LEARNING OUTCOMES
Academic Year: 2011-2012
College: Liberal Arts
Department: Anthropology
Program: Anthropology BA, BS
Program Code: 321.00
Contact: Dr. Elizabeth Erhart
Mission Statement:
The Department of Anthropology's mission for our baccalaureate degree programs is to produce students with a well-rounded anthropology-based education, who also possess the knowledge and skills needed to excel in an increasingly diverse and globalized world. We do this through our emphasis on writing intensive class work and a focus on acquiring hands-on experience in our field schools and real-world work settings in the department’s internship program.
Outcome Number: 1
Anthropology majors in selected sections of the required course “Cultural Anthropology” will be able to describe the four subfields of Anthropology and demonstrate an understanding of the basic concepts and methods of cultural anthropology such as cultural relativism, ethnocentrism, and participant observation.
Method 1:
Majors will describe and provide examples of the four subfields of Anthropology on a 10-question, end of the semester quiz. A professor will assess students. Students who answer all 10 questions correctly will exceed expectations, those with 7-9 correct answers will meet expectations, and those with 6 or fewer correct answers will fail to meet expectations. Our goal is that 90% of majors will meet or exceed expectations.
Method 2:
During the second half of the semester, majors will demonstrate their understanding of the basic concepts and methods of cultural anthropology on 10 embedded exam questions. A professor will assess students. Students who answer all 10 questions correctly will exceed expectations, those with 7-9 correct answers will meet expectations, and those with 6 or fewer correct answers will fail to meet expectations. Our goal is that 90% of majors will meet or exceed expectations.
Outcome Number: 2
Anthropology majors in selected sections of the required course “General Archaeology” will demonstrate an understanding of history, fundamental concepts, and theory in archaeology, and be able to apply the methods used in archaeology to classify ancient artifacts.
Method 1:
Majors will demonstrate their understanding of the history, fundamental concepts, and theory of archaeology on 12 embedded final exam questions. A professor will evaluate students. Students who answer 11-12 questions correctly will exceed expectations, those with 9-10 correct answers will meet expectations, and those with 8 or fewer correct answers will fail to meet expectations. Our goal is for 90% of majors to meet or exceed expectations.
Method 2:
Majors will demonstrate their ability to apply archaeological methods to classify ancient artifacts on 2 laboratory quizzes. These quizzes will be completed in the first half of the semester during students’ scheduled laboratory times. A professor will evaluate students and their performance will be measured on the basis of: exceeding expectations (100%-90%), meeting expectations (89%-70%), and failing to meet expectations (below 70%). Our goal is for 90% of majors to meet or exceed expectations.
Outcome Number: 3
Anthropology majors in selected sections of the required course “Biological Anthropology” will demonstrate an understanding of modern evolutionary theory, the forces of evolution, and evolutionary change in relation to human evolution.
Method 1:
Majors will be tested using 10 embedded final exam questions on their understanding of how natural selection, genetic drift, gene flow, mutation, and speciation have shaped human evolution. A professor will evaluate students. Students who answer 10 questions correctly will exceed expectations, those with 7-9 correct answers will meet expectations, and those with 6 or fewer correct answers will fail to meet expectations. Our goal is for 90% of majors to meet or exceed expectations.
Method 2:
Majors will be assessed on their understanding of human evolution in 2 laboratory exercises in which they examine the evolution of the defining characteristics of humans and investigate evolutionary change in our lineage by comparing and contrasting the characteristics of ancestral human species with modern humans. These lab exercises will be completed in the second half of the semester during students’ scheduled laboratory times. A professor will evaluate students, and their performance will be measured on the basis of: exceeding expectations (100%-90%), meeting expectations (89%-70%), and failing to meet expectations (below 70%). Our goal is for 90% of majors to meet or exceed expectations.
Outcome Number: 4
Anthropology majors will gain hands-on experience in either the application of anthropological methods in a techniques course or in the application of key anthropological concepts to a work setting through participation in the internship program.
Method 1:
In a techniques course, majors will be assessed on their ability to apply methods used in archaeology, cultural anthropology, or biological anthropology. A professor will evaluate students. Students will exceed expectations if they precisely apply correct methodology, meet expectations if they adequately apply correct methodology, and fail to meet expectations if they are unable to apply correct methodology. Our goal is for 90% of majors to meet or exceed expectations.
