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S .88-82

SIMON FRASER UNIVERSITY

MEMORANDUM

TO: Senate

FROM:

J.W.G. Ivany

Chair, SCAP

SUBJECT: Graduate Curriculum Revisions

DATE: ?

Nov. 17, 1988

- Dept. of Sociology/Anthropology

Action undertaken by the Senate Committee on. Academic Planning/Senate

Graduate Studies Committee gives rise to the following motion:

Motion: ?

that Senate approve and recommend approval to the

Board of Governors as set forth in S.88-82 the following

curriculum revisions:

that the 'Advanced Theory Courses' in Sociology and

Anthropology be made required courses for

respective graduate students

deletion of SA 800-5, SA 801-5, SA

820-5,

821-5,

825-5,

856-5,

858-5,

864-5,

873-5,

874-5,

SA 882-5 and SA

884-5

that Ph.D. applicants be required to submit a sample

of their work from earlier or ongoing graduate

studies

MEMORANDUM 

TO: ? 

FACULTY OF ARTS GRADUATE STUDIES COMMITTEE 

FROM: 

?

GARY TEEPLE, CHAIR 

GRADUATE PROGRAM COMMITTEE 

SOCIOLOGY/ANTHROPOLOGY DEPARTMENT 

SUBJECT: ? 

PROPOSED CHANGES TO 

SOCIOLOGY/ANTHROPOLOGY 

GRADUATE STUDIES PROGRAM 

DATE: ? 

JANUARY 18, 1988 

I ?

INTRODUCTION 

Over the past year the Department of Sociology/Anthropology 

has conducted a review of its graduate program with the purpose 

a) of discovering how to expedite the progress of students 

through the program, allowing course work to be completed within 

3 semesters, and b) of-clarifying and simplifying the existing 

course offerings, bringing them more into line with current 

practice. 

The proposed substantive changes are as follows: 

A)

To make the 'Advanced Theory Course' in Sociology and 

Anthropology required courses for the respective graduate 

students. 

B)

To eliminate several courses from the calendar listing. 

C)

To require Ph.D. applicants to submit a sample of their work 

from earlier or ongoing graduate studies. 

We also wish to change the 

•

wording but not the substance 

(except for A, B and C) of our calendar entry - these are 

editorial changes but are listed below. 

It should be noted that the minimum course requirements 

remain at 4 one-semester courses for both the M.A. and Ph.D. and 

credit hours at 20, plus the Graduate Seminar. 

II RATIONALE FOR PROPOSED CHANGES 

A) The Advanced Theory courses in Sociology (SA 850) and in 

Anthropology (SA 870), as listed in the Calendar, are not at 

present required courses or regularly offered. It is felt by 

. the Department that comprehensive theory courses such as these 

should constitute part of the minimum requirements for both 

graduate degrees to ensure that students are conversant with the 

prevailing theories in the disciplines at a graduate level, and 

that they should be offered each Fall semester for incoming 

graduate students. 

-2-

[In the event that a doctoral student has completed an M.A. 

in the Department, the course requirements remain the same as 

for other doctoral students but special arrangements will be 

made by the Graduate Program Committee to ensure that SA 850 or 

SA 870 are not repeated. These arrangements will consist of a 

prescribed course of study approved by the student's committee 

and the Graduate Program Committee. The same student will be 

required to repeat SA 857 because this course is an excercise in 

research design focusing on each student's anticipated thesis 

research.] 

B) We propose to eliminate the following courses from the 

calendar: 

SA 800 

Social and Cultural Processes in Canadian Society 

SA

801

Comparative Ethnic. Relations 

SA

820

Demographic Issues 

SA

821

Social Movements 

SA 825  

Political Sociology 

SA

856

Field Work Seminar 

SA

858

Philosophy of the Social Sciences 

SA

864

Social Analysis of Developing Nations 

SA

873

Regional Studies I 

SA

874

Regional Studies II 

SA

882

Selected Problems in Sociological Analysis 

SA

884

Selected Problems 

in

Anthropological Analysis 

The reason is straightforward, namely, that most 

the

courses to be deleted have not been offered very'often, if at 

all, in the past five years. Furthermore, should any of the 

deleted courses be mounted in the future, they can be done under 

the remaining listed courses (see below). 

C)

We

propose to require applicants to the Ph.D. Graduate 

Program to submit a sample of their work in order to assist the 

Graduate ? 

Program ? 

Committee ? 

in ? 

assessing the ability of 

prospective ? 

applicants ? 

to ? 

complete ? 

the doctoral program 

?

successfully. 

.

