Anthropology

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OFFICE: Arts and Letters 448
TELEPHONE: 619-594-5527 \ FAX: 619-594-1150
E-MAIL: anthro@sdsu.edu
WEBSITE: http://anthropology.sdsu.edu

Undergraduate Information

The Major

Anthropology is unrivaled in the human sciences for its breadth and historical depth with anthropologists studying everything from the evolutionary origins of the human species to the biological and material remains of past societies to contemporary political, economic, and social issues and shifts that contribute to today’s global challenges and successes. Indeed, it is this diversity of approaches or holism that is a central uniting principle of the anthropological pursuit.  

The Bachelor of Arts (B.A.) degree in anthropology provides a broad background for the various specialized areas in the field: (a) archaeology, the analysis of past cultures through a focus on material remains or artifacts; (b) socio-cultural anthropology, the study of socio-cultural processes and diversity; (c) linguistic anthropology, the analysis of cultural differences in communication; and (d) biological anthropology, the study of past and present human and primate populations. This interdisciplinary training spans the realms of natural sciences, social sciences, and the humanities, opening students’ minds to new ways of understanding what it means to be human. But students do not stop at studying the human experience-they use anthropological knowledge to engage with real-world issues, championing justice, equity, and sustainability for a better tomorrow.

Employment opportunities for anthropology graduates include academic research and teaching as well as nonacademic or applied careers, for example in nonprofit associations, federal, state, local government, and international agencies; in health care, business, and manufacturing organizations; at research institutes; at zoos or wildlife preserves; on environmental projects, doing human-impact assessment or resource management; and in museums.

Advising

All College of Arts and Letters majors are urged to consult with their department adviser as soon as possible; they are required to meet with their department adviser during the first semester after declaration or change of major.

Graduate Information

General Information

The department offers graduate study leading to the Master of Arts degree in anthropology. The M.A. in Anthropology offers a flexible and dynamic program designed to accommodate the needs of recent graduates as well as working professionals.The department embraces an integrative anthropology approach with a strong emphasis in both theoretical and applied dimensions of the discipline, thereby preparing M.A. students for: teaching positions in Anthropology; doctoral training in Anthropology and allied fields (e.g., Geography, Public Health, Primate Conservation Biology, etc.); and, professional careers in public and private sectors and non-profit organizations (e.g., cultural resource management, urban planning, program evaluation, administration, healthcare, marketing, and sustainable resource management and economic development).

Graduate students have the chance to participate in faculty-led fieldwork and gain hands-on experience in one of our department’s eight laboratories, the SDSU Archeological Collections Facility, or the South Coastal Information Center.

Scholarships

The department offers three competitive, internal scholarship programs, the Norton Allen Scholarship, the Al Sonek Biological Anthropology Scholarship, and the Pitt Warner Endowed Anthropology Scholarship. The department also hires graduate students for a variety of graduate assistant (GA) and instructional student assistant (ISA) positions. Applications and additional information can be found on the department website at http://anthropology.sdsu.edu/.

Admission to Graduate Study

To be considered for graduate admission at San Diego State University, applicants must follow the three step process outlined below. For more detailed information regarding the admissions process, visit http://anthropology.sdsu.edu/graduate.html.

Step 1: Complete the Cal State Apply application by the SDSU deadline (see http://arweb.sdsu.edu/es/admissions/grad/index.html for dates).

Each applicant must submit the California State University common application electronically to Cal State Apply along with the nonrefundable application fee. Details on this application process are available on the SDSU Admissions website. 

Please note the Cal State Apply Application will ask for your “Statement of Purpose.” You are not required to enter your statement at this point, so you can write, “Statement will be sent directly to department/program.” You will need to include your Statement of Purpose for the Department Application (Step 3 below).

Within two weeks of submitting your Cal State Apply application, you will receive an email from San Diego State University that includes your RedID number, which is your SDSU student identification number. You will use this number to create your my.SDSU account. You will use your my.SDSU number and my.SDSU account to check the status of your application. For more details about or assistance with this process, please see the SDSU Admissions website.

Step 2: Submit official transcripts and any applicable test scores to Graduate Admissions by the SDSU priority cycle deadline (see http://arweb.sdsu.edu/es/admissions/grad/index.html for dates).

After applicants have submitted the Cal State Apply application and received their RedID number, applicants must send official transcripts and test scores to Graduate Admissions. Sending transcripts before submitting the Cal State Apply application will result in processing delays.