Method 2:
In the internship program, majors will be assessed on their ability to apply anthropological concepts in a work setting by evaluation of their internship logs and internship report, which are submitted at the end of the semester. The internship coordinator will assess students. Students will exceed expectations if they demonstrate a strong ability to apply anthropological concepts to a work setting, they will meet expectations if they demonstrate competency applying anthropological concepts in a work setting, and they will fail to meet expectations if they are unable to demonstrate application of anthropological concepts to a work setting. Our goal is for 90% of majors to meet or exceed expectations.
Outcome Number: 5
Anthropology majors will demonstrate their command of anthropological theory in their required capstone course “The History of Anthropological Thought.”
Method 1:
Majors will be evaluated on their ability to summarize theoretical literature in anthropology based on their performance on three writing assignments completed over the semester. A professor will evaluate students. Students will exceed expectations if their summary papers demonstrate mastery and integration of theoretical literature, meet expectations if their summary papers correctly describe theoretical literature, and fail to meet expectations if their summary papers do not correctly represent the theoretical literature. Our goal is for 90% of majors to meet or exceed expectations.
Method 2:
Majors will be evaluated on their comprehension of major theoretical developments in anthropology based on a written final essay. A professor will evaluate students. Students will exceed expectations if the score on their final essay is 90% or above, meet expectations if the score on their final essay is between 70-89%, and fail to meet expectations if the score on their final essay is below 70%. Our goal is for 90% of majors to meet or exceed expectations.
Academic Year: 2011-2012
College: Liberal Arts
Department: Anthropology
Program: Anthropology MA
Program Code: 321.00
Contact: Dr. Elizabeth Erhart
Mission Statement:
The Department of Anthropology's mission for students in our MA program is to provide the highest quality anthropology education to our graduate students and prepare them for PhD level studies or professional careers through student engagement in fieldwork, research, and writing of a research-based thesis.
Outcome Number: 1
Anthropology MA students must demonstrate advanced mastery of method and theory in the foundation courses of Cultural Anthropology, Archaeology, and Biological Anthropology.
Method 1:
In the first year in the program, students will demonstrate advanced mastery of method and theory in the foundation courses on a series of writing assignments evaluated by the professors who teach these courses. Students will exceed expectations if they are able to accurately summarize and integrate method and theory, they will meet expectations if they are able to satisfactorily summarize and integrate method and theory, and they will fail to meet expectations if they are unable to adequately summarize and integrate methods and theory. Our goal is for 100% of students to meet or exceed expectations.
Method 2:
In the first year in the program, students will be evaluated their ability to prepare, organize on, and lead discussions on method and theory in the foundation courses. Faculty who teach the foundation courses will evaluate students. Students will exceed expectations if their discussions are complete and effective, they will meet expectations if their discussions are adequate, and they will fail to meet expectations if their discussions are insufficient. Our goal is for 100% of students to meet or exceed expectations.
Outcome Number: 2
Anthropology MA students will be evaluated on their ability to identify and apply correct statistical tests needed for assigned datasets and on their ability to construct and determine null and alternate hypotheses in the class “Anthropological Statistics.”
Method 1:
Students will be evaluated on their ability to correctly construct and determine null and alternate hypotheses for an assigned data set. A professor will evaluate students on the final exam. Students will exceed expectations if they correctly construct and present null and alternative hypotheses, meet expectations if they present only a valid null or a valid alternate hypotheses (but not both), and fail to meet expectations if they are unable to construct valid null and alternative hypotheses. Our goal is for 100% of students to meet or exceed expectations.
Method 2:
Students will be evaluated on their ability to identify the correct statistical test for an assigned dataset, explain why this test is appropriate and to fully describe or interpret the results. A professor will evaluate students by the end of the semester by their performance on the final exam. Students will exceed expectations if they 1) identify the correct statistical test, 2) justify why the test is appropriate, and 3) offer a correct description or interpretation of the results. Students will meet expectations if they get two of the three criteria above correct, and fail to meet expectations if they get less than two of the criteria listed above correct. Our goal is for 100% of students to meet or exceed expectations.
Outcome Number: 3
Anthropology MA students will demonstrate an understanding of relevant literature in their area of thesis specialization.
