Anthropology MA
Program Coordinator: Robert M. Yohe, II
Program Office: Dorothy Donahoe Hall, CC216
Telephone: (661) 654-3457
email: ryohe@csub.edu
Website: www.csub.edu/GradStudies/anth.html
Faculty: J. E. Granskog (FERP), B. Hemphill,
P. Silverman (Emeritus), K. Stocker, M. Q. Sutton,
R. M. Yohe, II
Program Description
The Master of Arts in Anthropology program is designed to provide graduate students with a thorough theoretical and methodological grounding in anthropology. This foundation is essential for attaining a basic nonjudgmental understanding and appreciation of the diversity of humanity and human cultures, both past and present. Such understanding is a fundamental component for functioning effectively in our multicultural and multiethnic modern world.
The program is primarily geared toward the working student who plans to continue their graduate studies toward the Ph.D. in Anthropology, seeks career advancement in either private or public sectors, (e.g., human resource development, international business, historic preservation, cultural resource management, or work within various community organizations, as well as federal, state, and local governmental agencies), or who seeks to teach at the community college level. For that reason, the program offers three graduating options or “tracks”: a Thesis Option, a Teaching Option, and a Special Project Option.
The program of study is enhanced by opportunities to work on campus as research assistants in the Center for Archaeological Research and the Southern San Joaquin Valley Archaeological Information Center, as Teaching Assistants in the Department, and in various community organizations as well as within federal, state, and local government agencies via the Internship programs available.
REQUIREMENTS FOR THE MASTER OF ARTS IN ANTHROPOLOGY
The MA in Anthropology program has common admission and continuation requirements for all graduate students in the program, but different requirements for course work, advancement to candidacy, and graduation, depending on the graduating option chosen by each student.
Requirements for Admission
Admission to the Master of Arts in Anthropology program requires that the following basic criteria be met:
- 1. Baccalaureate degree from an accredited college or university.
- 2. GPA of 2.5 overall and 3.0 in the major and 1400 combined score in the three areas on the GRE test, with no less than 450 in any one test area.
- 3. A satisfactory TOEFL score (a minimum of 550 or 213 on the new conversion scale) for International students.
- 4. In lieu of the minimum score requirements listed in 2. above, a student may petition the Graduate Program Coordinator for an exception.
Persons seeking admission to the Master of Arts in Anthropology program must complete two separate applications:
- 1. Apply to the Office of Admissions and Records for admission to the University; this application for general admission at the post-baccalaureate level will be processed by the university. Applications are available on line (www.csub.edu).
- a. Admission to post-baccalaureate study by the University does not constitute acceptance into the Anthropology MA Program. It does, however, permit students to take selected courses as unclassified post-baccalaureate students and to begin the process.
- b. Upon admission to the University, students must immediately notify the Anthropology Graduate Coordinator of their intention to pursue the Anthropology MA degree. The Graduate Coordinator will familiarize the student with the requirements and timetable of the Anthropology MA program.
- 2. Apply to the department for admission as a graduate student for the Master of Arts in Anthropology.
Applications are available on line (www.csub.edu/
Anthropology/). The following materials must
accompany the departmental application (Form A):
- a. Formal letter of intent, in which the student identifies which track option they commit to pursue.
- b. Three student recommendations (Form B)
- c. Example of writing ability (published paper, conference paper, term paper, etc.)
- d. Graduate Record Examination (GRE) test scores.
- e. Completed Graduation Writing Assessment Requirement (GWAR) or ENGL 310 or equivalent from another university.
Admission is for enrollment beginning in the Fall Quarter. Completed applications to the MA in Anthropology program are due by May 1. Completed applications to the University must be on file by that date, as well. The Anthropology Graduate Program Coordinator, with the advice of the faculty, will consider all completed applications received by May 1, and notify the candidate of her/his admission status before May 31. For any exception to the application deadline or enrollment quarter, you may petition the Anthropology Graduate Program Coordinator.
