Annual Reviews

At the end of each academic year, graduate students are expected to meet with their advisors to discuss their future plans and progress. For each of the first three years of the program, students have special instructions for completing the end-of-year review (which usually occurs in May):

First Year

First year faculty advisors are assigned by the Graduate Director in consultation with department faculty. There is no expectation that you will keep your first-year advisor as your primary advisor after the first year. Students who wish to change advisors may do so at any point after the first-year review. Students need to obtain email approval from their new advisor before notifying their old advisor of the change. Students should then list their new advisor on their second year review form. 

Before the end of the first year, in consultation with their first-year advisor, students are expected to establish a Preliminary Committee made up of the first-year advisor and one other Anthropology faculty member. The student will submit a statement of progress and portfolio of work to their committee in May, and then meet with their committee before the department meets as a whole to discuss the progress of all first-years. It is the student’s responsibility to establish their committee and ensure that materials are in on time for their first year review. 

Portfolios

First-year students will be asked to submit to their Preliminary Committee:

1. A short (2-3 page) statement of progress and plans

2. A portfolio containing all written work done during the current academic year

The portfolio and statement are due to the student's advisor and other Committee member at least two weeks before the first-year review meeting at the end of the Spring quarter. This meeting allows the preliminary committee to provide feedback on the student’s first year work with recommendations moving forward. The statement of progress and plans should include:

• A discussion of intellectual progress made during the previous year (courses taken, grants applied for, Qualifying Exam (QE) requirements met, etc.)

• Detailed plans for the summer and following academic year (with respect to courses, grant/fellowship applications and deadlines, fieldwork, study off-campus, expected date of QE, etc.)

• Any plans for later study, research, and writing

• A concrete plan and timetable for completion of the language requirement

The purpose of this process is to support and assist students to be ready to QE in the third year of study, in accordance with University requirements for satisfactory academic progress as described above.

Students are responsible for submitting their portfolios and yearly statements to their Preliminary Committee in a timely fashion at the end of the year.

After the first-year review meeting, the Preliminary Committee will share their feedback at a departmental faculty meeting. Based on the report by the Preliminary Committee, the faculty as a whole will vote to recommend:

1. Continuation in the program and award the MA upon completion of requirements

2. Continuation in the program and award the MA upon completion of requirements with conditions and actions for remediation

3. Terminal MA degree upon completion of 45 units

Students will be notified of their status following this faculty meeting.

Upon completion of the first-year review, students will coordinate with their committee to submit a summary evaluation and first-year review form to the Graduate Program Coordinator. The form will be circulated by DocuSign, but can also be accessed here.