ANTHROPOLOGY
The First Two Years
Courses
Most students complete their required coursework during the first two years. All coursework should be completed no later than the end of the third year.
Each student’s program of study must receive the approval of his or her advisor. The director of graduate studies or department chair may sign a study card when the advisor is absent.
Students must maintain an overall grade average of B+.
No grade of Incomplete can be used to fulfill any departmental requirement.
Students may petition to have any course requirement waived on the basis of prior experience, with the exception of the following: for archaeology students, Anthropology 2070a and 2070b; for social anthropology students, Proseminar 2650a and Proseminar 2650b.
Students may petition to have as many as eight graduate-level courses from another university accepted toward fulfillment of their PhD coursework requirements.
ARCHAEOLOGY
Archaeology PhD students must choose areas of specialization in consultation with their advisors. See “Archaeology” within “Anthropology” under “Program of Study” on the GSAS website for a more detailed presentation of archaeology program objectives and field of student expectations.
Archaeology PhD students must fulfill the following coursework requirements: Anthropology 2250a and 2250b: Proseminar in Archaeology, Anthropology 2070a: Archaeological Method and Theory; and Anthropology 2070b: Case Studies and Research Proposal Preparation; twelve half-courses in archaeology or other fields chosen in consultation with the advisor and advisory committee. Students are expected to obtain competence in quantitative methods or computer applications (e.g., GIS) as they relate to the practice of archaeology.
Courses taken to fulfill the requirements must normally be passed with a grade of B- or better.
The expectation is that the student will be able to complete the program in six years. Beyond the eighth year of registered graduate study, students are required to withdraw. Students can apply for readmission for the degree in the term they submit their dissertation.
SOCIAL ANTHROPOLOGY
The course of study in social anthropology requires a minimum of sixteen half-courses (not including TIME), at least twelve of which must be in anthropology. The twelve required half-courses include the proseminars, History and Theory of Social Anthropology (2650a and b); a half-course on the ethnography of one’s area of specialization is recommended but not required. A half-course in archaeology is recommended but not required. First-year students must attain at least a B+ in each half of the Proseminar.
Language Requirements
Where appropriate, candidates whose native language is not English may petition the faculty to accept their native language or English as fulfillment of a language requirement.
ARCHAEOLOGY
Proficiency in one modern scholarly language other than English is required. In addition, the candidate must attain proficiency in a second scholarly language or in a field language or in a laboratory skill. The election of one among these options shall be made following consultation by the student with his/her advisor. Proficiency in language(s) and/or laboratory skill must be demonstrated before the special examination is taken.
SOCIAL ANTHROPOLOGY
Social anthropology students must fulfill both the scholarly language and the field language requirement. All candidates are required to demonstrate competence in one scholarly language other than English. Candidates may petition to offer the major language of documentation in the area where they propose to do fieldwork provided that, in the opinion of the social anthropology faculty, there is a sufficient body of social science material available in that language. The first formal language requirement must be met before the student goes into the field. The student’s primary advisor sets the standard required for each language; examiners may be department faculty or other qualified persons.
Social anthropology PhD candidates are required to demonstrate competence in the language they will need to speak in the field. When it is impossible to learn a field language at Harvard, the candidate must make the arrangements necessary to do so elsewhere. The field language requirement is fulfilled when approved by the student’s advisor. In special circumstances candidates may fulfill this requirement by taking a course in anthropological linguistics, or language and culture.
During the first year, students must submit a plan indicating how they plan to fulfill the language requirements. These plans will be reviewed by a faculty committee. In all cases, students are strongly encouraged to demonstrate competence in at least two languages other than their native language.
Incompletes
- Incompletes are granted at the discretion of course instructors.
Students normally may not request Incompletes of instructors who are going on leave during the following academic term. - Students who are non-resident (traveling scholars or on leave) are subject to the same deadlines as resident students (i.e., Incompletes must be completed during the term following that in which the Incomplete was taken); otherwise students must petition the GSAS associate dean for student affairs for more time to complete the work.
- Students normally may not take more than one Incomplete in a term. Incompletes in the social anthropology Proseminar or any other course taken in the first year are un-acceptable.
- A prolonged record of Incompletes may jeopardize a student’s chances of obtaining teaching fellowships and financial awards in the department.
