Milestones

The Cultural Anthropology PhD Program has four milestone examinations: the first year Theories exam, the second year Field Specialization Workshop, the third year Portfolio Workshop, and the Dissertation Defense. Click below for more information on processes, procedures, and expectations for each milestone. Students are highly encouraged to review the details of each milestone well in advance of the semester in which it takes place.

At the end of Spring semester of the first year, students will sit for a comprehensive examination of material covered in the two semester Theories sequence (CULANTH 801, CULANTH 802), or an equivalent synthetic review exercise.

The instructors of the Fall and Spring Theories courses will determine the format and content of the exam and notify students towards the end of Spring semester.

In April of their second year, students will convene their committee for a Field Specializations Workshop. In this meeting, students and the committee will discuss completed reading lists, portfolio progress to date, a summer research proposal, and plans for the broader, doctoral research project. 

One week prior to the Field Specialization Workshop, the student must provide their committee (by email): 

  • a proposal of summer research plans, connecting their summer research activities to their forthcoming dissertation fieldwork and broader doctoral research project
  • an outline of all completed portfolio contents to date

Note that some advisors may request supplementary materials beyond those listed here. 

Students should work with their committees to schedule their Field Specialization Workshop. When a date and time have been set, send the details by email to the DGSA (CCing your advisor), who will work with you to find an available room.

Field Specialization Workshops typically take place in Friedl 207, the small conference room in the Cultural Anthropology office suite. Committee members who are unable to attend in person may zoom in. While it is strongly preferred that the workshop be primarily in-person, entirely remote workshops are allowable if circumstances dictate.

In November (2.5 year plan) or April (3 year plan) of their third year, students will demonstrate their readiness to undertake independent dissertation research by submitting a portfolio of their graduate training and scholarship in Cultural Anthropology. Students will convene their committee for a Portfolio Review workshop, which stands as the department's milestone preliminary examination advancing students to PhD candidacy. 
 

Required Portfolio Content
  • 3 annotated reading lists 
    • 2 theoretical in focus, 1 geographic 
    • Each list should contain a minimum of 35 items for students on the 3-year plan, or 25 items for students on the 2.5 year plan.
    • Items on reading lists may include books, book chapters, articles and other relevant scholarly works.
    • Composition of reading lists are determined in consultation with a supervising faculty member chosen from the students committee.
    • Annotations may vary in length (from a short paragraph to a page) - a balance to be determined by the faculty examiner for that particular reading list in consultation with you.
    • Each list should be introduced by a synthetic overview that charts the genealogy of the readings and/or that critically reviews its key themes (2-3 double spaced pages per list).
       
  • Dissertation prospectus (20-25 double spaced pages)
    • This document is largely the grant proposal for dissertation fieldwork.
    • The proposal should be supplemented by a short statement (2-3 pages) outlining theoretical or ethnographic issues pertaining to the project not raised in the proposal, any logistical or practical issues to be discussed with the committee concerning fieldwork, and issues regarding security/ethics/safety in the field both for you and your interlocutors. 
    • The status of your IRB (Internal Review Board) protocol to do fieldwork with human subjects—which must be obtained before embarking for the field—must also be included.
       
  • One Syllabus for a course you might teach one day or on a topic pertaining to your dissertation research.  

 

Portfolio Logistics

One member of your Ph.D. committee will be responsible for the evaluation of each field, and will provide you with guidelines identifying the kind of materials that should be included within the field reading list, and the nature of the short synthetic essay about each field. The chair of your committee may be responsible for one of the fields. You should meet regularly with each examiner to discuss progress on the respective field reading lists. Material for the Portfolio should be shared with committee members in digital form; some faculty may also request a hard copy of parts or all of the contents of the Portfolio as well.

At the end of the semester in which you will prepare and annotate a list, you will be examined independently by the faculty member responsible for that list. You must pass these examinations in order to sit for the Portfolio Workshop. Work with your supervising faculty to members to schedule list exams. 

See 3-Year Plan Program Pathways and 2.5-Year Plan Program Pathway for the timing of annotations and list exams.

