Duke University
Cultural Anthropology
Graduate Curriculum Guidelines
Revised 2/19/09
Course Requirements:
Courseload:
The student is required to complete six semesters of course work. The average course load is three courses per semester. However, if warranted by the student's plan of study, he/she will be allowed to take a fourth course (e.g. a language course). Normal coursework will continue throughout the first three years, including the spring of the third year.
Graded Coursework:
A student must take at least 18 graded courses, of which no more than 3 may be reading courses. Courses in other departments and language courses may be included in this minimum, at the discretion of the Director of Graduate Studies.
Of these 18 courses, at least 10 must be regular courses listed or cross-listed as a graduate course (at or above the 200 level) within CA, including CA 330, 331, 332 and 333. Individual reading and research courses (independent studies) cannot be included within the 10 regular courses. Up to two graduate-level anthropology courses at UNC-Chapel Hill can also count towards this ten-course requirement. The one-course credit second- and third-year students receive for TAing may be counted as one of the ten courses from primary faculty.
Individual Reading and Research Courses:
A student may take no more than 3 Individual Research/Individual Reading courses (independent studies). Only under exceptional circumstances may the Director of Graduate Studies allow a student to take more than 3 Individual Reading/Individual Research courses.
Course distribution:
All students must take at least two courses in a discipline outside of Cultural Anthropology. Students may, however, take more than two courses outside of Cultural Anthropology.
Theories: The 2-semester Theories course (CA 330-331) focuses on core debates and themes within the history of socio-cultural anthropology and related fields.
Research Methods: Students are required to take the Research Methods and Portfolio Seminar (CA 332) in the spring of their second year. In addition to exploring a range of research methods, students will work on their field reading lists and other elements of their portfolios and begin to develop the dissertation proposal.
Grant Writing: Students are required to take the Grant Writing seminar (CA 333) in the fall of their third year. This course will focus on the development of the dissertation research proposal and the preparation of grant proposals; it will also allow students to work further on their portfolios.
Theories Exam:
In the final exam for CA 331, at the end of the first year, students will be responsible for materials dawn from both halves of the year-long course. A faculty committee comprised of the graduate committee and at least one of the instructors of the Theories course will evaluate the exams. Successful completion of this exam will be required for continuation in the graduate program.
PhD Committee:
By the end of the second year, a student must have a Ph.D. committee in place. The Committee must be composed of a minimum of 4 and a maximum of 5 members. At least 3 committee members must have a current primary or joint appointment in the Cultural Anthropology Department at all stages of the student’s graduate career. At least one (and no more than two) members must have a primary appointment in a discipline other than Anthropology (a Graduate School requirement). The committee should have a single chair, who must be a primary faculty member in the department. The Committee is chosen with the approval of the Director of Graduate Studies and the Dean of the Graduate School The student’s field evaluators will normally be included as members of the Ph.D. Committee. The Ph.D. Committee will be responsible for evaluating the student's Portfolio and the Dissertation.
The Portfolio:
Students will demonstrate their readiness to undertake independent dissertation research by submitting a portfolio of their best work to date. Summary Portfolio
Requirements:
1. Thematically organized, annotated reading lists displaying the contours of each of the student’s fields. Each student’s reading list will be divided into three fields of specialization (two theoretical and one geographical). The list for each field should include a minimum of 35 items.
2. Two research papers (the equivalent in scope and length of a research based journal article). An example of such a research paper could be, a revised and expanded seminar paper based on original research. Each paper should be 25-35 pages in length.
3. Three theoretical essays. (For example a paper the equivalent in scope and length of a published review article in a journal. An essay comparing two theorists discussed in the Theories course would be a typical submission in this category.) Each paper should be 10-15 pages in length.
4. At least two and no more than four book reviews (along the lines of those published in scholarly journals). Each review should be 3-5 pages in length.
5. One grant proposal.
6. Teaching material (two sample course syllabi).
7. Dissertation prospectus. (see description below).
8. Intellectual agenda. This is a statement of approximately two thousand words explaining how the student’s fields and proposed dissertation cohere. (along the lines of a mock job letter.)
Synthetic essays:
In addition to the required material listed above, faculty examiners may ask students to write synthetic essays displaying a more comprehensive view of a field than is typically evidenced in papers written for more narrowly focused courses or independent studies. This requirement must be stipulated in a contract between the student and examiner submitted at the beginning of the third year (see below), with the question or topic fully described therein. Students may not be required to produce more than two such essays (of no more than three thousand words each) for any one field.
