Department of Anthropology
College of Letters & Science

Cultural Anthropology

Prerequisites for Admission

Admission to the Graduate Program in Cultural Anthropology is determined according to the rules and regulations of the Graduate School and by the Cultural Anthropology Faculty. Prospective students should apply for admission to the Graduate School Admissions Office in Madison and the Anthropology Department by December 1.

Cultural Anthropology Faculty: Camal, Enriquez, Lepowsky, Nesper, Ohnuki-Tierney, Wendland, Zhou

Requirements for the Master’s degree

All students need to develop a command of social theory and ethnography. They must become well-acquainted with the literature, concepts, problems, and issues of the discipline. To this end, we strongly urge students to take courses primarily in anthropology during their first year in the program (or longer if they enter the program without an anthropology major). The Anthro 860, Anthro 900 sequence is designed to give all first year students a grounding in the fundamentals of the discipline. In addition, students should work closely with their advisors to construct a course of study appropriate to their particular needs and interests.

  1. Minimum of 30 graduate credits in Anthropology.
  2. Passage of the Qualifying Examination at the Master’s or Ph.D. level.
  3. Anthropology 860, History of Anthropological Theory.
  4. Anthropology 900, Fundamentals of Anthropological Theory.
  5. At least one graduate seminar in addition to Anthro 860 and 900 in the Department of Anthropology. (No substitutions of 600 level courses are allowed, nor can Anthropology 909 be counted if continuing in Ph.D. program.)

Qualifying Examination

The qualifying exam will be administered once a year in January before the start of the spring semester. Typically, students will take the exam after the completion of their third semester. The exam will be a take-home, and students will have 2 weeks to answer two questions designed to examine their overall knowledge of anthropological theory. In creating the exam, the cultural faculty will provide students with 5-6 questions, from which they must choose and answer two. Some of the questions will focus on the history of anthropological theory, while others will focus on the application of anthropological theory to contemporary issues/topics. Each student must prepare his or her answers to these questions independently; no collaboration is permitted, nor may anyone other than the student him or herself edit the student’s answer (not even for language; the faculty will take into account a student’s language ability when evaluating the exams). In preparing their answers to the exam questions, students are limited to 10 pages (12 point font, double spaced) plus a bibliography (2 pp maximum) for each question.

The examination structure has been designed to ensure that students progress satisfactorily through the program. The Masters qualifying exam tests whether students in the program have attained a solid grounding in the theories and methods of the discipline.

The entire cultural section will evaluate the exams on the basis of their overall quality. Students will be awarded a pass at the Ph.D. level, a pass at the MA level, or a failure. Students who receive a PhD pass are authorized to continue on in the program. Students who receive an MA pass are eligible to receive an MA (see below), but will not be permitted to continue on in the PhD program. Students who fail the exam will not receive an MA degree, nor will they be permitted to continue on in the program. Students may elect to retake the qualifying exam once in accordance with Graduate School policy.

Students are urged to consult with advisors after the exam process for detailed comments on performance. Successful exam-takers should at this stage begin arranging an Advisory Committee.

Student Responsibilities in Cultural Section

  1. Attend department colloquia and lectures.
  2. Provide a minimum of two weeks notice to faculty for requests of letters of recommendations (include address and stamped envelopes as appropriate).
  3. Secure Institutional Review Board (IRB) approval as appropriate for research involving human subjects

Awarding of the MA Degree

Upon receipt of at least an MA pass on the qualifying exam and the completion of a sufficient number of course credits, the student will be awarded an MA degree.

Requirements for the PhD

  1. Completion of a minimum of 15 graduate credits beyond the 24 graduate credits required for a Master’s degree in Anthropology.
  2. Passage of the Qualifying Examination at the Ph.D. level.
  3. Satisfaction of all Master’s requirements (Master’s degree granted).
  4. Demonstration of competence in speaking and reading at least one non – English language appropriate to the candidate’s area of research.
  5. At least one graduate seminar above the 900 level in addition to Anthro 860 and 900 in the Department of Anthropology not including 909. Substitutions for 900 level courses can only be made by petition to the Cultural Section.
  6. Completion of Anthropology 909, Research Methods and Research Design in Cultural Anthropology. Anthropology 909 may be taken as a directed study when it is not offered as a course by the department, and it affects a student’s progress.
  7. Completion of at least one graduate seminar in addition to those required for the Masters degree and Anthropology 909.
  8. Completion of at least one course (300 level or higher) in another section of the Department of Anthropology.
  9. Approval of field statements and dissertation research proposal by the Preliminary Examination Committee.
  10. Dissertation defense successfully conducted within 5 years following passage of the Preliminary Examination.
  11. Exceptions to any of these requirements requires the approval of the Cultural Section Faculty.

