| COLLEGE OF ARTS AND SCIENCES |  |
ANTHROPOLOGY HOME PAGE |
|
SITEMAP |
INFORMATION ABOUT OUR GRADUATE PROGRAM
Anthropology at the University of South Carolina We thank you for your interest in the MA in Anthropology Program at the University of South Carolina. The following will give you an idea of the strengths of the department, what faculty are up to, what theses topics the present graduate students have been involved in, the curriculum and other aspects of student life. We also give you some hints for putting together a successful application. Return to Top Graduate Program Applications Deadline: FEBRUARY 1 We especially invite you to contact people in the department directly, either by phone, by e-mail, in a visit to the campus, or at meetings around the country. For more general information, you can always contact us through the department numbers: University of South Carolina Columbia, SC 29208 Telephone: (803) 777-6500 Fax: (803) 777-0259 Thomas L Leatherman, Chair email: leatherman@sc.edu Joanna L. Casey, Graduate Admissions Committee and Graduate Director email: caseyj@gwm.sc.edu Cat Keegan, Administrative Assistant - Graduate Students email: Keegan@gwm.sc.edu Please address requests for applications to Ms. Keegan. Contact Ms. Keegan if you have any questions regarding the processing of your application. Contact Dr. Casey regarding the status of your application and fellowship awards. Dr. Casey can answer your questions about the content of the program and can arrange for you to visit the Department. Feel free to discuss your specific interests, including resources and courses available, with any of the faculty with whom you wish to work. Return to Top The Department The Department offers the M.A. and, as of 2005, the Ph.D. in Anthropology. Our program offers instruction in the four traditional sub-fields of anthropology: archaeology, cultural anthropology, linguistic anthropology, and physical/biological anthropology. In this we are unusual. As of 1993, the American Anthropological Association had noted that only 28% of all departments had faculty in all of the four traditional sub-fields. While students are asked to specialize in one of these fields, we particularly seek students who wish to cross the boundaries between fields and combine them in their graduate work. For example, we have strong offerings in bioarchaeology and in medical anthropology. We are a small program, so each student is assured of receiving personal attention from our faculty members. There are 21 anthropologists with Ph.D.s at the main USC campus: 12 in the department, 7 at the South Carolina Institute of Archaeology and Anthropology (SCIAA), and one anthropologist in each of the departments of Education and Geography. We endeavor to give as many students as possible the opportunity to serve as teaching or research assistants. We also encourage students to take advantage of the excellent opportunities and resources offered throughout the university and the wider community of Columbia. For example, there are significant strengths in related fields on campus such as geology, geography (especially Geographic Information Systems) linguisitics, sociology, public health, and history. In 1999 the USC library was ranked 52nd in North America. In addition, location in the state's capital affords opportunities for research in government agencies. Although we do provide training in relatively specialized fields, such as historical archaeology, the required courses provide all students with a thorough theoretical grounding, not only in anthropology as a whole, but also in the theory of their subfield. IMPORTANT NOTE: Both Professors Ted Rathbun and Morgan Maclachlan retired in June 2000; Professor Leland Ferguson retired in December 2002. They may teach occasionally and may be willing to consult students. However, they are under no obligation to teach or mentor students. Return to Top Sub-Fields ARCHAEOLOGY: Four archaeologists, plus a bioarchaeologist. Particular areas are ethnobotany and Eastern North America (Wagner), African American historical archaeology (Ferguson and Weik), African prehistoric archaeology and ethnoarchaeology (Casey), African historical archaeology (Kelly) and bioarchaeology in Mexico (Cahue). The South Carolina Institute of Archaeology and Anthropology also has several archaeologists working on prehistoric and historic archaeology of the Southeast and a very large collection of materials from the state. CULTURAL ANTHROPOLOGY: Includes theory and practice, development discourses (Kingsolver and D. Simmons), research in psychological anthropology and film (Heider and K. Simmons), historical research migration and the family (Kasakoff and Adams), race, gender, and social class (K. Simmons), identity formation (K. Simmons), and the anthropology of childhood (Reynolds). The sub-field also includes linguistic anthropology and sociolinguistics research in the Caribbean (Fenigsen), in Guatemala (Reynolds), and of Latino immigrants in the United States (Reynolds and K. Simmons). Members