2018-19 General Catalog

361 Social Sciences 1 Building
(831) 459- 3320
https://anthro.ucsc.edu/

Faculty | Course Descriptions

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Program Description

Anthropology is the study of people throughout the world and through time. Because it covers a wide range of topics—biological evolution, material remains of the past, and the world that humans create through their ideas and practices in present-day societies—anthropology is an especially integrative discipline. The anthropology program at UCSC offers courses that reflect the diversity of the field.

• Cultural anthropology explores the everyday lives, beliefs, activities, and movements of people, objects, and ideas in diverse societies. Cultural anthropology courses examine such topics as race and ethnicity, medicine, health, science, gender, sexuality, environment, religion, law, popular culture, politics, economics, and institutions.

• Archaeology uses the material evidence of human activities to understand past human lives. Archaeology at UCSC focuses on past people’s interactions with one another at the local level and within their wider social and ecological contexts.  Faculty research areas include the pre-colonial and early post-colonial history of Africa, Mesoamerica, the Caribbean, and western North America.

• Biological anthropology traces the human journey from its beginnings in Africa over five million years ago. Biological anthropology courses look at fossil evidence, evolutionary theory, human variation, and the behavior of primate relatives in order to analyze biological, social, and cultural changes over time. Biological anthropology at UCSC has a methodological emphasis in innovative approaches to human and non-human primate ecology and diversity founded on our expertise in genomics, isotope biochemistry, as well as human osteology.

UCSC students have the opportunity to do independent library and field research in cultural anthropology, archaeology, and biological anthropology. Laboratory courses in archaeology and biological anthropology offer practical experience in the analysis of biological and cultural materials. In cultural anthropology courses, students learn to carry out anthropological research through interviews, participant observation, surveys, the collection of oral histories, analysis of textual, visual, and aural materials, and the interpretation of archival materials.

Because anthropology is concerned with understanding human interaction, it is a useful major for anyone planning a career that involves working with people, especially those from diverse cultures. Some UCSC anthropology graduates are in social work, many are in teaching, and others pursue careers in law, city planning, politics, medicine, public health, cultural resource management, and journalism. Students intending to specialize in anthropology usually go on to graduate school because professional employment in the field almost always demands an advanced degree.

A combined major in Anthropology and Earth and Planetary Sciences, leading to a bachelor of arts (B.A.) degree, is also offered; for that program description, see Earth and Planetary Sciences.

Most anthropology faculty have their offices in Social Sciences 1 Building. Social Sciences 1 also houses laboratories for archaeology and biological anthropology where space is provided for laboratory and individual studies courses and for collections of human and non-human mammalian skeletal material, a variety of archaeological artifacts, and collaborative workspaces for cultural anthropology research.

The Anthropology Society, a campus club, is open to all students interested in anthropology. The Anthropology Colloquium series showcases guest speakers and gives faculty and students an opportunity to discuss new approaches to anthropological questions. Students and faculty interested in archaeology also gather informally at the Archaeology/Biological Anthropology Lunch forum to share information on fieldwork and employment opportunities.

Bachelor of Arts (B.A.) in Anthropology

The anthropology B.A. incorporates the three anthropological subfields of anthropological archaeology, cultural anthropology, and biological anthropology, while providing undergraduates with a solid grounding in theory and methods.

Students do not declare an emphasis or concentration within the anthropology major. All students therefore are general anthropology majors and complete the same requirements. However, students can choose to take additional courses in a specific area of anthropology while completing the upper-division anthropology electives required for the major, or by choosing to take courses above and beyond what is required for the major.

Program Learning Outcomes

A student who graduates with a B.A. in Anthropology has the following knowledge and skills.

Core Concepts in Anthropology

The student demonstrates understanding of the core concepts in three primary subfields of anthropology: cultural anthropology, archaeology, and biological anthropology.

Knowledge of Cultural Differences

The student demonstrates knowledge of cultural variation and the diversity of perspectives, practices, and beliefs found within each culture and across cultures.

Integration of Subfields

The student integrates cultural, biological, and archaeological perspectives on human bodies, behavior, materialities, and institutions.

Written Communication

The student demonstrates the ability to write clearly by formulating well-organized arguments that are grounded in supporting evidence while countering evidence that contradicts the student's claims.

Oral Communication

The student is able to organize ideas and information and articulate them effectively.

