Anthropology Department

Anthropology Department

Department of Anthropology
Washington Hall
College of William and Mary
Williamsburg, VA 23187-8795
(757) 221-1056

Compiled Summer 2005
Updated Fall 2006

Contents
  1. What do Anthropologists Study?
  2. The Four Subfields
  3. What Can I do with a BA in Anthropology?
  4. Requirements for an Anthropology Major
  5. Requirements for an Anthropology Minor
  6. Becoming an Anthropology Major
  7. Undergraduate Courses by Subfield
  8. Internships
  9. Research
  10. Senior Honors
  11. Anthropology Faculty
  12. Designing a Program of Study for your Major
  13. Sample Major Courses of Study for the Major
  14. After Graduation
What do Anthropologists Study?

Many students are drawn to the field because of the excitement of research in a natural setting or curiosity about the origin or meanings of everyday things. There is an allure in understanding what lies behind customs of a nomadic pastoral people or the intriguing interplay within a group of chimpanzees. Some find it intensely exciting to painstakingly unearth the foundations of a long lost city or reconstruct changes in the ceramic styles of Virginia. The challenge of recording and describing the sounds and syntax of some of the world's remaining unwritten languages may hold a powerful appeal. These are the kinds of activities that are often showcased in television and news stories about anthropology. Since anthropology is often absent from high school curricula those of us who are aware of anthropology at all often receive our first introduction to the topic through popular media. The portrait of the field as adventuresome and prone to work in far-off and out-of-the-way places is, in fact, true, but it is not the whole story.

Increasingly, anthropologists work close to home. They study transnational corporations, captive animals, school classroom and daycares, newspapers, social movements, and social inequalities linked with race and gender. Today, within the social sciences and humanities, anthropology is more defined by its approach than its subject matter. Rather, anthropology takes its comparative scope to be all humans at all times and places. The normative framework for anthropological understanding requires that markets, representative governments, legal and religious belief systems, social inequalities, sexual orientations, families, and general human capacities be placed in a broad comparative framework. While some of the insights of the field are readily grasped, as with any serious field of inquiry, rigorous and disciplined study over a number years develops a facility for applying the anthropological approach to the study of real-world problems.

There are different paths along which a student may travel to arrive at anthropology. Although a few students come to college intending to major in anthropology, most receive their initial introduction in an elective topic that awakens their interest in the field. Such courses might include, "The Rise and Fall of Civilizations" or "Medicine and Culture." Once they have decided to major in anthropology, however, students must fulfill course requirements in a number of other areas as well. The requirements aim to have students experience a general overview of the conceptual underpinnings of the field. Some students may take an introductory 200 level course and decide to matriculate as a major. Others may taken an upper-level course and then enroll in an introductory course for a more systematic introduction to a subfield. Whatever the path taken, the goal of the undergraduate curriculum is threefold:
1) To provide students with a general background in the subfields of anthropology
2) To enable students to specialize in an area of interest, usually by taking a number of courses in a logical sequence within a specific subfield or otherwise tailoring their coursework so that the interrelation between methodology, issues and basic literature of a topic may be grasped.
3) To provide students with the opportunity to engage in original research and synthesis involving a writing project, either in a capstone seminar, independent study, or honors research course.

Finally, as with all liberal arts majors, anthropology undergraduates hone critical thinking, speaking, and writing skills.

The Four Subfields

Its unique history has bequeathed United States anthropology with an intellectual grounding in four subfields. This may be seen in the articles appearing in the flagship publication of the American Anthropological Association, American Anthropologist, on its webpage www.aaanet.org, and in the organization of the Association itself into sections and interest groups. In different colleges and universities, however, professionals doing research and teaching in these subfields may be housed in different departments. Bookstores will often shelve books written by anthropologists in many different sections-while the offerings in the anthropology section appear relatively thin (this is true of the William and Mary Bookstore, for example). The four subfields are usually called socio-cultural anthropology, archaeology, biological anthropology, and linguistics.

Socio-cultural Anthropology is the study of the social and cultural dimensions of living peoples. Such study often involves the method called participant observation, often complemented with other sorts of data gathering methods. Language learning and study often compel us to use the tools of linguistics. Relevant social and cultural topics encompass all of human experience- immigrants' memories of loss, the maintenance of common fishing grounds or irrigation works, understanding and treatment of illness, great holiday meals and feelings of sacredness. The range of topics that have attracted the attention of socio-cultural anthropologists is practically limitless and the applications of disciplinary theories and methods are wide-ranging.

In Archaeology, a distinction is often made between historical archaeology, in which written records are available to complement what is unearthed, and the broader enterprise of archaeology involving human populations where writing was not used. However, in all cases archaeologists address many of the same questions posed by socio-cultural anthropologists using creative approaches to document the remains of past human activities. They are also in a position to address questions involving spatial distribution and patterns and development through time. Technical advances in such fields as chemistry, geology, and remote sensing have expanded the repertory of data gathering methods in archaeology.

Biological Anthropology seeks to understand biological and biocultural similarities and differences among populations of nonhuman primates, extinct human ancestors, and modern humans. This type of study may shed light on human culture, communication, society and behavior. Such efforts may range from studies of great ape foraging or modeling the evolution of technology and language, to researching pathologies observed in human skeletal remains or study of genetic markers allowing us to infer how populations may have diverged and merged through time. A key concern within this subfield is exploring the relationship among genes, behavior, and environment in order to understand the consequences -both historically and in the present day-- of genetic determinist theories.