Student Classifications
Classified Standing
Students who meet the admissions requirements (above) will be admitted as Classified Graduate Students.
Conditionally Classified Standing
Applicants may be admitted as Conditionally Classified Graduate Student if, in the judgment of the graduate admissions committee, the applicant has potential for successful completion of all the “conditions” specified by the faculty for admission as a Classified Graduate Student and potential for successful completion of all the requirements for the graduate program. Upon satisfactory completion of all “conditions” and time limits specified by the faculty, the student’s status will be administratively changed to Classified Graduate Student.
Advancement to Candidacy
Advancement to Candidacy requires the following:
- 1. Classified status.
- 2. Completion of 25-quarter units of graduate work at CSUB applied toward the MA in Anthropology, all of which are at the 500-level or above and with a GPA of 3.0 or better.
- 3. A Thesis Proposal approved by the Thesis Committee and filed with the Department; or a Project Proposal approved by the student’s committee and filed with the Department; or an approved proposal for the Teaching Track Option.
Graduate Advisor
It is the student’s responsibility, in consultation with the appropriate faculty members, to choose a graduate advisor, choose an MA track option or fields of study, and organize a thesis or examination committee leading to Advancement to Candidacy.
Academic Advising
Until an advisor is selected, the Graduate Program Coordinator will serve as interim advisor. Upon admission, however, the student should select an advisor as soon as possible. Failure to select an advisor may result in the Graduate Program Coordinator assigning the student an advisor.
Transfer of Credit
A student may transfer up to 13.5 quarter units of credit (9 semester units) from another school. A student may apply, with the approval of his/ her graduate advisor, up to 10-quarter units of credit taken at CSUB while an Unclassified Post- Baccalaureate Student.
Continuation
Continuation in the program is dependent upon the following:
- 1. The maintenance of a GPA of 3.0 or higher for all graduate work at CSUB.
- 2. Achieving no grade less than a “C” (2.0) in any course applied to the MA in Anthropology, and no more than one course with a grade of “C” (2.0) will be accepted toward the MA in Anthropology.
- 3. Continuous enrollment (being registered for creditbearing study for three out of four consecutive academic quarters). Students who have not completed all requirements for the thesis must register every quarter.
- 4. Students failing to meet these stipulations may be dropped from the program. To re-enter, a student will be required to apply for readmission to the program.
- 5. Prior to completion of 20 units, a student must complete the following:
- a. Select an advisor, form a committee (of at least three faculty members), and file the completed and approved “Declaration of Committee” form (www.csub.edu/Anthropology/) with the Department.
- b. File an approved “Requirements and Plan of Study” (www.csub.edu/Anthropology) with the Department.
- 6. Graduate students who have completed all required coursework for their master’s degree, but still need additional time to complete their thesis may maintain “continuous enrollment” by registering for ANTH 700 through Extended University.
Graduation
Only Classified students who have met the following requirements are eligible for graduation.
- 1. Completion of the requirements listed in the Plan of Study.
- 2. GPA of 3.0 or better in graduate work at CSUB applied toward the MA in Anthropology. No more than one course with a grade of “C” (2.0) will be accepted toward the MA in Anthropology.
- 3. Completion of all culminating experience requirements as stipulated under the Thesis or Non-Thesis options, below.
- 4. All requirements for the MA in Anthropology must be completed before the student may participate in graduation ceremonies.
MA PROGRAMS IN ANTHROPOLOGY
The Department of Sociology and Anthropology offers three track options for the MA in Anthropology: the Thesis Option, the Teaching Option, and the Special Project Option. Five courses are required of all Masters students. The first four include: BEHS 500 Quantitative Methods in the Behavioral Sciences; ANTH 535 Seminar in Biological Anthropology; ANTH 545 Seminar in Cultural Anthropology; and ANTH 575 Seminar in Archaeological Theory. The fifth course focuses on graduate- level methods and the appropriate course is contingent upon the student’s preferred subdiscipline of interest (see below). Remaining units are comprised of course work established in the Plan of Study developed by the student and their committee. Only five independent study units can be applied to the student’s Plan of Study.
