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FIELD NOTES
USC DEPARTMENT OF ANTHROPOLOGY
ANTHROPOLOGY MAJOR/MINOR E-NEWSLETTER
2002 (5) May 6, 2002
compiled by Gail E. Wagner, Undergraduate Director
CONTENTS
May Graduation Invitations . . . . .1
Students in the News . . . . . . . . . . 1
Departmental News . . . . . . . . . . . 1
ASA News . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2
University News . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2
Career Corner . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2
A Day in the Life Of . . . . . . . . . . 3
May Graduation Invitations
The Anthropology Dept. is holding a reception for graduating seniors, their families, and friends. If you plan on graduating in August, please join us at this reception since we will be unable to hold another reception at that time. No RSVP necessary – just show up at 318 Hamilton (across from the department office) between 8:00-9:30 am on Saturday, May 11. This is a chance for you to introduce your parents to some of your professors. There is time to walk or drive over to the coliseum immediately following.
Immediately following the post-cessional at the close of the graduation ceremonies, please join faculty at the ramp (where you shook the president’s hand) for a group anthropology picture. Bring family and friends with their cameras!
Students in the News
Jamila Geter, double major in anthropology and GINT, won a Ceny Walker Fellowship for the academic year of 2002-2003. This fellowship, awarded by the Richard L. Walker Institute of International Studies is awarded annually to: (1) a rising senior in any department who is a full-time student in a College of Liberal Arts department; (2) who has and maintains a 3.0 or above overall grade point average; and (3) whose major program of studies and/or career plan demonstrates a commitment to international study or activities.
Congratulations Jamila! Catch her in this issue’s column A Day in the Life Of . .
Departmental News
Summer Courses:
Three Maymester courses are offered: ANTH 591M Sec 001 Globalization (Kingsolver), ANTH 591M Sec 002 Facial Reproduction (Rathbun), and ANTH 322M Archaeological Field School (Wagner).
Two Summer Session I courses are offered, ANTH 101 (Casey) and ANTH 102 (Tuomey).
One SS II course is offered, ANTH 300 Comparative Cultures Through Film (Heider).
Fall Course update:
ANTH 591D Discourse, Gender, and Emotion cap raised to 15 students, spaces still available!
Dr. Laura Cahue, our new biological anthropology faculty member, will be joining us in the fall!
Major requirements update:
The department has changed some of the requirements for the major, and you have the option of applying these changes to yourself if you so desire. For the cultural anthropology subfield requirement, which up until now has required taking ANTH 359, you may now take a choice of courses. Another change is that for your 500-level requirement, you may now opt to take the senior seminar course, which is a 400-level course.
Anthropology Student Association (ASA) News
Anthropology T-shirts are available from Holly Norton for $10. Check them out, because Anthropologists don’t do dinosaurs.
New officers have been elected for the 2002-2003 academic year:
Unfortunately, I’ve lost my note and the election results are not yet posted on the ASA bulletin board! I believe R. Mitch Lynch is the new president – we’ll get the news out to you with the next newsletter in August.
University News
Folks in the Registrar's Office and Student/Alumni Affairs have collaborated to provide a registration feedback opportunity for students. This is to gather information for the process review currently being conducted by the Registration Committee.
Please encourage its use among your students!
http://www.sa.sc.edu/regsurvey.htmSubmitted by: Barbara Rogers Blaney, University Registrar, 777-3530(vm)
777-3548(fax)
brb@sc.edu
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Career Corner submitted by Vicki Hamby
#1 USC's VIRTUAL CAREER FAIR
Runs from May 27 until June 21, 2002
For information and to register see www.sc.edu/career.
Beginning Monday, May 27, students may register online and begin searching for full-time jobs on-line. The fair will run until Friday, June 21, and student participation is free. Because employers may update their job listings, students are encouraged to check the fair more than once.
#2 NEW RESOURCES
Below are listed some of our newest resources for liberal arts students. Stop by the Career Center Library anytime between 8:30am-5pm, M-F and take a peek!
Job Search: In & Out of Academia (800.3) (Binder)
A compilation of articles for academics looking for jobs inside and outside of academia.
Internships in Government (internship cabinet) (binder)
Electronic Federal Resume Guidebook (400.1) For those seeking employment in DOD agencies. Includes a CD-ROM with resume samples, etc.
#3 VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITY AVAILABLE
(Palmetto Health Personal Touch Volunteer Program)
This program (which includes Baptist and Richland Hospitals) is for students interested in providing both emotional support (talking, holding a hand. etc.) and practical support (running errands, helping patients place phone calls, walk, eat, etc.) to patients and their families as well as assisting the nursing staff. This is a wonderful way to learn more about the healthcare industry and/or develop skills in counseling, customer service and dealing with unique populations. Experience like this looks great on resumes! Brochures and applications are available at the Career Center through the Job Shadowing Coordinator.
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Vicki M. Hamby , Career Center, H. William Close (BA) Bldg. - 6th Floor, Phone 777-3966,
Fax (803) 777-7556, vmhamby@gwm.sc.edu
A Day in the Life Of . . . .
In this issue, this column has two articles – one on what it was like to present a paper at a professional conference, and one on what it was like to spend an academic semester abroad in Thailand.
