Paul Andrew Rausch, MAPSS’24

Paul Andrew Rausch (MAPSS’24) was originally drawn to the University of Chicago’s Master of Arts Program in the Social Sciences (MAPSS) because the program provided access to “the intellectual giants in the fields of public policy and political science.” Once in MAPSS, Rausch was impressed with both MAPSS’s intellectual rigor and the academic freedom MAPSS’s flexible curriculum allowed. 

His favorite course was Advanced Readings in Technoscience with Professor Joseph P. Masco in the Department of Anthropology. “[It] stood out to me due to the depth and breadth of theory that we engaged with. It was an inclusive class experience with a lot of students from all over the world and from different social science backgrounds, so the exploration of theory was thorough and illuminating,” shares Rausch. 

Professor Masco later worked with Rausch on his thesis, Analyzing Accelerationism as Terroristic Praxis; Anticipatory Futures in the Alt-Right and Alternative Extremist Origins, by reviewing certain portions of it. Professors Mary (Ella) Wilhoit in MAPSS (Rausch’s preceptor) and William Schultz in the Divinity School (Rausch’s main thesis reviewer) were also major supportive figures to Rausch for his thesis. 

Now working as a Staff Scientist in an archaeological role at Civil & Environmental Consultants, Inc., Rausch believes that his degree has been vital, as it allowed him to reach Secretary of the Interior qualification status for archaeology and certify as an archaeologist on the National Register. He further notes that “the specific theory and praxis I learned at UChicago was focused on politics and cultural anthropology, which broadened my horizons and gave me a diverse interdisciplinary tool set for which to approach research in all four fields of anthropology." In the future, Rausch hopes to work as an applied anthropologist. “[MAPSS] gave me an adaptable set of skills that will help also with PhD applications and allow for career changes,” Rausch says. 

But his time in Hyde Park wasn’t all work. Rausch says, “The food was consistently amazing, I found tons of spots in Hyde Park that were great for after class or weekend meals.” And Rausch’s advice to future MAPSS students? “Socialize with your peers, get involved on campus. This time will fly by and you have the potential to make lifelong friends out of ambitious peers from a diversity of backgrounds and expertise.”