The Anthropology Department believes that all students who graduate with an anthropology major should have had an experience with another culture or anthropological task - something beyond a library term paper. Though not all students can be expected to do extracurricular activities while a major, they can at least be asked to prepare through coursework for the anthropological experience. To track the experience as simply as possible for major certification, the practicum is a one-credit course. The following types of experiences are among those considered to be preparation for the one-credit practicum. A semester of a third language, such as Mohawk, Arabic, Chinese, etc.
Bilingualism is considered to be appropriate preparation.
Students will be directed in the Classics of Anthropology and the Method and Theory courses to develop a practicum proposal, along guidelines which the deaprtment provides, specifying plans to satisfy the one-credit practicum course. Closed to Anthropology majors. Each certifiable minor must be registered within the Anthropology Department and a minor adviser chosen before more than 3 semester hours of the electives have been completed. No more that two courses may count toward an additional major or minor. Potsdam has been training students in archaeology since at least 1970.