Program Information for Prospective Students

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Introduction to the program The academic program: degree requirements Admissions Funding your degree Checklist for applicants

Introduction to the Program:

Founded in 1988, the Doctoral Program in Anthropology and History at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor offers unique opportunities for students to develop studies and research amidst the productive dialogues that have engaged the disciplines of anthropology and history. One of the first joint doctoral degree programs institutionalizing interdisciplinary dialogues, the Doctoral Program encourages students to examine how human societies and their interconnections may be analyzed through a wide variety of research techniques and analytical approaches, including fieldwork, archival research, literary analysis, and performance studies. Program students often join interests in experimental research design with interests in political engagement, public history, and applied anthropology. In developing their course work and in forming their preliminary and dissertation committees, students in the Doctoral Program draw on the expertise of faculty in anthropology, history, and other disciplines covering most areas of the world and time periods, from classical antiquity to the present. Through rigorous training and innovative research projects, students are prepared to enrich research and instruction in the disciplines of anthropology and history as well as to contribute to the strengthening of interdisciplinary scholarship in the humanities, social sciences, and international studies more generally. The Doctoral Program is a small program and a highly selective one. The recruitment process brings together a small group of outstanding students from the United States and abroad to participate in the intellectual life at the University of Michigan. The small size of the program makes close interaction among students and faculty the norm rather than the exception; and the

Program encourages varieties of exchanges across different cohorts (or "generations") of students and alumni of the Doctoral Program through student-organized conferences, a bi-weekly Program workshop, a student-run on-line discussion group, and reading groups. Students and faculty further benefit from the diverse intellectual atmosphere at the University of Michigan: including the International Institute and its constituent area studies centers providing talks and other activities focused on every geographic area of the world, the Institute for the Humanities, the Institute for Research on Women and Gender, and the Institute for Historical Studies. In addition there are many interdisciplinary area centers and programs. The Program encourages Program students to explore the web sites of the university and the Rackham Graduate School to learn more about the intellectual environment and resources available should you choose to pursue a graduate career in our program. Students may apply for admittance into the Doctoral Program in Anthropology and History at three stages in their intellectual careers. They may apply when they begin graduate work, after previous enrollment (generally one year) in another department or program at the University of Michigan, or after completing a master's degree or preliminary studies at another university. All Program students have opportunities to do graduate instruction; in some cases advanced Program students develop and offer their own courses. The Program strives to provide multi-year funding support for all admitted Program students, and contributes funds to support summer research and specialized training for Program students in the pre-dissertation stage. Return to beginning

The Academic Program: Degree Requirements

Working in an Interdisciplinary Context The Doctoral Program in Anthropology and History includes almost forty faculty associates from History and Anthropology as well as anthropologists and historians employed in other departments, including Asian Languages and Literature, Comparative Literature, Near Eastern Studies, Women's Studies, the Center for African and African-American Studies, as well as the professional schools. The Program builds on, and contributes uniquely to, a strong tradition of interdisciplinarity at the University of Michigan. The University supports and encourages interdisciplinary work in all areas of its intellectual life, providing grants to Program faculty and students to develop working groups, conference programs, and lectures that bring people and ideas together from across the disciplines. Graduate seminars in the two core departments attract a cross-section of students from a wide range of other departments. The Program's own year-long signature course, the Core Seminar in Anthropology and History, runs from January through December, encompasses a reading portion in the first segment and a research seminar in the second. A required course for students in the Program, the Core Seminar attracts graduate students from other departments who are admitted by permission of the instructors.

The Program also offers an interdepartmental undergraduate course: Introduction to Anthropology and History. As well, faculty associated with the Program, including visiting faculty and post-doctoral teaching fellows, develop and offer other undergraduate courses that thicken the Program's ongoing support of critical interdisciplinary dialogue. Although all students in the program take a core set of classes together with students in the two departments, they combine the basic elements of their graduate training in a wide range of creative and innovative ways. Their research covers all geographical areas of the world and a variety of topical interests. In addition, each combines the disciplines of history and anthropology in unique ways. Some lean towards archaeology while others favor oral history. Some use anthropology to enrich their interpretations of archival sources. Others use archival research to add depth to extensive ethnographic research. Below are some of the formal requirements of the program that facilitate this easy movement between the disciplines of anthropology and history. More detailed information on the degree requirements can be obtained from the Program Student Handbook or from the Program Graduate Student Assistant. Students are expected to fulfill all requirements (coursework, languages, and prelims) and to move into the dissertation research stage of their studies by the end of the third year. Coursework The program requires courses in anthropology and in history, and courses in the Doctoral Program in Anthropology and History. Students must take the two core ethnology classes that all ethnology students take, Anthropology 526 and 527 (Traditions I and II), which provide an overview of theoretical approaches in cultural anthropology. They also must take one core course from any of the other three sub-disciplines of anthropology (archaeology, linguistic anthropology, or biological anthropology). Program students take History 615 (An Introduction to History: Theories and Methods) and one 700-level history seminar that requires a term paper based on original research with primary source materials. Students in the program also take the required year-long Core Seminar in Anthropology and History, beginning in the second term of their graduate program, as well as participating in the Programs regular workshops and reading groups. Languages Students must demonstrate basic proficiency in at least two languages with a scholarly literature, besides English. In some cases exceptions are granted to permit languages with strong oral traditions. Students are expected to fulfill at least one of the language requirements during their first year in the program. They should complete both in the first two years of study. Preliminary exams Prelims should be taken by the end of the students' third year in the program. Students prepare four fields: ethnology plus three fields that are bi-disciplinary. Students may "course off" one

