California Institute of Integral Studies Ph.D. in Anthropology and Social Change
California Institute of Integral Studies

California Institute of Integral Studies

Ph.D. in Anthropology and Social Change

San Francisco, USA

PhD

4 up to

7 years

English

Full time, Part time

Distance Learning

* 1st Priority deadline: Submit by February 15th at 11:59pm PT for guaranteed review. ​After this date, some programs may be full and only interview for waitlist spots or not be able to further review applications.

Key Summary

    About : The Ph.D. in Anthropology and Social Change program equips students with analytical and research skills needed to investigate complex social issues. Students delve into topics like cultural adaptation and social inequality while engaging in hands-on fieldwork. The program promotes interdisciplinary approaches and critical thinking, offering a comprehensive view of anthropological theories and methodologies.
    Career Outcomes : Graduates can pursue careers in various fields, including academia, non-profit organizations, governmental agencies, or research institutions. Potential job roles may include anthropologist, social researcher, or policy analyst, allowing them to apply their knowledge to drive social change and address pressing societal issues.

Our mission is to generate dialogue between social justice leaders and academia. We seek to establish an institutional space where social movement activists immersed in organizing can meet scholars engaged in theoretical work. You will work with some of the most prominent activist scholars and progressive organizations in the San Francisco Bay Area, as well as program faculty. Activist research with a focus on concrete utopia makes this investigative experience rewarding both for you and for the local community.

We believe another world is within our grasp. Systematic research of counter-hegemonic knowledge and practices has gained supreme relevance with the world in crisis. Our PhD program will equip you with the necessary skills to participate in the "nowtopian" task of constructing social scientific knowledge that looks beyond capitalism, hierarchy, and ecological disaster.

CIIS’ online PhD in Anthropology is distinctive for its emphasis on:

  • Activist research of concrete utopias
  • Global social movements and lost revolutionary treasures
  • Issues of colonialism, globalization, development
  • Anarchist, Marxist, and feminist theoretical perspectives
  • Political ecology
  • Integration of activism and scholarship: developing research skills in activist research, intercultural translation, and emancipatory thinking

You will gain an excellent command of history, debates, and perspectives of contemporary social justice movements and the intertwined historical processes of colonization, development, and liberal modernity.

Through your coursework and research, you will work with some of the most prominent activist scholars and progressive organizations in the San Francisco Bay Area, as well as the program faculty and the wider University.

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