Doctorate in Anthropology
Based
on the premise that anthropology should play leading research and advocacy
roles in the human dimension of global change, the University of Georgia
has designed an innovative graduate program leading toward a Ph.D. specializing
in Ecological and Environmental Anthropology. Other environmental and ecological
sciences are simply not theoretically or methodologically equipped to understand
the culture-bearing human species with its complex behavioral patterning.
Beginning in 1988, the Department of Anthropology set out to build a first-class
ecological-environmental program; we added new faculty, new physical resources,
and aquired more funding. This growth continues, and the faculty is committed
to continually improving the quality of the program. Since 1988 we have
seen our students complete in good time (usually 5-6 years for the Ph.D.),
and then move into very competitive academic and professional positions
in Anthropology and related environmental fields.
What are the conditions that make the University of Georgia an ideal place to pursue graduate studies in ecological and environmental anthropology?
First, as a result of the long-term efforts of Eugene Odum ("Father of Modern Ecology") and scientists of the famed Institute of Ecology, UGA enjoys a reputation as one of the nation's foremost centers for ecological research and education. In addition, UGA is a Land Grant and Sea Grant Institution, which provides a rich interdisciplinary setting to study environmental issues in anthropology. Our graduate program is designed to give a great deal of flexibility to students who may wish to pursue allied certificate programs or projects in Ecology, Agriculture, Forestry, Environmental Ethics, Wildlife Management, Natural Resource Management, Historic Preservation, and Marine Sciences.
Second, Georgia offers a landscape of complex, interacting ecosystems (mountains, plains, coastal margins, wetland, dominant urban center-rural hinterlands) and a lifescape of diverse ethnic groups and social classes. The region was the location of a vigorous development of native chiefdoms after A.D. 1000, whose historical trajectories were drastically altered after Spanish exploration in the 1500s. These local conditions offer a superb laboratory for studying contemporary human-environment interactions as well as understanding long-term change.
Third, the Department of Anthropology is encouraging a new philosophy in anthropology. We believe that the distinction between basic and applied research and development should be abandoned. Therefore, graduate students will receive solid theoretical and methodological training but in the context of ongoing, on-the-ground interdisciplinary projects which address real-life problems. Our faculty are strongly committed to the value of systematic fieldwork and methodological, intellectual, and academic rigor in the pursuit of Anthropology. They are engaged in active projects through-out the world, including Mexico, the Pacific Islands, throughout South and Central America, South-East Asia, Nepal, East Africa, Western Europe as well as right here in Georgia.
Graduate study in anthropology at the University of Georgia is a demanding and highly competitive course of study. All student take four core courses in anthropological theory, foundations of ecological anthropology, population ecology, and evolution of human ecosystems in their first year. Beyond these requirements, students and their advisory committees select additional courses in anthropology and allied disciplines to form a program tailored to their needs.
Each year a limited number of departmental teaching assistantships, where students work 13 hours a week with faculty supporting instructional or research activities, are available on a competitive bases. Students awarded these assistantships find that they provide sufficient support to live (simply) in Athens. There is also support for incoming students through very competitive "university-wide assistantships", for which we nominate the very strongest program applicants. Our students are very successful in securing competitive and extensive external funding for their dissertation research, and we provide training in methods, research design, and proposal writing in support of this.
We encourage applicants to submit their paperwork as far in advance of the department's January 1st deadline as possible to make their application most competitive, because this gives enough time for the required letters of recommendation, transcripts, and so on to arrive and be processed. We normally screen applications starting mid-January, and inform students of the departmental decision in February. At any time you should feel welcome to check with the graduate secretary about the state of your application. We also strongly encourage applicants to make early contact with faculty members with whom they might like to work. While students do not select their faculty advisor more formally until the end of the first year, identifying a faculty member you would like to work with during the application process is advantageous. Please note, we do not currently offer an M.A. program.
If you are interested in applying or if you have questions about the Ph.D. degree program please feel free to contact us for further assistance using the contact info provided below:
Margie Floyd
Graduate Secretary
Department of Anthropology
250a Baldwin Hall, Jackson St.
University of Georgia
Athens, GA 30602-1619
Phone: (706) 542-3962
FAX: (706) 542-3998
Mail: mjfloyd@uga.edu
