Program Overview

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Anthropology, BA

The Anthropology major at Sonoma State University teaches students about humans and their societies throughout the world, how they developed, the significance of their differences, and how they change over time. By taking courses in all four subfields (archaeology, biological anthropology, cultural anthropology, and linguistic anthropology), students learn to formulate theoretical and practical questions, and collect, organize, and interpret data. The combination of knowledge about human ways of life and training in analytical skills are crucial to any field dealing with human biology, society, and culture. This perspective is invaluable in preparing students for careers in a wide range of professional fields, including cultural resources management, environmental planning, education, public health, business, law, community development, and international service.

Program Learning Outcomes

Upon completion of the program, students should have:

1. An appreciation for the comparative perspective that uniquely allows anthropologists to explore the forms and foundations of human social, cultural, biological, and linguistic diversity, past and present.
2. An ability to integrate the four major subfields of anthropology – sociocultural, biological, archaeology and linguistic – via holistic and contextualized interpretations of evidence.
3. An understanding of how anthropological perspectives, methods, and theories came to be, and how their application can contribute to solving the issues and controversies of our time.
4. Competence in the qualitative and quantitative methods of at least one anthropological subfield, and the ability to apply these methods to real-world scenarios.
5. An awareness of the ethical issues involved in anthropological inquiry, scholarship, professional practice, and public citizenship, at the level of local communities and our increasingly globalized world.
6. An ability to critically locate, understand, evaluate, and synthesize anthropological scholarly materials, and to communicate resulting interpretations orally and in writing, individually and collaboratively.

Degree Requirements

See the “Degree Requirements ” in the University Catalog for complete details on general degree requirements.

General Education Requirements (48 units)

See the “General Education ” requirements in the University Catalog for information on General Education requirements. Some major requirements may double count for GE requirements.

Major Core Requirements

Complete the following four introductory courses.

• ANTH 200 - Introduction to Language Studies Unit(s): 3
• ANTH 201 - Introduction to Biological Anthropology Unit(s): 3
• ANTH 202 - Introduction to Archaeology and Cultural Heritage Unit(s): 3
• ANTH 203 - Introduction to Cultural Anthropology Unit(s): 3

Complete the following synthesis course during the first year of upper-division instruction:

• ANTH 300 - Nature, Culture, and Theory: The Growth of Anthropology Unit(s): 4

Complete one course from each of the four subfields of anthropology and a methods course as listed below.

• The respective introductory course listed above should be completed prior to enrolling in an upper division course.

Complete one of the following courses in Biological Anthropology:

• At least one such course offered each semester.
  • ANTH 301 - Human Fossils and Evolution Unit(s): 4
  • ANTH 302 - The Evolution of Males and Females Unit(s): 4
  • ANTH 303 - Human Behavioral Ecology Unit(s): 4
  • ANTH 305 - Topics in Biological Anthropology Unit(s): 4
  • ANTH 313 - Primate Behavioral Ecology Unit(s): 4
  • ANTH 315 - Forensic Anthropology Theory and Practice Unit(s): 4

Complete one of the following courses in Archaeology:

• At least one such course offered each semester.
  • ANTH 321 - Archaeology of Contact and Colonization Unit(s): 4.00
  • ANTH 322 - Historical Archaeology Unit(s): 4
  • ANTH 324 - Archaeology and the Bible Unit(s): 4
  • ANTH 326 - Topics in Archaeology Unit(s): 4
  • ANTH 327 - Archaeology of North America Unit(s): 4
  • ANTH 328 - New Technologies in Archaeology and Cultural Heritage Unit(s): 4.00
  • ANTH 329 - Bioarchaeology Unit(s): 4
  • ANTH 392 - Research in California Prehistory Unit(s): 4

Complete one of the following courses in Cultural Anthropology:

• At least one such course offered each semester.
  • ANTH 345 - Nature and Society: Topics in Anthropology and the Environment Unit(s): 4
  • ANTH 352 - Global Issues Unit(s): 4
  • ANTH 358 - Topics in Sociocultural Anthropology Unit(s): 4

Complete one of the following courses in Linguistic Anthropology:

• At least one such course offered each semester.
  • ANTH 380 - Language, Culture, and Society Unit(s): 4
  • ANTH 382 - Language Change Unit(s): 4
  • ANTH 383 - Language in Sociopolitical Context Unit(s): 4
  • ANTH 384 - Topics in Linguistic Anthropology Unit(s): 3-4
  • ANTH 386 - Sign Languages and Signing Communities Unit(s): 4

Complete one course from the list of methods courses below:

• At least one such course offered each semester.
  • ANTH 412 - Human Osteology Unit(s): 4
  • ANTH 414 - Observing Primate Behavior Unit(s): 4
  • ANTH 415 - Forensic Anthropology Methods Unit(s): 4
  • ANTH 451 - Applied Ethnographic Methods Unit(s): 4
  • ANTH 454 - Ethnographic Field School Unit(s): 4
  • ANTH 480 - Studies of Language Use Unit(s): 4

Complete the following course the fall semester prior to graduation:

• ANTH 491 - Senior Seminar Unit(s): 1

Major Electives

To complete the 40-unit requirement for the major, students must choose the remaining units from other anthropology courses, including courses listed above or ANTH 240, ANTH 318, ANTH 341, or SSCI 299. Anthropology units in internship, special studies, and the community involvement program may be included.

Units

• Total units in GE: 48
• Total units In Major Core: 37
• Total units In Major Electives: 3
• Total units in university electives: 32
• Total units required for graduation: 120