Ph.D. Program

The emphasis in the Graduate Program is on training candidates for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy. This degree certifies that, in addition to having a sound knowledge of anthropology as a whole, the holder has been trained to do independent research at a professional level of competence in at least one of the major sub-disciplines of anthropology: archaeology, cultural anthropology, physical anthropology, or linguistic anthropology.

To obtain the PhD in Anthropology a student must meet the following requirements:

1) be accepted into the program;

2) pass an examination in a language of library research by October of the second year;

3) complete the Core Program and pass the Comprehensive Examination in general Anthropology at the end of the first year;

4) complete four semesters of teaching, usually during the second and third years;

5) complete 20 course units;

6) pass the Final Oral Examination, based on a proposal for doctoral research and write
statements on three related fields of specialization;

7) submit and defend an acceptable dissertation.

Course Requirements
The PhD degree requires a minimum of twenty course units (one unit per course); a normal full-time program consists of four units per term. Of these units, at least twelve must be taken at this University. Up to eight course units may be transferred from another institution. Requests for credit transfer are made by the student to the Graduate Group Chair any time after the first year of residence.

All PhD students must complete successfully a core program of four courses in the first year. The first-year courses cover the four subfields of Anthropology (Archaeology, Cultural, Physical and Linguistic) and are mandated by the Graduate Group (GG) - they are: Anth 600, 602, 603, and 617. Failure to complete the first year core courses with a final grade by the end of the second semester disqualifies a student from continuing in the program. The Graduate Group will determine the action to be taken.

Program Planning
Each student's program of study and research is an individual one and the timing will vary from person to person. The following may be used as a general schedule in planning.

First Year

Core courses (2 per semester)
Basic courses in area of specialization Satisfaction of Language requirement (fall or spring)
Comprehensive examination (spring)
First Summer
Field work/research

Second Year

Course work and TAship
Second Summer
Field work/research

Third Year

Completion of course work                                            Completion of TAship
Investigate and apply for dissertation research grants
Oral Exam and submission of dissertation proposal

Fourth Year

Dissertation research

Fifth Year

Writing and submission of Dissertation

Advising

At the time of matriculation, an Advisor is appointed from the Anthropology faculty to advise each student. Following the passage of the Comprehensive Exam, each student should select two other members to form an advising committee. The Advisor (or Chair of the Committee) must be a standing faculty member. At least two members of the Committee must be active members of the GG. A student's Committee normally consists of four people for the Oral Exam and three people for the Dissertation.

The Committee is jointly responsible for working out the details of the student's program from semester to semester. When special expertise is required, extra committee members may be appointed from outside the GG or the University. The Advisor is responsible for initiating regular meetings with the student for the purpose of guidance. These meetings should occur at least once per semester, at least until the student has passed the oral exam.

Annual Progress. All students who have not yet taken the Oral Exam have their progress reviewed annually by the GG. Satisfactory progress includes timely completion of coursework, maintenance of a B+ average, adequate comps performance, and an appropriate schedule of preparation for the oral exam.

Dean's Annual Progress Report. After the fourth semester of Dissertation registration, the student is required to complete an annual dissertation progress report. The report is submitted to the Dean's Office for recording and then is returned to the student's advisor for evaluation.

Changing Advisors and Committee members. There are no impediments to changing Committee members. A student who wishes to change his/her Advisor or one or more Committee members should consult with the persons concerned and the Graduate Group Chair (GGC).

Note: All formal actions (e.g., requests for leave, dissertation abroad, etc.) require the signature of the GGC, and that signature is normally granted only to requests approved by the student's Advisor.

Time Limitation
Students must complete all course requirements, the foreign language requirement, written PhD Preliminary Examination ("Comprehensive Exam") and the Final PhD Examination ("Oral Exam") for the PhD within a period of five consecutive years.

Students must complete all requirements of the PhD degree (including acceptance and deposit of the Dissertation) within ten (10) years. The granting of a leave of absence or research leave does not necesarily extend this limit. Any student who does not complete the degree requirements withing ten years will be dropped from the program and the University of Pennsylvania.