Examinations and Core Curriculum

All students need to develop a command of social theory and ethnography. They must become well – acquainted with the literature, concepts, problems, and issues of the discipline. To this end, we strongly urge students to take courses primarily in anthropology during their first year in the program (or longer if they enter the program without an anthropology major). The Anthro 860, Anthro 900 sequence is designed to give all first year students a grounding in the fundamentals of the discipline. In addition, students should work closely with their advisors to construct a course of study appropriate to their particular needs and interests.

The examination structure has been designed to ensure that students progress satisfactorily through the program. The Masters qualifying exam tests whether students in the program have attained a solid grounding in the theories and methods of the discipline. The field statements are designed to ensure that students master the literature appropriate to their chosen research, and the preliminary exam ensures that they can design and carry out a viable research project.

Field Statements and Preliminary Examination for the Ph.D.

The Preliminary Exam Committee

At the end of their second year, students will put together a Preliminary Exam Committee. The committee consists minimally of three persons: the student’s advisor; one additional member of the Cultural section; and a third member who, at the student’s discretion, can be chosen from the Cultural section, another section of the Department of Anthropology, or from another department of the University. The job of the Exam Committee will be to aid with and approve the students’ field statements and bibliographies, to work with the student on the preparation of his or her research proposal, and to administer the Preliminary Exam.

The Field Statements

In consultation with the members of his or her exam committee, each student will prepare three field statements. Typically, one field statement will focus on the student’s region(s) of geographical specialization; the other two statement will cover theoretical or topical fields of the student’s own construction in collaboration with a faculty member (each of the student’s Prelim Committee members will be responsible for working with the student on one of the field statements). The field statements will be 15-20 page essays that define and justify the fields chosen and review the literature appropriate to the field. The student’s Exam committee must approve the field statements and accompanying bibliographies.

The Research Proposal

Students must also prepare a research proposal of approximately 20 pages, laying out their plans for dissertation fieldwork. Students are expected to work closely with their major professors and committee members in preparing the proposal.

The Preliminary Exam

The Preliminary Examination is the gateway to candidacy for the Ph.D. The student must submit copies of his/her research proposal and field statements to committee members at least 14 days before the exam. The Preliminary Exam consists of an oral defense of the research proposal and field statements. The exam evaluates whether the candidate has sufficient breadth and depth of preparation, evaluates the overall merit, methodology, and feasibility of the proposed dissertation project, and offers an occasion for feedback between the candidate and the committee. The Committee will grade the Preliminary Examination on a Pass/Fail basis. At the examiners’ discretion and recommendation, a failing student may be reexamined on the whole exam or on one or more specific sections.

Timing

It is anticipated that students will begin preparing their field statements near the end of their second year of graduate studies (though they should begin framing the fields and compiling references in consultation with their advisors from the time they enter the program). The bulk of the work preparing the field statements and bibliographies will be undertaken during the third year. The Preliminary Examination is normally taken by the end of the sixth semester. The date of the examination will be arranged at the mutual convenience of the student and the committee, with appropriate advance notice. Students intending to schedule the examination during the summer should ensure the availability of all committee members.

Course Credit for Field Statement and Exam Preparation

While preparing their field statements, students may enroll in Anthro 999 Independent Reading and Research for a total of 6 credits (typically 3 credits each semester of the third year). Exams should be held at the end of the third year or as the committee deems appropriate.

Student Responsibilities in Cultural Section

  1. Attend department colloquia and lectures.
  2. Provide a minimum of two weeks notice to faculty for requests of letters of recommendations (include address and stamped envelopes as appropriate).
  3. Secure Institutional Review Board (IRB) approval as appropriate for research involving human subjects.
  4. Submit advanced draft or finished dissertation to committee members at least one month prior to the date of the defense.

Human Subjects Protocol

All research conducted by graduate students – including preliminary research carried out in preparation for Preliminary examinations – requires human subjects review by the UW Institutional Review Board. It is absolutely essential that students obtain all necessary IRB clearances prior to undertaking any research. Students should work closely with their advisors to ensure that their research undergoes proper review.

Dissertation Defense Committee

The finished dissertation, or an advanced draft, will be defended orally before the Dissertation Defense Committee comprised of a minimum of five UW-Madison graduate faculty members. Of the members of the defense committee, at least one will be from another department, at least two will be on the Cultural Anthropology faculty, and at least three will be from the Anthropology Department. The advanced draft or finished dissertation should be distributed to committee members at least one month prior to the date of the defense.

Intersectional PhD Degree Requirements