fields, i.e. they may fulfill that requirement without an exam by taking six credits (or more) of course-work. Students take two written exams and one oral exam to test the other fields. These exams test critical knowledge of the key theoretical approaches, methodological issues, and research orientations in the fields chosen. Dissertation Each student must present a dissertation prospectus at an early stage of his or her dissertation research, preferably within three months of completing the preliminary exams. This is an opportunity to receive faculty feedback and discussion on the proposed research before the student has invested a great deal of time in the dissertation. Students are strongly encouraged to do pre-dissertation research during one or two summers prior to completing their preliminary exams. University and Program resources are available to support such pre-dissertation research activities.. The Ph.D. requirements are completed with a dissertation based on individual, original research and write-up approved by the student's dissertation committee. Return to beginning

Admissions Review Process and Criteria for Admission

The Doctoral Program in Anthropology and History only accepts applications from students intending to complete the Ph.D. We accept applications each year for admission in the fall semester. The deadline for receipt of all application materials for the 2011-12 academic year is December 1, 2010. The application form is available online. The Executive Committee of the program and appropriate faculty of both the Departments of Anthropology and History evaluate applications. Applications are evaluated on the following criteria: Prior academic record and training, including areas of strength and trends in scholastic performance GRE scores Quality of proposed research interests Background and ability to carry out the proposed course of study Quality of scholarship and writing evidenced in the writing sample The ability of the Program and associated faculty to help the student develop intellectually in his or her proposed areas of study

Letters of Recommendation Return to beginning

Application Procedures
Application: Applicants applying from outside the University of Michigan must submit the Online application and the supporting documentation listed below: Students currently enrolled in a Rackham Graduate School program at the University of Michigan should consult the Rackham Graduate School website for admission application instructions. In addition, all applicants must submit the supporting documents listed below: Academic Statement: Your application must include an academic statement of purpose that outlines your intellectual interests and background. This essay should explain your interest in an interdepartmental program and in the University of Michigan's Doctoral Program in Anthropology and History. This portion of your application is extremely important and you should take particular care in its preparation. Academic Statement Cover Sheet: the Academic Statement Cover Sheet helps graduate staff to ensure that the appropriate faculty members will be able to read and evaluate your file. The Academic Statement Cover Sheet is now included in the on-line application (page 4) . Please be sure to complete the Academic Cover Sheet and upload your academic statement as the application directs. *If you are not submiting an online application please provide us with the information listed on the form. You may send this information to us by email to dianad@umich.edu Writing Sample: The Doctoral Program in Anthropology and History also requests a writing sample in addition to your statement of purpose. This may be a paper you wrote for a seminar or a portion of a senior thesis. Faculty reading the applications consider the writing sample, like the essay, very seriously. Degree Transcripts: One copy of the degree transcripts should be sent directly to the Program and one copy of the degree transcripts should be sent to the Graduate School. GRE Scores: GRE scores are required of United States Citizens, Permanent Residents, Canadian Citizens and applicants who have earned a degree at an institution at which English is the primary language of instruction. GRE scores should be sent directly to the Program. (please request that the Education Testing Service send the GRE scores to the University of Michigan

institution code 1839 - Department Code 2799. Information about the locations and dates of the administration of the GRE is available by calling 1-800-GRE-CALL , or on the Education Testing Service (ETS) website: http://www.gre.org. Letters of Recommendation: Letters of recommendation should be sent directly to the Program (or submitted as part of the online application) * Letters of recommendation for students currently enrolled in a Rackham Graduate School program at the University of Michigan should include two letters from University of Michigan Faculty, preferably one from Anthropology and one from History. Return to beginning

Funding Your Graduate Education

There are a limited number of highly competitive fellowships for first-year students. You should also pursue funding possibilities outside the University of Michigan. More information can be obtained from the Fellowship and Recruitment office at Rackham on their web site: http://www.rackham.umich.edu/Fellowships/ You should also contact the Office of Financial Aid and the International Institute at the University of Michigan. The following are a few suggestions and possibilities for funding that have been used by program students in the past.