Research for the master’s thesis or project that involves data from/about human subjects may be required to be reviewed and approved by the Institutional Review Board for Human Subjects Research (IRB/HSR). For additional details, see page 360.
Requirements for the MA in Anthropology-Thesis Option: 45 Total Units
Required General Course Work: 15 Units
ANTH 535 Seminar in Biological Anthropology
ANTH 545 Seminar in Cultural Anthropology
ANTH 575 Seminar in Archaeological Theory
Required Course Work in Methods: 10 units
BEHS 500 Quantitative Methods in the Behavioral Sciences
One of the following:
ANTH 502 Advanced Human Osteology (biological)
ANTH 534 Advanced Qualitative Methods (cultural)
ANTH 576 Seminar in Archaeological Methods (archaeology)
Elective Course Work: 11 Units
These units, five of which must be at the 500-level and the remaining at the 400-level or above, will be selected based on the advice and recommendation of the student’s advisor and faculty committee.
Thesis Experience (ANTH 695): 9 Units
May be taken over several quarters and must be devoted to the following sequential activities:
- 1. Write and submit a thesis prospectus for Thesis Committee approval. This prospectus must include thesis objectives, proposed literature review, proposed methodology, and predicted findings.
- 2. Once the prospectus is approved, thesis work up to and including the successful defense of the thesis.
Requirements for the MA in Anthropology-Teaching Option: 50 Total Units
Required General Course Work: 25 Units
ANTH 535 Seminar in Biological Anthropology
ANTH 545 Seminar in Cultural Anthropology
ANTH 575 Seminar in Archaeological Theory
ANTH 597 Special Issues in Teaching Anthropology
ANTH 598 Directed Study in Teaching Anthropology
ANTH 693 Culminating Experience in Teaching Anthropology
Students must have at least one cultural anthropologist, one biological anthropologist, and one archaeologist on their committee. 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 credit.
Required Course Work in Methods: 10 units
BEHS 500 Quantitative Methods in Behavioral Sciences
One of the following:
ANTH 502 Advanced Human Osteology (biological)
ANTH 534 Advanced Qualitative Methods (cultural)
ANTH 576 Seminar in Archaeological Methods (archaeology)
Elective Coursework: 15 Units
These units, 10 of which must be at the 500-level or above, will be selected based on the advice and recommendation of the student’s advisor and faculty committee.
Culminating Experience in Teaching Anthropology (ANTH 693): 4 Units
Students must satisfactorily complete the following:
- 1. Teach one of the following courses, ANTH 100, 102, or 104 (or equivalent) from beginning to end.
- 2. Prepare detailed syllabi, lecture outlines, exams, exercises, and other materials used in class for ANTH 100, 102, 104, and one other ANTH course (to be agreed upon with the student’s advisor).
- 3. Present a guest lecture in each of the above classes (except the course taught to fulfill 1. above) arranged with the instructor of those courses.
- 4. Prepare a paper (minimum of 30 pages with 10 references) on the area of the student’s expertise (to be agreed upon with the student’s advisor).
Requirements for the MA in Anthropology-Special Project Option: 50 Total Units
Required General Course Work: 20 units
ANTH 535 Seminar in Biological Anthropology
ANTH 545 Seminar in Cultural Anthropology
ANTH 575 Seminar in Archaeological Theory
ANTH 694 Culminating Experience in Special Projects
Required Course Work in Methods: 10 units
BEHS 500 Quantitative Methods in the Behavioral Sciences
One of the following:
ANTH 502 Advanced Human Osteology (biological)
ANTH 534 Advanced Qualitative Methods (cultural)
ANTH 576 Seminar in Archaeological Methods (archaeology)
Elective Course Work: 20 units
These units, 10 of which must be at the 500-level or above, must be approved by the student’s advisor and faculty committee.