• ? 

-3-

III PROPOSED CALENDAR DES'CRII'TION 

?

AREAS OF STUDY 

SOCIOLOGICAL THEORY, ANTHROPOLOGICAL THEORY, AND THE 

PHILOSPHY OF THE SOCIAL SCIENCES (European intellectual 

history, holistic, comparative and historical 

perspectives) 

CANADIAN SOCIETY (ethnic relations, demographic issues, 

social inequality, political economy) 

SOCIAL AND CULTURAL ANTHROPOLOGY (with emphasis upon 

the anthropology of modern life) 

DEVELOPMENT ? 

STUDIES ? 

(especially ? 

the Third World, 

?

including studies of tourism) 

POLITICS ? 

AND ? 

SOCIETY (with emphasis on political 

?

economy, ethnic relations and social movements) 

..

?

RELIGION AND SOCIETY 

MINORITY ? 

INDIGENOUS ? 

PEOPLES (particularly Canadian 

?

native peoples) 

SOCIAL ? 

POLICY 

?

ISSUES ? 

(gender ? 

relations, ? 

aging, ? 

government administration of native peoples) 

ADMISSION 

The Department of Sociology and Anthropology offers programs 

• ? 

of advanced learning and research leading to the M.A. and Ph.D. 

?

degrees in Sociology and Anthropology. 

For general admission requirements applicants should refer 

to the General Regulations section. The Department requires the 

student, in addition, to produce a written statement about 

his/hercurrent interests and prospective research. How well 

the proposed research of the applicant coincides with the 

research and teaching interests of the faculty in the Department 

is an important consideration for admission. 

Ph.D. applicants must submit a sample of their work from 

earlier or ongoing graduate studies. 

-4-

Applications for admission 

considered once each year at 

commences in September. 

into the program are normally 

the end of January; the program 

Prospective ? 

applicants 

?

should contact the department's 

Graduate ? 

Program 

?

Chair for further information about the 

program. 

DEGREE REQUIREMENT 

For both the M.A. and Ph.D. degrees, formal course work and 

a thesis are required. The minimum requirements are as follows: 

i) ? 

4 one-semester courses 

a)

Two of these must be SA 850 or SA 870 (Advanced 

Sociological or Anthropological Theory), and 

SA 857 (Research Design Seminar). 

[In ? 

the ? 

event 

?

that a doctoral student has 

completed an M.A. 

in

the Department, course 

requirements remain the same as for other doctoral 

students, but special arrangements will be made by 

the ? 

Department ? 

Graduate Program Committee to 

?

ensure that SA 850 or SA 870 is not repeated.] 

b)

The remaining two courses will be chosen from: 

SA 886 (Selected Problems in Social Analysis); 

SA 853/SA 871 (Readings Courses I); a course in 

another Department or University. 

[The ? 

option of the Readings Courses and the 

?

extra-Departmental courses must be approved by the 

student's ? 

supervisory ? 

committee 

?

and ? 

the

Departmental Graduate Program Committee. Any 

student with deficiencies may be asked to complete 

more courses.] 

ii) Prior to commencing work on the thesis, the student 

will defend a written prospectus on the thesis in an 

oral examination. 

iii) A 

?

thesis ? 

(see ? 

the ? 

Departmental ? 

handbook ? 

for ? 

guidelines). 

iv) For the Ph.D. only: a written qualifying examination 

in theory is required before the oral examination on 

the thesis prospectus. 

1^1

?

-5-- 

In fulfilling these requirements, the normal sequence would 

be as follows: 

a)

Course Requirements 

Fall Semester (I): SA 850 or SA 870 

Spring Semester (I): Two of the following: 

SA 853 or SA, 871 

SA 886 

Extra-Departmental courses. 

Summer Semester (I): SA 857 (Research Design Seminar) 

b)

Qualifying Examination 

?

Summer Semester (I) 

(for the Ph.D. only) 

?

or Fall Semester (II) 

c)

Thesis Prospectus Fall Semester (II) 

d)

Thesis 

The Graduate Seminar (SA 840-2, SA 841-01 

Both M.A. and Ph.D. students are expected to attend and 

actively participate in the Graduate Seminar each semester it is 

offered. Grading will be restricted to. 

satisfactory/unsatisfactory (S/U). 

Lan2ua2e Reauirement 

Although the department recognizes that a knowledge of 

French or foreign languages is desirable for advanced degree 

studies, it does not have prescribed language requirements. 

However, where it is evident that a language other than English 

is necessary for the candidate's field work or reading, the 

student will be required to attain the necessary proficiency. 