Program Procedures
The following information is provided as guidance for students progressing toward the M.A. in Public Issues Anthropology. By following these guidelines you will make completion of the program easier.
Guelph
Please refer to the Guelph PIA Graduate Student Handbook, (scroll to the very bottom of this page and under Program Objectives, there are two versions of the Handbook, one in PDF format and one in Word format)
Waterloo
- The candidate should consult closely with his/her supervisor as to the suitability of the thesis topic. The candidate is also encouraged to consult with other faculty on this issue. If someone else on faculty is better suited to supervise the proposed thesis, this change could be made as soon as possible and this information recorded in the student's file. It is the responsibility of the student to develop a topic that is deemed suitable by the proposed supervisor.
- In consultation with his/her supervisor, the candidate should choose a committee by the end of the first month of the second term of the first year in the program. This committee should meet at the earliest convenience. At this meeting, the thesis topic must be informally approved and a schedule for research, submission of chapters, etc. should be established. Ethics approval should be sought for research involving human subjects as soon as a project has been approved by the thesis committee. It cannot be emphasized strongly enough that students should follow the research schedule worked out at the committee meeting if they wish to complete their degrees in a timely fashion. A defense date will be scheduled only after a final draft has been submitted and accepted as defensible by the candidate's committee. A minimum period of 3 to 5 weeks will then be needed to schedule the actual defense date . Students are asked to keep in mind that a thesis defense cannot be held during university holidays, during university break, during Convocation, or during a period when the thesis supervisor is unable to attend.
- If research is being pursued, the student is expected to regularly report progress to the supervisor. As the thesis is being initially drafted, chapters should be sent to all committee members, but the supervisor should be the first reader of each chapter and advise on when the chapter is ready for the rest of the committee. Normally, during the writing of the initial draft, the committee will meet once or twice to advise the student of areas in need of revision or strengthening.
- Normally, a thesis will be formally defended in an oral examination during the student's fourth term of enrollment. Normally, students will not receive scholarship support beyond the fourth term of enrollment.
- Normally, the student in the thesis defense will be examined by the supervisor and the remainder of the committee (usually two faculty, one from UW and one from Guelph). In all cases, the supervisor and one committee member must be from the student's home department. If no Guelph faculty member is available, an external member from another UW department, or someone from another University with adjunct faculty status, may be appointed with the UW regulations.
- Regulations for UW Master's Theses can be found on the Graduate Studies website.
- The suggested length of a thesis is 70 - 100 pages long, though longer ones will be accepted if that's what it takes to say what you have to say, without padding or irrelevant or undigested material.
- Students should also be reminded of the option of taking six courses and writing a major paper (MRP) instead of four courses and a thesis. These courses can include courses taken outside the two anthropology departments, with the approval of the student's advisor, and one or more directed readings courses. Students should consider taking ARTS 600, in which students are taught how to use social science research findings to assist public service agencies. There is a follow-up course in the fall in which students actually perform this service for community agencies. Students can base their major paper on research done in these courses. This option fits well with Public Issues Anthropology. The major paper does not need to be approved through UWSpace - only a thesis has this requirement. A formal committee structure and defense would not be necessary but another reader, in addition to the supervisor, should approve the paper. The MRP is not required to be uploaded for approval, and the format should follow that of an Undergraduate Honour's Thesis and the suggested length of an MRP is 40 - 60 pages long.
- After the thesis has been successfully defended, or an MRP has been approved, the student must submit an Intent to Graduate form to the Department.
- When the thesis has been accepted, and all other requirements for the degree have been met, a .pdf file must be submitted for approval to the GSO through UWSpace. Once the submission has been approved by the GSO, students will receive acknowledgement of approval via email from the GSO. The MRP option does not have these requirements.
- A professionally bound copy of your thesis is required for the Department: http://www.mediadoc.uwaterloo.ca/thesis.php
- A spiral-bound soft cover copy of your MRP is required for the Department.
Progress of the PIA Waterloo Master's Student (writing a thesis):
Term 1 (Fall)
Enroll in ANTH 600 and ANTH 680. Consult with Supervisor about possible thesis topics.
Term 2 (Winter)
Enroll in ANTH 614 and one elective. Get approval of thesis topic from committee. Get approval (if appropriate) from university Ethics Committee for research. Complete literature review and formulate research plan for thesis.
Term 3 (Spring/Summer)
Option A: Normal progress. Enroll as full-time student and work on research (and, if appropriate, collect scholarship money or serve as a T.A.) with the goal of finishing in the Fall term. Begin to draft thesis.
Option B: With good reason, apply for Inactive Status, during which no courses may be pursued and no scholarships or T.A.'s are available, leaving two terms the next year, during which you would be eligible for scholarship monies. There must be some reason given, such as the need and/or opportunity for full-time employment, when making this application. The rules for inactive status are as follows:
All graduate students must maintain continuous enrollment until the completion of their program. In certain circumstances, such as illness, maternity/parental leave, limited external research or work opportunity which is not related to their UW program, or temporary financial difficulties for which the University cannot provide hardship funds, students may apply to the Associate Dean (Graduate Studies) of their Faculty for inactive status (leave of absence). Students who have been granted inactive status for a term are not entitled to use the services of the University, including graduate supervision, for the duration of that term. Normally, inactive status is approved for a maximum of two consecutive terms (maternity leave up to three consecutive terms). Students who request more than two consecutive terms of elave because they have other commitments such as a full-time job or travel plans should voluntarily withdraw from their program until they are prepared to resume their studies. In advance of voluntary withdrawal, students must discuss with their department any conditions which must be met upon their readmission to their program. Normally, students who have incomplete courses on their record are not eligible for inactive status. Students requesting inactive status must complete a Graduate Student Change of Enrolment Status/Voluntary Withdrawal Form.
Term 4 (Fall)
Option A: Normal progress. Complete and defend thesis. Receive degree. The Department requires one bound copy of accepted thesis as soon after defense as possible.
Option B: Pursue research and draft thesis.
Term 5 (Winter) (if following Option B)
Complete and defend thesis. Receive degree. The Department requires one bound copy of accepted thesis as soon after defense as possible.
