UNC Chapel Hill PhD Anthro Program

[medanthroMPH]

Hello,

Does anyone know about the UNC Chapel Hill PhD program? Any pros and cons you would like to share? How about any information on the area itself? Thanks a lot!

[coyabean]

I spent the summer there doing research and am planning to apply.

I just spoke with several profs from there and it's...interesting. Dottie, Slocum and Price were all kind of interested and interesting, but Price said the department can be hegemonic. Slocum says it's doubled in size...but they're cutting admits damn near in half due to budget issues. The grad student list seems awfully long which suggests that folks kind of stall. It lacks some diversity and isn't well-funded. Having said that I LOVE Carolina. It's my kind of town. It's borderline hippie college chic, but I'm kind of into that. There is just enough diversity University-wide to be interesting. Horrific parking but free buses and an awesome cost of living.

[vanishingpoint]

coyabean, what do you make of the business about the "Carolina model," with the three thematic concentrations instead of the traditional four fields? I'm certainly in favor of approaching the discipline's subdivisions with a critical eye, but the distinctions that they draw between History, Meaning and Materiality and Social Formations and Processes strike me as kind of arbitrary. I also feel like their list of graduate courses is pretty blah, nothing particularly cutting-edge.

But I am interested in the program! I'm actually in the middle of Redfield's book about French Guiana, which I think is great. And the Center for Integrating Research and Action sounds cool, especially for someone who's looking to do fieldwork in the southeast U.S. Any other thoughts you could offer? Thanks for sharing your insight with the board.

[coyabean]

coyabean, what do you make of the business about the "Carolina model," with the three thematic concentrations instead of the traditional four fields? I'm certainly in favor of approaching the discipline's subdivisions with a critical eye, but the distinctions that they draw between History, Meaning and Materiality and Social Formations and Processes strike me as kind of arbitrary. I also feel like their list of graduate courses is pretty blah, nothing particularly cutting-edge.

But I am interested in the program! I'm actually in the middle of Redfield's book about French Guiana, which I think is great. And the Center for Integrating Research and Action sounds cool, especially for someone who's looking to do fieldwork in the southeast U.S. Any other thoughts you could offer? Thanks for sharing your insight with the board.

Not a problem. I cannot tell you how many strangers have been generous with their time and resources with me. Paying it forward and all of that.

You ask great questions! Dr. Price and I had several long chats. He seems to think the department wants to be sort of activist but they don't want to fully commit to it? Also, the distinctions are due to their paucity of biological experts, I think. And the lack of archeological resources in the area. However, like you I am very attracted to the IRA! That's Dr. Holland's specialty.

I met with a grad student from there last week. She seems to like UNC and the area but she was a little less enthusiastic about the department. They have a lot of loners in the dept, as in students who are beyond coursework but are just kind of floating around. Dr. Price also made mention of this phenomenon. It leads me to believe that the commitment to mentoring and teaching isn't there? I don't know. I urge you visit and of course decide for yourself.

I have a fee waiver so I"m applying regardless and getting in wouldn't be a hardship exactly. Again, I love the area. Just left from there getting chicken and beer, actually! LOL

But I think the size of the department is not an asset in this instance. There doesn't seem to be any overriding leadership or a huge investment in the students.