Assessment of the Department of Anthropology
University at Albany, SUNY
Council on Academic Assessment, Academic Program Review Committee (APRC)
November 2012
The following documents were reviewed:
1.
Department of Anthropology Self-Study Document
a. B.A. in Anthropology
b. B.S. in Human Biology
c. B.A. in Linguistics
d. Faculty and its Quality
e. M.A. in Anthropology
f. Ph.D. in Anthropology
g. Support, Resources and Facilities (including 3-year budget)
h. Appendices (cv’s)
2.
External Reviewers’ Report
prepared by John Haviland (UC San Diego), Lyle Konigsberg (U of Illinois), and
Alexandra Brewis Slade (Arizona SU)
The Anthropology department’s self-study document was detailed, transparent, and prepared in
accordance with the university’s practitioner’s guide for program reviews. The APRC thanks the
department for its effort.
1. Department of Anthropology Self-Study
The department is home of five degree programs: undergraduate majors in Anthropology (B.A.),
Human Biology (B.S., interdisciplinary program, in conjunction with the Biology department),
and Linguistics (B.A., interdisciplinary program, in conjunction with several departments), and
an M.A. and Ph.D. in Anthropology. Each program within the department states its mission, and
describes its goals, curriculum, and design separately.
a. B.A. in Anthropology
Overview
The program describes its mission as to “provide undergraduates with an intellectually rigorous,
four-subfield [referring to archaeological, biological, cultural, and linguistic anthropology]
education that prepares them well for graduate education in anthropology, for graduate and
professional programs in other fields, and/or for employment in community settings in which an
awareness and understanding of human biological, linguistic, and cultural diversity is a valuable
asset.” It currently has 133 undergraduate majors enrolled. The self-study indicates that it shares
the University’s commitment to Strategic Goals 1 and 3-6, and is committed to a studentcentered learning experience, with a focus on the connection of teaching and research (through
collaborative experiences such as in the summer “field schools” in the U.S. and abroad), and the
application of research to practical benefits (such as internships at the New York State Museum).
Most of the student advising is done by faculty members.
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The program curriculum (36-credits) consists of four required courses (Ant 104, Archaeology;
Ant 220, Linguistics; Ant 108, Sociocultural Anthropology; and Ant 110, Human Evolution) in
addition to 24 elective credits, and a 3-credit senior seminar (Ant 499), which serves as the
capstone course. This capstone course was developed to address suggestions raised by outside
reviewers during the department’s 2004 assessment.
The program offers one online course, Ant 220, Introduction to Linguistics. The self-study
describes that most of the students enroll in an independent study with a faculty member at least
once during their undergraduate career. Anthropology undergraduates have the option of joining
the Lambda Alpha Honors Society. Unlike the other two undergraduate programs, the
Anthropology program does not offer a combined B.A./M.A. program.
Assessment
According to the report, the learning outcomes are assessed, among others, “via a focus group in
the senior seminar and analysis of reflective essays.” In addition, faculty conducts syllabus
analysis and reviews grades assigned to final papers and the quality and rigor of the papers in
that seminar. In the future, the program “will also examine methods by which student learning
outcomes are achieved in [specific] courses, and sub-disciplinary faculty will provide input for
improved assignments, exercises and exams.” The study states that a group of faculty will review
syllabi selected by their colleagues and give feedback for improvement. The self-study does not
provide descriptions of additional types of direct or indirect assessment of the learning outcomes.
b. B.S. in Human Biology
Overview
This interdisciplinary program concentrates on courses in Biology and Anthropology, with a
substantial amount of coursework in Chemistry, Physics, and Mathematics. From the total of 55
credits required for the major, 42 are satisfied through required courses, and 13 through elective
courses. Students may also elect a three-credit internship through the School of Social Welfare.
Human Biology offers a combined B.A./M.A.
The program describes its goals and learning objectives as to “develop an awareness of the
principles of human evolution and adaptation, gain knowledge of biological and social aspects of
health and disease, develop an awareness of the variation in human experience (nutrition,
disease, biological adaptation etc.), and develop an appreciation for the interaction of human
biology and culture…” This major is designed for students interested in the biology of humans;
many students “will go on to pursue graduate education in the health sciences.” The program has
490 enrolled majors. As a result of recent losses in faculty (from 6 to 4) and number of teaching
assistantships (from 19 to 16 in the whole department), the program had to limit its course
offerings; in consequence, students “experience great difficulty in enrolling in courses that they
need for the major.” The report mentions that very few Human Biology undergraduate programs
exist in the U.S., hence the lack of national standards and impossibility of comparing the
program with other entities. It describes the program as “the only large interdepartmental,
interdisciplinary major at the University at Albany,” with a retention rate that is significantly
higher than that of other units in CAS.
