Public Issues Anthropology MA @ the University of Guelph Why choose Guelph's Public

Public Issues
Anthropology MA
@ the University of Guelph
Why choose Guelph's Public
Issues Anthropology MA program?
As anthropologists, we are uniquely positioned to explain,
address, and respond to the major public and social issues of
our time. With an understanding of community dynamics and
global processes, our program focuses on the interface between
anthropological knowledge and on-the-ground practice. We work
with students to address issues critical to contemporary
governance, public discourse, livelihoods, and civil society – and
to meet the demands and concerns of our world. Our Public
Issues Anthropology MA seeks to make our world a better,
healthier, more equitable place to live.
Contact us:
Shelagh Daly
Graduate Secretary
Department of Sociology and
Anthropology
daly@uoguelph.ca
Dr. Satsuki Kawano
Public Issues Anthropology MA
Coordinator
skawano@uoguelph.ca
Faculty conduct research on a wide range of public issues
including migration, globalization, human rights, indigenous
rights, food and dietary practices, health, agriculture, rural
livelihoods, disabilities, and families and aging. With these areas
as our focus, we provide students with the opportunity to
develop and hone the analytical, writing, and communication
skills to apply anthropological concepts and methods inside and
outside of academia. This is practical training for the challenges
we all face in our everyday lives.
"…the PIA MA program provides students with
sound training in research, analysis, and
writing, skills that I use everyday in my current
career." – Leah Culver (Class of 2013)
Anthropology at Guelph
Students in our MA program
choose either the Major Research
Paper or Thesis track, depending
on their research interests,
priorities, and timelines.
Photo above: Donkey cart (locally known as a
"Kalahari Ferrari") in Botswana
Major Research Paper track
students take 6 courses, and write
a major research paper based on
primary or secondary research.
This can be completed within 4
semesters.
Thesis track students take 4
courses, develop and undertake
primary fieldwork, and write and
defend a thesis based on their
fieldwork. This can be completed
within 6 semesters.
Our students have undertaken
research on diverse topics in a
wide range of locales, including
Botswana, Canada, the Dominican
Republic, Honduras, Jamaica,
Kenya, Nepal, Nicaragua and
Paraguay.
"...the methodological skills I
developed and honed in this
program provided the
impetus behind my decision
to start a qualitative
research facilitation
business." – Sarah Yusuf
(Class of 2014)
Students can also apply to
undertake an MA in International
Development Studies at the same
time as completing their MA in
Public Issues Anthropology.
Sample Courses
Public Issues Anthropology:
Students examine the interface
between anthropological and
public understandings of
contemporary issues. This course
ensures that students become well
versed in how to synthesize the
resources of various branches of
the discipline.
Gender and Development: In this
course, students examine crosscultural and historical changes in
gender relations and the
roles/positions of women brought
about by industrialization and the
development of the world system.
Community Engaged Scholarship:
Community engaged scholarship
(CES) involves the university in a
mutually beneficial and
collaborative partnership with the
community to solve communityidentified problems. This course
engages students in collaborative
CES projects.
Some Recent Thesis Titles
Well-being and mining in Baker
Lake, Nunavut: Inuit values,
practices and strategies in the
transition to an industrial economy
– Sophie Maksimowski (2014)
Small-to-medium scale farmers
and direct marketing opportunities:
Negotiating structures and
exercising agency in urban food
markets in Asuncion, Paraguay –
Leah Culver (2013)
"We are cash cows, we have
dollar signs on our hats": An
exploration of food security and
identity among international
students studying in Guelph and
Windsor, Ontario, Canada – Erika
Stewin (2013)
Marketing medicines:
Conceptualizing cultural identity
among market vendors in
Asuncion, Paraguay – Heather
Millman (2012)
Human, Kenyan, and Gay: Queer
women's activism and identity
construction in Nairobi – Kaitlin
Dearham (2011)
"To stand up on our own feet": The
politics of San culture and
indigeneity in Botswana – Karim
Myatt (2011)
Department of Sociology and Anthropology, University of Guelph
Some recent Major Research
Papers
Aboriginal urbanization and organizations
in Canada: Understanding internal
migration, the challenges of urban living,
and the purposes of Friendship Centres in
Canadian cities – Kodi Veenstra (2014)
The story of the Haida Nation: Regaining
control of Haida Gwaii through strategies,
strength and sound stewardship – Jessica
Steiner (2012)
Photo on left: Protesting soy agriculture in urban
Paraguay, 2009
Using Your Degree
Financial support
Anthropology as a discipline prepares students to work in a variety of
non-governmental, governmental, academic, and consultation
capacities. Our program ensures that students develop the skills
necessary to engage with academic and non-academic realms; our
graduates are well prepared to apply anthropological perspectives,
insights and methods to a variety of public issues in diverse workplace
and academic settings.