 

Portfolio Review Workshop (Preliminary Exam Certification)

​​​​​​​At the end of their final semester before commencing distraction fieldwork, students will convene their PhD committee for a Portfolio Review workshop, which stands as the department's milestone preliminary examination advancing students to PhD candidacy (November or December for 2.5-year plan, March or April for 3-year plan).

The Portfolio Review consists of an oral discussion of the Portfolio contents, with focus on the dissertation prospectus and plans for research. The Portfolio Review typically lasts 2 - 2.5 hours. 

If the student fails to defend their Portfolio by the end of the sixth semester, they risk not being allowed to continue in the program. If their Ph.D. committee feels that the student has not performed adequately, she/he 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.

Prior to sitting for the Portfolio Review workshop, students must have successfully passed all list examinations (see Portfolio Logistics above) and completed all coursework requirements, save the courses in which one is enrolled at the semester of the exam (see Coursework Requirements). 

Students should work with their committee to schedule their Portfolio Review workshops. When a date and time have been set, send the details by email to the DGSA (CCing your advisor), who will work with you to find an available room.

Portfolio Review workshops typically take place in Friedl 207, the small conference room in the Cultural Anthropology office suite. Committee members who are unable to attend in person may zoom in. While it is strongly preferred that the workshop be primarily in-person, entirely remote workshops are allowable if circumstances dictate.

Dissertation and Dissertation Defense

As the Graduate School Bulletin states, the "dissertation is expected to be a mature and competent piece of writing, embodying the results of significant and original research." You are expected to work closely with your Ph.D. committee chair and committee members in the course of researching and writing the dissertation.

 

Process Highlights
  • Upon returning from the field meet with your advisor to work out a schedule for the submission of chapter drafts and other material. 
  • At the end of the first month of the semester in which you intend to defend your dissertation, provide your advisor and one additional committee member with a complete dissertation draft. After they've had to review it, meet with these two members to brainstorm last steps toward completion (more information below).
  • The DGS must inform all Cultural Anthropology faculty members of the time and place of the defense. All PhD committee members must participate in the defense. Defenses may be open to the public. 
  • 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 and the Guide for the Preparation of Theses and Dissertations.

 

Deadline & Extensions

In keeping with the guidelines of the Graduate School, we require students to finish their PhD work, including defense of their dissertation, by the end of the 8th year. Any student seeking an extension must submit a petition for approval to the Director of Graduate Studies explaining any extraordinary circumstances that would make such an extension necessary. These requests will be considered on a case-by-case basis, following the general guidelines set by the Graduate School, in the Ph.D. Degree Requirements. The department will do whatever it can to assist international students with visa issues during their time in the program and after they graduate, but will not be able to grant extensions beyond the 8th year for visa reasons alone. 

 

Defense Procedures and Timeline

The semester in which a student intends to defend their dissertation, they must complete the following steps by the deadlines indicated:

  • Submit a complete, penultimate dissertation draft to your committee chair and one additional committee member
    • Fall: August 31
    • Spring: January 31
    • Summer: May 31
       
  • Meet with your committee chair and additional committee member to discuss penultimate dissertation draft
    • Fall: September 15
    • Spring: February 15
    • Summer: June 15
    • At this meeting your committee chair and additional member will discuss your draft and inform you of any changes necessary prior to your defense. 
    • This meeting is a good opportunity to ask your advisor about the defense format and what is expected of you.
    • This meeting is a good opportunity to discuss scheduling your defense. Remind them that as part of that process you'll be requesting a letter attesting to your readiness to
       
  • Apply for graduation in DukeHub
  • Inform the DGSA of any changes to your committee
    • Fall: October 1
    • Spring: February 1
    • Summer: June 1
    • See Committee Requirements and Registration
    • If there have been no changes to your committee, send an email to gradacademics@duke.edu (CCing the DGSA), with your name and student ID number (NB: not Unique ID), telling them that you've just applied for graduation and are confirming that your Ph.D. final examination committee is the same as your preliminary committee. 
       