Linguistics may be closely associated with socio-cultural approaches to specific cultures or forms of communication. Alternately, some linguists broadly focus on human capacity to create and understand language and its relation to other modes of communication. Most linguistic courses at William and Mary are offered through the English Department. ENGL 220, "The Study of Language" is cross-listed as ANTH 204 and forms part of the sequence of introductory courses to the anthropological subfields, although it is not required for the Major. Linguistics courses generally carry ENGL 220 or ANTH 204 as a prerequisite.

As with most classifications, the four subfields are a bit of a simplification. Many research agendas cross-cut the subfields. There are biocultural anthropologists, evolutionary ecologists, ethnoarchaeologists, and socio-linguists, for example. Some anthropologists consider themselves primarily as applied anthropologists. These generally work for clients or employers and seek to use the tools and results of anthropological research to address specific problems of clients.

What Can I Do With a B.A. in Anthropology?

Because the discipline approaches the complexity of social life from so many angles, the paths leading from an undergraduate experience in anthropology branch out in all directions. Anthropology majors seem to be singularly adventurous and follow many different trajectories during and after their undergraduate years. As undergraduates anthropology majors must work to consolidate specific skills they will need to approach different areas of anthropological learning. The skills you acquire in the course of a degree will be decisive in qualifying you for employment or entrance to professional schools. Compared to some of the other social sciences, there are probably comparatively fewer internship and employment opportunities targeted specifically at anthropology undergraduates. In cases where there are positions available in social sciences and the humanities, however, anthropology graduates are eligible and compete successfully for a wide range of opportunities. Take a peek at the "Student Outcomes Data" collected by the William & Mary Alumni Association to see the myriad of careers our Anthropology majors have entered: click on the "Outcomes of your concentrators" link at http://www.wm.edu/career/Faculty/FacultyIndex.cfm.

Because the field of anthropology is not as well known as some other liberal arts majors, job-seekers must be pro-active in identifying and describing the sorts of skills they acquire as an anthropology student. Although, as would be expected, anthropologists develop writing and organizational skills of a liberal arts graduate, they also have other skills as well. The ability to conduct interviews, describe significant social relationships, document communication style along with other ethnographic methods is part of the observational toolkit required by many types of socio-cultural and linguistic anthropology. You may become skilled at working with an archaeological research team to identify, describe, and interpret material patterns linked to histories that are invisible in written accounts of the past. Perhaps, through biological anthropology, you have identified ways to convey to the public not only an accurate view of evolutionary theory but also the enhanced understanding an evolutionary perspective may bring to complex issues of gender, hierarchy and power, and human population variation.

Most anthropologists working in the US today are employed outside of traditional academic establishments. They may work in sectors associated with culture, such as museums, programs targeted toward specific groups, or as part of efforts to assess how the public uses or perceives products and programs. Corporations seeking to develop new products or the National Park Service interested in understanding how the public makes use of facilities hire anthropologists. Anthropologists work in the arena of international development, education and tourism along with many other areas. Primate conservation initiatives often include anthropologists. The majority of professional archaeologists work in the applied "cultural resource management" or "public archaeology" sectors which entails identifying, evaluating, and preserving historic and prehistoric sites.

Most of these kinds of jobs require at least a Masters degree. With an anthropology degree and the required courses in the sciences or business, one can pursue a medical, dental, veterinary, or business degree. Some anthropology majors go into law school as well.

Whatever path you may pursue, anthropological study will leave you with an appreciation of the processes underlying cultural diversity as well as the observed similarities across human populations. Your recognition of the way life's private dilemmas are connected to social issues will be heightened. And the myriad forms of human associations and relations and approaches to rearing and educating children will expand your own sense of human possibilities. The flexibility needed to study other cultures -- and closely related species -- may also be reflected in an increased ability to change and learn throughout your lifetime. In common with other humanities, anthropological study holds the promise of deeper insight and discernment that can transform the commonplace experience of living. More than a technique and body of social observation, it can also be a tool for "composing a life."

Requirements for the Anthropology Major:

33 semester credits in Anthropology must be taken, including the following courses:
a) one course in each of the three subfields of Archaeology, Biological Anthropology, and Socio-cultural Anthropology
b) Introduction to Cultural Anthropology (ANTH 202). In exceptional cases, students may petition to allow another upper level socio-cultural course substitute for this requirement
c) ANTH 300 (History of Anthropological Theories)
d) ANTH 470 (Capstone Senior Seminar) OR ANTH 495-6 (Honors Research). In exceptional cases, students who wish to carry out a single semester research project or do not qualify for honors may petition to allow ANTH460 (Independent Study) to be taken in their senior year in lieu of ANTH 470. Completion of any of these three options automatically fulfills the department writing requirement.

Although ANTH 204 (The Study of Language) is not required, students are encouraged to enroll in order to receive, when combined with the other introductory courses, an overview of anthropology's four subfields.

Computing Proficiency Requirement may be satisfied by taking courses designated as "computer intensive" (ANTH 301, 302, 366, 454). The computer requirement may also be fulfilled by successful completion of ANTH 300.

