For information about Double Concentrations, click here.
Social Studies supports joint concentrations with many programs, including (but not limited to) African and African American Studies; Studies of Women, Gender, and Sexuality; East Asian Studies; Philosophy; and South Asian Studies. Because joint concentrations require that students’ academic interests are best filled through coursework available in two different departments, students are allowed to count as many courses as they are able towards the requirements of both concentrations. Joint concentrations also require that students write one thesis that fulfills the requirements of both programs. For this reason, we suggest that all students planning to do a joint concentration meet with the Director of Studies to discuss their plans and to ask questions about their proposed academic schedule.
We do not allow joint concentrations with social science departments that we share faculty with (Anthropology, Economics, Government, History, or Sociology) and typically have not allowed joint concentrations with science departments or with humanities departments except for Philosophy or Religion. If you are interested in pursuing a joint concentration with a department we don’t typically allow a joint concentration with, you will need to get prior approval for your academic plan from the Social Studies Board of Instruction. To begin that process, you will need to meet with the DUS.
We require that we be the “primary” joint concentration and that the other concentration be the “allied” joint concentration, which means that we organize the joint senior thesis process and joint concentrators register for Social Studies 99a and 99b their senior year instead of a 99 in their joint concentration.
Joint concentrators must complete all Social Studies requirements. However, joint concentrators in Social Studies have the option of taking two Social Studies 98s (junior tutorials) or one Social Studies 98 and one 98 in their joint concentration.