[an error occurred while processing this directive]Anthropology
Dorothy Donahoe Hall, AA209
(661) 664-2368
(661) 665-6909 (fax)
email: mhilton@csubak.edu
http://www.csub.edu./GradStudies/anth.html

Program Coordinator: Jane Granskog
Dorothy Donahoe Hall, CC203
(661) 664-3117
email: jgranskog@csub.edu

During this two-year MA program, students engage in a research-based program of individualized study dealing with the behavior of people and/or cultures. Research assistantships and/or internships are available each quarter in the department, the Archaeological Information Center, and the Center for Archaeological Research. Students are encouraged to engage in collaborative research with faculty.

Program Description

The Department of Anthropology offers three tracks for the MA in Anthropology: the Thesis Option, the Teaching Track, and the Special Project. Three courses are required of all Masters students (BEHS 500 Quantitative Methods in the Behavioral Sciences; BEHS 501 Advanced Research Design and Analysis; and ANTH 545 Theories of Culture) with the remaining units being comprised of course work established in the Plan of Study developed by the student and his/her committee. Only five independent study units can be applied to the student’s Plan of Study. Students should consult the Thesis Option and Non-Thesis Options Handout available in the Department of Anthropology office.
 

Thesis Option: 45 Total Units

Required Course Work: 15 Units

Elective Course Work: 30 Units


Teaching Track: 50 Total Units.

Required Course Work: 25 Units

* In collaboration with a community college in area.

In addition, all students will be required to serve as a teaching assistant for a lower division anthropology class at CSUB for which they will not earn any academic credits.

Elective Course Work: 25 Units


Culminating Experience in Teaching Anthropology (ANTH 693, 4 Units):

Students must prepare the following:

  1. Detailed syllabi for two anthropology classes, one of which must be an introductory anthropology class and the other a course agreed upon with the student’s advisor.
  2. A detailed list of books and reading materials that could be used in the two classes above.
  3. A detailed outline of tests, paper topics and guidelines, homework exercises and other items by which students who are enrolled in the above mentioned classes might be evaluated.
  4. A research paper on a topic of relevance to the elective class.
  5. A sample class lecture on the same topic open to faculty and students-at-large.


Special Project: 50 Total Units

Required Course Work: 20 Units


Elective Course Work: 30 units


Culminating Experience -- There are two ways of culminating the MA in Anthropology—Special Project track, both of which occur by taking for credit, no-credit ANTH 694, Culminating Experience in Special Projects, under the supervision of the student’s advisor and faculty committee:

  1. Agency-Based Project
    1. Submit for approval to the student’s faculty committee a prospectus for the Proposed Project which shall include a description of the intended project, its objectives, methods that will be used, the scholarly literature that will be consulted, and the timetable proposed for all the stages of the project.
    2. Present and defend a Final Report on the project to the student’s faculty committee in a meeting open to faculty and students-at-large.
  2. Mastery of Two Areas of Anthropology
    1. Submit for approval to the student’s faculty committee a prospectus for two area papers, which shall include the identification of the two areas of anthropology the student intends to demonstrate mastery over, two lists of proposed readings, and a timetable for the preparation, writing, and submission of each area paper.
    2. Examination of students on each area by his/her faculty committee in a meeting open to the faculty and students-at-large.


COURSE DESCRIPTIONS

BEHS 500 Quantitative Methods in the Behavioral Sciences (5)

(For course description, see listing under "Interdisciplinary Courses.") [F]

BEHS 501 Advanced Research Design and Analysis (5)

(For course description, see listing under "Interdisciplinary Courses.") [W]

ANTH 545 Theories of Culture (5)

An examination of the major theoretical orientations in contemporary cultural anthropology. Attention is given to several basic controversies: materialism vs. idealism, synchronic vs. diachronic studies, positivist vs. interpretive approaches. [S]

ANTH 550 Symbolic Anthropology and Ritual (5)

Focus will be on exploring various theoretical approaches within symbolic anthropology including the work of Mary Douglas, Clifford Geertz and Victor Turner. Particular attention will be given to the application of their theoretical approaches to the study of ritual and shamanism in non-western cultures. [F]

ANTH 575 Seminar in Archaeological Theory (5)

Selected theoretical topics in archaeology will be examined in detail. The history and development of the major theories in archaeology, the contributions of important individual theorists, and the changing emphases in archaeology will be covered. Prerequisite: ANTH 390 or permission of instructor. [W]

ANTH 576 Seminar in Archaeological Methods (5)

Selected topics in archaeological methods will be examined in detail. Specific approaches to analysis, such as research design, special analytic techniques (e.g., faunal analysis, lithic analysis, etc.), the direct-historical approach, computer modeling and statistics, and others, will be addressed. Prerequisite: ANTH 390 or permission of instructor. [F]

ANTH 577 Advanced Topics in Anthropology (1-5)

Exploration at an advanced level of selected topics in anthropology. Permission of the instructor is required. May be repeated for different course content.

ANTH 591 Advanced Field Archaeology (5)

Students will participate in the planning (both research design and logistics), execution, and supervision of archaeological field projects in conjunction with the instructor. This may involve acting in the capacity of a supervisor to the undergraduate field archaeology students and/or conducting independent research as a project director. This course may be taken as part of the data collection element relevant to the completion of a thesis. Permission of instructor is required.

ANTH 597 Special Issues in Teaching Anthropology (1)

This is a practicum course designed to prepare students to teach anthropology. Topics covered include managing large classes, facilitating small group discussions, encouraging in-class presentations, incorporating technology in the classroom, selecting films, teaching about non-western societies, and teaching sensitive topics.

ANTH 598 Directed Study in Teaching Anthropology (5)

This is a practicum course to be conducted under the supervision of a faculty mentor from a community college in CSUB’s service region. Weekly meetings with faculty sponsor and supervised experience which may include administering and developing examinations, course development, discussion group leadership, selected lectures, and in-depth directed readings of relevant topics. Prerequisite: ANTH 597 and consent of instructor who will serve as sponsor, and approval by Chair of Department of Sociology and Anthropology.

ANTH 693 Culminating Experience in Teaching Anthropology (4)

Students who have completed all other prerequisites for the MA in Anthropology—Teaching Track must culminate their graduate program by taking and passing this course. Upon satisfactorily preparing, completing, and presenting the following tasks to the student’s faculty committee, the student will be granted the MA in Anthropology: a detailed syllabus for two anthropology classes, one of which must be an introductory anthropology course, and the other should be in a substantive area of the student’s choosing; a detailed list of books and reading materials that should be used in these two classes; a detailed outline of tests, paper topics and guidelines, homework exercises and other items by which students who are enrolled in the these classes might be evaluated; a critical literature review on a topic of relevance to the elective class; and, finally, deliver a sample class lecture to the faculty committee on the same topic in a session open to faculty and students-at-large. Offered on a credit, no-credit basis only.

ANTH 694 Culminating Experience in Special Projects (5)

Students who have completed all other prerequisites for the MA in Anthropology—Special Projects Track must culminate their graduate program by taking and passing this course. There are two ways of passing this course: (a) by performing an agency-based project or (b) by demonstrating mastery of two areas of anthropology. Upon satisfactorily preparing, completing, and presenting the tasks associated with either type of special project to the student’s faculty committee, the student will be granted the MA in Anthropology. Offered on a credit, no-credit basis only.

ANTH 695 Master’s Thesis in Anthropology (1-9)

ANTH 699 Individual Graduate Study (1-5)

Investigation of an approved project leading to a written report. Project selected in conference with professor in area of major interest; regular meetings to be arranged with professor.