Coursework

Core Courses (required)

  • Theories I & II: The two-semester Theories course (CULANTH 801-802), taken in Fall and Spring of the first year, focuses on core debates and themes within the history of socio-cultural anthropology and related fields.
  • Ethnography: The Ethnography seminar (CULANTH 803), taken Spring of the second year, focuses on ethnographic methods, development of a dissertation proposal, and reading list annotation.
  • Grant Writing: The Grant Writing seminar (CULANTH 804), taken in the Fall of the third year (the fifth semester), focuses on the development of grant proposals for dissertation research support.

 

Additional Coursework

3-Year Plan

Students who choose the 3-year (six-semester) plan are required to take 18 graded courses. 

  • 4 Core Courses — the program’s required courses (listed above) comprise four of these 18. 
  • 6 CulAnth Seminars — an additional six courses must be graduate-level seminars (500 and above) with primary faculty in Cultural Anthropology. 
  • 2 Seminars in Another Department — two must be graduate-level seminars in a discipline other than Cultural Anthropology. 

These requirements total 12 courses. The remaining 6 courses may be additional graduate-level seminars in Cultural Anthropology or in another department, independent studies with CulAnth faculty, or courses that fulfill certificate requirements. Note the following provisions:

  • 5 Maximum Independent Studies — students are encouraged to take Independent Studies to complete reading lists (one Independent Study per list, with the supervising faculty for the list overseeing the Independent Study); students may take no more than five independent studies.
  • 2 Maximum UNC Seminars — students may take up to two graduate-level seminars in Anthropology at UNC-Chapel Hill. These may be counted towards the required courses with primary faculty in Cultural Anthropology.

See below on this page for more information on language courses, and registering for Independent Studies and UNC Seminars.

 

2.5-Year Plan

Students who choose the 2.5-year (six-semester) plan are required to take 15 graded courses. 

  • 4 Core Courses — the program’s required courses (listed above) comprise four of these 15. 
  • 5 CulAnth Seminars — an additional five courses must be graduate-level seminars (500 and above) with primary faculty in Cultural Anthropology, but strongly recommends taking six. 
  • 2 Seminars in Another Department — two must be graduate-level seminars in a discipline other than Cultural Anthropology. 

These requirements total 11 courses. The remaining 4 courses may be additional graduate-level seminars in Cultural Anthropology or in another department, independent studies with CulAnth faculty, or courses that fulfill certificate requirements. Note the following provisions:

  • 3 Maximum Independent Studies — students are encouraged to take Independent Studies to complete reading lists (one Independent Study per list, with the supervising faculty for the list overseeing the Independent Study); students may take no more than three independent studies.
  • 2 Maximum UNC Seminars — students may take up to two graduate-level seminars in Anthropology at UNC-Chapel Hill. These may be counted towards the required courses with primary faculty in Cultural Anthropology.

 

Language Courses, Independent Studies, and Courses at UNC

Foreign language courses do not count towards the 13 required graduate courses. Students may petition the DGS for credit for graduate-level foreign language courses. See Language Requirement for more on departmental foreign language policy.

To register for an independent study, first secure the approval of the supervising faculty member and work with them to determine a title and develop a syllabus. Email the DUSA, Pat Bodager, (CCing the supervising faculty and the DGSA), saying you would like to register for an independent study, and include the supervising faculty, the title, and the syllabus. The DUSA will put the independent study on the schedule (CULANTH 791 Special Readings), and provide you a permission number to register through DukeHub.

To register for a course at UNC-Chapel Hill Anthropology, first fill out an Interinstitutional Approval Form, available here or in the Cultural Anthropology PhD Program Forms and Files Duke Box. Sign the form and email it to the DGS or your advisor (CCing the DGSA), requesting they sign the form and return it to you. With the DGS or advisor signature in place, send the form by email (CCing the DGSA) to the Graduate School registrar, Helene McAdams. Note that UNC classes start a week before Duke, and interinstitutional registration takes time, so it is best to begin this process well before the start of a given semester. Also note that while not required, it's encouraged as a professional courtesy to contact the UNC instructor in advance to express your interest and request permission to enroll.