Culminating Experience
There are two ways to meet the culminating experience requirement for the MA in Anthropology-Special Project Option, 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:
Agency-Based Project
- a.
- 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 stages of the project.
- b.
- 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.
Mastery of Two Areas of Anthropology
- a.
- 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 for which the student intends to demonstrate mastery, two lists of proposed readings, and a timetable for the preparation, writing, and submission of each area paper.
- b.
- Examination of student 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.”)
ANTH 502 Advanced Human Osteology (5)
Advanced methods for determination of growth, development, and alteration of the human skeleton. Multivariate methods for determination of age, sex, stature, and genetic ancestry from skeletal and dental remains. Differential diagnosis of pathological conditions affecting the human skeleton. Morphological and metrical analyses of skeletal and dental remains. Two lectures and two laboratory periods per week. Prerequisite: ANTH 302.
ANTH 534 Advanced Qualitative Methods (5)
Advanced methods for ethnographic fieldwork, including participant observation, interviews, focus groups, fieldwork ethics, coding procedures for data analysis, and writing the results of qualitative research with attention to issue of representation.
ANTH 535 Seminar in Biological Anthropology (5)
Graduate-level survey of major aspects of biological anthropology. Examination of the historical development of biological anthropology, exploration of current knowledge of the evolutionary process, palaeoprimatology, palaeohominin evolution, and the sociobiological foundations of primate and human behavior. Current theory and understanding of human biological variation, adaptation, and development. Prerequisite: ANTH 102 or consent of the instructor.
ANTH 545 Seminar in Cultural Anthropology (5)
An examination of the major theoretical orientations in contemporary cultural anthropology. Attention is given to basic controversies such as materialism vs. idealism, synchronic vs. diachronic studies, positivist vs. interpretive approaches.
ANTH 550 Symbolic Anthropology and Ritual (5)
Exploration of various theoretical approaches within symbolic anthropology including those of Mary Douglas, Clifford Geertz, and Victor Turner. Application of their approaches to the study of ritual and shamanism in nonwestern cultures.
ANTH 575 Seminar in Archaeological Theory (5)
Detailed examination of selected theoretical topics in archaeology. History and development of the major theories in archaeology. Contributions of important individual theorists. Assessment of changing emphases in archaeology. Prerequisite: ANTH 301 or permission of instructor.
ANTH 576 Seminar in Archaeological Methods (5)
Detailed examination of selected topics in archaeological methods. Specific approaches to analysis, such as research design, special analytic techniques (e.g., faunal analysis, lithic analysis, etc.). Assessment of the direct-historical approach, computer modeling and statistics. Prerequisite: ANTH 390 or permission of instructor.
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. [By Petition]
ANTH 591 Advanced Field Archaeology (5)
Participation in 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)
A practicum course designed to prepare students to teach anthropology. Management of large classes, facilitation of small group discussions, and in-class presentations, incorporation of technology in the classroom, films, pedagogical approaches to teaching about nonwestern societies and sensitive topics. [By Petition]
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 college or university 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. [By Petition]
ANTH 693 Culminating Experience in Teaching Anthropology (5)
Satisfactory preparation, completion, and presentation of the following tasks: teach one of the following courses, ANTH 100, 102 or 104 (or equivalent) from beginning to end; prepare detailed syllabi, lecture outlines, exams, exercises, and other materials used in class for ANTH 100, 102, 104, and one other ANTH course; present a guest lecture in each of the above classes arranged with the instructor of those courses; and prepare a paper on the area of the student’s expertise. Offered on a credit, no-credit basis only. [By Petition]
ANTH 694 Culminating Experience in Special Projects (5)
Students who have completed all other prerequisites for the MA in Anthropology-Special Projects Track Option 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. [By Petition]
ANTH 695 Master’s Thesis in Anthropology (1-9)
Offered on a credit, no-credit basis only. [By Petition]
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. [By Petition]