Foreign Language Requirement
Candidates for the PhD degree in Anthropology are required to demonstrate a reading knowledge of one foreign language used in written source material or scientific literature relevant to the student's professional career. Examinations may be taken in French, German, Spanish, or Russian (other languages with permission of the Graduate Group. All examinations are arranged by the Department. Students are strongly urged to take the examination at the first opportunity but, in any case, must complete the requirement by October of their second year. In some cases students whose first language is not English are exempt from the requirement.

Comprehensive Examinations (PhD Preliminary)
This examination is taken in May of the student's first year, following completion of the four first-year core courses. The exam, four hours on two consecutive days, will cover the field of anthropology as presented in the first year core program courses and will focus upon an integration of the material discussed.

In addition to formal course work, further opportunities for preparation for the Comprehensive Examination include: departmental colloquia and lectures, the basic anthropological references in the Van Pelt Library and the University Museum Library, ethnographic and archaeological collections of the University Museum.

The Comprehensive Examination and the student's first-year academic record are evaluated by the Department faculty. Faculty approval is necessary for candidacy for the PhD, and/or the MA Degree.

Oral Examination (PhD Final)
When the specialized program has been completed and the recommendations of the student's committee satisfied, the candidate is eligible to stand for the oral examination. At least one year must have lapsed since the Comprehensive Examination.

The oral examination will concentrate mainly on the candidate's specialized field of interest, theoretically and geographically, and on his/her program of proposed research. At least one semester in advance, after consulting with her/his Committee, the candidate should reserve a slot and petition the GGC to take the examination. One week prior to the exam, the candidate is required to submit a written proposal and three statements on areas of concentration, for distribution to the faculty. The oral exam is open to all members of the GG.  PhD candidates may view Oral Statements from the Archives in order to prepare for their own Exam.  The Graduate Coordinator can open the archives for PhD candidated to review, but all materials must remain in the department and may not be photocopied.   for Approved Subfields for the Final Oral Examination

Geographical Areas
Africa - Sub-Saharan
Americas
Asia - East and Central
Asia - South and Central
Asia - Southeast (Mainland and Insular)
Caribbean (including either US or European South American & relevant European & African history/ethnology)
Europe and Circum-Mediterranean
Middle East (Muslim Central Asia to Northern Africa and
Circum-Mediterranean)
Pacific Islands and Australia
United States (including Canada) and Western Europe
Culture Areas
Africa - East, Central, Southern, West
Central America (Native)
Melanesia
Middle East - Central
Micronesia
North America (Native) - West, including the Plains
North America (Native) - Far North
North America (Native) - Northeast and Southeast
Polynesia
South America (Native) - Andean and Circum-Caribbean [archaeology only]
South America (Native) - Tropical Forest, Southeast and South
South Asia (India)
Spanish- and Portuguese-speaking societies
(In some cases an ethnic/linguistic or national group can be considered as a Culture Area)
Ethnographic Types
Complex Societies
Hunters and Gatherers
Pastoralists
Peasants
Topics
Acquisition of Language and Culture
Aesthetic Anthropology
Agriculture (all types of food production)
Analysis of Speech and Narrative Styles
Archaeometallurgy
Archaeometry
Bioarchaeology
Biomedical Anthropology
Cognitive Anthropology
Cognitive Anthropology and Ethnoscience
Complex Societies (including the 'rise of the state')
Culture and Symbols
Demography
Dental Anthropology
Descriptive Linguistics
Ecology
Economic Anthropology
Education
Ethnoarchaeology
Ethnography of Communication
Ethnohistory
Ethnomusicology
Evolution
Evolution of Intelligence
Food & Nutrition, Anthro of
Gender Studies
Genetics
Growth and Development
Historical Archaeology
Historical Linguistics
History of Anthropology (with focus on one subdiscipline)
Material Culture (including 'technology and culture')
Metal Ages
Neolithic
Neurological Basis of Behavior
Old World Pleistocene
Paleolithic
Paleontology
Political Anthropology
Primate Behavior
Psychological Anthropology
Public Interest Anthropology
Religion and Symbols
Semiotic Anthropology
Skeletal Biology
Skeletal Population Analysis
Social and Cultural Change
Social Organization
Sociolinguistics
Spatial Organization (including locational analysis)
Taxonomy

Note: Students who feel that their special area or topical interests are not covered by the above list may petition the GG for alternative categories. Such petitions should be cleared by the advising Committee first.

