The Sociocultural Anthropology Track (SCA) is for students who want to explore contemporary forms and trajectories of human life and who seek to understand how differently positioned people address pressing social, political, environmental, technological and ethical challenges. SCA students are immersed in the histories of the discipline and are introduced to core anthropological concepts and subfields. All are encouraged to ethnographically pursue larger questions domestically and internationally and innovate in critical theory and storytelling.
The SCA track requires nine courses total; three are required and the other six are electives selected according to distribution by course level.
SCA Required Courses (3)
- ANT 300 Ethnography, Evidence and Experience
- ANT 301 The Ethnographer's Craft
- ANT 390 Histories of Anthropological Theory
SCA Elective Courses by Distribution (6)
- Two foundational 200-level courses (one may be a cognate approved at this level)
- One 300-level course in addition to 300, 301, 390 (may be a cognate approved at this level)
- One advanced 400-level topical course (may be a cognate approved at this level)
- Two free electives (may be another ANT course at any level and/or a cognate)
Possible Cognates (2)
A cognate course may be used to satisfy a departmental requirement in any track. Students are allowed up to two cognates. The cognate may be an anthropology course taken during study abroad and/or a course offered by another department or program at Princeton that the director of undergraduate studies has reviewed and deemed to be relevant to a student's independent work or to correspond to a student’s course of study (i.e., track). Proposed cognates must be approved by the department. Approval prior to enrollment is normally expected, however, retroactive approval is granted when warranted.
Senior Thesis
SCA students can choose any anthropological topic for their senior thesis, provided the methodological and theoretical approach taken is approved by the student's senior thesis adviser. Ethnographic and/or community-engaged research is strongly encouraged, along with creative modes of data visualization and storytelling.
Degree at Graduation
The transcript degree of students in the Sociocultural Anthropology Track will be A.B. in Anthropology. Students who successfully complete the SCA curriculum will receive a departmental attestation on Class Day and may note their track focus on their resumés.
To compare SCA to other Anthropology Tracks, see the comparison table
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