, Foreign Languages) may be taken pass/ no pass (subject to the University limitations on the maximum number of hours taken pass/ no pass) or for a letter grade. However, students who take these courses for a letter grade must earn a C- or better. Students must earn a cumulative grade point average of 2.00 or better in all courses required for the anthropology bachelor’s degree (including those courses taken outside the department as part of departmental requirements).

Requirements for a Minor. To earn a minor in anthropology, a student must complete 28 credits (12 credits of which must be taken in residence at PSU), to include the following:

All anthropology course used to satisfy the departmental minor requirements, whether taken in the department or elsewhere, must be graded C- or above. Students must earn a cumulative grade point average of 2.00 or better in all courses required for the anthropology minor (including those courses taken outside the department as part of departmental requirements).

Graduate Program

Admission Requirements

Graduate Application Materials

Degree Requirements

Model of Progress

Thesis Track Advising Form

Internships

 

 

 

Master of Arts

The Anthropology Department at Portland State University offers a program leading to the Master of Arts degree. The program is designed to give the student a graduate level of competence in general anthropology, including the major subfields of biological anthropology, archaeology, and sociocultural anthropology. At the same time, the program will permit the student to pursue a special interest in one of the subfields. Students have the option of choosing either the thesis track or the applied/policy track. The applied track is designed to prepare students for professional employment related to applied anthropology. Students in this track will complete an internship and internship paper, and 8 additional hours of coursework, in place of the traditional thesis. The thesis track candidate is required to do research in an area of special interest and prepare a thesis based upon it.

The master's program has been planned for students who hold an undergraduate degree in general anthropology or its equivalent in course coverage. Under these circumstances, the master's degree, including research and thesis, may be completed in two to three years. The undergraduate major is not required, however, for admission to the program. In the latter case, completion of the degree may require a more extended period of study. Students without an adequate background in anthropology will be required to take certain selected undergraduate courses to remove deficiencies. These courses normally do not offer graduate credit.

Admission requirements

For admission to graduate study the student must have a minimum of a 3.25 grade point average in anthropology courses and an overall GPA of 3.00. In addition, applicants must submit GRE scores, a 500-word statement indicating why he or she is interested in pursuing a graduate degree in anthropology, and a sample of written work (e.g., term paper). All applicants must also arrange to have three letters of recommendation indicating professional promise sent directly to the Department's Graduate Admission Committee. To facilitate scheduling of graduate courses, students ordinarily are admitted for fall term only.

Graduate Application Materials

To apply for an M.A. in Anthropology, you will need to fill out two separate applications.

1) PSU Office of Graduate Studies. Application instructions, forms, and other information are available on the web at http://www.gsr.pdx.edu/forms/grad_app.pdf.

2) Anthropology Department (contact information listed below). Your submission should be received by 1 February.

A complete application to the Anthropology Department will include:

Degree Requirements

Students have the option of choosing either the thesis track or the applied/policy track. The applied track is designed to prepare students for professional employment related to applied anthropology. Students in this track will complete an internship and internship paper, and 8 additional hours of coursework, in place of the traditional thesis. The thesis track candidate is required to do research in an area of special interest and prepare a thesis based upon it.

Thesis Track: Of the 48 required credits, 36 must be in anthropology and must include:

Applied/ Policy Track: Of the 56 required credits, 36 must be in anthropology and must include:

* At least three of these courses (12 credits) must be in formally numbered graduate-level courses (i.e. courses numbered between 510-597 or 610-697). Wtih graduate adviser approval, the remaining two courses (8 credits) may be in courses numbered 504 or 505 (i.e. Internship, Reading and Conference.)

**This methods course must be formally numbered and described in the PSU Bulletin. It may not be a course numbered 501/601, 502/602, 503/603, 504/604, 505/605, 506/606, 507/607, 508/608, 509/609.

Five calendar years from the term of admission will be the maximum time allowed to complete all requirements for a master's degree. Terms on approved leave of absence will be counted towards the five-year limitation.

In addition to formal course requirements, the following are also necessary:

1. Fulfilling the foreign language requirement. Ordinarily the examination is taken in French, Spanish, or German. Other languages may, upon departmental approval, be substituted. Students must complete the foreign language requirement no later than one calendar year following entrance to the program.

2. Advancement to candidacy involves successful passing (a minimum grade of B-) of the core seminars (Anth 511, 550, 570). Advancement to candidacy can only be accomplished before the close of next-to-the-final term of work.