Presenting a Paper at a Conference: An Undergraduate’s Experience
By Heather Bartley (Geology Major, Anthropology Minor)
On Saturday, April 6, 2002, I presented a paper at the Southern Anthropological Society conference in Asheville, NC. It was a very rewarding experience for me, and I recommend that all undergraduates should present at a conference if they have the opportunity. Let me tell you about my experiences.
It all started when I took Dr. Gail Wagner’s ethnobotany class in Fall 2001. Every student in the class was required to conduct two ethnographic interviews as part of the South Carolina Homegarden Project. We interviewed gardeners in Columbia. The data collected by each student were added to the data collected by ethnobotany students of previous years. Then, every student in the class was required to write a paper utilizing some of the data. I chose to compare seed saving by homegardeners with the length of time they have been gardening. Dr. Wagner thought that my class paper was worthy of being presented at a conference because the paper utilized original data.
Dr. Wagner told the class that the Southern Anthropological Society (SAS) was calling for student papers. Brittany McPherson (one of my classmates) and I decided to go for it. The first step was to send in an abstract for my paper and membership fees for the organization ($40).* The deadline was in December. The next deadline (January) was to mail in three copies of my paper. Brittany and I then had to make reservations at the hotel by March 1. At this point, neither Brittany nor I had heard anything from the SAS! Our membership checks had not gone through yet, and we had not heard anything about when or if we were going to be presenting at the conference! Finally, in mid March, Brittany and I received an email containing the schedule for the conference, and we were listed in one of the sessions! Then, we went into high gear constructing our presentations. Since there was not going to be a computer or computer projector at our session, we both made color overheads.
Finally, on the night of Thursday, April 4, 2002, Brittany and I threw our baggage into my truck and drove to the hotel in Asheville where the conference was to be held. We practiced our presentations Friday night, and I was a little bit nervous. Then, Saturday dawned, the day of our presentations. There were about twenty people in the audience, and they listened with rapt attention. Luckily, our presentations went off without a hitch – no stage fright or technical difficulties. After I finished, the organizer of the session said that I did well! After all the presenters in the session were finished, the audience asked Brittany and me a few nice questions that we could answer. Everything went great! Now, I can put this on my resume, and a presentation at a conference will impress graduate schools and potential employers. Overall, it was a very valuable experience and I would recommend it to any undergraduate.
*
Majors note that you may request for some financial aid from the Department of Anthropology to help you present a paper at a conference.
My Trip Abroad
Jamila T. Geter (Double Anthropology/GINT Major)
I have always known since I was a little girl that I wanted to be an exchange student. So when the opportunity came, I jumped on it. I wanted to experience a little more of the world in which we live in. I wanted to leave my comfort zone and see what it was like to live abroad. So last fall, I did it! I applied with ISEP through USC, and before I knew it, I was on my way to Thammasat University in Bangkok, Thailand. It was one of the best experiences of my life.
Bangkok was nothing like anything I had ever seen. It was completely different from Columbia, SC. One of the major differences is the size of the city. Bangkok is a city that has a population of about 10 million. Yea, that’s what I said! From the sounds, to the smells, to the taste of the foods, everything was different. And I loved every bit of it!
I can still visualize the crowed streets of Bangkok during rush hour. What would usually be a 10 minute ride to school by car would take between one and a half hours during rush hour. I can see the motorcycles zooming in and out of traffic as they competed with the buses and cars for space on the road. I’ll never forget when I took a motorcycle ride for the first time. The motorcycle got so fed up with the traffic that he went on the sidewalk to get a head start. It was crazy! I can picture the buses which often seemed crammed with people. Sometimes people would be hanging off the side of the bus for there would be absolutely no more space inside of the bus.
I can see the friendly faces that always use to smile at me and whisper the word Farang, which in Thai means foreigner. I can still remember the ladies at the wooden restaurant that I always used to eat at on Charansanitwong laughing at me as they tested my limits on how hot I could eat my food. Thai food can be very spicy. In fact, one of the first phrases that I learned was "ped nit noy, kha" which translates to "a little spicy". I can visualize the markets where I learned the value of bargaining. I can see the 7-11’s that I swear are located on every block. I can hear the national anthem that blare on in the morning and evenings as it paid tribute to Thailand and the King. I can still remember my fear of accidentally running into a monk, for women are not allowed to touch monks. This is very important for Thailand practices Theravada Buddhism. If a woman touches a monk, she has soiled the monk or somehow made him unclean.
Aah, there were so many things that made Thailand special to me. Due to my exchange program, I had the opportunity to experience another way of life. It made me more open-mined, more understanding, and more patient. For anyone who has ever been to Thailand, you will definitely come across the phrase mai pen rai, which means "no worries".
So, for anyone who is thinking about participating in an exchange program, I highly recommend it. The International Office is a great place to go to find out more information. Everyone there was always willing to help me. Whether it was Adam, Alexis, or the secretary at the front desk, they were always patient with me as I went back and forth with indecisiveness and the endless stream of questions I was always asking them. So if you have ever wanted to go abroad, I recommend that you do. Take advantage of ISEP or the programs that are out there for us students. You won’t regret it!