Skip to main content
Loading

Anthropology Honors Program Overview and Forms

Anthropology Honors Application

Anthropology Honors Thesis Completion

OVERVIEW OF PROGRAM REQUIREMENTS

Students in the Anthropology Honors Program must meet the following requirements:

  1. Overall GPA of 3.0.

  2. Anthropology GPA of 3.2.

  3. Form a thesis committee of two faculty members at Purdue (a primary advisor and second committee member). The primary advisor must be an Anthropology faculty member at Purdue. The second member is required to be Purdue faculty, preferably in Anthropology. Outside committee members are welcome but not required. University policy discourages spouses from serving on the same student committee. If a student desires to have faculty spouses on their committee, then they must seek permission from the Department Head.

  4. Complete the Anthropology Honors Application form with proposed thesis advisor and topic and provide a copy to the Director of Undergraduate Studies in Anthropology and the Anthropology Academic Advisor.

  5. Enroll in a 300-level or above course related to selected thesis topic as Anthropology 497H (see course description below to learn more about 497H options) and receive an A or B in this course. By the end of this course, prepare a thesis outline in consultation with the thesis advisor. The thesis advisor will inform the Academic Program Manager or Director of Undergraduate Studies that the thesis proposal will advance.

  6. After completing ANTH 497H, enroll in ANTH 498H, which will entail writing a senior thesis under the guidance of the thesis committee, and receive an A or B in this course. During the first week of the semester, all ANTH 498H students meet with the Anthropology Academic Programs Manager to discuss general thesis procedures.

  7. Complete an Anthropology Honors Thesis Completion form. Provide a copy to the thesis advisor, Director of Undergraduate Studies in Anthropology, and the Anthropology Academic Advisor.

Students satisfying all of these requirements will be awarded Departmental Honors in Anthropology, which will be noted on their official Purdue University transcript.

Establishing eligibility:

Only students with an overall GPA of 3.0 or higher and an Anthropology GPA of 3.2 or higher will be eligible to participate in the Anthropology Honors Program. Students with a sufficient GPA will receive an email invitation from the undergraduate advising office to participate in the Anthropology Honors Program during their 5th semester. Those who successfully complete all requirements will receive appropriate recognition at graduation.

ANTHROPOLOGY 497H:

This is the first course in the Honors sequence. A student works with their thesis advisor to identify the most appropriate course for ANTH 497H (Senior Honors Seminar) credit. This can be any course in anthropology that is appropriate for the thesis topic, but the course must be approved by the thesis advisor. A student may choose from two general pathways to complete ANTH 497H. The first (option 1) is to take a regular course in their chosen subfield and complete additional requirements for this course, such as literature review, study design, and/or data collection, to receive the Honors designation. The second path (option 2) is to complete an independent study that applies foundational knowledge to their these topic that was previously acquired during coursework with their faculty advisor. For both options, this course must be at the 300-level or higher that serves as a foundation to the thesis research.

Option 1 Example: The student enrolls in the course as Anthropology 497H, and the title of the course will be the catalog course title + the honor's designation. The course load will entail all normal work for the selected class, plus an extra honors assignment developed in coordination with the instructor and thesis advisor designed to help the student prepare for writing the senior thesis in Anth 498H. For example, a student could take Anth 327 (Environment and Culture) as a 497H called "Environment and Culture Honors". This would provide the foundation for the thesis, including completing extra assignments (e.g., annotated bibliography and thesis outline) that will help sharpen the focus of the student's honors thesis in environmental anthropology.

Option 2 Example: If a student has already taken a 300-level or higher course that is appropriate for the thesis topic, the student shall take a directed reading or research assignment with any faculty (most likely the thesis advisor) as a 497H. For example, as a 497H called “Senior Honors Seminar: Food Seasonality and Stress in Savanna Chimpanzees”. In the 497H, the student should have assignments to prepare them for writing the honors thesis (e.g., study design and methods, data collection, annotated bibliography, and thesis outline).

ANTHROPOLOGY 498H:

This is the second course in the Honors sequence, during which the student will complete the thesis under the scope and parameters established under the guidance of the faculty thesis committee. Typically, this will be taken in the semester following the student's ANTH 497H, but this is not essential. During the first week of the semester, all enrolled ANTH 498H students meet with the Anthropology Academic Programs Manager to discuss general thesis procedures. The student must receive an A or B in the course (based on the quality of the thesis) to receive departmental honors.