Social Studies Degrees

Middle Eastern Studies and Islamic Civilization

This minor concentration focuses on the Middle East and North Africa while also studying the wider Islamic world.

It provides students with an understanding of the origins and development of the Islamic faith in its heartland, as well as an awareness of the multicultural and dynamic character of modern Islam.

It also trains students in the history, culture, politics, and political economy of the Middle East, North Africa, and the Islamic world.

Social Science

Anthropology. History. Philosophy. Political Economy. Politics and International Relations. Psychology.

Social science is an exploration of the human experience. Bennington students in anthropology, politics, psychology, and other areas of the social sciences develop the tools to write history, delve into the human psyche, and more deeply understand states, societies, and cultures. Working closely with faculty, you develop your own precise questions and observations, with an emphasis on gathering evidence, constructing arguments, and presenting your ideas with clarity.

Classes are small, discussion-based seminars, with faculty who are practicing historians, psychologists, anthropologists, philosophers, policymakers, and diplomats. Extensive reading and writing and lively conversation are complemented by the yearly Field Work Term, with internships in the field, and, if you wish, study abroad.

About the discipline

Become a culture interpreter with a major in social studies offered through the Department of History/Economics/Geography/Politics. It draws on multiple disciplines to provide a deep understanding of people in an individual and corporate context. The major leverages history, economics, sociology, geography and psychology to provide a rigorously informed perspective into a very complicated world. Learning the language of culture requires students to become savvy speakers of the social sciences. The field of social studies has as its purpose the study of humans as individuals and as part of the social order. Society’s problems are multi-dimensional and have roots far in the past. The aim of the social studies group major is to give the student a well-rounded outlook on life beyond one’s own area of specialty.

Other majors within the Department of History/Economics/Geography/Politics are:
Economics
Geography (minor)
History
Political Economy
Political Science (minor)
Career Opportunities

If you’re a culture junkie and like to blog about your insights, then perhaps a career in journalism, politics, education and law should be in your line of sight.