Research and Analytical Skills

The student demonstrates knowledge of the basic steps involved in scholarly research, including locating and critically evaluating scholarly and other information sources relevant to the chosen topic. The student can recognize and demonstrate a basic understanding of research methods used in the various subfields of anthropology, including—but not limited to— participant observation, thick description, laboratory and field analysis, and interviewing.

Understanding of Long-Term Changes in Human Behavior and Conditions in Deep Time

The student has a grasp of long-term changes in the conditions that have shaped humans and the environments they inhabit.

Declaration of the Major

In order to qualify for the major, students must have received a "C" or better in at least one lower-division anthropology course (ANTH 1, 2, or 3) and have either received a "C" or better in a second lower-division anthropology course or be enrolled in a second lower-division anthropology course at the time of declaration.

Honors

The Anthropology Department awards honors in the major and highest honors in the major based on a ranked departmental grade point average (GPA) that is calculated using all upper-division courses taken in the major with the exception that only one independent-study course can be used in this calculation. For students who have taken multiple independent-study courses in the department, the independent-study course that has the highest grade is used for the calculation. Approximately 15 percent of the graduating class is considered for honors based on their ranked departmental GPA through the quarter before graduation. The criteria for awarding highest honors in the major are overall superlative performance in the major (top 5 percent of ranked departmental GPA) and general breadth of excellence across the subfields of anthropology. Receiving honors on the senior comprehensive requirement is also considered as a factor in awarding highest honors, but is not always determinative.

Advising

For more information regarding department policies, please consult the Undergraduate Coordinator at the Anthropology Department office, 361 Social Sciences 1 Building.

All majors, including double majors, must prepare a program of study in consultation with a member of the Anthropology Department. The Anthropology Department urges students to seek faculty advice early in planning for the major. Faculty hold regular office hours weekly and encourage students to come in to talk about their program, or coursework, and career and professional advising. Students planning to pursue graduate training should plan course schedules in close consultation with faculty advisers.

Peer Advisers

The Anthropology Department has instituted a peer adviser program as a supplement to academic advising offered by faculty members. The peer advisers are juniors and seniors who have been trained to help students with questions and general guidance through the anthropology major. Peer advisers hold regularly scheduled office hours in the department office.

Undergraduate Handbook

All undergraduate majors should obtain a copy of the Anthropology Department undergraduate handbook from the department website. It outlines information on department procedures and requirements, program planning, independent study, faculty interests, and campus resources for anthropology majors.

Requirements of the B.A. Major

To graduate with an anthropology major, students must successfully complete the following courses:

Three Lower-Division Courses

ANTH 1: Introduction to Biological Anthropology

ANTH 2: Introduction to Cultural Anthropology

ANTH 3: Introduction to Archaeology

For information on receiving credit for lower-division coursework taken at other institutions, see the section Transfer Credit Toward Major/Minor Requirements.

Ten Upper-Division Courses

Five core courses (for course offerings, see the section Courses in Anthropology by Category):

• one course in archaeology
• one course in biological, medical or environmental anthropology
• one course in regional specialization
• one course in sociocultural anthropology
• one course in anthropological theory

Students may not substitute coursework from another program or institution for core courses.

Four anthropology electives (any additional upper-division anthropology courses)

Two-credit courses do not count toward the 10 upper-division courses required for the major. Only one 5-credit individual studies course (197, 198, or 199) may be counted toward the 10 required upper-division courses. Theory courses can only be counted toward the theory requirement or an upper-division elective. See the section on Transfer Credit Toward Major/Minor Requirements for information on receiving credit for upper-division coursework taken at other institutions to be applied toward electives.

Students who are given permission to take a graduate seminar in anthropology may use the course to satisfy an upper division elective.

One senior comprehensive requirement, which can be satisfied in one of two ways:

• Senior Seminar (usually courses numbered ANTH 194 or 196)

• Senior Thesis, (requires enrollment in ANTH 195S or ANTH 195A/B/C)

Senior Comprehensive Requirement for B.A.

Students can fulfill the senior comprehensive requirement in anthropology either by passing a senior seminar (194/196-series course) or by writing an acceptable independent senior thesis (195S or 195A/B/C).

Senior seminars are small, writing-intensive classes focusing on advanced topics in anthropology. The prerequisite for admission to a senior seminar is successful completion of courses 1, 2, and 3; senior seminars are restricted to senior anthropology majors.

