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Advising
Three types of advisor are ready to assist you during your undergraduate
career at UNC: a General College advisor (freshman and sophomore
years), an Arts and Sciences advisor (junior and senior years)
and the Director of Undergraduate Studies for the anthropology
department (since you have declared your major, typically second semester
sophomore year or by the beginning of your junior year).
You can learn about General College and Arts and Sciences advising in
the Undergraduate Bulletin, the Undergraduate Majors & Minors Manual
or the homepage for the A&S Advising Office (see especially the "Advising
Guide"):
We focus here on the third category,
On declaring Anthropology as your major (preferably not later than the
beginning of your junior year), you should schedule a meeting with the
Director of Undergraduate Studies (DUS). You can get his or her name from
the office staff (301 Alumni, or 2-1243). The DUS will explain the major
requirements and, after learning about your interests and plans, will
give you advice about how to meet the requirements in ways that fit with
your interests within Anthropology.
You should try to see the DUS at least once a semester. Visit during
his or her office hours (the departmental staff keeps a listing, revised
each semester), or ask by phone or email to schedule an appointment at
a specific time. It is helpful if you provide some advance warning of
your agenda for the meeting.
Arrive with questions and observations in hand (keep a log or make a
list to jog your memory). If major requirements are to be discussed, then
you should have your Arts and Sciences Worksheet with you, completed to
the extent possible. If you are seeking an exception to formal requirements,
or official recognition of an unusual means of meeting them, be prepared
to provide materials supporting your request (e.g., syllabi) and to explain
your request to the DUS. More nebulous topics -- curiosity about a particular
subject, argument or author, enthusiasm (or indeed, distress) about university
life, some aspect of your major or a class, or a wish to explore the feasibility
or desirability of entering the Peace Corps or graduate school, etc. --
are no less appropriate for discussion. If the DUS cannot answer your
questions she/he will point you to a faculty member, who can. Intellectual
small talk, serious or light, is not an obligatory element of these meetings.
But it can often be highly rewarding, for both parties.
Unfortunately, many students take a minimalist view of advising: less
is better. The DUS becomes a source of PIN numbers and occasional assurance
that the student has assembled a set of classes that will meet the formal
requirements for graduation. Beyond that, advising either is deemed to
be unneeded or a nuisance. This is regrettable. Advising is an opportunity
for direct contact with a scholar who shares your interest in Anthropology.
Seen from that perspective, it can be a source of unexpected and rich
rewards.
See the Anthropology Department DUS regularly.
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