Requirements for the Minor in Anthropology:

Satisfactory completion of 18 semester credits, including:
a) ANTH 202 (Introduction to Cultural Anthropology) and a course in one other subfield (i.e. either Archaeology, Biological Anthropology or ANTH 204)
b) Four additional courses in Anthropology Only one field school course (e.g. ANTH 225 or 425) may count toward the 18 required semester credits

Becoming an Anthropology Major

Most students choose a major during the second semester of their sophomore year. Once you have completed 39 credits you may declare a major; declaration of a major becomes mandatory once 54 credits have been completed. If you arrive with transfer or AP credits check the undergraduate course catalog for more information. In any case, you should read through the information contained in the course catalog regarding "The Major" before you choose any major or contemplate adding a second major. Students must earn a minimum of 72 credits outside their major, so only 48 semester credits in anthropology may be applied toward to 120 credits required for a degree.

In order to become a major, anthropology students must submit a "Declaration of Major" form to the Office of the University Registrar located in Blow Hall. The form must be signed by a departmental advisor (see below for a list of eligible advisors). Ideally, this faculty member should be someone who can give you both general advice about navigating through the undergraduate curriculum and more specific advice about research, internships, and courses relating to your areas of interest.

When choosing an advisor
a) Evaluate your own interests and goals. Are you drawn to certain kinds of topics? What kinds of things do you like to study? What would you like to learn more about? Do you have any doubts you'd like to clear up? The more you know about yourself, the more help your advisor will be able to offer.
b) Review the geographical, research and teaching interests of the different faculty. Don't discard the idea of choosing someone you've never studied with.
c) Pick up the Declaration of Major form from the office of Academic Advising in Ewell Hall. After your meeting with your advisor you will submit this to the registrar. Draft an ideal plan of coursework you would like to take during the remainder of your undergraduate career. You will need this to fill out the Declaration of Major form. Don't forget to think about study abroad and research and internship possibilities. Other relevant courses may include language courses.
d) Find out when a faculty member holds office hours and make an appointment. In addition, talk to as many other people as necessary, including faculty who may be able to act as "unofficial" advisors, graduate students in the department, and other undergraduates.
e) Sometimes the person you'd like to approach will be on research leave or absent for the semester. This shouldn't prevent you from signing on with another person as an advisor. You may change advisors without difficulty further down the road should you so choose. When a new advisor signs on, the old advisor is dropped automatically.

No two anthropology majors are likely to take exactly the same courses, since these will reflect both your personal interests and course availability over a number of semesters. You are not required to enroll in all of the elective courses listed on your Declaration of Major form. Your interests may change and there may be scheduling issues making it impossible to take certain courses. Required courses must be taken, however. Nonetheless, the course sequence you choose for your Declaration of Major form may be thought of as a kind of map plotting your course as an anthropology major. You may change some of the details, but the coursework you complete for your diploma will reflect your focus within the field of anthropology.

Some students plan a generalized course of study that includes electives sprinkled evenly among the four subfields. Many students are strongly drawn to a particular subfield and plan their coursework accordingly. Often students hope to prepare themselves for graduate study in anthropology. Unlike most undergraduate programs, graduate schools in anthropology will expect prospective applicants to have a firm idea about the research they plan to pursue as a graduate student. At the very least, students will have to opt for graduate study in a particular subfield or combination of subfields. Commonly, graduate programs may combine linguistics with cultural anthropology.

Anthropology majors have maintained the Anthropology Club as a vibrant forum for the cultivation of anthropological interests. Participation is strictly voluntary but the Club is an important part of the undergraduate experience at William & Mary. Since it is student-led and administered the Club reflects student priorities. A faculty advisor helps out when necessary. A representative selected by the Club members attends meetings of the Anthropology Department Undergraduate Committee in an advisory capacity. Jessica Lamont (jllamo@wm.edu) is the 2006-07 Anthropology Club chair. You may ask her or the Department's Administrative Assistant, Kerry Murphy (kamurp@wm.edu) for more information.

Undergraduate Courses by Subfield

As noted above, the requirements for a major in anthropology include one course in each of the three subfields of Archaeology, Biological Anthropology, and Socio-cultural Anthropology in addition to other required courses. The list below categorizes the Department's courses according to these subfields. Note that several courses (including Indians of the Southwest, Idea of Race, and Quantitative Research Methods) are listed under more than one subfield. A course may count toward fulfilling a student's requirement in one and only one subfield.

Archaeology Biological Anthropology Socio-Cultural Anthropology
     
Intro to Archaeology (201) Intro to Bio Anthropology (203) Ethnographic Research (302)
Arch Field Methods (225) Primate Behavior (310) Comparative Col Studies (305)
Methods in Archaeology (301) Evol Perspectives Gender (370) Women, Gender, Culture (306)
Comparative Col Arch (312) Idea of Race (371) Social Anthropology (307)
Arch of Mesoamerica (314) H uman Skeletal Biology (456) Medicine and Culture (309)
Environmental Arch (315) Biocultural Anthropology (492) Indians of North America (323)
Archaeology of Near East (319)   Indians of the Southwest (324)
Rise Fall of Civilization (320)   Sundance Peoples (325)
Archaeology of N Am (322)   Caribbean Cultures (330)
Intro to Zooarchaeology (453)   Peoples Cultures of Africa (335)
Caribbean Archaeology (458)   African Cultural Econ (336)
    African Ritual Religion (337)
    Native Cultures Latin Am (338)
    Peoples Cultures of E Asia (342)
    Japanese Society (347)
    Japanese Values Lit Film (348)
    Contemp Issues in Japan (349)
    Knowledge Learning (362)
    Culture and Cuisine (363)
    Artists and Cultures (364)
    Info Tech Global Culture (366)
    Native Peoples of E N Am (427)
    Exploring Afro-Am Past (429)
    Maroon Societies (432)
    Ethnographic History (472)
    Arts of African Diaspora (482)
    Collecting Exhibit Culture (484)
    Cultural Politics of Art (486)
    Writing Reading Culture (490)
Internships