Dissertation
The PhD dissertation should demonstrate the candidate's ability to plan and execute independent research in accordance with professional standards and to present its results in a manner that is coherent and readily intelligible to fellow professionals. The dissertation is based on the candidate's own field investigation and is written under the direction of a Dissertation Committee appointed by the GGC. The Dissertation Committee will consist of an advisor, and two readers normally appointed at the time the candidate passes his/her oral examination. A draft of the dissertation must be submitted to the Dissertation Committee for review before the final copy is prepared. The final copy (consisting of two copies for the University and one copy for the Department) is to be submitted to the GG for final acceptance, according to Graduate Division guidelines.

Doctoral Dissertation Manual:

http://www.upenn.edu/VPGE/DissManual.html

Special Programs and Research Centers

There are several special programs and research centers that involve the Anthropology Department to greater or lesser degrees: Africana Studies Center; Ethnohistory Program; Program in Language, Culture and Society; MD/PhD Program; the Medical Anthropology Program, the Middle East Center; the Penn Language Center; the Social Science Data Center; and the Urban Studies Graduate Certificate Program. For more informal interdisciplinary work, or other interdisciplinary programs such as Medieval Studies, Anthropology and Education, and Islamic Studies, students should contact their Advisor or the GGC.

Africana Studies Center

Africana Studies faculty members share a commitment to the comparative, cross-disciplinary study of African peoples and institutions. This orientation finds expression in theoretical and applied research, publications, and teaching. The Africana Studies Center coordinates courses and sponsors a regular lecture series and seminar, a communications network, exchange programs with African institutions, and the teaching of African languages. Africa-focused courses are offered primarily through the SAS departments of Anthropology, Asian and Middle Eastern Studies, English, Folklore, History, History and Sociology of Science, Linguistics, Political Science, Psychology, Romance Languages, and Sociology; the graduate group of Demography; the GSFA department of City and Regional Planning, and Schools of Social Work, Nursing and Education. Among the many resources available are a collection of African art and material culture in the University Museum; an African Demography Training and Research Program under the Population Studies Center; the Center for the Study of Black Literature and Culture; and several specialized training and education programs in development and policy issues such as health, energy, environment, and housing. Africana Studies faculty on the Anthropology GG include Professors Deborah Thomas and John Jackson.

Ethnohistory Program

The Committee on Ethnohistory oversees an interdisciplinary program of courses offered primarily through the departments of Anthropology and History, along with selected courses from other departments throughout the University. Qualified students are admitted to the graduate program representing the student's major field of concentration, which sets all requirements. The Ethnohistory Program aims to provide students with the concepts and tools necessary to study both literate and non‑literate communities from a combined anthropological/historical perspective. Emphasis is placed on the evaluation and utilization of written, oral, and ethnographic data for the purpose of historical anthropology. The Committee on Ethnohistory also sponsors an interdepartmental workshop where faculty and students meet to discuss recent publications, current research, and relevant issues in Ethnohistory and related fields. Ethnohistory Program faculty on the Anthropology GG are Professors Barnes, and Urban. For related courses in Anthropology and other SAS Departments, check with individual Ethnohistory Program faculty.

Program in Language, Culture, and Society
The object of this interdisciplinary program is to help make the University's resources in faculty and course offerings, distributed over several departments and schools, more accessible to interested students. Graduate students pursue their degree in one of the participating disciplines (Anthropology, Communications, Education, Linguistics, Sociology) with the program providing resources for a major or minor concentration within that discipline. Several somewhat overlapping concentrations are possible: ethnolinguistics and the analysis of speech and literary styles; sociolinguistics; linguistic anthropology and ethnoscience; acquisition of language and culture; practical field linguistics; ethnography of communication. Language, Culture and Society faculty on the Anthropology GG include Professors Agha, Sankoff (Linguistics), and Urban.

