| MASTER OF ARTS PROGRAM IN AMERICAN INDIAN STUDIES |
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In 1982 UCLA established the first interdisciplinary Master of Arts program in American Indian Studies in the nation. Ranked among the one or two best in American Indian Studies, the Master of Arts program draws primarily from the Anthropology, Art History, Education, English and Comparative Literature, Ethnomusicology, Folklore and Mythology, History, Law, Linguistics, Sociology, Theater Arts, and World Arts and Cultures departments at UCLA. Students choose an area of concentration and acquire skills that will enable them to conduct original research. Graduates of the program will be prepared to teach Native American studies, pursue more specialized graduate or professional training, or serve in an administrative capacity in Indian programs. Recent graduates have launched successful careers as tribal historians, museum curators, teachers, artists, filmmakers, tribal administrators, researchers, and professors. More than half of the graduates go on to a doctoral program or an advanced degree. The Master of Arts program is associated with the American Indian Studies Center, which ranks among the top research centers of its kind. AMERICAN INDIAN STUDIES CENTER The American Indian Studies Center was established in 1969 and became an Organized Research Unit in 1971. The Center coordinates a variety of resources and activities designed to promote and enhance the study of American Indians throughout the university community. With the largest urban Indian population in the country, Los Angeles is the ideal backdrop for the American Indian Studies Center, offering unparalleled opportunities for research related to American Indian communities. In addition to Administration, the Center has four components: Research The goals of the research unit are directed toward sponsoring research that will benefit the Los Angeles Indian community at large, and promoting research and publications that provide accurate information about American Indians. This unit administers research grants from the Institute of American Cultures. Students in the program are invited to apply for these funds in order to secure support for their thesis research. The grants are competitive; students are encouraged to work closely with their faculty committee to write an effective grant proposal. American Indian Studies Center Library The library is accessible to students, faculty, and researchers whose academic interests and work focus on various aspects of American Indian life and culture. It maintains a select collection of works by Indian and non-Indian authors in the fields of government relations, history, literature, art, and language. More than 7,400 volumes and 100 periodical titles comprise the core collection, with special collections of dissertations, theses, government documents, pamphlets, and Indian newspapers and journals, augmenting the holdings. Publications The publications unit is responsible for the publication of journals, monographs, books, and other media designed to distribute the results of faculty and Center-sponsored research. Most notable is the American Indian Culture and Research Journal, which is one of the leading periodicals in the field of American Indian studies. It also publishes the Native Bruin, a newsletter that provides a voice for students enrolled in American Indian Studies at UCLA. Student and Community Relations This unit engages in recruitment and provides counseling, financial aid information, and general student support services for students in the Master of Arts program, as well as informally for other American Indian graduate and undergraduate students. Community relations is also an integral part of this unit’s responsibilities. THE AMERICAN INDIAN GRADUATE STUDENTS ASSOCIATION (AIGSA) As an official campus-based student organization, AIGSA seeks to enhance the academic environment and experiences of American Indian and other interested and involved graduate students. Cultural and social interaction and learning among students are fostered through lectures and presentations involving UCLA and other college and university faculty, students, and community members. AIGSA also facilitates interdepartmental communication and camaraderie among all UCLA graduate students interested in American Indian studies. ADMISSION A bachelor’s degree from an accredited undergraduate institution is required for admission to the Master of Arts program in American Indian Studies. Ideally, students will demonstrate an interest in American Indian studies through formal course work, independent study, or practical experience. In addition to the application, students must submit an essay which includes a detailed account of their academic background, a statement of research interests, and potential career plans. Preference is given to individuals with undergraduate majors relevant to the proposed areas of concentration within the Master of Arts degree: Anthropology, Art History, English, Ethnomusicology, History, Linguistics, Literature, Sociology, or Theater. Entering students must meet the university’s minimum admission requirement