Students considering an independent thesis must arrange for the sponsorship and support of a faculty member before beginning research. An independent senior thesis (not written within a senior seminar) should be based on original research and reflect the student’s understanding of fundamental theories and issues in anthropology. The thesis should be comparable in content, style, and length (generally 25–30 pages) to a professional journal article in its subfield. Students who wish to complete the senior comprehensive requirement through and independent thesis will enroll in a section of ANTH 195S supervised by their thesis sponsor or ANTH 195A/B/C series.

Disciplinary Communication (DC) Requirement for B.A.

Students of every major must satisfy that major's upper-division Disciplinary Communication (DC) requirement. Anthropology’s DC requirement aims especially at cultivating high-level skills in critical and ethnographic writing. To satisfy the DC requirement students must complete a senior seminar (194/196-series course) or complete an independent senior thesis (195A/B/C or 195S), following the guidelines of the senior comprehensive requirement.

Anthropology Major Planners

The following are two sample academic plans: (1) a four-year plan for frosh students as preparation for the anthropology B.A. major and (2) a two-year plan for transfer students for the anthropology B. A. major.

Four-Year Plan

Year	Fall	Winter	Spring
1st (frosh)	ANTH 1	ANTH 2	ANTH 3
2nd (soph)	Bio/Med/Env	Sociocultural	Archaeology
3rd (junior)	Theory	Regional	UD elective
			UD elective
4th (senior)	UD elective	UD elective	Senior Seminar*

*Alternatives listed in the section Requirements of the B.A.

Two-Year Plan

Year	Fall	Winter	Spring
3rd (junior)	Theory	Regional	Archaeology
	UD elective	Sociocultural	Bio/Med/Env
4th (senior)	UD elective	UD elective	Senior Seminar*
	UD elective

*Alternatives listed in the section Requirements of the B.A.

Transfer Students

If possible, transfer students should complete lower-division requirements for the major before coming to UC Santa Cruz by taking courses equivalent to courses 1, 2, and 3. Department policy also allows students to petition up to 10 quarter credits (equivalent to two UC Santa Cruz courses) of upper-division transfer credit toward the major elective requirements. Any courses completed at the community college level are not considered to be upper-division courses. Transfer students should bring an unofficial copy of all pertinent transcripts to the undergraduate adviser in the department office (361 Social Sciences 1 Building) as soon as possible after reaching campus so that prerequisites can be verified and course enrollment can proceed smoothly.

Transfer Credit Toward Major/Minor Requirements

Students may transfer courses equivalent to ANTH 1, 2, and 3 from California community colleges with existing articulation agreements (www.assist.org).

Students may also petition to transfer courses equivalent to ANTH 1, 2, and 3 from other community colleges or from four-year institutions.

Students may petition up to 10 quarter credits (equivalent to two UC Santa Cruz courses) of upper-division transfer credit toward the elective requirements under the following circumstances:

• A student has taken an upper-division anthropology course at another four-year university (including courses taken through EAP) and wants to petition for the course to count toward the anthropology major or minor elective.
• A student was enrolled in an accredited Field School Program and wants to petition for the course to count toward the anthropology elective requirements.

“Free Quarter” for Transfer Students with Unarticulated, Lower-Division Courses

Any student who has taken a course analogous to ANTH 1, 2, or 3 will be issued a permission code by the Undergraduate Adviser for courses listing ANTH 1, 2, or 3 as a prerequisite (provided the class has not reached maximum enrollment) in their first quarter at UC Santa Cruz. Students must provide unofficial transcripts as evidence that they have completed courses analogous to ANTH 1, 2, or 3.

If the student fails to petition for a course substitution during their first quarter, they must receive instructor permission to enroll in courses with ANTH 1, 2, or 3 as prerequisites thereafter until the prerequisite is satisfied either by taking the class or approved course substitution petition.

Minor in Anthropology

The UCSC minor in anthropology has a total of 10 courses required: three lower-division and seven upper-division courses. There is no theory course or senior comprehensive requirement for the minor in anthropology.

Three Lower-Division Courses

• ANTH 1: Introduction to Biological Anthropology
• ANTH 2: Introduction to Cultural Anthropology
• ANTH 3: Introduction to Archaeology

Seven Upper-Division Courses

• one course in archaeology
• one course in biological, medical, or environmental anthropology
• one course in regional specialization
• one course in sociocultural anthropology
• three anthropology electives (any additional upper-division anthropology courses, no independent study courses)

Independent study courses cannot be used toward completion of the minor.