MD/PhD Program

This is a parallel program. Students must be admitted to both the Anthropology program and the Medical School. All degree requirements in both departments must be fulfilled. For more information on the program and related courses contact go to the website: http://www.med.upenn.edu/mstp/index.shtml or contact Dr. Frances Barg, Dr. Phillipe Bourgois, Ms. Maggie Krall (Director of Administration, Medical Scientist Training Program, Penn Med School); or the Anthropology GGC.

The Population Studies Center (http://www.pop.upenn.edu/) is an interdisciplinary research center responsible for carrying out a varied program of population research. It includes faculty from several University departments. The Center maintains a demography library and extensive computing facilities.

Medical Anthropology Program. The Program in Medical Anthropology integrates biological and cultural approaches to the study of health, illness, disease, and healing. Practical research training is available locally in conjunction with the Penn Center for Community Partnerships or other programs as appropriate. Students working toward the doctoral degree carry out their own specialized programs while developing the breadth in general anthropology which characterizes the general objectives of the Graduate Program. Students working toward the MS follow a more concentrated course of study and research in their selected area. Medical Anthropology faculty include: Drs. Phillipe Bourgois, Frances Barg, and Babette Zemel. Areas of specialization include:

*anthropology and clinical research *paleopathology *the cultural basis of illness, disease, and healing *nutritional anthropology *human development *community health

MS students may be required to take Anth 602 and 617 if they have not had the equivalent.

The Social Science Data Center (SSDC) collects and disseminates scholarly data for social science research and teaching. The Center is also a member of several national organizations that distribute social science data for re-analysis and has access to thousands of data sets in this manner. The center offers computer orientation, conducts mini-courses, and provides consulting services to students and faculty.

The Middle East Center promotes graduate training and research in all aspects of language and area studies in the Middle East. In particular, it coordinates the teaching of the major (and several minor) languages of the area, and interdisciplinary programs involving many SAS Graduate Groups.

Museum Applied Science Center for Archaeology (MASCA) (http://mec.sas.upenn.edu/) is the division of the University Museum dealing with the physical and biological sciences and plays a central role in many of the Museum's archaeological projects. It is particularly involved in the study of Near Eastern ceramics and glass, Old and New World metallurgical processes, paleoethnobotany, archaeozoology, and computer-based surveying techniques. MASCA has five labs: Ceramics, Botanical, Faunal, Metals, and Computer.

The Penn Language Center (PLC) (http://ccat.sas.upenn.edu/plc/)

Created in an effort to expand, intensify and enrich the University's resources in basic language instruction, is an administrative unit of the College of Liberal and Professional Studies that works out ways to satisfy the demand for instruction in foreign languages. The PLC's objectives include expanding the language curriculum, enriching the resources for research in applied linguistics, and enhancing opportunities for research by faculty and students. The Center's main curricular goal is to serve language instruction needs that are not covered within the regular language programs offered by the School of Arts and Sciences. This means, above all, increasing Penn's offerings in the less commonly taught languages.

Urban Studies Graduate Certificate Program

The Urban Studies Program offers students an interdisciplinary context in which to explore urban issues while pursuing a graduate degree in one of the disciplines or professional schools in the University. It emphasizes melding urban theory with practice, and encourages independent research. While working toward a PhD in their department, participants in the Certificate program take a two-semester proseminar and four urban-related courses. During the school year, faculty and graduate students gather monthly at an interdisciplinary workshop on urban related themes. Students may apply to enter the certificate program when they enter the PhD program, or at the conclusion of their first or second year of study. Interests of Urban Studies faculty cover many regions of the world, and include economic development, poverty, education, community organization, ethnicity, urban design, and policy. Urban Studies faculty on the Anthropology GG include Drs. Sandra Barnes, Kathy Hall (Graduate Education), Peggy Sanday, Gillian Sankoff (Linguistics), and Richard Zettler. For related courses in Anthropology and other SAS Departments, check with Urban Studies faculty. For information on the application process, refer to their website: http://urban.ssc.upenn.edu/.