  • Schedule your defense with your committee
    • Students take the lead in working with their committee to schedule their dissertation defense. After consulting with your advisor, contact your committee members to find a date and time that work for all (see key dates below). It is best to start on this process as early in the semester as possible. 
    • Dissertation defenses typically take place in Friedl 207, the small conference room in the Cultural Anthropology office suite. Committee members who are unable to attend in person may zoom in. While it is strongly preferred that the workshop be primarily in-person, entirely remote workshops are allowable if circumstances dictate.
    • Deadline to Schedule Your Defense (deadline to set a date and time for your defense):
      • Fall: October 1
      • Spring: February 1
      • Summer: June 1
      • Note that defenses must be formalized 30 days in advance, so if you're aiming for an October, February, or June defense, it must be scheduled earlier than the dates above.
    • Final Deadline to Defend (Last day on which a defense may be held):
      • Fall: Approximately November 20
      • Spring: Approximately April 1
      • Summer: Approximately July 20
      • Dates vary by year. See Milestone and Graduation Information and Deadlines on the Graduate School's Website for specific dates in the semester you intend to defend.
         
  • Formalize your defense with the Graduate School
    • All semesters: as soon as possible after settling on a date and time with your committee. :
    • Request a letter from your advisor attesting to your readiness to defend from your advisor
      • A template for the letter is available in the Cultural Anthropology PhD Forms and Files Box folder.
      • Download the template and fill out all but the signature. 
      • Email your advisor (CCing the DGSA), attaching the filled-out template, requesting they sign it and send as pdf to gradacademics@duke.edu (CCing the DGSA). 
    • Send a Departmental Defense Announcement to the DGS and DGSA
      • The Departmental Defense Announcement form is available here and in the Cultural Anthropology PhD Forms and Files Box folder.
      • Download the announcement form and fill out all but the DGS signature. 
      • Email the DGS and DGSA (CCing your advisor), attaching the filled-out announcement form. Ask the DGS to sign and send it to the DGSA.
      • The DGSA will register the form with the Graduate School. 
         
  • Submit a final, pre-defense draft of your dissertation to ProQuest (known as the "initial submission)
    • All Semesters: Two weeks prior to your scheduled defense date, 5:00 PM
    • This is the final draft your committee will read to evaluate and discuss at your defense. It should be complete, proofread for errors, with all references and citations in place.
    • The draft must be fully formatted according to guidelines set by ProQuest and the Graduate School. A Graduate School administrator will review your submission for formatting and reject it if not in compliance. See Guide for Electronic Submission of Thesis and Dissertation, and this video recording. 
    • Note that final formatting is a detailed and time-consuming process. It is strongly recommended you reserve at least two full working days to complete it. 
    • After completing this submission, send a copy of the draft to your committee by email. 
       
  • Convene your committee for the dissertation defense
    • The format of the dissertation defense is at the discretion of the advisor
    • The typical format is as follows:
      • Lasts between 2 and 2.5 hours
      •  Once the student and all committee members have assembled, the student will be asked to leave the room for 10-20 minutes, while the committee members discuss the submitted dissertation in private.
      • The student will be asked to return to the room and make opening and speak for 5-20 minutes about their work. Be sure to communicate in advance with your advisor on what is expected of you here.
      • The advisor and committee members will ask the defending student questions about their dissertation.
      • 10-15 minutes before the end of the defense, the student will be asked to leave the room again, while the committee members confer and vote on the defense outcome.
    • Outcomes of the defense may be:
      • Fail
      • Pass
      • Pass, with required changes to the dissertation.
    • If changes to the dissertation are required, it is the responsibility of the advisor to approve the final version of the dissertation before submission. Be sure to discuss a plan for this with your advisor before the defense concludes.
       
  • Submit the Non-Exclusive Distribution License and Thesis/Dissertation Availability Agreement (“embargo agreement”) signed by yourself and your thesis/dissertation advisor to gradacademics@duke.edu.
    • All Semesters: As soon as possible after your defense
       
  • Submit a final, post-defense draft of your dissertation to ProQuest (known as the "final submission")