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Assessment
The report states that over the past five years, the program has “implemented a concrete
assessment plan.” However, the only examples of assessment consist of “syllabus analysis of
course[s] and [the] undergraduate pre and post assessment test” as well as of assessment of
teaching evaluations (SIRF scores). The report mentions that the assessment instruments for its
learning outcomes are the course syllabi, but does not give specific examples on direct
assessment of learning outcomes.
c. B.A. in Linguistics
Overview
The linguistics major (36 credits) focuses on “the description and analysis of lesser-studied and
endangered languages.” Students learn to understand the basic principles, assumptions and
terminology in the sub-areas of linguistics, understand theoretical framework, in addition to
gaining an understanding of the structure of three different languages. They learn to gather data
from primary sources and critically analyze secondary data found in sources such as dictionaries
and grammars. The program currently has 49 majors. A capstone course (Lin 429, Field
Methods) is in place. Majors are required to take one year of a foreign language or the course
“Language Structures.” The report includes a list of outstanding undergraduate students, who
have been invited to coauthor papers, of honors students, and of students who have gone on to
graduate school in linguistics or related fields. This program offers a joint B.A./M.A. track.
Assessment
Each year, one among the six learning objectives is assessed on a rotating basis through syllabus
analysis. The report describes three steps taken to ensure quality of assessment instruments: peer
review, student evaluations, and student input gathered in the annual focus group meeting for
linguistic majors. In the future, the program plans to also review written statements from
graduating seniors.
d. Faculty and its Quality
The department has 16 full-time faculty members and one visiting assistant professor. The
distribution by sub-disciplines is even (four in Cultural Anthropology, four in Linguistics, four in
archaeology, and four plus one Visiting Assistant Professor in Biological Anthropology). It has
16 teaching assistants allocated by the college. In general, courses of 80 students or more are
assigned one teaching assistant. About 25% of all courses are taught by part-time instructors. All
faculty members share in advisement of undergraduate majors. In addition to programs housed in
the department, faculty members are active participants in the interdepartmental undergraduate
major in Globalization Studies.
The department describes its thematic strength in the research on indigenous Mesoamerica. As a
result of faculty losses, there has been a dramatic erosion of “our historical leadership in the
anthropology of Northeastern North America.”
Faculty scholarly activities and external funding and fellowships are outstanding, as indicated by
detailed lists of publications and external funding. According to data from “Academic
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Analytics,” in 2010, the department ranked 21st among 108 anthropology departments in the
U.S. in the amount of external research funds. The report states that, “among departments in the
social sciences, Anthropology and Sociology (27 faculty members) are effectively tied for the
second highest level of external funding within the College.” It specifies that most of the
research dollars are from federal sources with substantial indirect costs benefiting the university.
e. M.A. in Anthropology
Overview
The mission of the M.A. in anthropology is to “train students to be qualified professional
anthropologists” either to pursue advanced research or to work in the private sector. The program
is geared to two groups of students, those who earn a degree without the intent of continuing
their studies and those who plan to continue to the Ph.D. In order to serve both groups, the
program offers two different curricula: students who only want to get their M.A. are required to
take two of the four proseminars, and do not need to take the qualifying exams. Students who
plan to continue with their Ph.D. studies need to take all four proseminars and pass the
comprehensive examinations. There is a 30-credit requirement for each track. All M.A. students
enroll in a final research seminar and produce either a M.A. research paper or a thesis. Currently,
there are 13 students enrolled in the program.
The report highlights similarities between the objectives of the M.A. program and UAlbany’s
strategic plan, particularly in its emphasis on educating students about today’s diverse and
rapidly changing cultural and environmental global communities and its focus on communityengaged research. The report mentions opportunities for faculty/student interaction and
collaboration such as through fieldwork, TA-work, and the annual graduate student symposium.
Assessment
After the last program review, the program has instituted a Focus Group for graduate students
and faculty members of the Graduate Affairs Committee. It has distributed a questionnaire
dealing with requirements of the degree such as evaluation of syllabi and review of
comprehensive exams, and has compared the outcomes with data from several research entities
on campus and in the discipline.
