Doctor of Philosophy in Anthropology - Sociocultural Anthropology

The Anthropology Department's sociocultural program addresses the contemporary world by focusing on the intersections between global and local level processes and institutions. Our programmatic emphases center on the cultural and social dimensions of such issues as distribution and inequality, production and reproduction, citizenship and statecraft, human-environmental interactions, religion, and media from the perspective of an engaged anthropology. Our faculty's dynamic research programs bring scholarly rigor to urgent political, economic, cultural and environmental issues, such as water policy formation (Walsh), the societal, environmental and health implications of emerging technologies (Harthorn), relations between environmental transformation and livelihoods (Hoelle), and the intersections of religious affiliations and political orientations (Hancock). We share, also, concern with the historicity of sociocultural and political institutions an orientation that has helped us to build and sustain thematic bridges with the archaeology program and with the History Department, realized through shared interests in Borderlands studies, studies of cultural/public memory and public history. Core and affiliated faculty conduct research in Asia, including India, Japan, and China, and the Americas, from the Brazilian Amazon and Central America to the United States, Mexico, California, and borderlands.

Statement of Purpose, Personal History and Diversity Statement, and Resume or Curriculum Vitae (CV) (submitted online).
Three Letters of Recommendation (submitted online). Note: If submitted via postal mail, please attach required coversheets with applicant signature.
Unofficial transcripts from all post-secondary institutions attended (submitted online).
English Language Exam Scores (if applicable): TOEFL Internet-Based Test (IBT) total score of 80, or TOEFL Paper-Based Test (PBT) total score of 550, or IELTS Overall Band score of 7
Writing Sample (submitted online).
Final/Official transcripts will be required for all applicants who are admitted and have indicated their intent to enroll at UC Santa Barbara by submitting a Statement of Intent to Register (SIR). UC Santa Barbara reserves the right to require official transcripts at any time during the admissions process, and rescind any offer of admission made if discrepancies between uploaded and official transcript(s) are found.