French Studies and Anthropology (PhD)

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Program Description
Admissions

Program Description

The joint PhD program in French Studies and Anthropology is designed for students interested in combining a multidisciplinary approach to the study of France and the Francophone world with broad graduate training in Anthropology. Students pursuing the degree may wish to prepare for careers of research and teaching in an anthropology department and/or a French Studies department, with a specialty in French culture and civilization.

Admissions

All applicants to the Graduate School of Arts and Science (GSAS) are required to submit the general application requirements, which include:

Academic Transcripts
Test Scores (if required)
Applicant Statements
Résumé or Curriculum Vitae
Letters of Recommendation, and
A non-refundable application fee.

See French Studies for admission requirements and instructions specific to this program.

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Program Requirements
Additional Program Requirements

Program Requirements

Course List
Course	Title	Credits
Major Requirements
IFST-GA 1610	19th Century France	4
IFST-GA 3720	Research Seminar: French Studies (taken twice) ¹	8
ANTH-GA 1010	Theory and Practice of Social Anthropology I	4
ANTH-GA 1011	Theory and Practice of Social Anthropology II	4
ANTH-GA 1040	Linguistic Anthropology	4
ANTH-GA 1636	History of Anthropology	4
ANTH-GA 3211	Sociocultural Professionalization	4
Electives
Anthropology & French Studies Electives		40
Total Credits		72

¹: Students enroll in IFST-GA 3720 Research Seminar: French Studies, twice, because it is, in effect, a single research seminar held over two consecutive semesters so as to give students the opportunity to write a deeply researched and potentially publishable paper. The grade for the first semester is based on work up to that point, whereas the grade for the second semester is based on the completed research paper.

Additional Program Requirements

Advisory Committees

After initial consultations with admitted students, the DGS and the Department Chair assign each student a three-person Faculty Advisory Committee. Students normally identify a chair in the fourth semester as part of the PhD Plan of Study. Students regularly change the composition of this committee after consulting with its chair and getting approval from the DGS. Such adjustments are often made as a result of changes in student research interests, or as faculty leave or join the department. Students have to fill out an Application for Change in Advisory Committee, which is then added to the student’s file in the department office.

Language Requirement

The joint PhD requires proficiency in French, as well as any other languages deemed as essential by the advisor in the plan of study for successful completion of the proposed project.

Plan of Study

In the spring semester of the second year, students draft a plan of study, which sketches the research areas in which they expects to work as well as a road map for work ahead. This plan includes identifying three scholarly areas in which the student plans to take PhD comprehensive examinations.

In consultation with the advisory committee, students define their own exam areas; these usually include one geographic specialty and two topical specialties. Students are expected to prepare their plans in close collaboration with a faculty advisory committee comprising three (occasionally four) permanent members of the department faculty. At least two members of the committee must be faculty members in the Department of Anthropology and one member must be a faculty member at the Institute for French Studies. All members of this committee sign off on the plan before it is submitted to the full faculty. Typically, each member of the faculty advisory committee works with the student on one exam area, although the committee may agree to other arrangements. All students designate a chair of their PhD committee at this time. The student should initiate discussion with his/her advisory committee by the end of the semester before they expects to submit the plan, and should prepare to submit a draft plan to these advisors by the first day of spring semester, allowing sufficient time to work through several drafts. The specific due date for submission of the final draft to the Graduate Administrative Aide (signed off by all members of the advisory committee) will be posted each year, but is generally in mid-February. All faculty members review the plans over the subsequent weeks. Approval decisions are made at a faculty meeting held in early March. Occasionally, a plan is sent back for revision. Any revisions must be resubmitted by April 1 for approval by the full faculty. A student whose plan has not been approved by all department faculty by the end of spring semester of the second year will not be allowed to continue in the program.

Qualifying Exam

Students must complete three qualifying exams. At the end of the Anthropology Professionalization Seminar, typically taken in the second year of study, students will complete the first of these exams, which will consist of a take-home exam assessing students’ abilities to engage Anthropological theory and questions. In the third year students will complete the other two qualifying exams, which will consist of take-home essay exams covering two areas of specialization—generally one defined geographically and one thematically. Each essay should be 10-12 pages, double-spaced, and may include up to 3 additional pages of endnotes and a separate bibliography that is normally 5-10 pages in length. All three essays may be written over one 12-day sitting or in a disaggregated fashion in accord with the Anthropology Department’s PhD exam schedule over the course of the academic year. The student works closely with an exam committee of three faculty members (two from Anthropology, one from French Studies), each of whom assumes primary responsibility for an exam area. All three members of the committee read and grade (Pass/Fail) all three essays. If a student receives a failing grade in one or several exam areas, they will be permitted to retake the exam by the end of the semester following the first attempt. Failure to receive a passing grade on any one part of the exam within this time frame will constitute failure of the exam, and the student will be terminated from the program.