of the faculty in other sub-fields study the use of plants, food processing and health and nutrition among the living populations (Casey, Wagner, Leatherman, and D. Simmons). PHYSICAL/BIOCULTURAL ANTHROPOLOGY: This subfield integrates studies of health and nutrition (Leatherman), demography (Adams and Kasakoff), and human osteology, paleopathology, and bioarchaeology (Cahue). Return to Top Research Foci VISUAL ANTHROPOLOGY includes all uses of film and video in anthropology, including ethnoarchaeology (Casey), the uses of visual materials for anthropological research (Heider and Reynolds) and the study of how cultures and ethnic groups are represented visually in ethnographic and feature film (Kingsolver, Heider, and K. Simmons). Instruction is available in the anthropology of art including architecture (Adams). MEDICAL ANTHROPOLOGY AND HEALTH Leatherman works with the Department of Health and Environmental Control on barriers to early prenatal care in the State and on nutrition both on the Coast of South Carolina and in the Yucatan. D. Simmons works on issues of health and human rights, health disparities, and African vernacular medicine in Zimbabwe, the Dominican Republic, and the state of South Carolina. This work is complemented by others in the department who study food and nutrition (Rathbun, Casey and Wagner) and paleopathology and paleonutrition (Cahue). Dr. Adams offers courses in new age and spiritual healing. DEVELOPMENTAL STUDIES Kingsolver is studying the effect of NAFTA upon local communities in the US and Mexico. Leatherman is interested in how development, and especially tourism, affects diet and health (Yucatan, Andes, Coastal SC). D. Simmons focuses on international health policy and its impacts on health at the local level in places such as Zimbabwe and the Dominican Republic. SOCIAL INEQUALITY Kingsolver is studying how inequality is created through transnational economic processes. Kelly studies historic slave cultures in West Africa and the Caribbean. Leatherman is studying how political economy affects health and Adams and Kasakoff are conducting research into the factors that result in the long-term economic differentiation with populations. D. Simmons analyzes the impacts of human rights abuses on health outcomes in the Dominican Republic with Haitian agricultural workers. K. Simmons is studying the impact and consequences of race as lived experience in the African Diaspora. Many of the faculty are studying migration, particularly the African Diaspora. Other interests of the faculty include gender and culture (Fenigsen, Kasakoff, Casey, and Wagner), analysis of discourse (Fenigsen, Kingsolver, Reynolds, D. Simmons, Carol Myers-Scotten in English and Jane White in Education), and bioarchaeology (Casey, development of agriculture and food processing; Wagner, paleo-ethnobotany). We have a very strong program in historical archaeology with Drs. Ferguson, Kelly and Weik (plus Dr. South and Dr. Depratter at the South Carolina Institute of Archaeology and Anthropology). Return to Top World Areas Native North America: ethnography (Kasakoff, Adams), prehistory (Wagner and Ferguson, as well as DePratter and Goodyear (SCIAA)), ancestral language revitalization (Reynolds). Africa and African Diaspora: African American Archaeology (Ferguson, Weik), African prehistory, Ghana (Casey) and Benin (Kelly), Zimbabwe and Nigeria (D. Simmons) and ethnography (Casey and D. Simmons), Caribbean linguistics (Fenigsen), History (Weik), African American Culture and Afro-Latin American and Caribbean Cultures (K. Simmons). Latin America: Leatherman (Peru, Yucatan), Kingsolver (Mexico), K. Simmons and D. Simmons (Dominican Republic),Cahue (Mexico), Weik, K. Simmons, and D. Simmons (African Diaspora in Latin America), Reynolds (Guatemala, Mexican immigrants in the U.S.). Other areas where faculty have done and are doing research include Indonesia (Java, Sumatra - Heider) and Oceania (New Guinea Highlands - Heider). Return to Top Certificate Programs Students can earn a Certificate in one of the following programs while they are pursuing their Master's degree in Anthropology. These programs require 18 hours of work. The required core courses can count as electives in our program and the courses our students take for their Master's count as electives in the certificate programs. Please contact the Directors of these programs for more details. MUSEUM STUDIES Includes an internship at a museum. (Contact Lynn Robertson, Museum Management Program, McKissick Museum, University of South Carolina, Columbia, SC 29208) WOMEN'S STUDIES Courses in theory and method. Active speakers series (Contact Dr. Lynn Welsser, Director, Women's Studies, University of South Carolina, Columbia, SC 29208) TOEFL Teaching English as a Foreign Language: Requires basic linguistics courses. (Contact Dr. Stan Dubinsky, Program Director, Linguistics Program, Department of English, University of South Carolina, Columbia, SC 29208). Return to Top Other Resources SOUTH CAROLINA INSTITUTE OF ARCHAEOLOGY AND ANTHROPOLOGY Our