Approved Concentrations

In order to achieve depth and intellectual development in the humanities and social sciences beyond the introductory level, each student must complete a concentration of at least four courses within a single discipline chosen from the distinct areas of liberal arts study offered at The Claremont Colleges (below). Students should declare a concentration by their sixth semester.

The concentration represents progress in a field of study, and even though that field might be interdisciplinary, the concentration should typically advance beyond introductory level courses. A concentration in the fine or performing arts must include at least two courses that focus on theory, criticism or historical analysis. Courses that form the concentration may also satisfy other departmental requirements.

HSA concentrations must be chosen from the following list, though advisors have the discretion to add a “concentration detail” to a student’s record, indicating a more specific sub-field within one of the following areas. For example, a concentrator in religious studies may have a concentration detail which shows that their courses were in the sub-field of Asian religious traditions. Concentrators in foreign languages will typically have a concentration detail which shows the language they have studied.

Although many fields of study draw upon various disciplines, the classification of a concentration as ‘interdisciplinary’ below indicates that multiple courses in that concentration may, with approval of the advisor, also count towards the distribution requirement. Otherwise, only one course in the concentration may also satisfy a distribution requirement.

ConcentrationInterdisciplinary
American StudiesYes
AnthropologyNo
ArtYes
Art HistoryNo
Asian American StudiesYes
Asian StudiesYes
Africana StudiesYes
Chicanx / Latinx StudiesYes
ClassicsNo
DanceNo
EconomicsNo
EducationYes
Environmental AnalysisYes
European StudiesYes
Foreign LanguagesNo
Gender Studies (including Women’s Studies and Feminist Studies)Yes
GeographyYes
German StudiesYes
HistoryNo
Holocaust & Human RightsYes
Jewish StudiesYes
Justice EducationYes
Latin American StudiesYes
LinguisticsNo
Literature (including English and Literature in translation)No
Media StudiesYes
Middle Eastern StudiesYes
MusicNo
Native American / Indigenous StudiesYes
PhilosophyNo
Political Studies (including Government, International Relations, and Public Policy)No
PsychologyNo
Public Policy AnalysisYes
Religious StudiesNo
Science, Technology, & SocietyYes
Secular StudiesYes
SociologyNo
TheatreNo
Writing and RhetoricYes
Approved Concentrations