of a 3.0 grade-point average in all course work completed during the last two undergraduate years and in all prior graduate work. The Graduate Record Examination (GRE) is not required, but students are encouraged to take the examination and submit test results to be considered for fellowship programs. At least three letters of recommendation should be submitted, ideally from faculty members who know your work. Finally, students should submit a writing sample, usually a copy of a term paper (or some approximation thereof) that has been completed for a course. Admission to the program is limited to the fall quarter. Most students complete the program in six quarters (two years). COURSE REQUIREMENTS I. A minimum of ten courses is required, at least seven of which must be at the graduate level. Four required courses are American Indian Studies M200A, M200B, M200C (which must be taken in the first year), and one of the linguistics requirement options which must be fulfilled by the end of the second year. In addition, one of the remaining six courses must be a graduate course concerned with research methodology. II. All Master of Arts candidates must select one of the following areas of concentration:
Students can petition for combinations of interdisciplinary work to the chair of the program. In addition to the four required courses, students must complete a minimum of four courses in their chosen area of concentration. Three of these must be graduate level courses. Two additional courses are to be chosen from other areas of concentration. Courses must be selected from an approved list maintained by the program. III. Two courses in the 500 series may be applied toward the course requirement. However, only one 596 course may be counted toward the minimum graduate course requirement. The 500 series courses are individualized, independent study courses which permit students to pursue topics that are not available in conventional lecture courses or seminars. They may be used to make guided progress in writing the thesis or preparing for the comprehensive examination. IV. Students in the Master of Arts program must successfully complete one of the following linguistics requirements: (a) Linguistics 114, (b) Anthropology 243P, or (c) for native speakers of an American Indian language, an independent study course approved by the instructor in either Linguistics or Anthropology in which a structural knowledge of the student’s language is learned. The courses are designed to show how American Indian languages and communicative norms are primary vehicles for the transmission and understanding of American Indian cultures. THESIS OR COMPREHENSIVE EXAMINATION Students may select either a thesis plan or a comprehensive examination plan to complete the program. The committee members supervising the thesis or administering the comprehensive examination are selected by the student with the consent of the program committee after submitting a formal thesis proposal early in the fourth quarter of residence. Copies of the thesis must be submitted to each member of the committee by the fifth week of the quarter of expected graduation. Students choosing the comprehensive examination plan must demonstrate competency in the major and minor areas of study in a written and/or oral examination. MINOR IN AMERICAN INDIAN STUDIES The interdepartmental program has recently initiated additional offerings at the undergraduate level, one of which is the minor in American Indian Studies, designed for students who wish to augment their major program of study. The minor assures a breadth of disciplinary and topical coverage which allows students to appreciate both the scientific and humanistic research that has been directed at Indian communities. PARTICIPATING FACULTY IN AMERICAN INDIAN STUDIES Paul V. Kroskrity, Chair of the Master of Arts program in American Indian Studies, has taught in Anthropology and American Indian Studies since 1978. He earned his Ph.D. in Anthropology from Indiana University in 1977 after conducting several years of cumulative research in Tewa Village on the Hopi Reservation. His writings include many articles and two books on language contact and verbal art. Since 1980 he has worked on the Mono Language Project—a language-renewal project which has produced a dictionary and is producing a CD-ROM. Participating faculty includes:
ADVISING The Master of Arts program in American Indian Studies is supervised by an interdepartmental faculty committee. Upon admission, the committee assigns a faculty adviser from the student’s major area of concentration. Together, student and adviser formulate the first year’s course work. Students select a guidance committee which is subject to approval by the committee to administer the Master of Arts degree. The guidance committee is responsible for the supervision, review, and final recommendation for acceptance of the comprehensive exam or thesis as partial fulfillment. FOR INFORMATION UCLA
American Indian Studies email: aisc@ucla.edu TO APPLY Access
the UCLA Application for Graduate Admission via the World Wide Web:
http://www.gdnet.ucla.edu
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