At a Glance
I’m interested in this field of study. Can you tell me more about it?
At Scripps, we focus on sociocultural anthropology, which explores the social orders and meanings that humans create across a variety of contexts. Sociocultural anthropologists engage in qualitative research to examine questions such as: How does culture shape norms and social interactions? How do power and inequality work? How do we know what we know?
Our current curriculum examines a broad range of topics, including kinship and family relations; artistic, religious, linguistic, political, and economic values and practices; health, medicine, and science; urban processes; and the social meanings afforded to all these human endeavors.
What are some courses appropriate for first-year students interested in exploring this field of study?
We recommend that you start with ANTH 2: Introduction to Sociocultural Anthropology or a Core course taught by one of Scripps’ anthropology faculty members (Professors Lara Deeb, Gabriela Morales, or Seo Young Park). You can also try out anthropology with an elective course that strikes your interest.
Any anthropology course below 190 will count towards the general education social sciences requirement. Many of them also fulfill other general education areas (such as race and ethnicity studies or gender and women studies) or are cross-listed with other majors.
If I decide to major or minor in this field, are there certain courses that need to be taken in a specific sequence?
We recommend the following order for your required courses:
- Take ANTH 2: Introduction to Sociocultural Anthropology as early as possible.
- Take ANTH 105: Methods during your sophomore or junior year and before studying abroad.
- Take ANTH 153: Theory during the fall of your junior year, unless you are studying abroad. If you are abroad, discuss with your adviser whether to take it fall of sophomore vs. senior year.
- Seniors take ANTH 190: Senior Seminar in the fall of your senior year.
Can students who major or minor in this field complete a second major or minor (as a double major or a major/minor combination)? If so, what are some common pairings?
Yes! Many anthropology majors dual or double major, and most who do not do that have a minor. Common pairings include religious studies, feminist, gender, and sexuality studies (FGSS), politics, American studies, and media studies. However, there are many other majors that students have combined with anthropology, including those in the humanities and STEM fields.
What other useful information should I know about this field of study?
Think of cultural anthropology as an approach, mindset, worldview, and/or method that you can apply to exploring myriad questions about social meaning. Many of our courses relate to social justice in a variety of arenas.
About Anthropology
At Scripps, we focus on sociocultural anthropology, which explores the social orders and meanings that people create. We actively incorporate deliberate anticolonial and anti-racist approaches of contemporary anthropology into our teaching. This means that we pay critical attention to the discipline’s histories of imperial knowledge production while also using anthropology’s tools to challenge power in its many forms, including structural racism and sexism, class divisions, U.S. imperialism, and ongoing settler-colonialisms. The anthropology curriculum examines a broad range of topics including artistic, religious, linguistic, political, and economic values and practices; health, medicine, and science; family and relationality; gender and sexuality; race and ethnicity; and identity and belonging. Anthropology also emphasizes the grounding of theoretical interpretations in ethnographic fieldwork and many students conduct independent, original research for their senior theses. The study of anthropology prepares students for any career in which an understanding and appreciation of diversity, critical thinking skills, and the ability to think outside the box are important. Anthropology at Scripps is an independent department that cooperates with Pitzer, Pomona, and HMC to provide a broader curriculum.