Every year there are a number of exciting opportunities for internships. Although most are offered in the area of archaeological research and museums or primate behavior and conservation studies, these are not the only possibilities. You should seek further information from your advisor and watch for announcements regarding an internship fair sponsored by the department when information about different internships will be made available. Students can also enroll in summer internships. The internship course ANTH 498 may be taken for one, two, or three credits and requires an Anthropology faculty member as an advisor. Together you and your advisor will agree on the number of hours to be spent as well as some kind of documentation of how you used your time engaged in internship activities. To see the current department policy concerning internships, click here.

Research

A number of opportunities to conduct anthropological research are available locally. Students with interests in conducting research should discuss this with their advisors and also do some legwork and reach-out on their own. The Anthropology Department houses four centers that offer good starting points for this effort.
1) Center for Archaeological Research contact Joseph Jones, director, x1-1581 or jbjone@wm.edu
2) Archaeological Conservation Center contact Curt Moyer, x1-1322 or cxmoye@wm.edu
3) American Indian Resource Center contact Danielle Moretti-Langholtz, director, x1-1112 or dmoret@wm.edu]
4) Institute for Historical Biology contact Michael Blakey, director, x1-1061 or mlblak@wm.edu

Other local sources of opportunities are the Colonial Williamsburg Foundation, the Jamestown-Yorktown Foundation, and the National Park Service.

Rising seniors who wish to do research during the summer before their senior year are encouraged to apply for the Nathan Altshuler Scholarship for Field Research. The application deadline for the Scholarship is typically at the beginning of April. The Scholarship carries an award of $1500 to carry out field research, often as a prelude to enrollment in senior honors research. The Charles Center also offers several sorts of scholarships to support summer research. Consult the Center website (http://www.wm.edu/charlescenter).

Senior Honors

The Honors Program for majors in Anthropology offers the superior student an opportunity to pursue independent research under direct supervision of faculty, to analyze seminal theoretical issues in the discipline, to acquire knowledge in depth of a specific subject, to deploy anthropological research methodology to data collection and analysis, and to complete a substantial written thesis of scholarly merit. Engagement in the Honors process begins in the second semester of the student's junior year.

Having been admitted to the Honors Program, the student prepares an Honors Thesis during the senior year under the supervision of the thesis director, and carries out an Honors Thesis defense through a comprehensive oral examination by three or more faculty examiners. If the candidate successfully completes the program, he or she will be granted the award of Honors, High Honors or the Highest Honors.

Described below are the Anthropology Department procedures for obtaining Honors. Be sure to review these procedures and discuss them with your faculty advisor if you wish to pursue an Honors degree.

Anthropology 495/496, Honors

This course provides the opportunity to undertake a year-long research project during the student's senior year, and culminates in the completion of an Honors Thesis. To be eligible to register for Honors, a student must have either (1) a 3.0 cumulative quality point average, or (2) a 3.0 quality point average for the junior year alone, or (3) special permission of the Committee on Honors and Interdisciplinary Studies, which will consider appeals only when initiated by the Department as well as by the student in question.

Students who wish to register for Honors should consult with a faculty member in Anthropology by February 1 of their junior year. They must discuss problem definition, appropriate methodology, and the preparation of a prospectus with the faculty member who agrees to serve as advisor. Students typically select as their thesis advisor a faculty member who is familiar with their work and who is knowledgeable about the research topic. The exact course of study-including the readings, the schedule and plan for any field or laboratory research, the types of written assignments, deadlines, and the time and location of weekly meetings-is decided in consultation with the thesis advisor.

A Bachelor of Arts degree with Honors in Anthropology is awarded based on completion of the following: general requirements for the degree of Bachelor of Arts; submission of the completed Honors Thesis by the designated deadline during the student's senior year; and presentation and defense of the thesis before an Examining Committee comprised of the thesis director, another faculty member of the Department of Anthropology, and a third faculty member from outside the Department. The award of "Honors", "High Honors," or "Highest Honors" is determined by the Examining Committee.

Requirements for Honors (two semesters)

1. Eligibility Requirements. A grade point average of either 3.0 on a cumulative basis by the end of the junior year or 3.0 for the junior year alone is required.
2. Course Enrollment with the Thesis Director. The Honors Thesis Director must be an Anthropology faculty member who is either tenured or tenure-eligible, a Research professor, or a continuing faculty member of the Department. Each faculty member may enroll only two Honors students per year.
3. The Examining Committee. The Examining Committee is composed of at least three members: " the Thesis Director (committee chair); " one additional faculty member from Anthropology who must be either a tenured or tenure-eligible faculty member, a Research Professor, or a continuing faculty member; and " a faculty member from outside of Anthropology. A fourth member may occasionally be added to serve on the Examining Committee.
4. Approval of the Examining Committee Membership, The final selection of the Examining Committee must be approved by the Undergraduate Committee.
5. Honors Timetable. The Department strongly suggests adherence to the following timetable:

  • February 1 of Junior Year: A student who wishes to enter the Honors program should ask, and get consent of a tenured or tenure-eligible faculty member of the Anthropology Department to serve as his/her thesis director. The student must discuss the problem definition, appropriate methodology and the preparation of the prospectus with the faculty member.
  • April 1 of Junior Year: The student submits the prospectus and Charles Center application form for Honors to the faculty thesis director for evaluation and approval.
  • April 15 of Junior Year: The student submits the Honors application to the Undergraduate Committee for their evaluation and approval. Students will be notified of the Department's final decision at the end of the spring semester. Those students whose proposals are approved will be assigned a permanent faculty advisor.
  • May 15 of Junior Year: Upon approval of the Committee, the Charles Center, not the student, will register him/her for these courses. A student will be formally admitted into the Honors program in Anthropology with the formal appointment of a tenure-eligible or tenured department member to direct his or her Honors Thesis.
  • August of Senior Year: In the fall semester of the senior year, those accepted as Honors candidates begin Anthropology 495.
  • Fall Semester of Senior Year: Research and Writing. The Honors students are strongly encouraged to hold regular meetings with, and seek advice of, the thesis director. The candidate will pursue a systematic program of theoretical exploration, methodological development, primary data collection, data analysis, and writing. The candidate bears the responsibility for the successful completion of the year's project.
  • Dec. 1 of Senior Year: Submit the Examining Committee membership recommendations to the chairperson of the Undergraduate Committee of the Department of Anthropology and get the committee's approval. Upon examining recommendations, the Undergraduate Committee appoints the members of the Examining Committee. The student should discuss with each examiner his or her Honors project, its aims, theoretical perspectives, methods, fieldwork, and the materials. The Department, not the student, submits the final list of the examiners to Charles Center.
  • The End of Fall Semester: Completion of preliminary research and Submission of Progress Report. A candidate who successfully completes Honors 495 receives a grade of "G" at the end of the first term of the project. If it becomes evident before the end of the first term that the student will not complete the project, the student and the supervising faculty member must either 1) withdraw the student from Honors 495; or 2) change the Honors 495 designation to an appropriate alternative, such as independent study. The faculty member must notify the Undergraduate Committee as soon as the decision is made.
  • Early Spring Semester: Writing and editing of the thesis. The students are strongly encouraged to seek advice of the thesis advisor and other experts in writing and editing various versions of the draft Honors Thesis.
  • March 1 of Senior Year: The first draft is to be submitted to the thesis director by March 1 or a date agreed upon by the thesis director. The thesis advisor may request editing in order to correct any problems.
  • April 2 of Senior Year: The completed draft of the thesis must be approved by the thesis director and submitted to the other members of the Examining Committee. Between April 2 and mid-April, necessary changes and editing must be completed.
  • Mid-April of Senior Year: (Two weeks before the last day of classes of the student's graduating semester.) The student must submit the completed Honors Thesis to the Examining Committee.
  • April of the Senior Year: The Oral Examination: The assignment of Honors and of the spring semester grade are made by the Examining Committee on the basis of the candidate's thesis and performance on an oral examination. If upon completion of the oral defense the Examining Committee determines that the thesis does not merit Honors, the committee must change Honors 495 and 496 to appropriate alternatives and award the student grades for these courses. The thesis director must notify the Undergraduate Committee and the Charles Center. Thus, under no circumstances may Honors 495 and/or 496 remain on the transcript of a student who is not awarded Honors by the Examining Committee. Please read the Charles Center Guidelines for other important procedures. The following information is to help you understand the departmental procedure for the Honors in Anthropology.
How to Apply for Honors in Anthropology (Deadline: April 15 of Junior Year)

Students applying for Honors in Anthropology must complete an application that consists of (a) the Prospectus, (b) the Charles Center Application Form, and (c) the Transcript. These materials must be submitted to the chair of the Undergraduate Committee on or before April 15 of a student's junior year.

1. The Honors Prospectus Format. The prospectus is about 5 pages, double spaced, and typed. It must contain the following information:

  • The cover sheet: the title of the research project, the name of the student candidate and the name of the thesis director who is tenured or tenure-eligible professor;
  • Text: The Prospectus must discuss the following issues:
    °Introduction. Describe the research theme and major anthropological problems that this thesis will discuss.
    ° Theoretical Perspective: State what anthropological perspective(s) will be deployed in order to analyze the research theme.
    °Preliminary Literature Review: Give preliminary review of some seminal theories and research findings by other scholars that are directly related to the thesis.
    °Potential Contributions: Identify potential contributions that you intend to make for advancing anthropological knowledge.
    °Research Strategy: Describe research methodology and tools.
    °Preliminary Time Schedule: Indicate important deadlines for completing various tasks between September and mid-April of senior year.
  • Bibliography: The bibliography should include relevant anthropological literature and address the availability and utility of primary and secondary sources for this project.

2. Charles Center Application Form. This form can be downloaded from the Charles Center's web-site. Fill out as indicated.

3. Transcript. You may use either a copy of the official transcript issued by the Registrar's Office or a print-out of your grade and academic information downloaded from Banner. The Undergraduate Committee of Anthropology evaluates Honors applications after April 15 deadline of junior year, and notifies the candidates of the results before the end of the semester. The Department, not the student, sends the names of approved Honors candidates to Charles Center that enrolls the students in Anth 495/496.

Frequently Asked Questions

Q1. Do I have to start the thesis project during the summer prior to the fall semester?