graduate students regularly work with the many excellent archaeologists at SCIAA, and use their extensive library and collections. GEOGRAPHICAL INFORMATION SYSTEMS The Geography Department has international prominence in GIS and our graduate students may follow a sequence of GIS courses. SC DEPARTMENT OF ARCHIVES AND HISTORY Collaboration with Valarie Marcil, one of our MA graduates. Contains resources needed to document historic sites. PUBLIC HISTORY The University offers an MA through the History Department. Our students often take their courses in the use of historical sources and archives. The department sponsors a certificate program. MUSUEMS There are three major museums in Columbia: The University's McKissick Museum, The State Museum, and the Columbia Museum of Art. All three have extensive collections students may use in their research. Return to Top Anthropologists in Other Schools or Institutes Christopher F Amer (MA Texas A&M 1986; SCIAA, St. Arch. UW) National archaeology Email: amerc@sc.edu Daniel R Bilderback (MA Texas A&M 1994; Applied history, SCIAA) Anthropology, history Mark Brooks (MA Arizona State 1980; Co-PI, SRARP) Archaeological geology; Southeast US Email: mjbrooks@sc.edu Richard D Brooks (BA Kentucky Wesleyan 1972; Co-PI, SRARP) South Carolina history, colonial frontiers, geography of US Southeast Email: rdbrooks@sc.edu Christopher Ohlm Clement (Ph.D. U Florida 1995; Arch, SCIAA) Historical Arch, plantation archaeology Email: clement@sc.edu Chester DePratter (Ph.D. U Georgia 1983; Arch, SCIAA) Prehistoric and contact period archaeology, ethnohistory; Southeastern US Email: depratterc@sc.edu Keith Derting (BS Milligan C 1974; Head, Info. Mgt., SCIAA) Lithic technology, human ecology, cultural resource management; Southeastern US Email: derting@sc.edu Albert C Goodyear (Ph.D. Arizona S 1976; Arch, SCIAA) Archaeological theory, Paleoindian, lithic technology, geoarcheaology; North American, Southeast Email: goodyear@sc.edu Lynn B Harris (MA East Carolina U 1988; Arch; SCIAA) Archaeology, underwater, submerged archaeological resource management Email: nautical@charleston.net Christopher Judge (MA U South Carolina 1987; Hist, Arch, SC Dept. Natural Resources, Dept. Res. Fellow, Instructor, Anth.) US Southeast prehistory, Mississippian, classroom archaeology Email: chrisj@scdnr.state.sc.us Adam King (Ph.D. Pennsylvania S. 1996; Spec Proj. Arch, SRARP) Political organization, prehistoric chiefdoms; regional change Email: aking@sc.edu Jonathan Leader (Ph.D. U Florida 1988; St. Arch, Interim Director of SCIAA; State Arch.; Adj. Asst Prof., Anth.) Archaeology, conservation, ethnohistory, prehistory and contact period; Eastern US Email: leader@sc.edu Sharon Pekrul (MA U South Carolina; Curator, SCIAA) North American archaeology, collections management Email: pekrul@sc.edu Nena Powell Rice (MA U of Denver 1990; Director of Outreach, SCIAA) Public Education, Archaeology Month Coordinator; Southwest, Artic, Southeast Email: nrice@sc.edu Steven D. Smith (MA U Kentucky 1983; Dir. Cultural Res. Div., SCIAA) Cultural resource mananagement. mititary sites arch Email: smiths@gwm.sc.edu Stanley South (MA U North Carolina 1959; Arch, Anth SCIAA) Historical Archaeology, archeaological theory and method: US Southeast Email: stansouth@sc.edu James D Spirek (MA E Carolina U 1993; Arch, SCIAA) Archaeology underwater submerged cultural resource management Email: spirek@sc.edu D Keith Stephenson (MA U Georgia 1990; Arch, SRARP) Compliance arch, woodland and Mississippian Social Organization, ceramic technologyof the Southease US; Southeast US Email: stephensonk@sc.edu Jane J White (Ph.D. U Pennsylvania 1980; Asst Prof., Instruction & Teacher Education, College of Education) Education and anthropology, discourse analysis, cultural anthropology Email: jjwhite@gwm.sc.edu Return to Top Program of Study Curriculum Students are required to complete a minimum of 27 hours of course work and a Master's Thesis (6 hours) for a total of 33 hours. Of these at least 17 hours must be at the 700 level, including thesis hours. Course Selection REQUIRED FOR ALL MA STUDENTS ANTH 703 Anthropological Inquiry (3 Credits) ANTH 711 Ethics (1 credit) Students can satisfy the problem-solving requirement (which includes statistics) in several ways. Students will be offered a placement test early in their first semester. If they pass this test, they will have satisfied the requirement. We recommend they take a more advanced statistics or formal methods class, especially if their thesis will involve statistics. Students who do not pass this test will be advised to take either ANTH 501 or BIOS 700 or above. Supervised Fieldwork ANTH 712 Thesis Skills Seminar (1 credit) ANTH 799 Thesis Preparation (6 credits) CONCENTRATION Students must choose at least one of the following concentrations and complete the required course(s) listed below. ANTH 720 The Development of Anthropological Archaeology (3 credits) ANTH 750/550 Archaeological Laboratory Analysis (or an alternative of 6 credits of lab experience approved by