Course Descriptions

Anthropology 1: Physical Anthropology (3 Units)

Humans as a biological species through an examination of the fossil evidence for human evolution, behavior of nonhuman primates, and human evolutionary biology and genetics. Emphasis on uniquely human biological and behavioral characteristics, as well as those shared with other animals. Current anthropological issues such as the biological meaning of race, genetic diseases, and the influence of evolution on human behavior.

Anthropology 1L: Physical Anthropology (1 Unit)
Laboratory activities and exercises developed as an adjunct to Anthropology 1 (Introduction to Biological/Physical Anthropology) including the identification of fossils through examination of fossil casts, the study of human artifacts, observation of primate behavior and structure, and problem-solving in case studies of human genetics. Prerequisite: Anthropology 1 (may be taken concurrently). 

Anthropology 2: Introduction to Archaeology: Prehistory and Culture Growth
 (3 Units)
This course is an introduction to the study of concepts, theories, data and models of anthropological archaeology that contribute to our knowledge of the human past. The course includes a discussion of the nature of scientific inquiry; the history and interdisciplinary nature of archaeological research; dating techniques; methods of survey, excavation, analysis, and interpretation; cultural resource management; professional ethics; and selected cultural sequences. This course may include a lab component.

Anthropology 3: Social and Cultural Anthropology (3 units)
How human beings in different cultures meet basic biological, social and cultural needs, including kinship and marriage practices, political and social organization, economic institutions, religious and childrearing practices, social change, as well as other aspects of cultural behavior. Emphasis on understanding other culture on their own terms. Includes the many subcultures making up North American populations. May be offered in Distance Education delivery format. 

Anthropology 4: Language and Culture (3 units)
An introduction to the core concepts of linguistic anthropology and the study of language in culture and society, including how language perpetuates the identity of individuals through their social interactions and their culture in everyday speech events. Topics such as identity, social status, gender, race, and institutional power, are examined in contemporary language use. Traditional study of the methods of linguistic anthropologists as well as the study of the biological basis of communication and speech, the structure of language, language origins, language through time, language variation, the ethnography of communication, sociolinguistics, nonverbal communication and writing, and how cultural context sets meaning. 

Anthropology 5: Cultures of the U.S. in Global Perspective (3 Units)
Issues relevant to understanding constructs of race, class, gender and culture in U. S. society from a global perspective. Factors affecting at least three major U.S. cultural communities (such as African American, Asian American, Latino American and others) including impacts of globalization, patterns of migration, permeability of cultural communities in the U.S., the cultural politics of identity and inclusion and exclusion, and other factors influencing modern U.S. society.

Anthropology 7: Introduction to Global Studies (3 units)
This course is an introduction to the interdisciplinary field of Global Studies. Explores the current processes of “globalization” in the world today and the impact on people and societies. Examines conflicts arising out of competition over resources, the impact of wars, economic and environmental disruption and transnational migrations of people. Explores debates over globalization and the social movements that have arisen in response to the impact of globalization. May not receive credit if Global Studies 1 has been completed.

Anthropology 8: Native American Cultures (3 Units)
Survey of the Native American cultures of North America from an anthropological perspective, including cultural developments from prehistory to the present. Emphasis on the great variety of Native American perspectives and traditions, including kinship, religion, political, social and economic institutions, and attitudes towards humans, animals, and nature. Current issues including movements for social and political justice and cultural survival.

Anthropology 12: Magic, Religion, Witchcraft and Healing (3 Units)
Cross-cultural perspectives on spirituality, religious practice, myth, ancestor beliefs, witchcraft and the variety of religious rituals and practitioners found in the cultures of the world. Examination of the cosmologies of different cultures through the anthropological perspective. Emphasis is placed on how knowledge of the religious practices and beliefs of others can help us to understand the multicultural world in which we live. Comparison of the ways in which diverse cultures confront the large and fundamental questions of existence: those dealing with the meaning of life, birth and death, and with the relationship of humans to each other and to their universe. 

Anthropology 13: Forensic Anthropology (3 units)
Introduction to the recovery and interpretation of human physical remains within the medico-legal context. Major topics include identification of human skeletal and dental remains, sex determination, age at death, ancestry, stature, analysis and identification of different types of trauma and pathologies, post-mortem alteration, time since death, recovery techniques, and legal and ethical issues pertaining to the treatment of human remains in a forensic context.