Requirements for the Major

MAJOR REQUIRMENTS Eleven courses are required for the major, including: ANTH V 1002 The Interpretation of Culture and one of the following introductory classes: ANTH V 1007 The Origins of Human Society ANTH V 1008 The Rise of Civilization ANTH V 1009 Introduction to Language and Culture EEEB V 1010 The Human Species: Its Place in Nature plus: ANTH V 3040 Anthropological Theory I ANTH V 3041 Anthropological Theory II plus: BC 3871 Senior Thesis Seminar I BC 3872 Senior Thesis Seminar II and: Five electives in the major, only one of which may be a further introductory class. Three electives must be 3000 level or higher and must be taken at Barnard or Columbia.

FORMER Major requirements (for those enrolled in the major before June 2009) Ten courses are required for the major, including: ANTH V 1002 The Interpretation of Culture and two of the following: ANTH V 1007 The Origins of Human Society ANTH V 1008 The Rise of Civilization ANTH V 1009 Introduction to Language and Culture EEEB V 1010 The Human Species: Its Place in Nature plus: ANTH V 3040 Anthropological Theory I ANTH V 3041 Anthropological Theory II plus: BC 3871 Senior Seminar I BC 3872 Senior Thesis Seminar II and: three electives within the major.

Double and Joint Majors
Students doing a double of joint major must enroll for at least one seminar of BC3871 or BC3872

Requirements for the Minor
The minor consists of five courses: ANTH 1002; One of the following, ANTH 1007, 1008, 1009, or EEEB 1010; plus three other courses in the major selected in consultation with you advisor.

How Do I...?

Declare a major or minor?
Declare a Double, Combined or Special Major?
Receive Course Approval for Summer School?
Receive Advanced Placement Credit?
Receive Credit for an Internship?
Do An Independent Study?
Receive Funds for Senior Thesis Research?
Obtain GER designation for a course?
Gain human subjects (RASCAL) permission?
Receive Study Abroad Approval?

Declare a major or minor?

The Major
You may declare a major during or after the second semester of your sophomore. Obtain a "Major Declaration Form" from the Registrar's Office and meet with the anthropology professor you know or with the department chair. File one copy of the form with K'hia Fulton, the Department Assistant in 411H Milbank Hall and the original with the Registrar.

The Minor
You declare a minor in anthropology once you have completed five courses within the major. Obtain a "Minor Declaration Form" from the Registrar's Office and have this signed by the department chair. File one copy of the form with Khia Fulton, the Department Assistant in 411H Milbank Hall and the original with the Registrar.

Declare a Double, Combined or Special Major?

Under construction

Receive Course Approval for Summer School?

Meet with your advisor to discuss the course and, if possible, provide a course description and reading list. When the course is completed fill out the course approval request form, and provide a copy of the syllabus and other course requirements to your advisor. It is only after this has been submitted that course approval will be assessed. Approval is at the discretion of the department. Courses that do not meet Barnard standards for workload or intellectual rigor will not be granted major or minor credit.

Receive Study Abroad Approval?

You can receive departmental credit for a maximum of two courses taken abroad, out of the total of ten courses required for the major, or one course taken abroad out of five courses required for the minor.

Only one course taken abroad may be used for the colloquium requirement, and only if it is a small course (fewer than twenty students) and if a research paper is the major part of the grade. This requires the approval in writing of the chair of department, and is granted when you return from study abroad and provide a copy of the paper and the course syllabus for departmental review.

Before going abroad you must fill out the Dean of Studies' Study Leave Course Approval Form (online, in PDF), listing the courses you plan to take. Please see the chair of department and provide course descriptions from the program or college catalog. This pre-approval does not guarantee you course credit from the department toward the major or minor. At the discretion of the department, courses that do not meet Barnard standards for workload or intellectual rigor will not be granted major or minor credit. (If in doubt, while you are abroad, you can fax or e-mail reading lists at the beginning of the term to the chair of the department.)

In addition to the guidelines below, visit the Dean of Studies' site for more Study Abroad information

Receive Advanced Placement Credit?

Under Construction

Receive Credit for an Internship?

Barnard does not award academic credit for internships per se. However, you may use an internship experience in an independent study project sponsored by the department and receive credit for the academic work involved in the project. Online instructions about the independent study are available.

Do An Independent Study?

Students who wish to do an independent study project should speak to a full-time Barnard Anthropology faculty member willing to serve as sponsor, then fill out a "Request for Approval of Credit for Independent Study" (see link below) and obtain signatures from the sponsor and chair of the department. File the form with the Committee on Programs and Academic Standing, which must approve all requests. (Note that no credit is given for an internship or job experience per se, but credit is given for an academic research paper written in conjunction with an internship, subject to procedures outlined above.) Students must consult with the sponsor in advance of filing as to workload and points of credit.

