1 GRADUATE COUNCIL MEETING 9 May 2012 102 Kern Graduate ...

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Consultation with the Department of Anthropology
Dear Dr. Logan,
It is good to hear that the PhD Dual Degree option is moving forward in African Studies.
With regard to Anthropology (ANTH), there are three courses specified in your proposal.
One will have to be deleted: ANTH 447. That course (Peoples and Cultures of Africa) was
dropped from the list of courses last Fall Semester because it hasn't been taught since Fall
1997 (the faculty members who taught the course are no longer around). The other two
courses -- ANTH 556 and 575 -- are taught regularly, although as we move downstream not
necessarily every year.
I should say at the outset that, practically speaking, involvement with Anthropology will
likely be minimal in the foreseeable future. That is because we unfortunately don't have an
Africanist on staff right now, and because of the small size of our Cultural program there
won't be many Cultural Anthropology graduate students who would be available to take
advantage of the dual degree. The overwhelming majority of our current graduate students
are either in the Archaeology or Biological Anthropology subfields. While the occasional
student in these two subfields might have reason to seek a dual degree, that won't be a
regular occurrence given the existing topical and geographical areas of specialization in the
department at present. I'm only saying this so you have a realistic appraisal of the likely
level of substantive involvement in the near future.
I hasten to add, however, that courses such as ANTH 556 and 575 cover topics of
importance to your proposed program, even though they do not focus specifically on the
societies of Sub-Saharan Africa. We also have some museum holdings that might be of
interest to the African Studies program (mainly of exhibit, not research, significance for that
geographical area).
Having just returned from South Africa where I co-taught a week-long short course (in the
Anatomy Department at Pretoria), I couldn't help but notice the heavy South African
representation in the dual degree proposal (Institutional Collaboration). That was my first
time in Sub-Saharan Africa, and it was a thoroughly enjoyable and productive experience.
If I can be of further help, please let me know.
Regards,
George
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