For more information regarding department policies, please consult the undergraduate adviser at the Anthropology Department office, 361 Social Sciences 1 Building. A handbook on the anthropology program is available on the anthropology website.

Courses in Anthropology by Category

Anthropological Theory Core Courses

Note:  Each course may only be used to satisfy a single major requirement. Courses cannot be double-counted for requirements within the anthropology major. Students may not substitute coursework from another program or institution for core courses requirements.

100     History and Theory of Biological Anthropology
150     Communicating Anthropology
152     Survey of Cultural Anthropological Theory
170     History of Archaeological Theory

Sociocultural Anthropology Core Courses

Note: Each course may only be used to satisfy a single major requirement. Courses cannot be double-counted for requirements within the anthropology major. Students may not substitute coursework from another program or institution for core course requirements. Not all of these courses are offered each year.

119     Indigenous Visual Culture
125     Magic, Science, and REligion
129     Other Globalizations: Cultures and Histories of Interconnection
131     Women in Cross-Cultural Perspective
134     Medical Anthropology
135A   Cities
136     The Biology of Everyday Life
137     Consuming Culture
138     Political Anthropology
139     Language and Culture
141     Developing Countries
142     Anthropology of Law
143     Performance and Power
144     Anthropology of Poverty and Welfare
145X   Special Topics in Socio-Cultural Anthropology
146     Anthropology and the Environment
147     Anthropology and the Anthropocene
148     Gender and Global Development
149     Anthropology of Activism
151     Workshop in Ethnography
157     Modernity and Its Others
158     Feminist Ethnographies
159     Race and Anthropology
160     Reproduction and Population Politics
161     The Anthropology of Food 
163     Kinship

Regional Specialization Core Courses

Note: Each course may only be used to satisfy a single major requirement. Courses cannot be double-counted for requirements within the anthropology major. Students may not substitute coursework from another program or institution for core requirements. Not all of these courses are offered each year.

130A    Anthropology of Africa
130C    Politics and Culture in China
130E    Culture and Politics of Island Southeast Asia
130F    African Diasporas in the Americas
130H    Ethnography of Russia and Eastern Europe
130I     Cultures of India
130L    Ethnographies of Latin America
130M    Inside Mexico
130O   Native Feminisms, Gender, and Settler Colonialism
130P    Ethnography of Southern Cone Chile And Argentina
130T    Anthropological Approaches to Islam
130U    Central America
130V    Ethnography of Russia
130W   Ethnography of Eastern Europe
130X    Special Topics in Ethnography
175A    African Archaeology
175B    African Archaeology: Development
175C    African Diaspora Archaeology
176A    North American Archeology
176B    Meso-American Archaeology
176C    Archaeology of the American Southwest
176D    Colonial Encounters in the Americas
176E    Archaeology of the Pacific Northwest
176F    California Archaeology

Archaeology Core Courses

Note:  Each course may only be used to satisfy a single major requirement. Courses cannot be double-counted for requirements within the anthropology major. Students may not substitute coursework from another program or institution for core requirements. Not all of these courses are offered each year.

171     Materials and Methods in Historical Archaeology
172     Archaeological Research Design
173     Origins of Farming
174     Origins of Complex Societies
175A    African Archaeology
175B    African Archaeology: Development
175C    African Diaspora Archaeology
176A    North American Archeology
176B    Meso-American Archaeology
176C    Archaeology and the American Southwest
176D    Colonial Encounters in the Americas
176E    Archaeology of the Pacific Northwest
176F    California Archaeology
178      Historical Archaeology: A Global Perspective
179      Slavery in The Atlantic World: Historical and Archaeological Perspectives
180/180L  Ceramic Analysis in Archaeology with Laboratory
181X    Special Topics in Archaeology
182A    Lithic Technology
184      Zooarchaeology
185      Osteology of Mammals, Birds, and Fish
187      Cultural Heritage in Colonial Contexts
187B    Cultural Resource Management
189      Archaeology Field Course

Biological/Medical/Environmental Anthropology Core Courses

Note: Each course may only be used to satisfy a single major requirement. Courses cannot be double-counted for requirements within the anthropology major.  Students may not substitute coursework from another program or institution for core requirements. Not all of these courses are offered each year.