University Fellowships for Entering Students There are a few University of Michigan fellowships for which the Program can nominate students. Students should apply for other, external, fellowships on their own initiative. With the exception of the F.L.A.S. Fellowship, all program applicants are considered for the University of Michigan fellowships listed below. No separate application for funding is necessary. Regents' Fellowships The School of Literature, Science and Arts and the Horace H. Rackham School of Graduate Studies awards the Regents' Fellowships through competitions based on Program and Departmental nomination of students who have applied for admission. These are multi-year awards that provide three to five years of funding for incoming graduate students through a combination of fellowship and teaching assistantship. The Regents' fellowship provides a stipend of approximately $16,000 per year plus tuition and health insurance. Rackham Merit Fellowships These fellowships also provide a multi-year package of support that combines fellowship and teaching appointments for under-represented minority students. Rackham Merit Fellowships are

awarded through competitions based on Program and Departmental nomination. Only United States citizens or permanent residents are eligible for this award. Rackham Non-Traditional Fellowships These fellowships are awarded to entering students who are Michigan residents and have been away from full-time academic pursuits for at least five years. The award is in the amount of $16,800 to be used as a stipend or towards tuition, as well as GradCare health insurance coverage during the fellowship tenure. This fellowship application requires a statement addressing the reasons for the interruption in studies, academic and professional interests, motivation for and ability to return to school, and explanation of how the student's situation fits with the intent of the fellowship. Please notify the program at the time of application for admission if you wish to be considered for this fellowship. FLAS The Foreign Language Area Studies (FLAS) Fellowships are competitive fellowships, funded through the Title VI program of the U.S. Department of Education. They are available to current and entering University graduate and professional school students. An academic year FLAS provides for full tuition, fees and a stipend. These awards are generally incorporated into multiyear packages of support with teaching appointments through the Departments of Anthropology and History to cover the second and third years of study. Students apply directly to the Area Studies Centers for the FLAS and must notify the program of their application. Follow this link to the home page of the International Institute at the University of Michigan to find the Area Centers: http://www.umich.edu/~iinet/ Return to beginning Funding for Continuing Students Funding for Coursework There are a number of sources of funding for continuing students. Resources regarding these can be obtained in the Program office, Rackham, and from other sources such as the web sites mentioned above. Summer research and language training Generous support for summer research and language training is available and the program expects that students will take advantage of these opportunities. These include the AnthroHistory Program Block Grant, funding from the Rackham Graduate School, and the Area Studies Centers. Dissertation research

Students are expected to obtain external grants to cover the cost of their fieldwork. There are a number of sources for such funding and students in the past have had no problem obtaining sufficient funds to carry out major research projects. Writing the dissertation There are a number of grants and fellowships available to write the dissertation after research has been completed. Many of these are external and students should apply for these. Internal, University, sources of funding include the Rackham Pre-doctoral fellowship, the Michigan Society of Fellows, and the Institute for the Humanities. Return to beginning

Checklist of application materials

Please check your application against this sheet and include it in your application. CheckList Items that should be mailed to the Doctoral Program in Anthropology and History ___ One official degree transcript The following items may also be sent to the Doctoral Program in Anthropology and History, but only if not included in the online application: ___ Statement of Purpose (only if not included in the online application) ___ Three letters of recommendation (only if not submitted online) ___ Writing Sample(only if not included in the online application) ___ GRE / TOEFL / MELAB Scores as required (only if not sent to the UM electronically) Item that should be mailed to the Rackham Graduate School ___ One official degree transcript Please use the following addresses when mailing to the two locations: Doctoral Program in Anthropology and History University of Michigan 435 S. State Street - 1029 Tisch Hall Ann Arbor, MI 48109-1003 Fax: (734) 647-4881

Horace H. Rackham School of Graduate Studies University of Michigan 915 E. Washington Street - Mail Room Ann Arbor, MI 48109-1070 Return to beginning of this document Go to Rackham's Admissions page and application Return home

Contact Program Office

http://www.lsa.umich.edu/history/idpah/ http://www.ii.umich.edu/ii/fellowshipsandgrants/graduate http://www.lsa.umich.edu/history/idpah/