Method 1:
During the second semester in the program, a panel of faculty will assess students’ ability to compile a bibliography relevant to their thesis topic. Students will exceed expectations if their bibliography is complete and does not lack any key references, they will meet expectations if their bibliography is satisfactory but lacks one or two key references, and they will fail to meet expectations if their bibliography is inadequate because it lacks multiple key references. Our goal is for 100% of students to meet or exceed expectations. Our goal is for 100% of students to meet or exceed expectations.
Method 2:
During the last semester in the program, a panel of faculty will assess students’ ability to synthesize literature relevant to their thesis topic in an oral examination. Students will exceed expectations if their synthesis is without error, they will meet expectations if their synthesis is satisfactory because there are only minor mistakes in synthesis, and they will fail to meet expectations if there are major mistakes in synthesis. Our goal is for 100% of students to meet or exceed expectations.
Outcome Number: 4
Anthropology MA students will demonstrate their ability to design and implement their thesis topic.
Method 1:
During the second semester in the program, a panel of faculty will assess students’ ability to design their thesis research. Students will exceed expectations if their design is professional, they will meet expectations if their design is satisfactory but does not fully address their thesis question, and they will fail to meet expectations if their design is inadequate and does not address their thesis question. Our goal is for 100% of students to meet or exceed expectations.
Method 2:
During the last semester in the program, a panel of faculty will assess students’ ability to implement their research design. Students will exceed expectations if they implement their research design with no errors, they will meet expectations if they satisfactorily implement their research design with minimal errors, and they will fail to meet expectations if they poorly implement their research design with major errors. Our goal is for 100% of students to meet or exceed expectations.
Outcome Number: 5
Anthropology MA students will demonstrate their ability to communicate their thesis research.
Method 1:
During the last semester in the program, a panel of faculty will assess students’ ability to communicate their research in a written thesis. Students will exceed expectations if their thesis is clearly and logically written with few to no grammatical problems, they will meet expectations if their thesis is adequately organized and written and has some grammatical problems, and they will fail to meet expectations if their thesis is poorly organized and written and contains multiple grammatical problems. Our goal is for 100% of students to meet or exceed expectations.
Method 2:
During the last semester in the program, a panel of faculty will assess students’ ability to orally communicate their research in a formal thesis defense. Students will exceed expectations if the oral communication and defense of their thesis is professional, they will meet expectations if the oral communication and defense of their thesis is adequate, and they will fail to meet expectations if the oral communication and defense of their thesis is poor. Our goal is for 100% of students to meet or exceed expectations.
Academic Year: 2011-2012
College: Liberal Arts
Department: Anthropology
GE Program: Cultural Anthropology
GE Program Code: 1312.00
Contact: Dr. Elizabeth Erhart
Mission Statement:
The mission of the general education program at Texas State University-San Marcos is to provide students with a broad liberal arts foundation composed of communication, mathematics, natural science, fine and creative arts, humanities, social and behavioral sciences, health and wellness, and university seminar; and within these components to introduce students to the core competencies of writing, oral communication, mathematics, critical thinking, ethics, reading, and computer literacy/information technology.
Specific Mission for the Social and Behavioral Sciences:
The mission for the behavioral social sciences courses is to teach students the basic knowledge and concepts of selected behavioral and social sciences arts in order to support the mission and goals of the Texas State general education program.
Outcome Number: 1
Students in selected sections of the course “Cultural Anthropology” will be able to describe the four subfields of Anthropology and demonstrate an understanding of the basic concepts and methods of cultural anthropology such as cultural relativism, ethnocentrism, and participant observation.
Method 1:
Students will describe examples of the four subfields of Anthropology on a 10-question, end of the semester quiz. A professor will assess students. Students who answer all 10 questions correctly will exceed expectations, those with 7-9 correct answers will meet expectations, and those with 6 or fewer correct answers will fail to meet expectations. Our goal is for 70% of students to meet or exceed expectations.
Method 2:
Students will demonstrate their understanding of the basic concepts and methods of cultural anthropology on 10 embedded exam questions during the first half of the semester. A professor will assess students. Students who answer all 10 questions correctly will exceed expectations, those with 7-9 correct answers will meet expectations, and those with 6 or fewer correct answers will fail to meet expectations. Our goal is for 70% of students to meet or exceed expectations.