Biological Anthropology

Note: Not all of these courses are offered each year.

100      History and Theory of Biological Anthropology
101      Human Evolution
104      Human Variation and Adaptation
105      Human Paleopathology
106      Primate Behavior and Ecology
108      Neanderthals
111      Human Ecology
190X    Special Topics in Biological Anthropology

Medical Anthropology

Note: Not all of these courses are offered each year.

134     Medical Anthropology
136     The Biology of Everyday Life

Environmental Anthropology

Note: Not all of these courses are offered each year.

146     Anthropology and the Environment
147     Anthropology and the Anthropocene

Anthropology At-Large Courses

Note: Not all of these courses are offered each year.

Anthropology At-Large courses may be used as electives for completing upper-division course requirements.  These courses do not count as anthropological theory, sociocultural anthropology, regional specialization, or biological anthropology and archaeology courses.

110A   Public Life and Contemporary Issues
110B   From Indiana Jones to Stonehenge: Archaeology as Pop Culture
110C   California Pasts
110E   Anthropology of Global Environmental Change
110F    Evolution of Human Diet
110H   Acoustic Culture
110K   Culture Through Food
110L   Decolonizing Methodologies
110O   Postcolonial Britain and France
110P   India and Indian Diaspora Through Film
110Q  Queer Sexuality in Black Popular Culture
110S   Evolution of Democracy
110T   Motherhood in American Culture
110W  Land and Waterscapes Entropology
110V Virtual Values: The Cultural Politics of Information Technology

Laboratory Methods Courses

Note: Not all of these courses are offered each year.
These courses are designed for students interested in pursuing graduate research or careers that require specialized training in laboratory methods.

Biological Anthropology Laboratory Methods

Note: Not all of these courses are offered each year.

The biological anthropology laboratory methods courses may be used to satisfy upper-division electives.  These courses do not count toward the anthropological theory, sociocultural anthropology, regional specialization, or biological/medical/environmental anthropology core requirements.

102A   Human Skeletal Biology
103/103L Forensic Anthropology
103B   Forensic Anthropology and Bioarchaeology
107A   Methods and Research in Molecular Anthropology
107B   Methods and Research in Stable Isotope Ecology

Archaeology Laboratory Methods

Note: Not all of these courses are offered each year.

Archaeology laboratory methods courses may be used to satisfy the archaeology core requirement or upper-division electives.

171          Materials and Methods in Historical Archaeology
180/180L  Ceramic Analysis in Archaeology with Laboratory
182A        Lithic Technology
184/184L  Zooarchaeology with Laboratory
185          Osteology of Mammals, Birds, and Fish

Senior Seminars

Note: Not all of these courses are offered each year.

194A   Anthropology of Dead Persons
194B   Chimpanzees: Biology, Behavior and Evolution
194C   Feminist Anthropology
194F   Memory
194H   Paleoanthropology
194I    Consumption and Consumerism
194K   Reading Ethnographies
194L   Archaeology of the African Diaspora
194M   Medical Anthropology
194N   Comparison of Cultures
194O   Masculinities
194S   The Anthropology of Sound
194T   Poverty and Inequality
194U   Environmental Anthropology: Nature, Culture, Politics
194X   Women in Politics: A Third World Perspective
194Z   Emerging Worlds
196D   Food and Medicine
196F   The Anthropology of Things: Gift, Sign, Commodity, Tool
196H   Global History and the Longue Durée
196J    Imagining America
196K   Settler Colonialism
196L   Archaeology of the American Southwest
196M   Modernity and Its Others
196P   Disability and Difference
196R   Design Anthropology
196T   Archaeology of Technology
196U   Historical Anthropology
196W  Anthropology of Weather and Exposure

Graduate Program

The anthropology doctoral program at UCSC consists of three tracks: cultural anthropology, anthropological archaeology, and biological anthropology.

Although applicants are accepted only for the doctor of philosophy (Ph.D.) program, students may obtain a master of arts (M.A.) degree after fulfilling specific requirements during the first two years.

The theme of emerging worlds—culture and power after progress—unites the research interests of faculty in the cultural anthropology graduate program.

Our concentration on “emerging worlds” and on the construction of anthropological knowledge is especially well suited for drawing together diverse scholars and specialists in challenging and enriching conversations. Rather than reproduce the boundaries among the traditional subfields of anthropology, we explore how recombination of these approaches can elucidate specific anthropological problems.