Master of Arts (AM)
One terminal AM degree is offered in medical anthropology. (Preference for this program is given to students and practitioners in the health professions.) Students may apply for a non-terminal AM degree en route to the PhD degree.
Normally, anthropology PhD students may take the non-terminal AM degree in their second year after they have passed the general examinations and fulfilled coursework requirements, except for elective courses. Archaeology PhD students may apply for the AM after passing eight half-courses. Social anthropology PhD students must pass the twelve required half-courses before applying for the AM.
The terminal AM in medical anthropology requires eight half-courses, including one term of the Proseminar (2650), an ethnography course, and three courses in medical anthropology. Only one course may be included that is outside of social anthropology.
A thesis is not required for the non-terminal AM degree in anthropology. However, a thesis is required for the AM in medical anthropology. The thesis must be read and accepted by two department members.
All courses taken for the AM must be passed with a minimum grade of B-. The overall grade average should be a minimum of B+.
Language requirements need not have been fulfilled for the AM degree.
A minimum of one year in residence is required for the AM degree.
For those who do not attain the PhD, a terminal AM degree may be awarded when appropriate.
Teaching
- Graduate students are expected to teach during their careers at Harvard.
- Normally, graduate students do not teach until after they have passed general examinations.
- First-time teaching fellows must participate in the Bok Center teaching orientations/ conferences.
- As a rule, only graduate students who have completed field work may apply to teach junior tutorials in social anthropology.
- Students in their third and fourth years have priority for teaching fellowship appointments.
Advising
- Upon admission, students are assigned a faculty advisor or advisors based upon compatibility of research interests. The advisor(s) appointed at the time of admission typically serve(s) on the student’s dissertation committee.
- The progress of each student will be assessed annually by faculty, and the results of this appraisal will be communicated to the student.
- Students may contact the graduate program administrator to address any questions and/or issues relating to the advising process.
ARCHAEOLOGY
In addition to primary advisor(s), students will also have an advisory committee, consisting of three archaeology faculty members including the primary advisor(s), for the first three to four semesters of the student’s academic career.
The student shall meet with his/her advisor(s) on a regular basis at minimal, the beginning of each term of residence before submission of the study card. The student shall also meet with his/her advisory committee at least once during each of the first two years of residence, generally before or during the first week of classes in the fall term.
SOCIAL ANTHROPOLOGY
First-year students are expected to schedule a meeting with their advisors at least once a term to discuss their progress and to develop a program of study. Students should see the DGS in the absence of faculty on leave; in such instances the DGS serves as the student’s acting advisor.
A new advisor may be appointed by the DGS, in consultation with the convener of the social anthropology program, on the initiative of either the student or the advisor at any time in the course of study. Subsequently, program faculty appoint dissertation committees in consultation with graduate students and their advisors. Dissertation committees consist of at least three members. Archaeology and social anthropology dissertation committees must include at least two members of the respective program. Students in both programs may include readers on their committees who are from other departments or universities, subject to faculty approval.
*See specific program sections below for additional information regarding the dissertation committee.
General Examinations
ARCHAEOLOGY
Near the end of the third term of graduate study there will be general examinations. These examinations will consist of written and oral components pertaining to important issues in world archaeology. The purpose of the general examinations is to assess the progress of a student and determine his/her general knowledge of current archaeological issues. Students deemed weak in specific areas or topics may be required to retake the examination and/or to take designated courses.
SOCIAL ANTHROPOLOGY
Social anthropology PhD candidates are required to take a written examination toward the end of their third term of study. A satisfactory performance on this examination is required of all candidates before they may continue their PhD work.
The Dissertation Prospectus
Approval of a dissertation prospectus, including any revisions, is expected by the end of the sixth term in residence; failure to gain approval of a prospectus by the end of the seventh term may be grounds for dismissal from the program.
ARCHAEOLOGY
Archaeology Dissertation Prospectus and Special Exam
A dissertation topic is developed in consultations among the student, the principal advisor, and other appropriate scholars. The dissertation prospectus consists of a proposal that describes the research on which the dissertation will be based. It should include a statement of the problem(s) and topic(s) to be addressed and should relate how the student intends to address them. The prospectus normally should be no longer than 20 double-spaced typewritten pages of text and should include relevant visual and bibliographic materials, as well as details on possible funding sources. With the approval of the student’s advisor, the prospectus may bewritten in the form of a proposal to the National Science Foundation dissertation improvement grant program.