Optional appendix:
Students may also include an appendix of additional material, such as conference papers, op-eds or other journalistic interventions relating to their anthropological expertise, public anthropology contributions, visual material, etc.; i.e., anything that they believe reflects favorably on their scholarly or teaching potential. Exceptional work of any sort that demonstrates the student’s scholarly ability or acquisition of relevant skills may also be included in the portfolio. This appendix may also include exemplary material produced in course work or elsewhere on topics outside the geographical or theoretical parameters of the student’s prelim fields.
Students begin assembling their portfolios during their first year in the program, even before they have finalized their choice of fields or faculty examiners/committee members.
A faculty examiner (who will become a member of the student's PhD committee) will evaluate each field. The faculty examiner will provide the student with written guidelines identifying the kind and quantity of material the student should display in his or her portfolio. Students and examiners should agree upon the expected content of each field section of the portfolio when the faculty member agrees to examine the student (i.e., during the student’s first two years in the program) and they should meet to discuss the student’s progress as elements of their field section are completed. The chair of the student’s committee may be the faculty examiner for one of the student’s fields.
At the end of the second year, students will present their reading lists and all work completed to date to the members of their committee. Students will also indicate the courses they are planning to take during their third year and what they expect to produce therein.
The third year will be largely devoted to the dissertation prospectus, the writing of any synthetic essays required by field examiners, the revision of any material in the portfolio required by examiners, and additional coursework. Revisions may be requested in order to bring substandard work up to par or, conversely in the case of already excellent work, to submit for publication.
Timetable:
* Students must complete at least one field section of their portfolio by the middle of the third year (mid-December).
* All students must submit a draft prospectus to all members of their committee at least two months before the portfolio workshop (mid-February).
* The remaining field sections of the portfolio must be submitted to all committee members no later than the end of spring break (mid-March) of the third year.
* A final version of a dissertation prospectus and an intellectual agenda must be distributed to all committee members at least two weeks (the end of March) before the portfolio workshop.
* All field supervisors (faculty examiners) must submit a detailed written assessment of their field to the student, other committee members, and the DGS two weeks after they receive the student’s material to allow time for revisions and assessment by the PhD committee chair.
* When the entire portfolio has been approved in writing (see below), the student will schedule the portfolio workshop for mid- to late April of the third year.
Upon receipt of faculty assessments of all sections of the portfolio, the student’s committee chair will review the portfolio in its entirety, including the dissertation prospectus and intellectual agenda, at which point he or she will notify the student, other committee members, and the DGS as to whether the student may proceed to the oral portfolio workshop.
Field Specializations Workshop:
Near the end of the second year, each student will meet with their PhD committee to discuss their completed annotated field lists and summer research proposal, which the student has been developing in the Research Methods and Portfolio Seminar (CA 332). After the meeting, each field examiner will inform the student in writing of any revisions or additional material they would like to see displayed in their field’s section of the portfolio as soon as possible and no later than September 1st of the third year. This communication between faculty and student will take the form of a contract, which each faculty examiner must sign and submit for DGS approval, with a deadline of the last Monday in September. After this point, faculty may not request additional material, although they may suggest that material submitted after this point (that produced in third year courses) be revised. Failure to fulfill the terms of the contract in the specified time frame may be grounds for dismissal from the program.
Dissertation Prospectus:
Under the supervision of the Ph.D. Committee, the student prepares a substantial dissertation research prospectus (20-25 double spaced pages). This proposal must include:
* Statement of the problem
* A thorough review of previous research on the topic and expected contribution to the field
* Methods of research and data analysis to be used for the project
* A timetable for research and writing
* Tentative statement of results expected and their significance
*Tentative indication of dissertation structure
* An explanation of how the student will address Human Subjects issues and formal approval by Duke's Human Subjects Committee if the project includes human subjects.
Two copies of the final Dissertation Prospectus should be given to the Graduate Staff Assistant in the office of Cultural Anthropology, one for the department files and one for the student's file.