The Ph.D. program in anthropological archaeology focuses on the pre-colonial and early post-colonial history of Africa, Mesoamerica, the Caribbean, and western North America. It is distinctive in insisting that theories of power, production and exchange, human ecology, gender, ethnicity, and technological practice be explored through rigorous laboratory and field research methods.

The Ph.D. program in biological anthropology has a methodological emphasis in innovative approaches to human and non-human primate ecology and diversity founded on our expertise in genomics and isotope biochemistry, as well as a longstanding expertise in skeletal biology and its application in bioarchaeology and forensic anthropology.

Anthropology Ph.D. Requirements

Both the department and the university define the major requirements for each stage of study. The first year of the program is geared toward giving students a theoretical foundation so that they may begin to formulate ideas for a research project. All graduate students are expected to be in residence (on campus) during their first year in the program. At the end of the first year, students will submit a portfolio of substantive work to their first-year committee.

Cultural Track Requirements

Students are expected to pass a first-year review and have advanced to Ph.D. candidacy by the end of their third year. In order to advance to candidacy in cultural anthropology, students must complete:

Core Courses

Must be completed in fall/winter of the first year in the program.*

200A    Cultural Core Course
200B    Cultural Core Course

* ANTH 252, Survey of Cultural Anthropology, is recommended if the student comes from a non-anthropological background.

Ethnographic Writing Requirement

This requirement may be completed by passing Ethnographic Practice, (ANTH 208A) or, upon approval from the department, through an independent research project in which the student engages in research based on participant observation or other ethnographic methodology and in which the student adequately translates that research experience into a written text.

Three Additional Cultural Anthropology Graduate Seminars

Grant Writing (ANTH 228), Colloquia (ANTH 292), Independent Study (ANTH 297/299), and tutorials do not count toward this requirement. Tutorials that are taught in conjunction with undergraduate courses do not count toward this requirement.

Note: Not all of these courses are offered each year.

208C   Design Anthropology
219      Religion, State, Secularities
220      Cartographies of Culture
224      Anthropology of Secularism
225      The Anthropology of Things: Sign, Gift, Commodity, Tool
229      Constructing Regions
233      Politics of Nature
234      Feminist Anthropology
235      Language and Culture
238      Advanced Topics in Cultural Anthropology
241      Social Justice
247      Critical Perspectives on Nutrition
248      Shadowy Dealings: Anthropology of Finance, Money, And Law
249      Ecological Discourses
253      Advanced Cultural Anthropological Theory
254      Medicine and Culture
255      Regulating Religion/Sex
258      Experimental Cultures
259      Race in Theory and Ethnography
262      Documenting Cultures
267A    Science and Justice: Experiments in Collaboration
267B    Science and Justice Research Seminar
268A    Rethinking Capitalism
268B    Rethinking Capitalism
269      Global History and the Longue Durée

Complete Language Requirement

Pass the Qualifying Examination

Archaeology Track Requirements

Students are expected to pass a first-year review and have advanced to Ph.D. candidacy by the end of their third year. In order to advance to candidacy in archaeology, students must complete:

Two Core Theory Courses

Must be completed during first year in the program.

270A    Archaeology Graduate Core Course: History of Archaeological Theory
270B    Archaeology Graduate Core Course: Current Directions in Archaeological Theory

Two Research Methods/Laboratory Courses

Student may substitute courses in another department with adviser approval.

202A         Skeletal Biology
203B         Forensics and Bioarchaeology
207A         Methods and Research in Molecular Anthropology
207B         Methods and Research in Isotopic Analysis
280/280L   Ceramic Analysis/Ceramic Analysis Laboratory
285           Osteology of Mammals, Birds, Fish

Two Courses on the Archaeology of a Geographical, Temporal, or Topical Area

Student may substitute courses in another department with adviser approval.

275A    Seminar on Early African Archaeology
275B    Tutorial in Archaeology of African American Complex Societies
276A    Advanced Topics in North American Archaeology
276B    Mesoamerican Archaeology
287      Advanced Topics in Archaeology
273      Advanced Topics in Origins of Farming
274      Advanced Topics in Archaeology of Complex Societies

Two Additional Graduate Seminars

Students may substitute a graduate seminar in cultural or biological anthropology or in another department with adviser approval. Tutorials that are taught in conjunction with undergraduate courses do not count toward this requirement.

