Program in Social and Cultural Analysis
MAJOR
The major in social and cultural analysis consists of introductory, elective, and research components, which together make up a total of 11 courses, as described below. Students choose two of the six program areas within SCA and concentrate their introductory and elective courses in these areas: Africana Studies, American Studies, Asian/Pacific/American Studies, Gender and Sexuality Studies, Latino Studies, or Metropolitan Studies.
Three introductory courses (can be taken in any order):
Concepts in Social and Cultural Analysis (V18.0001), an introduction to key terms and analytical categories for interdisciplinary work in social and cultural analysis and related fields, is required. This course fulfills the Societies and the Social Sciences Morse Academic Plan (MAP) requirement.
In addition, two courses are required from among the following (one in each program area of focus):
• Approaches to Africana Studies (V18.0101), Introduction to Pan-Africanism (V18.0104), or Introduction to Black Urban Studies (V18.0105)
• Introduction to American Studies (V18.0201)
• Approaches to Asian/Pacific/ American Experience (V18.0301) or the MAP course World Cultures: Asian/Pacific/American Cultures (V55.0539)
• Introduction to Gender and Sexuality Studies (V18.0401)
• Approaches to Latino Studies (V18.0501) or the MAP course World Cultures: Contemporary Latino Cultures (V55.0529)
• Introduction to Metropolitan Studies (V18.0601) or Cities in a Global Context (V18.0602)
Six elective courses:
Four courses (at least two of which must be upper-division courses) distributed across two of the six different programs within the department (Africana Studies, American Studies, Asian/Pacific/ American Studies, Gender and Sexuality Studies, Latino Studies, Metropolitan Studies); plus, two upper-division courses offered by the Department of Social and Cultural Analysis that address issues relevant across the department’s various fields of study
Two research courses:
• Internship Fieldwork (V18.0040) and Internship Seminar (V18.0042), pertinent to social and cultural analysis
• Senior Research Seminar (V18.0090), pertinent to social and cultural analysis
A note about language/linguistic competency: The type of rigorous intercultural study promoted within the Department of Social and Cultural Analysis requires students to recognize the complex modes of communication at work both within and across different social groups. The department therefore strongly encourages its students to develop advanced skills in language and linguistics by any of the following means: taking elective courses in sociolinguistics, studying a language other than English beyond the minimum level required by the College of Arts and Science, studying languages especially germane to the department’s fields of study, pursuing community-based internship fieldwork necessitating the development and use of specific language skills, undertaking study or research abroad in contexts entailing the exercise of key language or linguistic capabilities.
MINOR
The minor requires five courses: Concepts in Social and Cultural Analysis (V18.0001) and four additional courses selected from SCA department offerings.
HONORS
Departmental honors in social and cultural analysis—as in all the majors administered within SCA—requires at least two courses with honors designations. In their senior year, students take a two-semester honors sequence, consisting of a fall honors section of the Senior Research Seminar (V18.0900) and spring Independent Honors Research (8 points total), in which they complete a substantive research project with a significant component based on original primary research.
