Admission to Ph.D. in Anthropology 2015 Calcutta University Department of Anthropology

Admission to Ph.D. in Anthropology 2015
Calcutta University
Department of Anthropology

Admission Notice

Applications are invited for admission in the Department of Anthropology, University of Calcutta (35, Ballygunge Circular Road, Kolkata - 700 019.) for Ph.D. Course and subsequent research work leading to Ph.D. degree in Anthropology.

Candidates should apply in the prescribed proforma by paying Rs. 100/- through a challan obtainable in College Street Campus or in Law College Cash Counter. The eligible candidates will have to appear in a written MCQ examination of 1 hour duration to be held in this Department on June 17, 2013 at 1:00 P.M. The syllabus of the said examination is mentioned below. All the candidates shall have to appear before an interview on June 19, 2015 at 12 noon. The final selection for joining this Department as Ph.D. student will be on the basis of examination and interview. Presently 23 Ph.D. students will be taken. Reservation in admission shall strictly abide by the West Bengal State Higher Educational Institutions (Reservation in Admission) Rules, 2013 and subject to the suitability of the applicants, under the empanelled supervisors including all our faculty members and external supervisors. Those candidates who have already passed NET / SET / SLET / GATE / Teacher Fellowship or equivalent examinations or passed the M.Phil. examination need not appear at the written examination and can directly appear at the interview. Candidates are requested to download the application form from the University Website and to submit the application at the office of the Department of Anthropology, University of Calcutta within June 12, 2015.

Syllabus RET Examination in Anthropology

• Biological Anthropology
  • Neo-Darwinism, Neutral theory of molecular evolution.
  • Primate evolution and hominid evolution.
  • The primate radiations to the hominids; the early hominids : Australopithecus, intermediate hominids, Pleistocene hominid evolution.
  • Systematics, taxonomy and classification; species concept, Mayr’s definition of species, Isolating mechanism between interspecific crosses, speciation.
  • Phylogeny and evolution of man. Recent theories of human origin.
  • Physical environment – the potential stressors, the nutritional stress, infections, diseases, modernization and human biological responses.
  • Extension of Mendelian analysis, twin method of study, family method of study.
  • DNA and RNA, protein structure, heamoglobin - structure and function.
  • Linkage and chromosome mapping, sex linkage.
  • Mutations : chromosomal, genomic, and genic, gene enzymes.
  • Polymorphism in serological, molecular and immunological markers : genetic variation in human population with special reference to ABO, Rh, abnormal haemoglobin, PGM.
  • Basic principles of human growth: definition and concept, growth, maturation and development, Prenatal growth and development. Methods of growth study : cross sectional, longitudinal, mixed longitudinal, linked longitudinal - merits and demerits; The curve of growth - types of growth data - boy's and girl's height curve. Overview of postnatal growth - Scammon's growth curve, construction of growth norms - distance, velocity and centiles.
  • Dietary habits, energy need of the body, nutritive and calorific value of food, roles of vitamin and minerals in human nutrition; vitamins and minerals.
  • The utility of anthropology in studying ethnicity and health, Ethnic factors in health and disease, ethnic differences in the prevalence of common diseases of complex aetiology : coronary heart disease (CHD), non-insulin dependent diabetes mellitus (NIDDM) and hypertension (HT), reproductive health and ethnic differences in the risk factor of the above disease.
• Social Cultural Anthropology
  • Kinship, Marriage, Family, Tribe, Community, Demography and Population, Social Stratification, Village, Social Movement, Technology, Material Culture, Cultural Syncretism.
  • a) Anthropology of Religion, b) Linguistic Anthropology, c) Anthropology of Development, d) Anthropology of Power and Politics e) Economic Anthropology, f) Ecological Anthropology, g) Psychological Anthropology, h) Symbolic Anthropology, i) Medical Anthropology j) Cognitive Anthropology, k) Legal Anthropology and l) Visual Anthropology.
  • Enlightenment Evolutionism, Diffusionism, Historical-particularism, Cultural relativism, Functionalism, Structural-functionalism. Culture and personality, Neo-evolutionism, Materialism, Cultural Ecology, Interpretative Approach, Manchester School, Symbolism, Structuralism, Reflexivity.
  • Positivism and Logical positivism, Rationalism and Empiricism, Realism and Nominalism, Idealism, Dialectics, Pragmatism, Hermeneutics, Phenomenology and brief introduction to other philosophical thoughts (e.g. Neo-Platonism, Skepticism, Dualism, Utilitarianism, Essentialism and Constructivism, Reductionism, anti-foundationalism, etc.).
  • Conflict theory, Liberal feminism, Analytical Feminism, Radical Feminism, Socialist Feminism, Critical theory.
  • Post-Positivism, Post-structuralism, Postmodernism, Post-colonialism.
  • Principal Aspects and Approaches : a) Anthropology of Religion, b) LinguisticAnthropology, c) Anthropology of Development, d) Anthropology of Power e) Economic Anthropology, f) Ecological Anthropology, g) Psychological Anthropology, h) Symbolic Anthropology, i) Medical Anthropology j) Cognitive Anthropology, k) Legal Anthropology.
• Palaeoanthropology-Prehistoric Archaeology
  • Theoretical development of archaeological thought in global perspective and its positionin Anthropology; relation with other discipline like History palaeoanthropology etc.
  • Classification of the nomenclature-Archaeology, prehistory, palaeoanthropology, archaeological Anthropology. Ideas on Ethno archaeology, Experimental archaeology, environmental Archaeology, settlement archaeology, Archaeobotany, zoo Archaeology, Salvage Archaeology, Action Archaeology, Primate ethology, Underwater Archaeology, Geoarchaeology.
  • Methods and techniques in Archaeology, justification of Geo-Archaeology as a method. Field Survey; study of Toposheet and geological maps.
  • Methods of Archaeological exploration; pre exploration activities, Intensive and extensive exploration, general idea about survey methods, mapping of archaeological sites.
  • Excavation : Pre excavation activities, actual method of digging and its application in different types of sites, recording and analysis of excavated materials in terms of time and space, interpretation and publication of report.
  • Concept of chronology in Archaeology : Datable materials, basic principles, advantages and disadvantages, application and recent developments of different dating methods in Archaeology.
  • Geoarchaeology : Basic principles of Stratigraphy, Historical geology, Ideas and relevance about the litho logical, floral and faunal evidences of Stratigraphic section.
  • Palaeoenvironment : Study of glacial, Periglacial, tropical geomorphology and geological evidences with special reference to Neogene and Quaternary environment.
• Research Methodology
  • Types of Research, Methodology, Methods, Research Design, Data, Writing Research, etc.
  • Methods, Design & Analysis : Scientific techniques for collecting and analyzing data including research paradigms, measurement, design, etc, The understanding of empirical techniques, Emphasis on theory and application of survey research, including sampling, measurement, scaling, questionnaire construction, validity and reliability, data reduction and analysis.
  • Basic statistical methods and concepts in Anthropology. To pics include : nonparametric statistics, frequency distributions, probability theory, random variables and probability distributions, sample statistics and sampling distributions, estimation, and inference; Methods for descriptive statistics and the theoretical foundations of inference, Statistical techniques and applications of inferential statistics.

Application Form

Source : caluniv.ac.in