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The Archaeology in Social Context PhD Track

 

              The “Archaeology and Social Context” PhD track began in 1998 in the Indiana University Anthropology department.  This unique track combines the subfields of socio-cultural anthropology and archaeology to train students to address the complex questions emerging in debates over archaeological resources among contemporary peoples.  Faculty and students associated with the PhD track have a wide variety of area and topical interest, but each is drawn to learning about and discussing various relevant contexts of the past.

              Students entering this program may major in either socio-cultural anthropology or archaeology, with the other subfield constituting their inside minor.  Course requirements (some examples of which are below) are structured to provide students with a general background in both socio-cultural anthropology and archaeology, including theoretical issues and methods.  Students are encouraged to develop individualized interest areas that may include topics such as cultural property, public archaeology, heritage management, archaeological ethics, and more.  This PhD track is supported by numerous faculty in the Anthropology department, as well as various other resources at Indiana University including the Mathers Museum of World Cultures, the Glenn Black Laboratory of Archaeology, the American Indian Studies Research Institute, and the Folklore, American Studies and other departments.

Program Description:

--from the 2005 Indiana University Department of Anthropology Graduate Guide

The Ph.D. track in Archaeology in the Social Context bridges the subfields of Social/Cultural Anthropology and Archaeology to address archaeological issues as they apply to contemporary peoples. Students pursuing this track are expected to follow a course of study that will provide them with a general background in the discipline of anthropology, a broad knowledge of the fields of Social/Cultural Anthropology and archaeology, including theoretical issues and field/laboratory methods. Students will be expected to develop individualized interest areas that may include, but are not limited to, cultural property, public archaeology, archaeological ethics, heritage management and repatriation. Instead of or in addition to your major subfield's requirements, the track's requirements are as follows:

Subfield and Inside Minor
Depending on the specific interests of the student, his/her major subfield will be either Archaeology or Social/Cultural, with other subfield constituting the inside minor.

Advisory Committee
 In the second year it is the student's responsibility to establish an Advisory Committee and meet with its members. The Advisory Committee will consist of four members, at least one of whom will be a member of the Archaeology and Social Context faculty. The members will include representatives from the major subfield, inside minor, and outside minor. An outside minor will be selected, in consultation with the advisory committee, preferably during the first year.

Course Requirements

  1. P509 Archaeological Ethics
  2. Issues in Archaeology and Social Context
  3. A minimum of 4 courses in the major subfield, one of which must be a methods course.
  4. A minimum of 3 courses in the inside minor subfield, one of which must be a methods course.
  5. A minimum of 3 courses in a culture areas, of which at least one should be concerned with the past of that area, and at least one with current issues. N.B. These courses may be double-counted, i.e., they may fulfill more than one requirement.
  6. At least one graduate level course in linguistic anthropology or bioanthropology.
  7. Outside minor Please see your outside minor advisor for their department's course requirements.

Recommended Course

  1. A408: Practicum or internship

Qualifying Examination
The Ph.D. qualifying examination will consist of the following:

  1. A written examination in archaeology and social context, prepared by the Advisory Committee. It will be approximately 4 hours in duration.
  2. A written examination composed by the advisor(s) in the major subfield, approximately 4 hours in duration.
  3. A written examination composed by the advisor(s) in the inside minor, approximately 4 hours in duration.
  4. An outside minor examination to be given by and at the discretion of the outside minor advisor.

Research Proposal and Research Committee
At least two weeks before the qualifying examination, the student will circulate a draft of his or her research proposal to the advisory committee. This draft will include a statement of the research problem, a literature review related to the problem, and the methodology to be employed.

As soon as it is practical after admission to Ph.D. candidacy, potential members of the research committee will be identified, and the candidate will offer a detailed research proposal to that group. Only after thorough discussion of the proposal, and general agreement, will the research committee be formally appointed. Please see the departmental guidelines for all four major subfields on research committees in this Guide and page 13 of the University Graduate School Bulletin for the university requirements on research committees. In addition to these requirements, please note that the research committee for students in this Track in Archaeology and Social Context will, minimally, be composed of a chair, two additional faculty representing the major subfield and the inside minor subfield, and a representative of the outside minor department.

Program Coordinator
One member of the core faculty will serve as the coordinator for the program on a yearly, rotational basis. The main responsibility of the program coordinator will be to ensure that committees meet with new students and that advanced students have their committees in place.

 

Recent Course Offerings:

From Dr. Paula Girshick

E600 Art and Commodity

E660 The Arts and Anthropology (a.k.a. Public Art: Monuments and Memorials)

E683 Exhibiting Cultures: Museums, Exhibitions, and World's Fairs

E600 Material Culture (team taught with Dr. Anne Pyburn)

From Dr. Anne Pyburn

P600 Archaeology of Gender

P301 Archaeological Methods and Analyses

P509 Archaeological Ethics

P600 Issues in Archaeology and Social Context (most recently focussed on Archaeological videos)

From Dr. Stacie King

P600 Archaeology of Identity

P600 Household Archaeology

From Dr. Laura Scheiber

P600 North American Prehistory through Fiction

P500 Proseminar in Archaeology

From Dr. April Sievert

P509 Archaeological Ethics

P240 Archaeology in the Movies (for undergraduates)

P600 Cultural Resource Management

P600 Historic Archaeology

 

**More Coming Soon...**