The technicalities of my MA studies

On this Wednesday afternoon I do not want to talk about the weather, because nothing has changed. On second thought, I could mention that due to the huge amounts of exhaust fumes the air quality in town is now considered unhealthy for pregnant women and children so they are advised to not breathe outside (???). 

I however, have finally signed up for classes at the university and met with my advisor. There are positive as well as negative aspects of this progression. It seems that the flexible system and wide range of courses I was so amazed by as an undergraduate at UAF is something I will only dream of as a MA student. I am allowed to take exactly one class outside the Anthropology Department during my studies. Since there are no anthropology professors who specialize in health in my department (and therefore no classes about health) this will certainly complicate the development of my research. Luckily I am allowed to choose one or two professors for my thesis committee outside the department and so hopefully they will be able to guide me.

You may wonder what all of this committee and advisor nonsense is all about and so I shall enlighten you right now. As a master student at UAF my course of studies are based on a committee of faculty members who will guide me and help me plan which classes are relevant for me to take. They will also guide and approve my developing research resulting – hopefully - in a master thesis. This construction is the reason why I chose to apply to graduate school at UAF. I will be working closely with faculty throughout my studies and not just for 5 months like in Denmark. My advisor will be part of my committee and the person I will work with the most. I will personally choose my committee members and so this semester I have to mingle, get to know the professors and find out who I’d like to advise me. I’ve signed up for three courses in the Anthro. Department with each of the three professors who could potentially serve on my committee. The courses are: Kinship and Social Organization, Gender in a Cross-Cultural Perspective and Research Design.

First day of classes is tomorrow. The familiar stomach jitter when starting something new has set in. The pressure of having to perform and being evaluated on a daily basis is starting to return after 7 lovely months of no academic expectations. I will have to work hard to not let the pressure consume me but at the same time there is always going to be pressure from somewhere, from someone and so better face it and deal with it than try to avoid it. So here we go…