3. Approval of a thesis topic or internship and the appointment of the thesis committee. The student develops a thesis or policy paper proposal and submits it to the department faculty for approval and for the formal appointment of the thesis committee. In addition to advising and guiding the student's research and thesis preparation, the chairperson of this committee files a graduate degree program with the Office of Graduate Studies and Research. Students must have a master's thesis proposal submitted to and approved by the department faculty as soon as possible following admission to the program, but in no case later than the end of the seventh term (excluding Summer Session) following admission to the program. Students who fail to meet this requirement will be dropped from the program.

4. Presentation and approval of thesis or policy paper.

5. Passing of an oral defense of thesis or policy paper.

Model of Progress:

Thesis Track

This outlines a general pattern for student progress through the Anthropology Department's Thesis Track MA program. Also included below on this are explanations of moving through the thesis-writing process and applying for a degree.

Policy Track

Under Construction, to be added soon.

The Thesis Process

• Identify Thesis Topic and adviser
• Preliminary Research (What else has been written on this topic? Narrow research focus, etc.)
• Develop Thesis Proposal. Click here for useful further information on research design and proposal writing.
• Begin Human Subjects Application (Discuss with your adviser whether your project requires Human Subjects Review. While the Human Subjects Application cannot be submitted until the department has approved your proposal, you should be aware of the human subjects review process as you design your research.)
• Revise Thesis Proposal
• Proposal Circulated to Anthropology Faculty (With thesis adviser’s consent)
• Proposal Approved (Discuss faculty comments with adviser, make necessary adjustments to research aims and methods. Discuss scope and scale of thesis with adviser.)
• Human Subjects Review (Submit your application to the Office of Research and Sponsored Projects. For applications and guidelines see http://www.gsr.pdx.edu/compliance/human/process.html).
• Establish Thesis Committee and Consider Outside Reviewers (Meet with committee members occasionally)
• Thesis Research (Meet with adviser regularly)
• Write Thesis Draft
• Revise
• Submit Draft to Adviser
• Revise
• Submit Draft to Other Committee Members (with adviser’s consent)
• Revise
• Schedule Defense Date with adviser’s approval, (Check Graduate School deadlines. See “Applying for the Degree” for information on important forms required to set up your thesis defense).
• Thesis Defense (The defense consists of a public presentation in which the candidate presents a summary of the thesis and important conclusions. A public question-and-answer period is followed by a private meeting with the thesis committee. The committee then meets without the student present to make its decision. Typically, a student passes the exam but is asked to make some revisions to the thesis.)
• Make necessary changes to thesis in consultation with thesis chair
• Obtain signatures of committee members on cover sheet
• Check the Graduate Office Thesis Guidelines for style requirements. We recommend that you ask the Office of Graduate Studies to check your thesis for correct style before making the final copies. A copy of the current guidelines is included in your orientation packet.
• Submit three clean copies (department, library, Graduate School) of the thesis on thesis bond to the Graduate School

Applying for the Degree

As you near the completion of your thesis, you will need to keep in mind the deadlines for three important forms required to be admitted to candidacy, schedule your thesis defense, and complete your oral exam.

Your thesis should be complete and ready to defend by the end of the term before the term in which you wish to graduate. For example, if you wish to graduate in Winter Term, you will need to have your thesis ready to circulate to your committee by the end of the immediately previous Fall Term. Students who wish to graduate at the end of the Fall Term should have their theses ready by the beginning of that term. In some cases students may be able to schedule a defense during the summer, but this is often not possible because most faculty do not teach in the summer and are away from campus.

As you are writing your thesis, check with the Office of Graduate Studies for the deadlines for filing the following forms: Forms are available on the web at: http://www.gsr.pdx.edu/ogs_forms.html

• Application for the degree: All students must file this form IN PERSON with the Office of Graduate Studies in order to graduate. This informs the graduate office of the student’s intended graduation date.
• GO-12: Approved Graduate Degree Program
  This form can be completed once the student has an approved thesis proposal and has completed all necessary coursework. The language requirement and any conditions on admissions must be taken care of at this time. The Graduate School must approve this form before a thesis defense can be scheduled.
• GO-16M: Appointment of Final Oral Examiniation Committee (Masters Level)
  This form is used to formally appoint an oral exam committee, including a graduate office representative, or faculty member from outside the anthropology department. The department submits this form once the student is ready to defend the thesis (as determined by the chair of the thesis committee). The department must have an approved copy of this form before the thesis defense.
• GO-17M: Masters Recommendation for the Degree
  This form indicates successful completion of the oral exam or thesis defense. The student fills in the top part of the form and the chair of the thesis committee completes the form after the oral examination. A student who passes the oral exam will typically be required to make final revisions to his or her thesis before graduating.