Anthropology, Thesis, MA

Location(s): WWU - Bellingham

Print Degree Planner (opens a new window) |

College of Humanities and Social Sciences

Graduate Faculty

Baloy, Natalie, PhD, settler colonialism and decolonization, white supremacy and antiracism, place-based pedagogies, ethics and research, borderlands, anthropology of North America, Salish Sea, Northwest Coast.
Brasil, Marianne, PhD, human origins, primate evolution, paleoanthropology, skeletal biology, human biological variation, digital paleontology.
Bruna, Sean, PhD, mixed method research, applied anthropology, medical anthropology, health policy, community-based participatory research (CBPR).
Ek Romero, Jerald, PhD, Political economy, human-environmental interactions, sustainability and resilience science, community-based participatory archaeology, indigenous-led archaeology, preindustrial urbanism, GIS applications, remote sensing, settlement survey, household archaeology, ceramic analysis, lithic analysis.
Fisher, Jae, PhD, economics/environmental anthropology, critical development studies, feminist political economy, postcolonial theories/methods; Latin America, Nicaragua.
Koetje, Todd A., PhD, archaeology, quantitative methods, spatial studies, method and theory, paleolithic Old World, paleoindian-archaic Northeast U.S.
Mihai, Mariangela, PhD, Indigenous borderlands, Transnational feminist, Indigenous, and LGBTQIA+ activism; Experimental feminist filmmaking, Multimodal ethnography, non-Postcolonial Indigenous epistemics/care practices, South/east Asian refugees/diasporas, Ethnic and religious minorities, Civil societies, citizenships, nationalisms.
Monson, Tesla, PhD, primate fossil record, skeletal and dental variation, life history, reproductive ecology, human evolution, Africa.
Pine, Judith, PhD, linguistic anthropology, literacy theory, indigenousness, globalization/borders, language maintenance/endangerment, upland peoples of SE Asia/SW China.
Weitz, Andrew, PhD, human-environmental interactions, climate change, ecology and evolution, forest ecophysiology, ecosystem services, stable isotope biogeochemistry.
Young, Kathleen, PhD, gender, religion, war and violence, death and dying, cross-cultural law.
Yu, Yeon Jung, PhD, social networks, medical anthropology, gender, migration/immigration, mixed methods, East Asia.

Director of Graduate Studies: Dr. Tesla Monson, Arntzen Hall 320, 360-650-4787, monsont2@wwu.edu

Goals

Provide structured training in academic core, appropriate specialization courses, and experience conducting independent research
Prepare students for a variety of professional careers utilizing anthropology (e.g. social services, international corporations, cultural resource management, forensics, public health)
Prepare students for PhD programs or other advanced degrees.

Prerequisites

Undergraduate major in anthropology or related field such as human biology, linguistics, public health, classical studies, history, women’s studies, sociology and other social sciences. Applicants with insufficient background in theory, quantitative or qualitative methods relevant to their field of study may be required to take undergraduate classes before entering the program. Applicants are directed to the current course requirements in the appropriate undergraduate anthropology major for an indication of the preparation expected.

Application Information

Deadline: Please see Graduate School deadlines. Preferred consideration for admission will be given to applicants who have complete files by February 1.

TA Deadline: Preferred consideration will be given to applicants who have complete files by February 1.

Program Requirements (45 credits)

❑ One course from the following: ANTH 501, ANTH 506, ANTH 525 or ANTH 547
❑ ANTH 502 - Theory in Anthropological Research Credits: 5
❑ ANTH 503 - Research Design and Method Credits: 5
❑ ANTH 585 - Essentials of Graduate Study in Anthropology Credits: 2
❑ ANTH 586 - Research Mentorship Credits: 1 (Minimum of 3 credits)
❑ ANTH 690 - Thesis Credits: 1-12 (3-12)
❑ Electives in specialization: Courses selected under advisement from 400 or 500 level courses in anthropology.

Course Electives:

ANTH 456 - Anthropology of War and Human Rights Credits: 4
ANTH 457 - The Anthropology of Death and Dying Credits: 5
ANTH 462 - Critical Issues in Indigenous Northwest Studies Credits: 5
ANTH 470 - Museology Studies Credits: 3-5
ANTH 473 - Field Course in Ethnography Credits: 5-12
ANTH 475 - Humane Migration Credits: 5
ANTH 484 - Intercultural Education Credits: 5
ANTH 501 - History of Anthropology Credits: 5
ANTH 506 - Archaeological Method and Theory Credits: 5
ANTH 510 - Applied Archaeological Analysis and Interpretation Credits: 5
ANTH 511 - Current Archaeological Research in Northwestern North America Credits: 5
ANTH 515 - Practicum in Archaeological Spatial Analysis Credits: 5
ANTH 520 - Human Osteology Credits: 5
ANTH 522 - Nutritional Anthropology Credits: 5
ANTH 524 - Applied Medical Anthropology Credits: 5
ANTH 525 - Primate Evolution Credits: 5
ANTH 526 - Human Genetics and Epigenetics for the 21st Century Credits: 5
ANTH 528 - Applied Cultural Resource Management Credits: 5
ANTH 547 - Semiotic Anthropology Credits: 5
ANTH 553 - Women of the Global South Credits: 5
ANTH 554 - Participatory Action Research Methods Credits: 5
ANTH 563 - Critical Issues in East and Southeast Asia Credits: 5
ANTH 565 - Peoples of Mexico & Central America Credits: 5
ANTH 571 - Field Work Methods in Cultural Anthropology Credits: 7
ANTH 572 - Visual Anthropology Credits: 5
ANTH 576 - Borderlands Credits: 5
ANTH 580 - Applied Anthropology Credits: 5
ANTH 581 - Childhood and Culture Credits: 5
NOTE: Three credits of ANTH 690 are required. Not more than 12 credits of 690 will apply toward the 45-credit requirement for the degree.
NOTE: No more than 10 credits of 400 level courses can be applied to the graduate degree. At least 35 credits must be from courses at the 500 or 600 (thesis) level.
Supporting Courses: Where appropriate to the student’s specialty interests, the candidate may elect up to 15 credits from a related discipline, under Anthropology Graduate Committee advisement (0-15).
Advancement to candidacy is granted upon successful completion of 15 credits.