Each year, one class is directly assessed based on syllabus analysis and evaluations of
assignments, such as a selection of final essays. The results of the assessments are reported to the
University.
f. Ph.D. in Anthropology
Overview
The mission of the doctoral program is to “train students to be qualified professional
anthropologists (…) prepared to pursue advanced research, teaching and/or applied work in a
variety of educational, governmental, NGO and private business organizations.” There are
currently 64 Ph.D. candidates enrolled in the program. This enrollment is the third-highest of the
20 Ph.D. granting departments in CAS. The Ph.D. consists of two phases, where phase I is
identical to the M.A. program, and phase II consists of a minimum of 30 additional credits, two
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qualifying examinations, a minimum of four 600-level seminars, a doctoral dissertation proposal
defense, a foreign language examination, and the successful completion of a dissertation based
on original research. The high student quality is demonstrated by reports on students’
professional activities and placement in professional and academic positions (according to
informal polls, 26 Ph.D.s from 2000-2009 hold academic and professional positions).
Assessment
The key to the design of the assessment procedures currently in place is the Focus Group (see
M.A. program). The report further mentions that a graduate student representative attends
departmental faculty meetings and serves as a liaison between the faculty and the Anthropology
Graduate Students Association. The review of the comprehensive exams has become a formal
annual process. As a means of indirect assessment, the study describes the assessment of the
graduate student questionnaire. It concludes that “all assessment practices, from exams to
advising to papers to focus groups are discussed and adjusted on a relatively continuous basis.” It
mentions as one of its future tasks to monitor the process of students throughout the program, to
see the extent to which requirements are being completed in a reasonable fashion.
g. Support, Resources and Facilities
The report states that the department’s standard operating budget has declined by almost 25%
during the last three years. It also points out that the number of faculty is not adequate to the
number of students served by the different programs. It describes the current facilities in the
Arts and Science building as excellent.
Conclusions
The report concludes by highlighting the high productivity of its faculty and high quality of
graduate students of the department. It mentions as another of its strengths the research on
indigenous Mesoamerican cultures, the creation of the Human Biology program in 2004, and the
growing linguistics major. Weaknesses are the decreased number of faculty researching the
anthropology of Northeastern North America, the reduction in the number of graduate
assistantships, and the high workload for advising its majors. The self-study concludes by
reaffirming its strong commitment to all of its four sub-disciplines: “we cannot let any subdiscipline wither for the sake of short-term expediencies.”
2. External Review
The external review states that the faculty in the Department of Anthropology “are highly
productive and collegial, and this is one of the major strengths of the department and its
programs.” It notes that the degree program quality is very high, and that students are highly
satisfied, and describes both facts to be particularly notable given the overall context of extreme
fiscal stress. It points out the strengths in Meso-American Anthropology and Linguistics and the
strong connections to world class centers such as the Center for the Elimination of Minority
Health Disparities and the Center for Social and Demographic Analysis.
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It presents four main challenges that the department faces: first the need to ensure that rising
workloads do not undermine faculty research leadership; second, the need to alleviate the tension
among the degree programs, particularly given the growth of Human Biology; third, the need for
“clearer strategic directions and for better integration of the program objectives and operations
across its many parts”; and fourth, the need to promote effective and transparent internal
communication and decision-making.
Among the suggestions for improvement, the report recommends rethinking “curricular
articulation, advising, and the broader intellectual mission” of the department to promote
“greater cohesion and structural efficiency.” In this context, the report points out a lack of
synchronization among many parts, in particular the relation of the growing program of human
biology to the department as a whole.
It specifically recommends appointing a professional undergraduate adviser with a focus on
human biology, arguing that “many universities/units are moving towards professional advising,
and overall it is considered highly advantageous… This is the one single action that will
positively affect the most people.” The external review recommends developing a long-term
strategy to promote faculty governance, which should include a common mission statement as
well as departmental by-laws.
3. APRC Recommendations
The APRC concurs with most of the recommendations by the external reviewers, in particular
the need for better integration of the different program objectives and procedures within the
department as a whole. A common mission statement would be an asset in this respect. (While
the recommendation of hiring a professional undergraduate advisor falls beyond the purview of
the APRC’s assessment recommendations, the committee recommends that the department
continue to look for strategies to mitigate the heavy workload entailed by advising). The APRC
further recommends that the undergraduate programs of Anthropology and Human Biology
collect additional, specific direct and indirect assessment of student learning outcomes, and
suggests that it gather data on graduate placements, particularly on the M.A. students and those
Ph.D.s holding non-academic positions. The APRC recommends that the department contact the
Office of Academic Assessment for input on achieving its assessment goals and aligning specific
learning objectives with direct assessment.
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