If you can begin working on the project, by all means do so. Many anthropology projects require substantial fieldwork or the collection of primary data. Please note that there are several pre-Honors and pre-thesis scholarships available both at the Department and at Charles Center. You should discuss this possibility with the thesis director when you first discuss the Honors possibility, before or in February of your junior year.

Q2. During my senior year, do I have to meet with the thesis director every week?

How does the thesis director evaluate my performance during the fall semester? Regular meetings with the thesis director are expected. The schedule of meeting must be worked out between the faculty advisor and the candidate. The students are strongly encouraged to seek theoretical, methodological, and logistical expertise and advice from the thesis director throughout the year. By the end of the fall semester, the director assesses the evidence of the student's intellectual competence, and decides whether the project has been progressing steadily and timely. Then the professor determines whether the student is capable of continuing and pursuing the Honors project in the spring semester (Anthropology 496.) If it becomes evident before the end of the first term that the student will not complete the project, the supervising faculty member must either I) withdraw the student from Honors 495; or 2) change the Honors 495 designation to an appropriate alternative, such as independent study. A candidate who successfully completes Honors 495 at the end of the fall semester receives a grade of "G." The faculty member must contact the Undergraduate Committee as well as the Charles Center.

Q3. When should I complete the first draft of the thesis? When should I complete the final draft?

No later than March 1, the first draft should be written and be read by the thesis director. The thesis advisor may request more editing in order to correct problems. The student must submit the final draft on or before April 2 for the approval of the thesis director.

Q4. Shall I seek advice from other professors beside the thesis director? Shall I give draft copies to the other members of the Examining Committee?

During the fall semester and the early part of the spring semester, students are encouraged to seek expert opinions in order to pursue the Honors project. However, critiques and comments on your project by other experts should be discussed with the thesis director before getting integrated into your project. Please note that you are under the primary supervision of your thesis director. You must obtain the approval of the thesis director before submitting the final draft thesis to the other members of the Examining Committee on or before April 2. Between April 2 and mid-April, the student may make necessary changes and edit the thesis. The student must submit the competed thesis in mid-April to the Examining Committee. Once it is submitted, no major changes are allowed until the oral examination. The members of the Examining Committee read the Honors Thesis, and if the thesis is not of high quality, the thesis director notifies the student in order to change his or her academic status. Usually this means moving the student from Anth 495-496 to alternative courses. Only in an extraordinary circumstance, may the thesis director give an incomplete. If, after reading the thesis, the committee finds it provisionally acceptable, the department schedules an oral examination.

Q5. How many copies should I make of the completed thesis and where shall I deliver them?

Usually FIVE: You should make as many copies as the number of the examiners (usually 3), one for Swem Library, and one for the Department. You do not need to send a thesis copy to the Charles Center nor to the Undergraduate Committee of Anthropology. Please deliver the thesis to each member of the committee in person, before the mid-April deadline.

Q6. When and how should I schedule the oral examination?

It is not you, but your thesis director who sets the date of oral examination in consultation with the other members of the Examining Committee. The thesis director notifies you and the chair of the Undergraduate Committee about the date and place of the oral exam. However, you should always confirm, and make sure that all the key players show up for your oral defense.

Q7. What is the oral examination like? What types of questions do the examiners ask?

The oral lasts at least one hour. The main purpose of the examination is to ask questions about the Honors Thesis. Be prepared to discuss major research findings and your contributions to the advancement of anthropological knowledge. You may also elaborate on your methodological strategies. You should be able to highlight the scholarly merits of your thesis and to show evidence of your competence as a budding anthropologist. The examiners want to assess the value of the thesis, as well as your knowledge and methodological effectiveness. They critique your work against the standard of the discipline. After the oral exam, the committee may instruct the candidate to correct any errors discovered during the evaluation process.

Q8. How many thesis cover sheets should I take to the oral examination for the professors to sign?

At least FOUR. The first one goes to the Charles Center immediately after the oral examination. The second one is for Swem Library. (One unbound copy of the Honors Thesis, including the original signatures of the Examining Committee, must be submitted on acid-free paper to the thesis director by the last day of regularly scheduled examinations for delivery to the University Archives, located in Swem Library.) The third original sheet must be attached to the departmental copy that must be kept in the Department library. In addition, you need one original for your own thesis copy. Out of this original you can make copies for the thesis copies to be given to your thesis director and/or other examiners.

Q9. How do I prepare the Honors Thesis for Swem Library?

Please check the information posted at the Charles Center web-site, which explains in detail the submission of the thesis to archives. Please note that you need to fill out a Thesis and Dissertation Access Form for Swem Library.

Q10. Who will be able to answer my questions about the Honors Program in Anthropology?

Your thesis director is the most important source of information. The Chair of the Undergraduate Committee and the Department Chair may also be consulted. The Associate Director of the Charles Center, Ms. Lisa Grimes, can give practical advice about the Honors Program as administrated by the Charles Center.

Anthropology Faculty by Subfield (undergraduate advisors marked with asterisk)
Archaeology

Steve Archer (MA University of California, Berkeley 1998) Historical archaeology; Environmental archaeology; Archaeobotany. snarch@wm.edu.

