Sociocultural Anthropology
Current Faculty Research Projects
Partnered Research with Tribal Communities
Fourteen tribal communities in Oklahoma have initiated and helped
design studies conducted by students that combine anthropological
research in the areas of historical anthropology, medicine, genealogy,
politics, sociolinguistics, and oral history with tribal goals
such as federal recognition, tribal histories and archives, better
health care, tribal cultural studies programs, and native language
education.
Independent
Research Projects
Students also do independent ethnographic and ethnohistorical
research. There are research opportunities at the Oklahoma
Historical Society in Oklahoma City, the Western History Collections at OU, the regional Bureau of
Indian Affairs archives, and the Gilcrease
Institute in Tulsa. The Sam
Noble Oklahoma Museum of Natural History sponsors research
projects to which students contribute, particularly in the area
of Native America. The Fred
Jones Jr. Museum of Art also enlists students to work with
Native American art exhibits. In Tulsa, the Gilcrease Museum uses OU students to assist curators.
Program Requirements
Students who apply to the Ph.D. program without a Master's degree in anthropology take a three-semester core course and a fourth semester course that focuses on methodology appropriate to the student's research interests. Ph.D. candidates also take a core course in archæology, linguistics, and in biological anthropology. Ninety credits of course work, including 30 hours of dissertation research, a general exam, and a dissertation are required. Students who enter with a Master's degree in anthropology take 60 credits of course work, including 30 hours of dissertation research, and take the general exam. Areas of faculty expertise are historical anthropology, language and culture, medical anthropology, political economy, and politics. The M.A. Program emphasizes medical anthropology, linguistic anthropology, and museum studies. Students must complete 30 hours of course work and a thesis. The program is tailored to the student's interests in consultation with the faculty.
Faculty
