Starr Lectureships
The Starr Lectureships are named after Frederick Starr, the
first anthropologist to teach at the University of Chicago and a figure much
beloved by undergraduates.
Starr Lectureships are restricted to advanced graduate
students (those formally admitted to candidacy and who have returned from
the field and/or completed the research for the dissertation). Starr
Lecturers offer 200-level courses of their own design in the Anthropology
Undergraduate Program. There are
4 Core Courses in the Program: Classic Readings in Anthropology (211),
Intensive Study of a Culture (212), Modern Readings in Anthropology (213), and
The Practice of Anthropology (214). Anthropology majors are required
to take a minimum of 3 of these courses, preferably early in their program, with
the idea that they will serve as an introduction to Anthropology. They
usually enroll fewer than 25 students, most of whom will have already taken the
Social Science Core course, so they should have some exposure to classic approaches
in the Social Sciences.
In the past, applicants for the Starr Lectureship have usually
proposed to teach a section of Anthro 212: Intensive Study of a Culture,
although some variation is possible (e.g., an Intensive Study of an Archaeological
Culture; or an Intensive Study of a Region). The "Culture" to be
studied intensively is that of your dissertation research. However,
an effort should be made to generalize beyond particularistic ethnographic
or archaeological descriptions to illustrate broader anthropological theories,
themes and principles. Preference will be given to proposals
that include discussion/presentation of the methods that you used in your
research. New this year, applications will also be welcomed for ANY
of the 4 Core Courses -- i.e., for Classic or Modern Readings or the Practice
of Anthropology as well as for Intensive Study of a Culture.
For the year 2004-2005, there will be one competition
for all Four Starr Lectureships — scheduling issues are making it
necessary for us to know our courses farther in advance.
A completed Starr Lectureship application includes the following:
- A one-page prose perspective/overview of your proposed course. Indicate 211, 212, 213, or 214 in the Header
- Indication of which quarter you would prefer to teach -- or whether
you are "open" to any quarter.
- A
one-paragraph course description. 1/3 page single spaced at most.
- A
detailed Course Outline/Syllabus broken down into topics, assigned and suggested
readings, course requirements (e.g., written and oral reports, term papers,
mode of examination, etc).
- An
up-dated copy of your CV including a list of your faculty committee members.
You are strongly encouraged to consult both with your faculty
advisors and with the Director of Undergraduate Studies in Anthropology when
designing your course. (The Department also has a collection of syllabi from
recently offered Starr Lectureship courses as well as faculty-taught 200-level
courses available for examination.) A faculty selection committee will evaluate
the proposals. They will be judged on their general merits, potential
appeal, and the needs of the Program and its students. Many proposals
fail because they are too specialized, too narrow, too demanding, and indicate
unawareness that the audience will be students who are perhaps taking a first
anthropology course. Exclusive of research papers, students can be
expected to read and comprehend about 1000 pages during a nine-and-one-half
week quarter. Think seriously about what you expect a student to gain
from the course and how that knowledge will contribute to her or his general
understanding of anthropology. The courses usually are designed to
promote student discussion and critical thinking, and the College has always
encouraged innovative teaching.
You are welcome to request feedback
on your proposal from the Selection Committee and Director of Undergraduate
Studies in Anthropology. Many proposals that fail on initial submission
succeed in subsequent competitions after revision.
Due Date: Monday,
April 12, 2004
Due Date for 2005-06 is likely to be sometime
in Winter 2005
Submit completed applications to Haskell 119.
You can send them as e-mail attachments if you like.
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