Physical Anthropology Track

THE DOCTORAL PROGRAM IN PHYSICAL ANTHROPOLOGY

Applications from prospective students with a focus in physical anthropology will not be considered at this time.

The goal of the Ph.D. program physical anthropology is to train students how to approach and solve research problems in physical and biological anthropology. We achieve this aim by emphasizing research design, quantitative methods, and the ability to appraise and judge the literature. We also develop in students the ability to be self-confident and skillful in communicating research results and ultimately to function as independent creative anthropologists. Students work closely with faculty, postdoctoral fellows and other students to achieve these goals. The quality of our students is one of the major assets of the program. The intellectual and social atmosphere created by interactions among our students is as important as the instruction provided by the faculty.

All students are required to engage in independent research, which may involve our collection of osteological, cadaveric, and forensic material. Research is further facilitated by access to extensive collections of recent and fossil vertebrates at the California Academy of Sciences in San Francisco and the Museum of Vertebrate Zoology at UC Berkeley, which are ca. 60-80 min drive distant. The program also offers opportunities for fieldwork (see individual faculty pages), including research on the ecology of living primates and the paleontological faunas of Africa.

Students are required to take two theoretical foundation courses, two methodological foundation courses, two seminars, and one quantitative methods course. Other course work is arranged to suit the requirements and interests of the individual. In addition, students must attend departmental colloquia and pass a foreign language and comprehensive oral examination by the end of the third year. Laboratory rotations provide students with hands-on experience in a variety of approaches and methods. Rotations, though not required, are strongly encouraged. Rotations enable students to make informed decisions about the faculty mentor and the research area for their Ph.D. thesis. They also provide a vehicle to get to know and learn from several faculty members and their laboratory groups.

Established and run by graduate students, the Arch/Phys journal club provides an additional opportunity to critically read and discuss important papers in the field of physical and biological anthropology. The journal club meets once a week during the academic year. Faculty may be asked to suggest papers for the journal club that they believe represent an exciting new discovery or a classic demonstration of a central anthropological theory. Proceedings are less a presentation of results and more an informal discussion of the subtler points of the article, reliability of the techniques used, appropriateness of the conclusions reached by the authors, and broader impacts of the article. The strength and variety of backgrounds of the participating students allows for group collaboration in understanding the finer points of the articles being read. In this way, the journal club not only enhances scientific and intellectual growth, but also fosters a sense of community among the new and established students.

PH.D. REQUIREMENTS

In their first year, students take two foundational theory courses and must pass a review of their work. In addition to courses, they participate in the departmental colloquia and proseminars and work closely with their faculty advisor to develop their dissertation prospectus. Within the first two years of study, students will take at least: The third year requirements are: All courses outside the department must be approved by the advisor. After advancing to Ph.D. candidacy, students carry out a sustained laboratory or fieldwork project and are expected to complete their dissertations within a year of finishing this research.