Portfolio Workshop (Preliminary Certification):
Before a student can move on to candidacy for the Ph.D., he or she must receive Preliminary Certification from the department. The student’s entire Ph.D. committee will participate in this two-hour oral discussion of the prelim portfolio. In roughly the first half of the workshop, the discussion will focus on the student’s three fields, and the student will be expected to demonstrate fluency in the key themes in these fields. The second half of the workshop will focus on the student’s dissertation prospectus and plans for research. This workshop must be held in the spring of the student’s third year. Please note that students who fail to defend their portfolio by the end of their third year risk not being allowed to continue in the program. If the student’s PhD committee feels that the student has not performed adequately, the student will be allowed to reschedule the workshop only if the entire committee supports this recommendation (pending approval of the Graduate Dean). All Ph.D. committee members must participate in the workshop, with no more than one member participating via conference call.
A student may apply to receive an MA on the way to the PhD. The MA will be awarded after successful completion of the Portfolio Workshop, which will serve as the MA exam.
To receive a terminal MA, the student must submit two research papers and one theoretical essay, and successfully sit for an oral examination on two of their portfolio fields.
Dissertation Defense:
The defense of the student’s completed dissertation is the final examination for the doctorate, taken in the final semester. The student is expected to work closely with his/her PhD committee chair and committee in the course of researching and writing the dissertation. A schedule for submission of chapters should be worked out with the committee chair. All committee members must receive a complete, final dissertation draft at least one month before the scheduled dissertation defense. The examiners are the student’s 4-5 person PhD committee, augmented by any members of the regular graduate faculty in the department who wish to participate. The DGS must inform all CA faculty of the time and place of the defense. All PhD committee members must participate in the defense, with no more than one member participating via conference call. In accordance with Graduate School regulations, a student who fails the examination may request permission to take it a second time (for the time limitations and other specifications governing the writing of the dissertation, the student is referred to the Graduate School Bulletin http://www.registrar.duke.edu/bulletins/Graduate; and the Guide for the Preparation of Theses and Dissertations: http://www.gradschool.duke.edu/policies_and_forms/thesis.pdf
As the Bulletin states, "this dissertation is expected to be a mature and competent piece of writing, embodying the results of significant and original research."
Other Requirements:
Language requirement:
All doctoral candidates must demonstrate spoken and/or written competence in at least one language other than their native tongue that is applicable to their planned research program. This requirement may be satisfied by taking a departmentally designed language test or, alternatively, by submitting acceptable evidence of sufficient coursework or other background in the language. To the end of gaining the necessary competence, students are strongly encouraged to seek out and attend intensive summer language courses as early in their graduate careers as possible. The department, whenever possible, will endeavor to contribute funds toward the expenses of such intensive courses.
Plan of Study:
The Plan of Study is intended to make students think about the courses they need to take in order to acquire competence as professional anthropologists, to define their long-range research projects, and to ensure students are meeting university and departmental requirements in a timely manner. It also provides faculty an opportunity to give students feedback regarding appropriate course work and other achievements essential to attaining their academic goals. Students are responsible for proposing a Plan of Study that describes future curriculum and other academic accomplishments necessary to meet research and professional objectives. The Plan of Study should be designed in consultation with the student's advisor(s)/committee each year that a student is in the program. The full text should be no longer than two pages, single spaced. The plan of study must be approved by the student’s advisor or committee chair before it is submitted to the DGS for consideration by the faculty as a whole. The Plan of Study is due by the last Friday in January. In the first 3 years the Plan of Study should contain:
* One or more concise paragraphs describing the student's ethnographic and theoretical fields of interest, including a list of the three fields that the student anticipates will form the basis of the Portfolio.
* A summary of the contents of the student’s portfolio to date and a timetable for the completion of Portfolio requirements.
* A list of courses the student has taken in the graduate program thus far and a list of RA/TA assignments to date;
* A list of the remaining courses the student plans to take to complete his/her 6 semesters. The proposal cannot possibly specify all courses to be taken over the next three or more semesters, since some of these courses are not scheduled in advance; but it should specify the general topics and rough order of course work;
* A description of any non-course experiences, such as fieldwork or field language study, that can reasonably be completed during the student's graduate career, and that will contribute importantly to the student's program. In order to facilitate the broadest possible feedback and to ensure that students' intellectual interests are known to the entire faculty, the department as a whole will review all Plans of Study.
