Undergraduate Honors Program in Anthropology
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FAQs:
What are the eligibility requirements for participation in the Anthropology Honors Program?
* completion of 135 units (by the end of junior year)
* GPA of 3.50 in Anthropology courses (or courses toward the major for B.S. degree)
* at least six units of ANT 194H, taken over a minimum of two quarters, under the direct mentorship of a faculty member
What is a senior honors thesis?
When a student conducts a senior honors project, they undertake independent research, with the guidance of a faculty advisor, and produce a scholarly written document. This research may be library based or involve collecting and/or analyzing primary data (e.g., data from ethnographic interviews, primates, genetics, archaeological or osteological remains). The final written document is more substantial than what is normally produced for a term paper. The research is conducted over two or more quarters.
Why undertake a senior honors thesis?
The Anthropology Honors Program is intended to provide highly motivated and dedicated students with (1) an opportunity to engage in original research and analysis, (2) close contact with an individual faculty mentor, (3) opportunities to develop skills in the writing and oral presentation of anthropological ideas and data.
Students are encouraged to present their research at the annual UC Davis Undergraduate Research, Scholarship and Creative Activities Conference, typically held during Spring Quarter (http://urc.ucdavis.edu/).
How do I find a faculty mentor?
If you are pursuing an AB degree in Sociocultural Anthropology, contact an S-wing undergraduate faculty advisor for assistance. If you are pursuing an AB or a BS degree in Evolutionary Anthropology contact an E-wing undergraduate faculty advisor for assistance. They will help guide you to the most appropriate faculty member to advise your proposed thesis. You can also speak with faculty members who have taught courses that were particularly interesting to you.
A faculty mentor who accepts a student for ANT 194H will have the responsibility of guiding the student in his/her research and writing of a senior thesis on an original laboratory, field, or literature research project (e.g., ethnographic interview, primate observation, DNA sequencing, artifact analysis).
What are the requirements for graduating with honors, high honors, or highest honors?
Graduation with “honors” requires that a student meet the appropriate grade point requirement for all UC courses completed. This is determined by the registrar and the College of Letters and Science.
http://registrar.ucdavis.edu/UCDWebCatalog/academicinfo/honors.html
Students who meet the grade point requirement for graduation with honors, and who complete the Honors Program, may be recommended by their departments for graduation with high honors or highest honors. An honors thesis will be reviewed and an assessment made by the student’s faculty mentor, often in consultation with another faculty member. The quality of the honors thesis work will be the primary determinant for designating high or highest honors at graduation.
http://registrar.ucdavis.edu/UCDWebCatalog/programs/ANT/ANTreqt.html
Recent Honors Thesis Projects (ANT 194H)
2011-12
A Meta-Analysis of Primate Data on the Internet. Eric Van Cleave (Recipient of a President's Undergraduate Fellowship)(Andrew Marshall, faculty mentor)
Aquatic Resource Harvesting by Late Thule People at Cape Espenberg, Alaska. Patrick Kinkade (Christyann Darwent, faculty Mentor)
Electron Microprobe Analysis of Pottery Sherds from Nasca, Peru. Alicia Gorman (Jelmer Eerkens, faculty mentor)
Response to solicitation of agonistic aid in captive rhesus macaques (Macaca mulatta). Margarita T. Saucedo (Lynne Isbell, faculty mentor)
Stable Oxygen Isotopes in Human Teeth as a Measure of Mobility at the Scale of the Individual. Oleksandr Kovalyov (Jelmer Eerkens, faculty mentor)
A review of environmental enrichment techniques in zoo-housed western lowland gorillas (Gorilla gorilla gorilla). Amy Nathman (Lynne Isbell, faculty mentor)
2010-11
Functional Analysis of Tabular Bifaces from the Owens Lake Playa. Nick Hanten, AB 2010, (Jelmer Eerkens, faculty mentor)
Ancient DNA and Genetic Relations at a 4000-year-old Archaeological Site (CA-CCO-548) in the California Delta. Naomi Martisius (Jelmer Eerkens and David Smith, faculty mentors)
Experiments in Olivella Shell Bead Production. Brian Barbier (Jelmer Eerkens, faculty mentor)