Joanne Bowen (PhD Brown University 1990) Zooarchaeology of complex societies, human-animal relationships, North America. 220-7338; jvbowe@wm.edu (Curator of Zooarchaeology, Department of Archaeological Research, Colonial Williamsburg Foundation)

Marley R. Brown (PhD Brown University 1987) Historical Archaeology, archaeological method and theory, museums and historic preservation, cultural resource management, North America and the Atlantic Islands 220-7331; brown2@cwf.org (Director, Department of Archaeological Research, Colonial Williamsburg Foundation)

*Martin D. Gallivan (PhD University of Virginia 1999) Archaeology, American Indians, colonial encounters, landscape and spatiality, politics of heritage, quantitative research. Eastern U.S. x1-3622; mdgall@wm.edu

Edward C. Harris (PhD University of London 1979) Archaeological excavation, historical archaeology. Bermuda, West Indies (Director, Bermuda Maritime Museum)

Matthew Liebmann (PhD University of Pennsylvania 2006) Archaeology, Ancestral Pueblos, Spanish contact in the New World, NAGPRA. Southwest U.S. x1-1065; mjlieb@wm.edu

Curtis S. Moyer (MA George Washington University 1981) Archaeological conservation. North America x1-1322; cxmoye@wm.edu (Conservator, Archaeological Conservation Center, College of William and Mary)

*Frederick H. Smith (PhD University of Florida 2001) Historical archaeology, ethnohistory, alcohol studies and political economy. Caribbean. x1-1063; fhsmit@wm.edu

*Mary M. Voigt (PhD University of Pennsylvania 1976) Archaeology, material culture, comparative study of civilization. Middle East. x1-1057; mmvoig@wm.edu

Biological Anthropology

*Michael Blakey (PhD University of Massachusetts at Amherst 1985) Biological anthropology, bioarchaeology, museology, scientific racism, ethics and epistemology. circum-Atlantic, African diaspora x1-1061; mlblak@wm.edu

*Barbara J. King (PhD University of Oklahoma 1989) Primate behavior, hominid evolution and behavior, communication and cognition. Africa x1-1062. bjking@wm.edu Linguistic Anthropology

*Kathleen J. Bragdon (PhD Brown University 1981) Historical ethnology, ethnohistory, language change, American Indians; x1-1067; bkbrag@wm.edu

Sociocultural Anthropology

Sharla A. Blank (PhD University of California, San Diego 2005) Gender, religion, cultural change, psychological anthropology. Caribbean x1-1960; sablan@wm.edu

*William H. Fisher (PhD Cornell University 1991) Social anthropology, political ecology, states and indigenous peoples, Amazonia x1-1068; whfish@wm.edu

*Grey Gundaker (PhD Yale University 1992) Expressive and material culture, visual anthropology, African Diaspora, United States x1-1243; gxgund@wm.edu

*Tomoko Hamada (PhD University of California, Berkeley 1980) Cultural anthropology, applied anthropology, management strategies, Japan, East Asia x1-1060; thamad@wm.edu

*Virginia Kerns (PhD University of Illinois 1977) Gender, life course, life history and biography in Anthropology. Caribbean X 1-1054; vbkern@wm.edu (on leave 2005-06)

Danielle Moretti-Langholtz (PhD University of Oklahoma 1998) Life history, museology. North American Indians X 1-1112; dmoret@wm.edu

*Richard Price (PhD Harvard University 1970) Cultural anthropology, colonialism, slavery, Caribbean. X 1-1058; rspric@wm.edu (on leave 2005-2007)

*Sally Price (PhD Johns Hopkins University 1982) Cultural politics of art, museum studies, African diaspora. Caribbean X 1-1064; shpric@wm.edu (on leave 2005-2007)

*Brad Weiss (PhD University of Chicago 1992) Socio-cultural anthropology, cultural constructions of time and space. Africa X 1-1209; blweis@wm.edu

Designing a program of study for your major

The undergraduate major consists of courses required of all students and elective courses. You and your advisor may also agree that courses offered outside of the Anthropology Department should be part of your personal curriculum. Required courses not only provide a broad overview of the subfields but also introduce certain concepts commonly recognized over a wide range of different types of research. Although there is no single theoretical school or theory followed by all anthropologists, required courses should serve to help construct some recognizable frameworks that anthropologists refer to when they talk to one another, even if engaged in quite different sorts of research. The curriculum seeks to develop both the specificity of subfield interests and the common moorings that enables the field to thrive amidst tremendous diversity.

An increasing number of opportunities to study abroad are being made available through the Reves Center for International Studies. Anthropology majors will often be surprised at the salience of anthropology in foreign programs. These programs generally last one or two semesters, although summer programs may be compressed into fewer weeks. Some programs are geared toward language study and many involve field research along with classroom study. Transfer credit from programs may be applied to degree requirements for an Anthropology Major. Pre-approval for transfer of credit for coursework taken while abroad should be sought from the Director of Undergraduate Studies in Anthropology. Sometimes it is necessary to enroll in such courses and to seek approval for the proper course credit equivalents at William and Mary after one returns from study abroad. In all cases, when planning out the courses needed for an Anthropology degree, it is advisable to block out time for study abroad.

Sample Major Courses of Study for the Major

Some sample courses of study are presented below to give you an idea of some of the range of choices available.