the Archaeology faculty) Two courses in archaeological techniques (6-7 credits) ANTH 760 Biocultural Adaptation (3 credits) ANTH 730 Cultural Theory through Ethnography (3 credits) ANTH 519 Field Problems in Ethnology (3 credits) DISTRIBUTION REQUIREMENT Each student is required to take at least three credits (usually one course); not including required courses, taught by Anthropology faculty outside of their concentration. REQUIRED FIELDWORK AND INTERNSHIP Students are required to undertake supervised fieldwork, usually during the summer between the first and second year. Students who have not done fieldwork before will be encouraged to take the field school offered by the program, or when the student's interests warrant it, at another institution with the approval of the student's advisor. All other students must undertake supervised fieldwork either as research assistants on field projects, or in the course of collecting their own data. Students who do not participate in established projects will undertake fieldwork under the guidance of their supervisors. The student and their thesis director must make a written contract, and submit it for approval to the graduate director, prior to undertaking summer fieldwork (form #11). Students who would like to be considered for funding (depending on availability) should submit a budget along with their contract. Students who plan to do their fieldwork outside the country should notify the graduate director no later than the first week of the second semester. Should department funding be available for summer field work, we will be unable to guarantee it if a student makes a decision to go abroad after this date. COMPREHENSIVE EXAMS The comprehensive exam is required for students completing an M.A. in Anthropology. To take the exams students must have taken a minimum of 12 hours in the program and a minimum of two semesters of candidacy for the degree. Prior to taking the exam, the student must have submitted a "program of study" form. Also, the student can be carrying no more than one incomplete grade at the time of exams. Questions about the Comprehensive Exam 9eirther form) should be directed to the Comprehensive Exam Coordinator. The exam takes one of two forms, depending on the student's sub-area specialty within the department. Cultural (including Linguistic) M.A. students (and Biocultural students who choose this option) write and defend a research proposal toward the end of the second semester of study (normally the Spring semester). The Archaeology students (and Biocultural students who choose this option) take a three-part written exam, administered toward the end of the second (normally the Spring) semester. Return to Top Admissions Process In addition to their undergraduate transcripts, the GRE exams, and two letters of recommendation, students are required to submit a writing sample and a statement of their purpose in studying Anthropology at USC. While our standards are flexible, we particularly seek students' whose GRE scores fall above 600 on each of the three parts of the test. We give greatest weight to the analytical reasoning score. We look closely at the letters of reference and grades, life experiences, and writing samples of students with lower scores, for evidence that they will be able to complete our program. Use your personal statement to tell us about experiences that may not be evident from your course work which you feel will contribute to your success in our program. Make your statement as professional as possible. We do not require that you know which sub-field you wish to specialize in but it is very helpful if you do know and can mention it in your statement. Tell us how you became interested in studying this and what experiences both in and outside of school you have already had in this area. Also, indicate the major professors (not too many!) with whom you want to work and explain why. In general the more focused your interests, the easier it will be for you to finish the program and for you to convince us that we can satisfy your needs. We do not require you to have majored in Anthropology as an undergraduate. In fact, many students have not. However, it is very helpful if you have had courses in Anthropology. Otherwise, it may be difficult for you to write a good statement of purpose. If you have not had such courses, you should try to study anthropology either at the University or College and/or to do volunteer work having to do with the field you wish to study within anthropology. It may be helpful for you to delay your application until you have had such experience. If you are interested in Archaeology, it is very helpful if you have had experience working on a dig. If you have not yet done so, you might seek out opportunities to do so as a volunteer. Experience living abroad is very helpful, as are foreign languages and computer expertise. Your writing sample should be a research paper, completed during th past 5 years, if possible. We are looking for clear writing and evidence that you can summarize