225    The Anthropology of Things: Sign, Gift, Commodity, Tool
279    Feminism and Gender in Archaeology
282    Household Archaeology

One Course in Grant Writing or Research Design

228    Grant Writing (Cultural Anthropology)
272    Advanced Archaeological Research Design

Quantitative Methods Requirement

Students in the Archaeology PhD track must demonstrate competency in statistical or computational analysis techniques appropriate to their specific dissertation research projects and professional goals. Plans for gaining and demonstrating this competency should be developed as part of the first year review for each student, in consultation with their adviser and first year committee and with the approval of the department. This competency must be demonstrated and approved by the department prior to taking the qualifying exam and advancing to candidacy. 

Two Laboratory Apprenticeships

298    Advanced Lab Apprenticeship

Complete Language Requirement

Pass the Qualifying Examination

Biological Anthropology Track Requirements

Students are expected to pass a first-year review and have advanced to Ph.D. candidacy by the end of their third year. In order to advance to candidacy in biological anthropology, students must complete:

Core Course

Must be completed in Fall/Winter of first year in program.

295A   Scientific Method

Ecology and Evolutionary Theory Requirement

Students in the biological anthropology Ph.D. track must demonstrate competency in ecology and evolutionary theory appropriate to their specific dissertation research projects and professional goals. Plans for gaining and demonstrating this competency should be developed during the first quarter in the program, in consultation with their adviser. This competency must be demonstrated and approved by the department by the end of the first year.

One Advanced Anthropological Methods and Research Course

Must be completed during first year.

202A   Human Skeletal Biology
203B   Forensics and Bioarchaeology
207A   Methods and Research in Molecular Anthropology
207B   Methods and Research in Isotopic Analysis

One Additional Advanced Methods and Research Course

Must be completed by the end of the second year. Student may substitute courses in another department with adviser approval.

One Graduate Seminar in Archaeology or Cultural Anthropology

Tutorials that are taught in conjunction with undergraduate courses do not count toward this requirement.

Must be completed by the end of the second year.

Quantitative or Computational Requirement

Students in the biological anthropology Ph.D. track must demonstrate competency in statistical or computational analysis techniques appropriate to their specific dissertation research projects and professional goals. Plans for gaining and demonstrating this competency should be developed as part of the first year review for each student, in consultation with their adviser and first-year committee and with the approval of the department. This competency must be demonstrated and approved by the department prior to taking the qualifying exam and advancing to candidacy. 

Nine Quarters of Advanced Reading in Biological Anthropology

Students are expected to enroll in ANTH 294R, Advanced Readings in Biological Anthropology, every quarter prior to advancing to candidacy.

Two Laboratory Apprenticeships

Students are required to enroll in ANTH 298, Advanced Laboratory Apprenticeship, or equivalent in another department.

Six Quarters of Methods in Biological Anthropology

Students are expected to enroll in ANTH 216, Methods in Biological Anthropology, in every quarter prior to advancing to candidacy starting their second year.

Nine Quarters of Seminar Series

Students are required to attend at least 8 talks per quarter in the Anthropology Colloquia, Arch-BioAnth Lunch Series, EEB Seminar Series, or EPS Seminar Series.

Comprehensive Exam

This must be completed prior to the end of the second year. Students must demonstrate knowledge in Ecological and Evolutionary Theory, expertise in at least two subfields of Biological Anthropology, and sufficient background in either Archaeology or Cultural Anthropology, especially Medical or Environmental Anthropology. The exam format is a written essay and a two-hour oral exam.

Students may satisfy both the oral and written requirement with a manuscript (worthy of submission to a professional journal) based on a research project undertaken in the second year with adviser approval. They have to be first author of this manuscript in order to satisfy the requirement.

Two Quarters as Teaching Assistant

Presentation of a Seminar on Proposed Research

Complete the Language Requirement

Pass the Qualifying Exam

Required for All Anthropology Ph.D. Students

Language Requirement

The foreign language requirement must be fulfilled before taking the qualifying examination. A qualifying examination cannot be scheduled until the requirement has been met.