Sample I: A focus on Archaeology
ANTH 201 Introduction to Archaeology
ANTH 202 Introduction to Cultural Anthropology
ANTH 203 Introduction to Biological Anthropology
ANTH 225 Archaeological Field Methods (6 credits)
ANTH 300 History of Anthropological Theories
ANTH 301 Methods in Archaeology
ANTH 314 Archaeology of Mesoamerica
ANTH 319 Archaeology of the Near East
ANTH 320 Rise and Fall of Civilizations
ANTH 426 Foodways and the Archaeological Record
ANTH 450 Archaeological Conservation
ANTH 453 Introduction to Zooarchaeology (4 credits)
ANTH 454 Quantitative Research Methods in Anthropology
ANTH 455 Practicing Cultural Resource Management
ANTH 470 Senior seminar in (4 credits)

Sample 2: Focus on Near Eastern Archaeology
ANTH 201 Introduction to Archaeology
ANTH 202 Introduction to Cultural Anthropology
ANTH 225 Archaeological Field Methods (6 credits)
ANTH 300 History of Anthropological Theories
ANTH 301 Methods in Archaeology
ANTH 306 Women, Gender and Culture
ANTH 315 Environmental Archaeology
ANTH 319 Archaeology of the Near East
ANTH 320 Rise and Fall of Civilizations
ANTH 456 Human Skeletal Biology
ANTH 470 Senior Seminar (4 credits)

Recommended courses in other departments:
ARTH 251 Survey of History of Art, I
CLST 217 Greek Archaeology and Art
CLST 218 Roman Archaeology and Art
CLST 314 The Ancient City in Greece and Italy
GEOL 310 Sedimentation and Stratigraphy

Sample 3: Focus on Biological and Biocultural Anthropology
ANTH 202 Introduction to Cultural Anthropology
ANTH 203 Introduction to Biological Anthropology
ANTH 204 The Study of Language
ANTH 300 History of Anthropological Theories
ANTH 309 Medicine and Culture
ANTH 310 Primate Behavior
ANTH 315 Environmental Archaeology
ANTH 370 Evolutionary Perspectives on Gender
ANTH 371 The Idea of Race
ANTH 453 Introduction to Zooarchaeology (4 credits)
ANTH 495/496 Honors Research

Recommended courses in other departments
BIOL 401 Evolutionary Genetics
BIOL 410 Animal Behavior
PSYC 415 Comparative Psychology

Sample 4: Focus on Linguistic Anthropology
ANTH 202 Introduction to Cultural Anthropology
ANTH 203 Introduction to Biological Anthropology
ANTH 204 The Study of Language
ANTH 300 History of Anthropological Theories
ANTH 302 Methods of Ethnography
ANTH 312 Comparative Colonial Archaeology
ANTH 330 Caribbean Cultures
ANTH 411 Historical Linguistics
ANTH 412 Descriptive Linguistics
ANTH 440 Primate Cognition and Communication
ANTH 470 Senior Seminar (4 credits)

Sample 5: Focus on Native America
ANTH 202 Introduction to Cultural Anthropology
ANTH 203 Introduction to Biological Anthropology
ANTH 300 History of Anthropological Theories
ANTH 302 Methods of Ethnography
ANTH 322 Archaeology of North America
ANTH 314 Archaeology of Mesoamerica
ANTH 326 Indians of North America
ANTH 327 Indians of the Southwest
ANTH 325 Sun Dance People
ANTH 338 Native Cultures of Latin America
ANTH 427 Native Peoples of Eastern North America

After Graduation

Yes, there is life after graduation! Attitudes to the end of undergraduate life differ markedly. Some students look ahead and, by the middle of the first semester of the senior year are marking time, waiting to get on to the next big thing. Others can hardly stand to think beyond the neatly organized semester calendar. Each person is different, and anthropology, including graduate school programs, values people who are different and who have acquired different life experiences. Senior year is an immensely valuable time for all students, whether they plan to jump right into graduate school or a career, or alternatively plan to take some time for less career-oriented activities. The final year of the anthropology curriculum is designed to encourage students to consolidate what they have learned and to engage in independent research in thinking. This process can be a wonderful opportunity for introspection and self-evaluation. Classes are often smaller, especially the senior seminars, and the resources and guidance to pursue individual interests are available.

As mentioned above, graduate schools in anthropology generally expect that students will express clear-cut interests and goals regarding the kind of research they intend to pursue. Deadlines for graduate applications vary, but most will fall before the beginning of the second semester. Graduate Record Exams, grade transcripts, recommendation letters, and a detailed personal statement are almost universally required. You should make arrangements with plenty of lead-time to ask for recommendation letters and circulate your personal statement to faculty members. The personal statement can actually assist faculty members in composing a letter that describes your qualifications for what you wish do. Faculty members often have specific knowledge of graduate school programs, both from personal experience and through contacts with colleagues in the field. Although copious information is available on-line, it makes good sense to discuss your plans with one or more faculty members. Do this early in your senior year, or even late in your junior year.

Many students do not apply to graduate school during their senior year. This may actually increase chances for a successful graduate school experience: you may have a better sense of your own direction and interests and some real-world experience that will be an added qualification in the eyes of admissions committees. Many great anthropologists have come to the field when they were ready-even into their 30s and 40s-rather than with a freshly minted undergraduate degree. Although you may have left W & M, you still should consider the W & M faculty as sources of advice-get in touch! We'll remember who you are and, if we can't answer your question directly, we should be able to point you in the right direction to get answers.

Whether seeking a graduate degree in anthropology or some other career option, students should investigate the resources available at the William & Mary career center housed in Blow Hall. At the very least, a visit to the webpage: http://www.wm.edu/career provides an essential overview of issues you will want to think about.