Education Abroad Tips

Obtaining Anthropology Credit While Studying Abroad

As anthropologists, we want to encourage all our students to have some type of off-campus experience, be it a semester abroad, a field school, an internship here in the States, or even relevant work experience. If you wish to obtain major credit for your work, here are some suggestions.

You may have a maximum of three Pass/Fail courses in the major. Unless your off-campus program is administered by Davidson, your courses will come back as Pass/Fail courses.

The first thing you should do is request an appointment with the Office of Education Abroad to review the approved programs that fit your interests. Once you've done this, you should also talk to your anthropology adviser about possible programs. Next, check with the chair or another department member well in advance of your departure to insure that courses will be accepted once you return. It would be well to ask for a short email confirming approval so that we have a written record.

On returning, the procedure is to first contact the Registrar to obtain academic credit. That office may suggest a course number for your work, but we make the final determination. Thus you must contact the department chair with your materials. When you return, it is your responsibility to keep your syllabi, tests, and papers so that we may judge the appropriate level of the course(s).

Most study abroad courses are equivalent to our 100- or 200-level courses. Our major requirements specify a maximum of two 200-level courses among the 10 counting toward the major. Therefore, if you anticipate going abroad, you should refrain from taking too many 200-level courses on campus if you want them to fulfill major requirements. (Surplus lower level courses can be credited as ANT if their content is appropriate and will count toward your total number of courses, but they will be counted as supplemental to the required 10 courses in the major.)

You can of course satisfy some of the other departmental requirements while abroad. Many universities offer courses in archaeology, biocultural anthropology, or the equivalent to our 101, so these should be considered as well.

Some programs, like S.I.T., have a field component. If you wish to obtain anthropology credit, especially if you wish to satisfy the methods requirement, make sure the project you define falls within the discipline and involves a substantial piece of written work.

In planning your trip abroad, you should also consider the timing of courses here at Davidson. It is important to take Theory (370) as soon as possible, since the Senior Seminar (490) presupposes familiarity with basic theoretical approaches. Theory is at present offered only in the fall semester. Your methods requirement is less constrained, since 371 is offered every spring, and several other courses can be a substitute. We understand conflicts may occur, but when assessing your choices, please keep these factors in mind.