The PhD program in Anthropology is designed to provide a broad background in the field with a primary emphasis on Sociocultural Anthropology, Biological Anthropology, or Anthropological Archaeology. The degree prepares students for careers in academia, consulting, or other applied professions in the discipline. Major foci of research and instruction in Sociocultural Anthropology include religion, law and politics, ethnicity, gender, history and anthropology, problems of social change and economic development, culture and the environment, cognition and culture, and medical/psychological anthropology, the faculty has greatest strengths in the study of the Islamic world, East and Southeast Asia, and Africa. Major foci in Biological Anthropology feature the study of living and fossil human and nonhuman primates, including their evolutionary morphology, behavior, genomics, and sensory adaptations. Major foci in Anthropological Archaeology include human-environment interactions, urbanism, households, and material culture viewed in deep historical perspective, primary regions of study include Mesoamerica, North America, and the Mediterranean.
Applicants should have obtained the BA or MA degree in anthropology or show evidence of equivalent preparation in relevant subject matter.
Learning Outcomes
Demonstrate mastery of the fundamentals of the traditional four subfields of American anthropology (social/cultural anthropology, archaeology, biological anthropology, and linguistic anthropology) sufficiently to make them effective and competent teachers of introductory undergraduate courses in general anthropology, social/cultural anthropology, and/or biological anthropology.
Demonstrate the ability to conceive, plan, propose, carry out, and write up a major piece of anthropological research, related to current theoretical discourse in their chosen subfield and constituting a significant contribution to the discipline.
Be able to make compelling and interesting presentations of their ideas and findings to audiences of professional anthropologists in several formsoral, written, and graphic.
Carry out all these tasks in a manner consonant with the highest prevailing standards of ethical and professional conduct in research and teaching.