The Effects of Native Californian Cooking Practices on Acorn starch Grains: Implications for the Identification and Preservation of Starch Grains in the Archaeological Record. Ursula Felice (Jelmer Eerkens, faculty mentor)
Paleodietary Reconstruction in an Ancient California Population: Stable Isotope Analysis at CA-SOL-11. Madeline Mackie (Jelmer Eerkens, faculty mentor)
2009-10
Ancient Rock Art of the Coso Range, Southeastern California: A Quantitative Analysis of Image Size and Shape. Rebecca Dinkel, AB 2010, (Jelmer Eerkens, faculty mentor)
Desperate Times Called for Desperate Measures: The Final Journey of a Thule Sled-dog Team in Northwestern Greenland. Joanne McKenney, AB 2010 (Christyann Darwent, faculty mentor)
Estimation of Age at Weaning using Nitrogen Isotopes from Serial Dentin Samples in an Ancient Californian Archaeological Site. Ada Berget, AB 2010, (Jelmer Eerkens, faculty mentor)
The Ideal Despotic Distribution: An Ecological Model of State Origin In Simulation. Ryan Bohlender, AB 2010 (Bruce Winterhalder, faculty mentor)
Pongo pygmaeus morio feeding selectivity in Sabah, Malaysia. Mackenzie Cole, AB 2010 (Andrew Marshall, faculty mentor)
Suid Bone Marrow Yields and Their Applications to Resource Choice and the Archaeological Record. Gillian Edwards, AB 2010 (Teresa Steele, faculty mentor)
2008-09
A Zooarchaeological Approach to the Reconstruction of a Prehistoric Inuit Winter Dwelling on Cape Grinnell, Northwest Greenland. Jeremy Foin, AB 2009 (Christyann Darwent, faculty mentor)
Real Jihad: Outreach and Citizenship amongst a Muslim-American Community. Gotlieb Fund, AB 2009 (Suad Joseph, faculty mentor)
Neandertals and Modern Humans: The Significance of the Mandibular Complex. Nicholas Longo, AB 2009 (Timothy Weaver, faculty mentor)
It’s All about the Communal Mentality: Anthropological Perspectives on Latinos’ Views of Depression and Antidepressants. Erika Rivas, AB 2009 (Joseph Dumit, faculty mentor)
The Organization of Domestic Space in Late Prehistoric Owens Valley Households. Jenna Santy, AB 2009 (Jelmer Eerkens, faculty mentor)
2007-08
Strontium Analysis of Prehistoric Olivella Shell Beads. Laura Brink, AB 2008 (Jelmer Eerkens, faculty mentor)
Saving Darfur: A Critical Ethnography of the American Anti-Genocide Movement. Emily Groves, AB 2008 (James Smith, faculty mentor)
Geospatial Analysis of Bay Area Shellmound Distribution. Anna Peterson, AB 2008 (Jelmer Eerkens, faculty mentor)
A Historical Ethnography of the Sartorial Practices of Liberian Guerilla Fighters. Rebekah Wilson, AB 2008 (James Smith, faculty mentor)
2006-07
Analysis of Archaeological Pit-Hearths from Owens Valley, California. Devin Snyder, AB 2007 (Jelmer Eerkens, faculty mentor)
Identity of Half-born Jews in Southern Russia. Tanya Kanare, AB 2007 (Marisol de la Cadena, faculty mentor)
Our Efforts Alone: Localizing the Baha'i Faith in the Andes. Melanie King, AB 2007 (Marisol de la Cadena, faculty mentor)
X-Ray Diffraction Analysis of Polychrome Pigments from Nasca, Peru. Edward Willis, AB 2007 (Jelmer Eerkens, faculty mentor)
2005-06
Sexual Dimorphism and Lateral Asymmetry in the Upper Limb Bones of Early, Middle, and Late Horizon Native Californians. Cassandra Brown, BS 2006 (Henry McHenry, faculty mentor)
Archaeobotanical Analysis of a Windmiller Period Site (CA-CCO-548) in Brentwood California. Jamie Dotey, AB 2006 (Jelmer Eerkens, faculty mentor)
Sourcing of Olivella Shell Beads using Carbon and Oxygen Stable Isotopes. Rowan Gard, AB 2006 (Jelmer Eerkens, faculty mentor)
Sourcing Obsidian Debitage from House Floors at the Lubkin Creek Site CA-INY-30) in Owens Valley using Laser Ablation ICP-MS. Amy-Marie Spurling, AB 2006 (Jelmer Eerkens, faculty mentor)
Using LA-ICP-MS to source obsidian artifacts of the Athapaskan language group. Edward Smith, AB 2006 (Jelmer Eerkens, faculty mentor)
2003-04
Creating Kinship: Foucault, Feminism, and the Advent of the ‘Alternative Family’. Catherine Koehler, AB 2004 (Suzana Sawyer, faculty mentor)
Analysis of Mammal, Bird, and Reptile Remains from Four Sites in the Bodega Bay Region, Sonoma County, California. Laura Schaus, AB 2004 (Christyann Darwent, faculty mentor)
2002-03
Osteological Analysis of Remains from a Historical Cemetery at Franklin Point near Año Nuevo Island, California. Teresa Guiol, AB 2003 (Christyann Darwent, faculty mentor)
2001-02
Cacaxtla and Xochicalco: Evidence of Mayan Influence in Central Mexico. Emily Kidder AB 2002 (Janet Shibamoto-Smith, faculty mentor)
Code-Switching in Literature: A Tool to Aid Conveyance of Culture in the Quotidian. Robyn Krock AB 2002 (Janet Shibamoto-Smith, faculty mentor)
