Transborder and Global Human Dynamics - Doctor of Philosophy
The Ph.D. program in Transborder and Global Human Dynamics is designed to provide doctoral students with a rigorous program of cultural, anthropological, political, historical, artistic, literary, and linguistic subject matter in the social sciences and humanities. At the heart of the endeavor is a program that fosters the study of the cultural pluralism and social, economic, political, linguistic, and creative interactions that emerge from and shape the diverse practices, interpretations, and reproduction of transnational borders. Such a program is ideally suited to forge new interpretations, solutions, and understandings of relevant issues for scholars and students living and studying in the US-Mexico transborder region, with implications not only for our border region, but also for other border communities around the world.
The program is based on the Cambridge-Oxford collaborative research and instruction model. The program curriculum closely follows the NMSU Graduate School’s requirements and timelines for admission, doctoral committee formation, and comprehensive and qualifying examinations. The program has limited residency requirements, since doctoral students will perform research in the field, but come together to participate in colloquia at NMSU. The program centers on a set of common courses and colloquia exploring theory, methods, and mixed methods of quantitative and qualitative analysis, and six interdisciplinary research concentrations. Credits for fieldwork, archival work, and community engagement may involve transborder internships and experiences at universities, policy institutes, archives, and think tanks supervised by the student’s committee.
Interdisciplinary Focus Areas:
- Cultural and linguistic translation, interpretation, literature, and heritage
- Refugees, asylum-seekers and migration
- Transnational public policy and human rights
- Environmental justice, landscape, archaeology, and heritage management
- Food security, water and energy security, human health, and sustainability
- Power, inequality, and racial justice
Sponsoring departments include Anthropology, Government, and Languages and Linguistics. Related, affiliated, and sponsoring departments and programs also include English, Gender and Sexuality Studies, Geography and Environmental Studies, History, Borderlands and Ethnic Studies, and Sociology.
| Prefix | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| Core Requirements (With colloquium) | 6 | |
| Introduction to Transborder and Global Human Dynamics (co-taught modules) | 3 | |
| Research Design in Transborder and Global Human Dynamics (Individualized study with committee and colloquium) | 3 | |
| Methods: select two courses (with colloquium) 2 | 6 | |
| Ethnographic Field Methods | 3 | |
| Archaeological Field School | 3 | |
| Decolonial Research Methodologies I 5 | 3 | |
| Field Explorations in Geography | 3 | |
| Integrative Research Design | 3 | |
| Advanced Feminist Research Methodologies | 3 | |
| Craft of History: Historical Theories, Methods, and Criticism (f) | 3 | |
| Research Methods in Government | 3 | |
| Methods of Research and Literary Criticism | 3 | |
| Research Methodology in Spanish Linguistics | 3 | |
| Analysis: select two courses (with colloquium) | 6-7 | |
| Quantitative Analytical Methods in Anthropology | 3 | |
| Qualitative Data Analysis and Interpretation | 3 | |
| Fundamentals of GIS | 0,4 | |
| Spatial Analysis and Modeling | 3 | |
| Qualitative Research Methods | 3 | |
| Public Policy Analysis | 3 | |
| Advanced Special Topics (La Nueva Frontera: Critical Analysis of Border Theory & Cultural Identities) | 3 | |
| Advanced Topics in Applied Spanish Linguistics (Strategies for Teaching Spanish for Heritage/ Native Speakers ) | 3 | |
| Field work and data collection: Select 6 credits in consultation with committee, with colloquium) | 6 | |
| Fieldwork and Community Engagement in Transborder and Global Human Dynamics 3 | 6 | |
| Focus Areas: Select 12 credits each from at least two areas 4 | 24 | |
Cultural and linguistic translation, interpretation, literature and heritage | ||
| Native American Visual Culture | 3 | |
| The Borderlands Writing Project | 3 | |
| Cultural Studies: Literature and Theory (Borderlands Representations) | 3 | |
| Gender and Popular Culture | ||
| Making the American West | 3 | |
| Advanced Culture and Literature of New Mexico | 3 | |
| Advanced Hispanic Cultures | 3 | |
| Bilinguismo | 3 | |
Refugess, asylum seekers, and migration | ||
| Advanced Issues in Women Crossing Borders | 3 | |
| Issues in International Relations | 3 | |
| Seminar in the U.S.-Mexican Border | 3 | |
| Seminar in International Migration | 3 | |
Transnational public policy and human rights | ||
| Advanced Transnational Feminisms | 0,3 | |
| Reading Seminar: Borders, Boundaries and Frontiers | 3 | |
| Public Policy and Indigenous Communities | 3 | |
| Seminar in Mexican Politics | 3 | |
| Seminar in Sociological Perspectives on the U.S.-Mexico Border | 3 | |
Environmental justice, landscape, archaeology, and heritage management | ||
| Advanced Archaeology of Ancient Southwest | 3 | |
| Advanced Historical Archaeology | 3 | |
| Cultural Resource Management | 3 | |
| Advanced Museology | 3 | |
| Southwest Environments | 3 | |
| Selected Topics (Geohumanities) | 3 | |
| Advanced Historic Preservation | 3 | |
| Interpreting Historic Places for the Public | 3 | |
Food security, water security, human health, and sustainability | ||
| Advanced Community Engagement and Service Learning | 3 | |
| Advanced Contemporary Medical Anthropology | 3 | |
| Plants, Culture, and Sustainable Development | 3 | |
| Adv. Human Health and Biological Variation | 3 | |
Power, inequality, and racial justice | ||
| Advanced Indigenizing Methodologies in Native American Studies | ||
| Native American Women | 3 | |
| Foundations in Borderlands & Ethnic Studies 5 | 3 | |
| Theories in Borderlands and Ethnic Studies 5 | 3 | |
| Capstone in Borderlands and Ethnic Studies 5 | 3 | |
| Advanced Race, Crime, and Justice | 3 | |
| Advanced Mexican-Americans and Issues of Social Justice | 3 | |
| Dissertation (18 credits) | 18 | |
| Dissertation | 18 | |
| Total Credits | 66-67 | |
- 1
Student must satisfy all other requirements for the PhD as laid out in the Academic Regulations section of the NMSU catalog
- 2
Two separate methods courses are recommended, if a student elects to take GEOG 578 Fundamentals of GIS for 6 credits they should consult with their advisor first.
