Departmental Self Review - UCLA Academic Senate

k:­Student Degree Objective:PHDTheappropriateness ofFactors which Factors which The nature of work as a course and otherhelp your hinder your TA and/or GSR at UCLA, The reasons why some The overall degree Any questions you believeprogress progress its value as part of your students have left our intellectual requirements in the review team shouldtoward your toward your education, and the quality graduate program before quality of regard to your raise and/or areas theydegree degree of the training you received completing their degrees your program career aspirations should examineli,j'lI jcHMy advisors, both The only factor which Working as a TA has been From what I have heard, most of This is excellent ­ I feel the course and Not exactly a question, bULl feelmy primary advisor genuinely hinders extremely valuable in preparing these situations arose from the nearly all of the degree requirements are the department could do more toand the rest of my progress is the lack me to teach university courses research interests of the faculty, across all exceptionally provide entering graduatecommittee, are of funding as a professor. Teaching a students diverging too far afield ofthe subfields, appropriate ­ students with opportunities to dodedicated to striking opportunities. Some variety of courses, in particular, from the expertise of their are highly anthropology is a four­ genUine anthropological fieldworka balance between of this is a strikes me as a useful means of advisors, without any alternative regarded in their field discipline, and the in their first summer, by visitingtimely completion of consequence of preparing the next generation of advisors available in the specialties. This only way to maintain that faculty fieldsites to conduct theirmy degree and factors outside of the anthropology prOfessors to department who are beller is not just the in­ into the future is to master's thesis research. Theengaging in department's control, instruct across sUbfields, and suited for those interests. There house prepare all graduate lack of opportunities for early,productive such as the priorities should be encouraged more. have also been some perspective, students to speak mentored field experience isresearch, of national funding The TA training was very good, personality conflicts, I either - when across subfields by partly caused by the lack ofencouraging me to agencies, and the and did prepare me for many of understand, but these were speaking with educating them in the faculty with active fieldsites (atstay on track while department has the situations I encountered as a secondary to the overall other graduate basic precepts of each. least outside ofthe Los Angelesallowing me the taken steps to TA. However, the departmenfs mismatch between the students' students at I do know that several area). One does get thetime to work ameliorate this reliance on TAships as the only and the advisors' interests. academic other graduate students impression that faculty considercarefully on my situation by offering real source of funding for most Unfortunately, it seems the conferences, they in this program do not the field to be somewhere oneideas. They small research graduate students does force advisors In these situations have are frequently share my opinion, and I goes until tenure is received.provide genuinely grants in-house. many of us to spend more rarely dealt with this in a impressed with would like to suggestconstructive Given the nature of quarters teaching than is constructive manner, simply the overall and that their complaints becriticism, telling me anthropological desirable; after the first three or telling these students towards diverse quality of discounted as shortwhenthey think I fieldwork, which four quarters of teaching, we the end of the year that they our faculty sighted; both in terms ofmay be wrong (and requires considerably have learned most of what we have to go, which does not roster. We seem understanding thewhy) without more costs than are going to learn from this provide any opportunities for to have very, very history of anthropologydiscouraging me, other social experience, particularly when we looking into other programs to few of the as the comprehensiveand treat me with sciences, however, teach the same course quarter continue their graduate notorious kind of study of humanity, andrespect ("as a junior more opportunities after quarter. The time education (again, this is only professor who in terms of beingcolleague," as one for funding would demands of TAing are very high, what I have heard, primarily from stopped keeping prepared for theof my advisors once greatly improve the and it effectively eliminates the the student's perspective - it up with scientific vagaries of academia,put it). degree progress, as opportunities to work towards may well be that the need to progress upon where cross-disciplinarymany of us are one's own degree. Basically, 1 change programs was made receiving tenure interaction will onlyforced to spend feel TAing is a very valuable clear by the advisor but ignored (although there become more common.years TAing, or opportunity, which should be by the student). I think it would are one or two of Not wanting to studyteaching at reqUired of all graduate students be good if the faculty, when those). lingUistics or biologycommunity colleges, in the program, but it should not confronted with this kind of because it's not one'sinstead of completing be relied upon as the only kind situation, took more proactive "thing" ignores the factour research and of funding available for most steps to help their student find that an anthropologist iswriting our students, as it currently is. an appropriate place to continue expected to know aboutdissertations. One their stUdies, rather than simply more than one thing.helpful measurewash their hands of them.would be to increasethe amount of GSRsavailable toWednesday, May 02, 2007 Anthropology, Open·Ended Comments. Graduate Councii Survey. Winter 2007 Page 5 of 14