Maxwell School of Syracuse University

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Anthropology at Syracuse University is oriented primarily toward sociocultural studies, applied anthropology, and historical archaeology, with emphases on applied and interpretative research. As a department within the Maxwell School, the graduate anthropology program offers dual-degree tracks that include public affairs or public policy.

Department strengths include language and power, religious systems, medical anthropology, the social use of terrestrial space, local-level globalization, culture change, indigenous environmentalism, and social movements. Interdisciplinary ties within the Maxwell School, with the State University of New York (SUNY) College of Environmental Science and Forestry, and with SUNY Upstate Medical University enhance offerings in environmental topics, historical preservation, policy planning, international relations, and health-related subjects.

Graduate study at Maxwell in historical archaeology is one of the leading programs of its kind in the country. The program combines the theory and techniques of anthropological archaeology with the use of documentary sources and oral history. A particularly strong aspect of this program deals with the African diaspora. The Maxwell setting provides access to interdisciplinary issues of historical archaeology, such as environmental topics, historical preservation, and policy planning.

Reflecting current anthropological theory, the department makes continuous efforts to link anthropology with the other social sciences and with the humanities. Some anthropology graduate students take courses in feminist philosophy or theories of development. Others draw on history, English and textual studies, cultural geography, or international relations to explore such themes as colonialism or gender. Students with environmental interests take courses in social forestry and environmental communications offered by the State University of New York College of Environmental Science and Forestry. SUNY Upstate Medical University and a consortium of local educational institutions provide resources in health-related issues. Many anthropology students also receive certificates in women’s studies, South Asian studies, or conflict resolution.

Anthropology is primarily a Ph.D. program. The master’s degree is earned as a step toward a doctorate. The M.A. requires 30 credits, successful completion of qualifying examinations, and a master’s paper. A relevant methods class and a language other than English are also required.

The Ph.D. requires 72 credits beyond the bachelor’s degree or 42 credits beyond the master’s, qualifying examinations, successful defense of the dissertation proposal, and the dissertation. In addition to the M.A. tool requirements, candidates must also exhibit proficiency in a second foreign language or possess significant computer or linguistic skills. An undergraduate major in anthropology is not required. Prospective students are encouraged to augment the personal statement in the University application with a statement of academic and research interests and a sample of recent work.

Most graduate students are funded by teaching assistantships and fellowships. The Claudia De Lys Scholarship provides funding for field research for doctoral candidates. U.S. students interested in studying South Asia are eligible for National Resource fellowships. Historical archaeology students are eligible for internships and assistantships associated with public policy and historical preservation research. The anthropology department offers a course in grant writing, and many graduate students secure funding for their fieldwork and research.

Each fall, 8 to 10 new students join the 50 already enrolled in the department. Anthropology graduate students comprise a multi-ethnic, international community, and more than half the students are women. The program is large enough to provide focused breadth, yet small enough to allow faculty members to work closely with and mentor graduate students.

The department office is housed in Maxwell Hall. Graduate students are assigned study carrels in the adjoining Eggers Hall. Also located in Maxwell Hall are the laboratories of the SU Archaeological Research Center. Archaeology students have opportunities to participate in ongoing field research in the U.S. Virgin Islands, West Africa, and the northeastern United States. Students enrolled in the annual summer archaeology field training school currently conduct research on St. John in the U.S. Virgin Islands.

The anthropology department participates in the University-wide Future Professoriate Project, which trains graduate students for college teaching. Graduates in anthropology are prepared for academic careers and for professional work in international, governmental, and voluntary agencies in the United States and abroad.

Selected Student Research Topics

Aboriginal rights, land tenure, and natural resource issues among the Cree in James Bay
The archaeology of African-European interactions in Ghana
Guatemalan refugees and health in the Mexican Yucatan
Teenage sexuality and AIDS in India
Demographic aspects of Barbadian plantation slaves

Anthropology contact:

William F. Kelleher, Jr.
Graduate Director
Department of Anthropology
209 Maxwell Hall
Syracuse University
Syracuse NY 13244-1090 USA

Telephone 315-443-2200
Fax 315-443-4860
E-mail krashley@maxwell.syr.edu

This page current as of: April 27, 2007