The PhD Program in Anthropology

Program Overview

The PhD in Anthropology designed to be five years in duration.

Candidates must successfully complete six primary tasks: (a) required courses; (b) second language competency; (c) three comprehensive exams; (d) defence of a thesis research proposal; (e) fieldwork; and (f) PhD thesis.

(a) Coursework

Graduate-level courses in anthropology are taught as seminars, rarely exceeding ten students. This provides ample opportunity for faculty-student interaction. They are meant to broaden and deepen the candidates knowledge of the discipline and to assist them in beginning to focus on their thesis research. Depending on one level of background preparation, full-time PhD students are normally required to complete between two and four courses during the first two semesters of the program.

(b) Second Language Exam

It is expected that students will pass a reading comprehension exam before the end of their second year, which demonstrates that they have a working knowledge of a second language in which there is a substantial body of literature in Social and/or Cultural Anthropology. The successful completion of an approved university level course in a second language may be taken as a substitute for the reading comprehension exam.

Comprehensive exams normally include anthropological theory; the student's regional specialization; and the student's topical specialization. Students are assigned a reading list three months prior to the commencement of the exam. They are then given the exam question and have one week to prepare their answers. Normally the three comprehensive exams are completed before the end of the second year of the program, but some students who have wanted to start field work earlier have chosen to complete one of the three exams during the winter semester of the first year of their program.

(d) Thesis Research Proposal

Two months after the completion of the comprehensive exams, students must submit a research proposal to the supervisory committee for approval.

The objectives of the thesis proposal are several: to present and justify the selection of a thesis topic; to demonstrate the candidate's familiarity with relevant bodies of literature; to discuss the theoretical, methodological and ethical implications of data collection; and to outline a research schedule and budgetary considerations.

Once the proposal has been approved by the supervisor and thesis committee, a copy of the proposal is submitted to the Head of the Department of Anthropology.

Students must obtain written approval from the university's Interdisciplinary Committee on Ethics in Human Research (ICEHR) before their research commences.

(e) Fieldwork

During the third and/or fourth years of the program, students are expected to carry out an extended period of ethnographic fieldwork. It is also expected that some part of this period will also be spent carrying out additional library and archival research in support of the project.

The fieldwork process provides an opportunity for the student to develop professional research skills and work on topics that have the potential to make a valuable contribution to the field of Anthropology and to the broader research community.

(f) The PhD Thesis

The remaining time will be devoted to analyzing ethnographic data and writing the PhD thesis. Theses will vary in format and internal organization, depending upon the precise topic under review. However, the Department expects theses to be of a reasonable length, topically focussed, stylistically consistent, lucidly written, and logically argued. Students should look at previous theses from Memorial and elsewhere as examples of what is expected.

The thesis should be completed within one to two years following the completion of fieldwork. In order to ensure that this goal is achieved, students should develop a timetable of work with their supervisor(s). While the program has a two-year residency requirement, it is strongly recommended that all candidates continue to reside in St. John's until their theses are completed, with the exception of time spent in the field.

Once the thesis has been submitted for review, students must successfully pass an oral defence. More information about thesis submission and defence procedures can be obtained from the Memorial University School of Graduate Studies Web Site.

Departmental Seminar Series

All PhD students are strongly encouraged to attend, and contribute to, all department seminars. These seminars are invaluable opportunities to learn (a) about the variety of topics being investigated in Anthropology, and (b) how professional academics exchange ideas in a collegial forum. Presentation of a seminar to the department is not mandatory for PhD students, but some have used the seminar series to share their work with others and to get feedback from faculty and fellow grad students.

Applying to the Program

Students wishing to apply to the program should submit a completed application form (link to the form), all university transcripts, an updated curriculum vitae, two letters of reference from previous university professors, a Statement of Interest, and a relevant example of your writing.

Your statement of interest will help us to make a preliminary assessment of how your interests fit with those of potential instructors and thesis supervisors. It should include, as far as possible, reference to:

Your general experience to date in anthropology and other disciplinary areas you consider relevant, in both academic and non-academic settings;
Special areas and fields of interest;
Interests and directions you would hope to pursue in a graduate program, including possible thesis research topics if you have developed any ideas along that line;
Reasons, either academic or other, for wishing to undertake graduate studies at Memorial.

The example of your written work may have been done for some other purpose, such as a term paper or a published article. Choose a piece that is relatively short, but which best reflects your scholarly capabilities.

All application materials must be received by the university by no later than January 15th of each year. Students will be notified of the status of their applications in May and would be expected to begin coursework in the following September.

Financial Aid and Research Funding

Memorial University offers competitive funding packages to academically eligible full-time graduate students, both Canadian and international, in eligible programs. Select PhD students will also automatically be considered for the School of Graduate Studies Dean's Doctoral Award, through a competitive process. The award is an additional amount of $5000 per year for up to four years.

Primary financial aid from the university consists of fellowships, which vary in size from year to year. All applicants to the program are automatically considered for these awards. Students will also be considered for research and teaching assistantships. If possible, students should submit an fellowship application to the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC) in the October before they apply to the program. If this application is unsuccessful, they may apply again after they have started the program.

PhD candidates may be able to apply for research funds to cover their research expenses from such sources as: the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada; The Wenner-Gren Foundation; the Fulbright Institute; Memorial University's Institute of Social and Economic Research (ISER); and the Smallwood Foundation for Newfoundland Studies. Additional support may be available from faculty research grants.

Candidates should establish, in consultation with their supervisor(s), whether their research falls within the mandates of these various funding agencies. When preparing a research grant application, candidates should work in close collaboration with their supervisor(s) and keep them informed at each stage of the process. In some cases, funding agencies may require that the students proposal has already been passed by the department and the Interdisciplinary Committee on Ethics in Human Research.