About the Master's

Program Overview

CIIS’ online master’s degree in Anthropology is unique among graduate programs for its focus on activism and social justice.

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.

Combining the world of prefigurative social struggles with the world of social science and radical theory, this program will support you in establishing relationships with local social justice groups, organizations, movements, and campaigns.

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.

Our graduates walk away with:

• Extensive knowledge of critical theory and activist anthropology
• Academic skills needed for continuation of your graduate studies
• Engagement with the important debates in anthropology and other social sciences
• Experience in working with networks and community groups
• Competence in various activist research techniques
• Organizing and media skills appropriate for employment in a range of progressive and social justice professional environments.

Master of Arts in Anthropology and Social Change