Living in Architecture: Meaning Making and Community in Yeh and New College West

Abstract

This thesis provides an anthropological analysis of the architecture in the newly constructed Princeton University residential colleges, Yeh and New College West. A historical analysis is given to American college dormitories, as well as the historical context of architecture on Princeton’s campus. The subfield of architectural anthropology is discussed, as well as the leading literature it consists of. This thesis takes an ethnographic approach, as I participate and observe how students use the new dormitories and its various spaces. Anthropological themes are applied to how students use space, and the reflexivity of people imparting meaning on spaces while spaces also give meaning to the people using them. This work wraps up by discussing how this work can be extended to other spaces on campus, and ways in which this ethnography could be improved.