Proposal Hearing

Before engaging in research and applying for funding for the PhD dissertation, the student defends the research proposal. The department requires that a dissertation proposal be formally approved by each student’s advisory committee. Each student should meet with his/her committee no later than the fall semester of the fourth year for a proposal hearing, ideally when early drafts of grant proposals are available but there is enough time to benefit from the discussion.

Students should not prepare a special version of the dissertation proposal for this purpose; rather the hearing should focus on a version of the proposal that actually will be submitted to funding agencies. The hearing is meant to be a discussion in which problems are ironed out, helpful suggestions made, and difficulties likely to arise during the research discussed. A copy of the approved research proposal along with the signed departmental approval form is placed in the student's file.

Dissertation

The dissertation must be defended before a minimum five-member committee of examiners. These include a minimum of three full-time members of the university, generally comprised of the student’s core advisory committee (two faculty members from the Anthropology Department and one from the Institute of French Studies). Fourth, fifth, and further examining members may come from anywhere within or beyond the university, so long as the examiner holds a PhD in any field.

In order to defend, students are required to give the Chair of their committee a completed draft of the dissertation two months prior to their desired defense date. During the first month, the Chair will read and deliver feedback, enabling students to make corrections, after which students will distribute a complete draft of the dissertation to all members of the examination committee by at least 4 weeks prior to the defense date. A successful oral defense requires that at least four of the five or more examiners vote to approve. After a successful defense, the candidate may be asked to make further revisions of the dissertation before depositing it.

Departmental Approval

All Graduate School of Arts & Science doctoral candidates must be approved for graduation by their department for the degree to be awarded.

Sample Plan of Study

Plan of Study Grid
1st Semester/Term		Credits
ANTH-GA 1010	Theory and Practice of Social Anthropology I	4
IFST-GA 1610	19th Century France	4
IFST-GA	French Studies General Elective	4
PhD Elective		4
	Credits	16
2nd Semester/Term
IFST-GA 3720	Research Seminar: French Studies	4
ANTH-GA 1011	Theory and Practice of Social Anthropology II	4
ANTH-GA 1040	Linguistic Anthropology	4
	Credits	12
3rd Semester/Term
IFST-GA 9500	Topics (Summer Research Seminar at NYU Paris)	4
IFST-GA	Summer General Elective in French Studies at NYU Paris	4
Anthropology & French Studies Elective		4
	Credits	12
4th Semester/Term
IFST-GA 3710	Rsch Sem French Studies	2
ANTH-GA 1636	History of Anthropology	4
ANTH-GA 3211	Sociocultural Professionalization	1-4
PhD Elective		2-4
	Credits	12
5th Semester/Term
ANTH-GA	Anthropology General Elective	4
ANTH-GA	Anthropology General Elective	4
IFST-GA	French Studies General Elective	4
	Credits	12
6th Semester/Term
ANTH-GA	Anthropology independent Study	4
IFST-GA	French Studies Independent Study	4
	Credits	8
	Total Credits	72

Following completion of the required coursework for the PhD, students are expected to maintain active status at New York University by enrolling in a research/writing course or a Maintain Matriculation (MAINT-GA 4747) course. All non-course requirements must be fulfilled prior to degree conferral, although the specific timing of completion may vary from student-to-student.

NOTE: No formal coursework is required after passing Qualifying Exams, though it is possible if needed. Students are advised to register for Independent Study courses to make sure they complete 72 credits.

Learning Outcomes

Upon successful completion of the program, graduates will:

Be provided with rigorous training in general social and cultural theory, both in contemporary writings and in the classics of anthropology and sociology; and firm grounding in the traditions and methods of ethnographic fieldwork to study cultural processes and practices.
Complement disciplinary knowledge in sociocultural anthropology with mastery of methodologies and conceptual frameworks from history and other disciplines in the social sciences such as sociology and political science, with a particular emphasis on francophone social sciences.
Have the ability to locate printed and manuscript sources in libraries, archives, and databases; to read them critically; to marshal them into clear and convincing arguments that make an original contribution to the field; and to impart one’s ideas orally and in writing, in works that are of sufficient quality for publication and conference acceptance.
Have teaching skills in Anthropology and French Studies or adjacent fields and familiarity with the workings of the academic world (publication routes, conferences, professional trajectories, etc.).
Be in a position to obtain a tenure-track position, a post-doctoral fellowship, or another job (within or outside academia such as in the public humanities) after completing their dissertation.