Outcome Number: 2
Students in selected sections of the course “Cultural Anthropology” will be able to describe and demonstrate their understanding of one of the following topics: cultural relativism, fieldwork/ethnography, kinship, political organizations and issues of power, or applied cultural anthropology.
Method 1:
During the second half of the semester students will discuss one of the following topics: cultural relativism, fieldwork/ethnography, kinship, political organizations and issues of power, or applied cultural anthropology, in a writing assignment. A professor will assess students. Students will exceed expectations if their discussion is complete, they will meet expectations if their discussion is adequate, and they will fail to meet expectations if they are unable to discuss the assigned topic. Our goal is for 70% of students to meet or exceed expectations.
Method 2:
During the second half of the semester students will demonstrate their understanding of one of the following topics: cultural relativism, fieldwork/ethnography, kinship, political organizations and issues of power, or applied cultural anthropology, on 10 embedded exam questions. A professor will evaluate students. Students who answer all 10 questions correctly will exceed expectations, those with 7-9 correct answers will meet expectations, and those with 6 or fewer correct answers will fail to meet expectations. Our goal is for 70% of students to meet or exceed expectations.
Academic Year: 2011-2012
College: Liberal Arts
Department: Anthropology
GE Program: Biological Anthropology
GE Program Code: 2414.00
Contact: Dr. Elizabeth Erhart
Mission Statement:
The mission of the general education program at Texas State University-San Marcos is to provide students with a broad liberal arts foundation composed of communication, mathematics, natural science, fine and creative arts, humanities, social and behavioral sciences, health and wellness, and university seminar; and within these components to introduce students to the core competencies of writing, oral communication, mathematics, critical thinking, ethics, reading, and computer literacy/information technology.
Specific Mission for Natural Science:
The mission of the natural science courses is to teach students the basic knowledge and concepts of selected natural sciences in order to support the mission and goals of the Texas State general education program.
Outcome Number: 1
Students in selected sections of the course "Biological Anthropology” will demonstrate an understanding of the characteristics that physical anthropology shares with other sciences such as critical thinking, the scientific method and collaboration, and the steps and application of the scientific method.
Method 1:
Students will be tested on their ability to define the characteristics that biological anthropology shares with other sciences and identify the steps and application of the scientific method on 10 embedded midterm exam questions. A professor will evaluate students. Students who answer all 10 questions correctly will exceed expectations, those with 7-9 correct answers will meet expectations, and those with 6 or fewer correct answers will fail to meet expectations. Our goal is for 70% of students to meet or exceed expectations.
Method 2:
Students will be assessed on their ability to use the scientific method in 3 laboratory exercises in which they gather and evaluate data to test hypotheses on human genetics, variation, and adaptation. These lab exercises will be completed in the first half of the semester during students’ scheduled laboratory times. A professor will evaluate students and their performance will be measured on the basis of: exceeding expectations (100%-85%), meeting expectations (84%-70%), and failing to meet expectations (below 70%). Our goal is for 70% of students to meet or exceed expectations.
Outcome Number: 2
Students in selected sections of the course "Biological Anthropology” will correctly demonstrate an understanding of modern evolutionary theory, the forces of evolution, and evolutionary change in relation to human evolution.
Method 1:
Students will be tested using 10 embedded final exam questions on their understanding of how natural selection, genetic drift, gene flow, mutation, and speciation have shaped human evolution. A professor will evaluate students. Students who answer 10 questions correctly will exceed expectations, those with 7-9 correct answers will meet expectations, and those with 6 or fewer correct answers will fail to meet expectations. Our goal is for 70% of students to meet or exceed expectations.
Method 2:
Students will be assessed on their understanding of human evolution in 2 laboratory exercises in which they examine the evolution of the defining characteristics of humans and investigate evolutionary change in our lineage by comparing and contrasting the characteristics of ancestral human species with modern humans. These lab exercises will be completed in the second half of the semester during students’ scheduled laboratory times. A professor will evaluate students, and their performance will be measured on the basis of: exceeding expectations (100%-90%), meeting expectations (89%-70%), and failing to meet expectations (below 70%). Our goal is for 70% of students to meet or exceed expectations.
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