Once a student is admitted to PhD candidacy, the Plan of Study should focus on accomplishments in the past year including teaching and publishing activities and plans, grants applied for and/or received, an update on fieldwork and dissertation progress, any revisions to the planned structure of the dissertation, and an updated timetable for completion of fieldwork and the dissertation.
In the spring of each year the overall progress of each student will be evaluated by the regular graduate faculty in Cultural Anthropology, meeting as a whole and using the Plan of Study written by each student as a basis of discussion. At that time a student may be 1) continued in the program unconditionally; 2) continued in the program on a conditional basis, if the faculty decides that the student needs to develop certain background fields or particular academic skills; or 3) dropped from the program, if the faculty judge the student's overall performance unacceptable. Directly following the evaluation meeting, the student will be advised by her/his advisor of the decision of the faculty. Any specific recommendations and any conditions to be fulfilled will also be communicated by the student's advisor/committee chair (with a written copy of recommendations to submitted to the DGS for the student's file).
Service:
It is a requirement of the graduate program that all students, irrespective of funding source (e.g., FLAS, NSF, APSI, Ford, J.B. Duke, Duke Endowment, etc.), provide research or teaching service to the department in years 1, 2, 3, and 5. Normally, this would include research assistance to faculty in year 1 and teaching assistance in years 2, 3 and 5. However, all assignments will be determined by departmental needs and student needs/qualifications. For details of the department's Teaching Assistant and Research Assistant philosophy and policy, see TA-RA Policy. Except for the fourth year, when the student is expected to be engaged in dissertation field research, the department cannot provide departmental funding to a student who is out of residence.
RA guidelines: Research assistants will work a maximum of 10 hours in any given week. It is incumbent upon the RA to keep a log of hours worked. Possible tasks to which RAs may be assigned include the following: research projects (including web-based research), library tasks and research materials, proof-readings and indexing manuscripts, preparing classroom materials, course planning and assisting with syllabi preparation.
Students may receive course credit for one of their TA assignments in the second or third year, with the expectation that the student and the professor teaching the course will focus on the development of the student’s teaching skills. This would normally occur in a course that has a heavy teaching load (i.e., where TAs conduct discussion sections).
No service will be required in the 4th year while a student is out of residence conducting dissertation research. However, a student will not be eligible for a service-free stipend until the Preliminary exam is successfully completed.
Teaching:
All graduate students are required to gain teaching experience as part of their professional training. This requirement may be fulfilled by either serving as a Teaching Assistant (TA) in a course in which the student is responsible for one or more discussion sections that meet at least once a week or by teaching a course independently.
Funding:
At admission, incoming students are guaranteed 5 years of funding (full tuition and stipend), contingent upon adequate progress in the program. Students are encouraged to pursue grants for fieldwork and dissertation write-up. The student who is successful and, after the third year, receives a grant to cover their expenses from a source external to the department and external to the Graduate School may “bank” up to one year of Duke funding for up to two years after the year in which the external grant replaces Duke support. A student must be in residence and provide departmental service during the year that they receive this “banked” funding. After the first year in the CA program, students who successfully compete for any grant or fellowship external to the department will receive a small research fund from the department during the semesters of external funding.
Grant Proposals:
In the spring of the second year, students should collect information about relevant grants for their field dissertation research in the fourth year. Please note: some deadlines are as early as mid summer after the second year. In the fall of the third year, students are expected to apply to all relevant sources for external funding for fourth year dissertation research.
Summer Field Research:
Students will normally conduct preliminary research during the summer following the second year. In the spring of their second year, they should work with their advisor and committee members to develop and submit grant proposals to various campus funders that support summer research (e.g. Center for International Studies, Center for Latin American and Caribbean Studies, the Graduate School, etc.). All students must submit proposals for internal Duke summer funding for which they are eligible, but the department will, to the extent possible, contribute to make up any shortfall to make summer research possible.
Incompletes:
Students should aim to do the best work possible for each semester within the confines of that semester. The department discourages Incompletes. A student who has two incompletes at the end of any semester or who does not complete an outstanding Incomplete before the end of the following semester is not in good academic standing and risks losing departmental funding. Students will not be allowed to sit for the Portfolio Exam if they have an Incomplete on their transcript.
Departmental Colloquia:
It is an important departmental requirement that all students – and faculty -- attend scheduled department colloquia, at which faculty, advanced graduate students, and other invited speakers present their research and ideas.