Students have access to financial
support in the form of scholarships,
teaching assistantships, graduate
research assistantships, special
bursaries, and travel grants. All
applicants are considered for funding
– separate funding applications are
not necessary, except in the case of
travel grants.
Graduates of our program have gone on to work for international NGOs,
research consulting firms, community-based organizations, local
government and the educational sector. Other graduates have gone on
to pursue doctoral or law degrees.
Want to know more about our department and our
faculty?
We also encourage students to apply
for external funding, and offer
workshops on writing strong funding
applications.
Photo below: Japanese ema boards with
wishes dedicated to shrines, 2012
For information about applying to the program, and for faculty profiles,
visit:
https://www.uoguelph.ca/socioanthro/graduate-studies/ma-pia
Visit the Department of Sociology and Anthropology website:
https://www.uoguelph.ca/socioanthro/
Our twitter account:
https://twitter.com/GuelphSOAN
Department of Sociology and Anthropology, University of Guelph
Student experiences
I really enjoyed the Public Issues Anthropology Masters program at the
University of Guelph. The courses that the program offered were interesting
and relevant, and faculty encouraged student to engage with complex
public issues and multiple theoretical perspectives. I currently work as a
human-environment consultant and socio-cultural anthropologist for a
small, boutique, consulting firm in southwestern Ontario. Since working with
this firm, I've undertaken consulting projects on traditional knowledge, oral
history, and land use and occupancy studies with Aboriginal groups
throughout Manitoba and Ontario. Among other things, the PIA MA
program provides students with sound training in research, analysis, and
writing, skills that I use everyday in my current career. – Leah Culver (class
of 2013)
Photo above: PIA students and faculty on a
course fieldtrip, 2012
Photo below: Heather Millman (class of 2012)
in the field, Asuncion, 2010
The Public Issues Anthropology MA program at the University of Guelph
encouraged me to pursue my interests in sociocultural anthropology, and
also challenged me to ask important questions about how anthropology as
a discipline can contribute to society. The faculty is very encouraging, and it
was with their support that I was able to secure SSHRC funding at both the
MA and PhD levels. My experience at the University of Guelph inspired me
to continue on with anthropological research at the doctoral level. – Heather
Millman (Class of 2012)
The PIA MA afforded me the opportunity to design a multi-sited field
research project and to apply the theory I had studied in my undergraduate
degree to the real, lived experience of important people in my life. My
experiences interviewing over 30 elderly subjects in Italy and Ontario
enabled me to develop the ability to craft effective questions, to recognize
when linguistic and cultural differences create barriers to communication,
and to put subjects at ease, transforming 'interviews' into 'conversations'
that allow me to delve more deeply into the subject at hand.
Following my graduation from the Masters of PIA program, I
obtained my J.D. at Western Law (University of Western Ontario). I now
practice law with a focus on family and civil litigation where I put my
interview skills to use every day, whether by consulting with new clients or
cross-examining witnesses at trial. There is no question in my mind that my
skills as an effective litigator were developed through my experiences in the
PIA MA and I owe the program a debt of gratitude for the skills and analytic
depth it allowed me to gain. – Heather Alexander (Class of 2009)