A project approved for three or four points counts as a course for the purpose of the ten-course major or five-course minor requirement. No more than two such three or four-point projects may be used for the major, and no more than one for the minor. An independent study project may not be used to satisfy either the colloquium or senior seminar requirements.

Each instructor is limited to sponsoring one independent study project per semester.

The Registrar will assign a section and call number unique to the faculty sponsor. The Request for Approval of Credit for Independent Study is available (in PDF) from the Registrar's web site.

Receive Funds for Senior Thesis Research?

Fieldwork Research Grant in Anthropology
The Department of Anthropology awards funds for senior thesis research to be carried out in the summer between the junior and senior year. Students who wish to apply should develop ideas with their major advisor. The application procedure can be downloaded here. Funds for Senior thesis Research Applications are due April 12 2010.

Stigler Grant for Archaeological Fieldwork
All full-time undergrad and grad students at CC, BC, and GS are eligible to apply, excepting students who will graduate before their field season. Preference will be given to students majoring in Archaeology and Anthropology. Awards typically run about $300-$1,000, for 8-10 students. For information about how to apply, contact Prof. Boyd or Prof. D'Altroy http://www.columbia.edu/cu/archaeology/pdf-files/stigler.pdf

Tow Foundation Travel Fellowship
Barnard rising seniors seeking funding for travel expenses related to research for their senior essay should contact Dean James Runsdorf (also at 212-854-2024) in the fall of junior year about the Tow Travel Fellowship. Candidates must apply to the Committee on Honors (CoH) before March 1st of the junior year to request support for travel that will take place during the summer between the junior and senior years. Starting in 2002 the Tow Foundation has donated $25,000 each year to support senior research-related travel. Individual awards have ranged between $1,000 and $3,500.
Recipients.

Lucyle Hook Travel Grants
The Lucyle Hook Travel Grants are awarded by the Committee on Honors to promising Barnard rising or current seniors with enriching, eclectic senior projects who demonstrate originality and self-direction. Students seeking funding for travel and other research expenses related to their senior essay project can apply to the CoH for this grant. Expenses may be incurred during the summer prior to the senior year as well as during the senior year, i.e. the rising or current senior may apply in November for either the previous or the following summer. The applicant should submit a full description of her essay with a detailed estimate of expenses, along with a letter of recommendation from her (prospective) senior essay advisor, to the attention of Dean Karen Blank. The nomination deadline usually is around November 10. About $1,500 is available each year, with most grants in the $100-$300 range.

Obtain GER designation for a course?

Guidelines for Submitting Courses for GER Designation:

The Barnard Committee on Instruction considers designation requests for courses. All requests must be made by Department or Program Chairs. Students who wish to request designations for courses must submit their requests to the appropriate department. The Department Chair will determine if the request should be pursued with the Committee on Instruction. In preparing a request for designation, please keep in mind that not every course will be approved for a designation.

Instructions for Submitting Courses for GER Designation:
- In addition to a brief rationale, attach a copy of the current, or most recent, syllabus. If a course is to be considered for more than one category, please submit recent exams and/or comparable assignments as well as the syllabus.
- Department Chairs should submit course designation requests for any of the GER categories to Flora Davidson in 110 Milbank.

Before submitting a course(s) for GER designation, please note the following:
- GER designated courses should be the "bread and butter courses" suited primarily for a general education audience, and first-year students in particular.
- Most GER courses should not have a prerequisite. Graduate courses and, in most cases, upper-level courses with prerequisites are not eligible. Intermediate and upper level courses intended primarily for majors should not be submitted, unless a non-obvious category is requested, e.g. an English course for Cultures in Comparison, a Psychology course for Social Analysis, or a History course for Reason and Value.
- Be aware that not all courses offered in literature or comparative literature automatically qualify for the Literature requirement. Eligible courses must clearly emphasize literary texts, methods, and theory.
- The designation requested should reflect the primary focus of the course. The COI expects that a single course will typically fulfill one or possibly two GER categories. In exceptional cases, a course may fulfill a third category if a convincing rationale is presented to the COI.
- If more than one category is being considered for a single course, please ask: if this is the only course that a student takes in this area, will the aims of the requirement be well served?
- In some cases, the COI may need to request more information on the approach and methodology of a particular course before it can make a decision on designation for the GER.

Feel free to contact Flora Davidson with any questions at fdavidson@barnard.edu or X46181.

Gain human subjects (RASCAL) permission?

(Required for all senior thesis students)
Students wishing to conduct any sort of ethnographic research involving people must fill out an on-line human subjects test.. This is available through the Columbia University IRB via the RASCAL electronic grants management system.
Once at the RASCAL web site go to the log in section. Where it says "Select Module" click on the drop down menu and select "Training Center" then enter your uni and password and log on.
Once you have logged on click on the "Course Listings" and then click on "TC0015 Morningside Human Subjects Training Course". Instructions on the menu bar at the left tell you how to take the course.

Click here to see Word document of RASCAL guidelines