Applicants must provide the following:

• Official transcripts (in sealed envelopes) issued within the last year, from all U.S. colleges and universities attended. Students who previously attended SDSU need only submit transcripts for coursework completed since last attendance. Hard copies of SDSU transcripts are not required;
  
  Students with international coursework must submit both the official transcript and proof of degree.  If documents are in a language other than English, they must be accompanied by a certified literal English translation. The country specific requirements can be found on the SDSU Graduate Admissions website.
  
  Your official transcript(s) should be mailed to this address:
  
  Graduate Admissions
  San Diego State University
  5500 Campanile Drive
  San Diego, CA 92182-8225
   
• All graduate and post-baccalaureate applicants (regardless of citizenship status) applying to SDSU from an international institution where the medium of instruction was not English, must submit one of the following as proof of English proficiency:

1. TOEFL minimum score of 80 iBT/ 550 PBT: Score can be sent electronically from Educational Testing Service (ETS) using the SDSU institution code: 4682. Test score must be from within the past two years.

2. IELTS overall score of 6.5 or higher: Score report must be submitted directly to the SDSU Graduate Admissions Office. Test score must be from within the past two years.

3. Duolingo English Test score of 105 or higher: Score can be sent electronically from Duolingo, to the SDSU Graduate Admissions Office. Test score must be from within the past two years.

4. PTE minimum score of 58 or higher: Score report must be submitted directly to the SDSU Graduate Admissions Office. Test score must be from within the past two years.

5. Transcripts have been received indicating English as the principal language of instruction.

A copy of your official score report or unofficial transcript can be submitted through your my.SDSU account under Upload Admission Documents.

For further questions regarding Steps 1 and 2, contact Graduate Admissions at 619-594-6336 or email admissions@sdsu.edu. International applicants may contact the international recruitment office at 619-594-1847 or e-mail intladmission@sdsu.edu.

Step 3: Complete anthropology Master of Arts online application on Interfolio by the SDSU priority cycle deadline (early January). For information regarding the admissions process, visit the department website at http://anthropology.sdsu.edu.

The anthropology Master of Arts application requires the following items:

1. Statement of purpose. The statement of purpose is a very important part of the application, as it allows the faculty to assess intellectual sophistication, writing skills, clarity of purpose, and potential for success in the Master of Arts program. The statement of purpose should be limited to two to three single-spaced pages and clearly articulate intended research interests, including geographical interests (if appropriate). If research plans are not yet fully developed, clarify what topics and issues in anthropology the applicant is most interested in pursuing and propose possible contexts in which to study them. Statements should not be an extended narrative about personal history, except as relevant to research plans. Elements that would make for a strong statement include, but are not limited to: the intellectual and/or applied importance of the area of interest; a discussion of preparedness to undertake graduate level study (e.g., coursework, field schools, previous research experience, etc.); the name of at least one SDSU anthropology faculty member who would be a suitable thesis adviser and an explanation of her/his selection; and, a discussion of the compatibility of interests with the SDSU anthropology program/faculty research areas;
2. Copies of transcripts from all colleges and universities attended (these do not need to be sent directly from the colleges - photocopies are acceptable);

3. Three letters of recommendation. Applicants must provide names and e-mail of three individuals who can write a letter of recommendation on the applicant’s behalf, who know the applicant well, and can evaluate the applicant’s ability to perform and succeed at the graduate level. Recommenders will be invited to complete the recommendation electronically. *Note: Once you begin your application in Interfolio, you will be able to enter the names and contact information for your letter writers. Once you do so, an email will be sent to your letter writers with instructions and a link for them to submit their letters.

4. Sample of written work representative of the applicant’s research and writing skills;
5. Curriculum vitae.

For further questions regarding Step 3, contact the Department of Anthropology at anthro@sdsu.edu.

Minimum Admission Requirements

Except under special circumstances, prospective applicants must meet the following minimum admission requirements:

1. Hold an acceptable baccalaureate degree from an accredited institution or equivalent as determined by the Division of Graduate Affairs;
    
2. Have attained at least a 3.0 GPA on all work leading to the bachelor’s degree and subsequent post-baccalaureate coursework; and
    
3. Have been in good standing in the last institution attended.
    

Applicants who meet the minimum admission requirements but who do not have a strong background in anthropology may be admitted conditionally. See SDSU Catalog for further information.

Selection Process

Prospective applicants who meet the minimum admission requirements and submit a complete application are reviewed and ranked by all department faculty. The Anthropology department evaluates applicants on the basis of a number of factors, including GPA, overall undergraduate academic performance, the strength of the student’s statement of purpose, the research promise and potential of the student as evidenced in the CV, statement of purpose, writing sample, and the letters of recommendation, and the alignment between applicants’ stated research interests and faculty expertise. Students are required to identify possible faculty mentors in their statement of purpose letters. Please note that interest expressed by potential faculty mentors in a prospective student’s graduate school plans and/or application does not guarantee admission into the program.