your own research and that of others. It can be helpful for you to visit campus. We like to meet prospective students and, while we do not require an interview, our impressions often are important in the final decision. Also, you will be able to meet our current students and talk with them about the program, meet the faculty with whom you will be working and visit the department. Most Thursday afternoons we have a colloquium at 3:30 pm where one of our faculty or an anthropologist from outside the university presents research. This is a good time to visit, as students will be present. However, since the faculty is often engaged in meetings away from the department, it is important that you call ahead and make an appointment. APPLICATION DEADLINE: FEBRUARY 1 Return to Top Assistantships and Other Support The Department provides a limited number of assistantships to graduate students. Support will not be provided by the department after the fourth semester. Assistantships are awarded to entering students shortly after admissions, usually by April 1. If you have a pressing need to know whether you have been given an assistantship, do not hesitate to call. However, the process is ongoing and it is likely that monies will become free during the summer or early in the Fall semester. Besides the department, there are other sources of support for students on campus. Our students have had assistantships in the office for International Programs, SCIAA, the University Recycling Office and the Institute for Families and Society, or taught introductory courses at a branch campus. Others have worked off campus for the Department of Health and Environmental Control. The Graduate Director will make every effort to alert qualified students to these opportunities. In addition, the Graduate School may provide extra funds for outstanding students. A typical assistantship for an M.A. student pays $3000 per semester and students work 14 hours per week. Assistantships for Ph.D. students pay $5000 per semester and require 20 hours of work per week. Assistantships qualify students for in-state tuition and for a tuition fee abatement of around $2000 per semester. In the Fall of 2001, 100% of the first and second year students had support from our Department or from the University. The Office of International Programs estimates that the total cost for a single graduate student, including tuition, fees and living expenses, to study here is approximately $17,764 per year. Foreign students will have to guarantee that they have this level of support before the University will give them the papers they will need for a visa. Return to Top Facilities Graduate students have office space during two years in residence. They also have access to the Graduate Student Computer Lab, a Physical Anthropology Lab, several Archaeology Labs, and a Linguistics Lab. Other computer facilities are available in the College of Arts and Sciences Computing Lab. Return to Top What are Students with MA's in Anthropology from SC Doing Now? In general, about half of our graduates go on to Ph.D. programs. Some have continued at USC (Linguistics, Public Health, Sociology). Others have gone elsewhere to study Anthropology (University of Massachusetts, Minnesota, Missouri, Iowa, Yale, UCLA, McGill, UC Riverside, Kent State University, University of Pittsburgh, Purdue, UC Berkeley, Texas A & M, University of South Florida, Medical School, Unversity of SC., UNC - Chapel Hill, UVA, SUNY Birmingham, Simon Fraser University). Students who do not go on for the Ph.D. who concentrate in Archaeology have had the best luck finding opportunities in their field. Many are now working for SCIAA, museums, state agencies, National Park Service, and private archaeological research firms. However, the opportunities are highly cyclical. More such jobs become available during times of economic expansion. Cultural and linguistics students who do not go on to Ph.D. programs have to work hard to sell their skills because anthropology is not as well known as the other social science fields like sociology and psychology. However, our cultural graduates have found work in the Federal Government (designing recycling programs appropriate to the culture of each building), translation services consulting for private companies and government agencies, offering courses in cultural awareness to foreign businessmen doing work in the USA and teaching at community colleges. The graduates of the physical and biocultural program have continued in academic programs in biological sciences and public health, and in professional schools such as dentistry and medicine (as well as in physical anthropology). In the non-academic world, our graduates are employed by public health research projects, cultural resource management firms, cemetery relocation projects and are doing forensic death investigations. Return to Top
|
| USC LINKS: | DIRECTORY | MAP | EVENTS | VIP |
| Last updated 04/09/2009 • cfcarri[at]mailbox.sc.edu | © 2005-2006 University of South Carolina Board of Trustees |