The student is required to have developed and submitted the prospectus to each member of the examining committee at least two weeks before the prospectus defense. The examining committee shall consist of the student’s advisor(s) and at least two other faculty members, one of whom must be an archaeology program member, although any additional faculty member who wishes may participate in the examination.
Any application to a funding source outside of Harvard University for either field or other research funding for dissertation preparation must be approved by the student’s advisor(s). Following the special examination, a final dissertation prospectus must be prepared if the examining committee deems the preliminary dissertation prospectus inadequate. The final version of the prospectus should be circulated for comment and approval to the special examination committee or to the dissertation committee at least two weeks before being placed on file with the department’s graduate program administrator.
SOCIAL ANTHROPOLOGY
All candidates must, in consultation with their advisors, select a dissertation topic and describe their proposed doctoral research in a prospectus. The prospectus should 1) give a concise statement of the problem of the dissertation or of the hypotheses it proposes to test; 2) be situated in a scholarly understanding of the area; 3) provide a clear research design; 4) demonstrate familiarity with the appropriate research methods. The prospectus should be between twenty to thirty pages (bibliography not included). A final draft of the prospectus should be distributed to all committee members a minimum of two weeks before the prospectus defense. The prospectus will not be formally accepted until and unless all Human Subjects procedures have been formally initiated. The dissertation prospectus shall be presented no later than the end of the third year.
The Dissertation and Defense
All anthropology PhD candidates must pass a public PhD dissertation defense.
A complete draft of the dissertation must be received by all members of the dissertation committee at least one month before the dissertation defense, which must be passed at least one month before the dissertation is due at the Registrar’s Office. The candidate may have to advance this due date for readers outside the Boston area.
PhD dissertation manuscripts must conform to the requirements outlined in The Form of the PhD Dissertation.
Failure to meet deadlines for completion of the dissertation may constitute grounds for dismissal from the program. Students may apply for readmission to the graduate program through the Graduate School. Readmitted students may be required to retake the special examination in archaeology or the general examination in social anthropology.
ARCHAEOLOGY
The examining and dissertation committee will be composed of at least three members, two of whom must be archaeology program faculty members. The chair of the committee must be a member of the archaeology program faculty. Normally the special examination committee and the dissertation committee will be composed of the same individuals, although it may be appropriate that substitutions or additions be made. A complete draft of the dissertation must be received by all members of the dissertation committee at least three months before the approved dissertation is due at the Registrar’s Office and must be approved by that committee at least two months before the Registrar’s due date. A draft of the dissertation must be made available to other members of the department at least two weeks before the public defense. The text of the dissertation, exclusive of charts, figures, and appendices, ordinarily may not exceed 250 typewritten pages.
The dissertation defense ordinarily consists of 1) an assessment of the dissertation by the dissertation committee at least two months before the dissertation is due at the Registrar’s Office; 2) an oral presentation for a general audience, including other faculty members approximately one month before the Registrar’s due date, and 3) a private defense of the dissertation with the dissertation committee and other interested faculty members. After successful completion of the defense and after the incorporation of any required revisions, signatures of the committee members must be obtained on the dissertation acceptance certificate, which is submitted with the bound dissertation to the Registrar’s office.
A complete draft of the dissertation is expected to be submitted by the end of the sixth year of graduate study, and the dissertation must be approved by the end of the eighth year of graduate study or the student will be required to withdraw (see above).
SOCIAL ANTHROPOLOGY
The PhD dissertation should normally fall between 300 and 400 pages in length. Given that most reputable academic publishers will not consider unrevised dissertations for publication, students are encouraged to anticipate revision by aiming to stay at or below this optimal length. Any student expecting to defend a dissertation of more than 450 pages should petition for the prior agreement of the faculty, which will base its decision on the student’s research committee’s evaluation and other relevant information.
The dissertation committee will review the dissertation and decide when it is ready for defense. The PhD will be awarded when candidates pass the defense.
The public defense lasts approximately two hours. It begins with a short (fifteen to twenty minute) presentation by the candidate. Committee members then question the candidate. A more general discussion with other social anthropology faculty, graduate students, and other attendees follows.
Normally, a complete draft of the dissertation must be submitted within five years after entering the program (exclusive of the time required to complete fieldwork). Students entering their seventh year (exclusive of the time required to complete fieldwork) must submit a letter to the faculty requesting an extension of this time limit.