Each faculty member weighs admission criteria differently. In general, admission decisions are based on a combination of factors that include (but not necessarily in this order): a strong statement of purpose outlining a clear research focus; letters of recommendation from qualified recommenders that describe the applicant’s specific achievements; overall undergraduate academic performance; and significant professional experience.

The department makes decisions on the number of students to accept based on individual faculty members’ abilities to take on new students. Accordingly, the department only accepts students for whom a faculty member has agreed to serve as their faculty mentor upon entering the program. More often than not, faculty are only able to take on 1-2 new students each year, which means that we often have to turn down many students.

Faculty

Chair: Lauer, Matthew T., Professor of Anthropology (B.A., University of Arizona; M.A., Ph.D., University of California, Santa Barbara)

Undergraduate Adviser: Ullah, Isaac I.T., Associate Professor of Anthropology (B.S., University of California, Davis; M.A., University of Toronto, Canada; Ph.D., Arizona State University)

Graduate Adviser: Riley, Erin P., Professor of Anthropology (B.A., Beloit College; Ph.D., University of Georgia)

Tenured and Tenure-Track Faculty: 

Kearney, Amanda, Professor of Anthropology (B.A., University of Queensland; Ph.D., University of Melbourne)

Lauer, Matthew T., Professor of Anthropology (B.A., University of Arizona; M.A., Ph.D., University of California, Santa Barbara)

Mallios, Seth W., Professor of Anthropology (B.A., University of California, Berkeley; M.A., Ph.D., University of Virginia)

Pérez, Ramona L., Professor of Anthropology (B.A., San Diego State University; M.A., Ph.D., University of California, Riverside)

Riley, Erin P., Professor of Anthropology (B.A., Beloit College; Ph.D., University of Georgia)

Sobo, Elisa J., Professor of Anthropology (B.A., University of California, Los Angeles; Ph.D., University of California, San Diego)

Mayes, Arion T., Associate Professor of Anthropology (B.A., M.A., University of Oklahoma; Ph.D., University of Colorado at Boulder)

Robb Larkins, Erika M., Associate Professor of Anthropology (B.A., Indiana University; M.A., University of Chicago; Ph.D., University of Wisconsin)

Roulette, Casey J., Associate Professor of Anthropology (B.A., M.A., Ph.D., Washington State University)

Ullah, Isaac I.T., Associate Professor of Anthropology (B.S., University of California, Davis; M.A., University of Toronto, Canada; Ph.D., Arizona State University)

Mathwich, Nicole M., Assistant Professor of Anthropology (B.A., Santa Clara University; M.A., Ph.D., University of Arizona)

Nair, Vijayanka, Assistant Professor of Anthropology (B.A., M.A., Delhi University; Ph.D., New York University)

Paine, Oliver, Assistant Professor of Anthropology (B.A., Pomona College; M.A., Ph.D., University of Colorado Boulder)

Lecturers:

Andres, Trudi, M.A., Anthropology

Black, Shannon B., M.A., Anthropology

Chan, Keith, Ph.D., Anthropology

Hinton, Cheryl, M.A., Anthropology

Killmer, Jocelyn, Ph.D., Anthropology

Kobari, Sam D., M.A., Anthropology 

Schuermann, Savanna, M.A., Anthropology

Emeritus Faculty: 

Ball, Joseph W., Ph.D., 1975-2013, Albert W. Johnson Distinguished Professor of Anthropology

Conway, Frederick J., 2007-2018, Associate Professor of Anthropology

Gamble, Lynn H., Ph.D., 1997-2009, Professor of Anthropology

Greenfeld, Philip J., Ph.D., 1969-2005, Professor of Anthropology

Henry, Edward O., Ph.D., 1974-2004, Professor of Anthropology

Himes, Ronald S., Ph.D., 1969-2002, Professor of Anthropology

Leach, Larry L., Ph.D., 1968-2003, Professor of Anthropology

Lippold, Lois K., Ph.D., 1968-2003, Professor of Anthropology

Moore, Mary Jane, Ph.D., 1972-2002, Associate Professor of Anthropology

Pendleton, Wade C., Ph.D., 1969-2002, Professor of Anthropology

Rohrl, Vivian J., Ph.D., 1965-2001, Professor of Anthropology

Rollefson, Gary O., Ph.D., 1984-1992, Professor of Anthropology

Watson, Lawrence C., Ph.D., 1967-1992, Professor of Anthropology

Whitney, Dan, Ph.D., J.D., 1966-2000, Professor of Anthropology

Programs

• Anthropology Minor
• Anthropology, B.A.
• Anthropology, M.A.

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