It is the responsibility of each graduate student to work with their adviser to identify the language competencies necessary for fieldwork and scholarship and to initiate study toward meeting these needs. To meet the language requirement, competency in one language must be formally demonstrated. Each student's adviser will recommend how this requirement should be met, as well as what additional skills should be sought. Generally accepted ways of meeting the language requirement include:

• Passing a standardized test at a predetermined level
• Taking and passing a translation examination administered by an appropriate member of the UCSC faculty or an outside assessor approved by the adviser
• Taking and passing a series of language courses at a specified advanced level at UCSC or elsewhere, again, to be determined in consultation with the adviser

In some cases, the language in which a relevant scholarly literature exists will be the logical language of examination. In other cases, the language in which fieldwork will be conducted will be the most logical language for examination.

In the case of non-native English speakers who plan to undertake research in their own native language, English can meet the foreign language requirement. In the case of English native speakers who plan to do research in their native language, the requirement should be met by another language relevant to the field research or scholarly resources.

Qualifying Examination

The qualifying examination consists of two parts: a written file and a three-hour oral examination with the Qualifying Examination (QE) Committee during which the student presents and discusses the file.

For cultural track students, the file includes:

1. A theoretically focused dissertation research prospectus (approximately 18-25 pages, double-spaced, actual length to be determined by QE committee).
2. Two field statements on two anthropological topics selected and developed in consultation with the QE committee. Field statements typically review fields of literature that have (a) an area/regional focus and (b) a thematic/theoretical focus (approximately 18-25 pages, double-spaced, each; actual length to be determined by QE committee).

For archaeology track students, the file includes:

1. A theoretically-focused dissertation research prospectus (approximately 18-25 pages, double-spaced, actual length to be determined by the QE Committee).
2. Three field statements reviewing literature of 18-25 pages each on (a) a geographic cultural area, (b) a set of research methods, and (c) a theoretical tradition or theme.

For biological anthropology track students, the file includes:

Dissertation

Ph.D. candidates must prepare and submit a dissertation that is based on original research and meets the requirements of their dissertation reading committee.

Residency Requirement

In accordance with Senate Regulation 686, the minimum residence requirement for the Ph.D. degree is six terms, three of which must be spent in residence at the University of California, Santa Cruz campus. Residence is established by the satisfactory completion of one course per term.

Good Academic Standing and Probation

A duly registered graduate student is considered to be in good standing so long as the student's department determines that he or she is making satisfactory progress toward a terminal degree. The department and the graduate dean review the academic progress of each continuing graduate student annually.

If the Anthropology Department deems a student's work unsatisfactory, he or she may be placed on probation. A student whose academic progress has been found unsatisfactory in two successive annual reviews will be subject to dismissal from the university.

Recommended probation for a student states:

1. Reason why (failed X class, etc.)
2. Steps that must be taken to restore satisfactory academic standing
3. The timeline for completion of the required work

The letter to the student will state that the failure to meet any one of the requirements may result in dismissal. No action for dismissal is taken until and unless the department recommends dismissal.

A student who has completed 12 or more quarters of full-time work in the same graduate program without advancing to candidacy for the Ph.D. is not considered to be making satisfactory progress. In such cases, the student will be recommended for dismissal or placed on probation until advancement is achieved. A student advanced to candidacy for more than nine quarters who has yet to complete his or her Ph.D. is not considered to be making satisfactory academic progress. Consult the Graduate Student Handbook for more information about academic progress, probation, dismissal, and the appeal process.

Designated Emphasis

Committee Composition

One member of the student’s qualifying examination committee must be a faculty member of the anthropology department. In addition, one member of the anthropology department must serve on the student’s doctoral thesis committee.

Course Requirements

The student must take four graduate courses in anthropology, one of which must be a graduate seminar. An independent study with a faculty member of the Anthropology Department may count as only one of the four courses. Grant Writing (ANTH 228) may not be counted toward these requirements. Tutorials that are taught in conjunction with undergraduate courses do not count toward these requirements.

Writing Requirements

At the time of the qualifying examination, the student must submit to the Anthropology Department a full statement, up to five pages, summarizing the pre-qualifying examination work done in anthropology (courses, papers, research projects, independent studies) and characterizing how that work and the dissertation to follow draw from and contribute to anthropological and ethnographic inquiry. The dissertation research will normally include a fieldwork component.

In the quarter in which the student announces candidacy for graduation, the faculty member from the anthropology department serving on the student's doctoral thesis committee will evaluate the depth of engagement with anthropology displayed in the doctoral thesis and decide whether the thesis fulfills the requirement to contribute to anthropological and ethnographic inquiry.

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Revised: 07/15/18