- 3
TBGD 6998 Fieldwork and Community Engagement in Transborder and Global Human Dynamics may be substituted by field work, archival work, community consultation, or internship under an affiliated prefix, numbered 500 or above, approved by the student's committee
- 4
Courses listed are representative for each focus area. Other courses may be used to satisfy a focus area as approved by the student's committee.
- 5
This course supports the Borderlands and Ethnic Studies graduate certificate
This roadmap assumes prospective students have entered the PhD program with 30 credits from a completed Master’s program (Years 1 and 2) that may be used to satisfy different requirements, and that graduate students pursue the degree full time, taking 9 credit hours per semester. Each student will work out a plan of study with their committee during the first semester in the program.
| First Year | Credits | |
|---|---|---|
| Master's degree credit transfer courses 1 | 18 | |
| Credits | 18 | |
| Second Year | ||
| Master's degree credit transfer courses 1 | 3-4 | |
| Credits | 3-4 | |
| Third Year | ||
| Fall | ||
| TBGD 5110 | Introduction to Transborder and Global Human Dynamics | 3 |
| Methods Course 2 | 3 | |
| Choose one from the following: | 3 | |
Analysis Course 3 | ||
Focus Area Course 4 | ||
| Required Benchmarks 5 | ||
| Credits | 9 | |
| Spring | ||
| TBGD 6991 | Research Design in Transborder and Global Human Dynamics | 3 |
| Methods Course 2 | 3 | |
| Choose one from the following: | 3 | |
Analysis Course 3 | ||
Focus Area Course 4 | ||
| Required Benchmarks 6 | ||
| Credits | 9 | |
| Fourth Year | ||
| Fall and Spring Terms | ||
| Choose one from the following: | 3 | |
| Fieldwork and Community Engagement in Transborder and Global Human Dynamics | ||
or | ||
Additional course for 3 credits (recommended by committee) | ||
| Focus Area Course 4 | 3 | |
| Focus Area Course 4 | 3 | |
| Required Benchmarks 7 | ||
| Credits | 9 | |
| Fifth Year | ||
| Fall and Spring | ||
| TBGD 7000 | Dissertation (9 credit per semester) | 18 |
| Required Benchmarks 8 | ||
| Credits | 18 | |
| Total Credits | 66-67 | |
- 1
The assumption for Year 1 and Year 2 of the road map is that students can transfer a max of 18-30 credits. It is not required that students transfer 30 credits (however they must have completed a master’s degree to be eligible for admission), and if they do not have between 18-30 relevant credits to transfer, the first two years will be used to complete the additional credits to reach the required total of 72. In this example, the student transfers 21-22 credits from the Master's. The eligibility of transfer credits are determined by their committee.
- 2
Methods Courses: (students must take two different ones with colloquium. Refer to list under course requirements)
- 3
Analysis Courses: students must take two different ones with colloquium. Refer to list under course requirements.
- 4
Focus Areas: Select at least 12 credits (24 credits total) from at least two areas. Courses for each focus area are listed under course requirements.
- 5
Required Benchmarks First Term
- Form graduate committee, select two area concentrations, and curriculum plan.
- Pass qualifying doctoral examination scheduled by the student’s graduate committee chair and the Transborder and Global Human Dynamics Executive Committee.
- For students who enter with a master’s degree or equivalent from another university, or another department, the qualifying examination should be taken before the completion of one semester of graduate work.
- For students who earn their master’s degree at New Mexico State University and will continue in the Transborder and Global Human Dynamics doctoral program, the department may allow the master’s final examination to serve as the doctoral qualifying examination or may require a separate examination.
- 6
Required Benchmarks Term 2:
- Required benchmarks: Proposal hearing by committee. Approved NMSU IRB proposal for Human Subjects Research, as necessary. Preparation of proposals for external funding
- 7
Required Benchmarks Year 4:
1. Preparation of proposals for external funding.
2. Comprehensive Examination
- Completion of adequate course work, to the satisfaction of the graduate committee, the Transborder and Global Human Dynamics Executive Committee, and the Graduate School
- The graduate committee determines the student is adequately prepared for the examination
- Successful completion of language requirement.
3. Advancement to Candidacy: For advancement to candidacy the following criteria must be met
- Successful completion of the comprehensive examination
- Recommendation of the graduate committee
- Approval of the Dean of the Graduate School Upon receiving advancement to candidacy, students must establish residency and follow the Dissertation Registration Requirements
- 8
Required Benchmarks Year 5:
- Final Oral Examination (Defense)