Anthropology Research Practicum

Catalog description

This course will provide a structured and supervised research experience to first-year students in the anthropology graduate program, providing both 1) hands-on exposure to anthropological laboratory and/or analytical methods, and 2) related professional development preparation to benefit the students' ongoing graduate training and future research careers. Specifically, with the help of anthropology faculty, students will identify a suitable, rotation-type research experience that can be conducted reasonably over the course of the semester. Meanwhile, the classroom experience will involve discussions on the research-related topics most relevant to the students' level of training and development. Likely topics include the development of research questions and study designs, power calculations, tools and strategies for literature survey, research funding options and strategies, data management and archiving, publication formats and journal outlets (including preprint servers), the publication preparation/submission/review process, academic conferences and traditional and non-traditional networking opportunities (including the effective use of social media), effective structures for research presentations in both poster and podium formats, and scientific outreach opportunities. Students will also read papers relevant to their research interests, and update the class regularly on the progress, challenges, and learnings from their ongoing research experiences/projects.