ANTHROPOLOGY

What is Anthropology

Anthropology is the study of humans. Anthropology is the only discipline that seeks to understand all aspects of human life, including past and present social and cultural processes and biological adaptations. It does so by focusing on human variation in time and space, with four traditionally recognized sub-disciplines: archaeology, physical anthropology, cultural anthropology, and linguistic anthropology. As a consequence of its broad focus, anthropology is also an integrative discipline that brings together scholarly work in the humanities, natural sciences, and social sciences.

Cultural Anthropology deals with the social lives of people around the world, including our own society: economic systems, legal practices, kinship, religions, medical practices, folklore, arts and political systems, as well as the interrelationship of these systems in environmental adaptation and social change.

Archaeology focuses on the material remains of human societies from the remote and recent past with emphasis on reconstructing and understanding past modes of human cultural adaptation and change.

Physical Anthropology describes and compares world human biology. The focus is on humans and their primate order, seeking to document and understand the interplay of culture and biology in the course of human evolution and adaptation.

Linguistics deals with varied aspects of human language and the characteristics of nonhuman communication systems, to achieve an understanding of past and present human language systems and their significance in social life.

If I major in Anthropology, what kind of job can I get?

Archaeologist · Linguist · Environmental Impact Analyst · Museum Curator · Health Researcher · Redevelopment Specialist · Industrial Consultant · Artifacts Conservator · Cultural Resource Manager · Ethnic Relations Specialist · Population Analyst · Urban Planner · Exhibit Designer · Expedition Guide · Film Ethnographer · Social Gerontologist · College Faculty Instructor · Medical Anthropologist · Bilingual Education Consultant · Primatologist · Zoo Director · Museum Program Director · Museum Registrar · Forensic Anthropologist · Folklorist · Archivist · Surveyor · Researcher ·Urban Planner ·Travel Agent/Guide ·Human Resources Manager · Journalist ·Marketing Manager ·National/State Park Interpreter ·Coroner/Medical Examiner · State/Federal Government Policy Analyst · Social Worker ·Public Health Educator · Bilingual/Bicultural Program Specialist · Teacher

If I receive an AA degree in Anthropology, can I transfer to a four-year college?

Cañada College offers everything you need to finish an AA degree in Anthropology as well as to transfer to a four-year college or university. 

COURSES

ANTH 110     Cultural Anthropology

This course is an introduction to the various customs, traditions, and forms of social organizations in both Western and non-Western societies. Multicultural perspectives are examined for such topics including subsistence methods, belief and religious system, linguistics, trade and economic systems, arts, kinship systems, marriage and family systems, technology, and changes due to internal and external forces.

ANTH 125     Physical Anthropology

This course is a broad introduction to the science of physical anthropology, emphasizing the evolution of the human species. Topics include: the field of anthropology, the scientific method, evolutionary theory, genetics and inheritance, human variation, biology and behavior of living primates, and fossil evidence of human evolution.

ANTH 350     Introduction to Archaeology

Introduces students to the methods and theories used by archaeologists to find, recover, and interpret such remains in an effort to reconstruct and understand the lives of earlier peoples. The class uses archaeological case studies, films, and hands-on examples of tools and other artifacts produced by stone age hunters and more complex cultures that lived in California and other parts of the world.

ANTH            360 Indians of North America

Provides a survey of traditional Native American societies and cultural areas north of Mexico. Readings, lectures, and discussions emphasize primary ethnographic and historic data that provide the richest accounts of American Indian cultures at the time of European contact and shortly thereafter. Emphasis is placed on cross-cultural comparisons of cultural and social phenomena including religious and worldview systems, subsistence systems, and political systems.

FUTURE COURSES

ANTH                        Visual Anthropology and Ethnographic Film                   

This course provides an introduction to the use of film and photography by anthropologists as a research tool. Students will view and evaluate a series of films depicting different cultures from around the world. Analysis will focus on examining various attributes of ethnographic film and their treatment by a number of anthropological filmmakers.

ANTH                        Fieldwork in Archaeology                                       

Introduction to archaeological field methods, covering practical aspects of how to identify and investigate isolated artifact finds, particular sites and features, and entire landscapes. Covering survey and excavation techniques, basic approaches to sampling, mapping and navigation, stratigraphic excavation, artifact and feature recording, and recovery methods. This is a hands-on course. Prerequisite: ANTH 350.

ANTH                        Physical Anthropology Lab                                    

Designed to familiarize the student with the materials and techniques of physical anthropology. Includes human and other primate osteology, anthropometric techniques, and allied methods in the gathering and analysis of physical anthropological data. Through working with the departmental collection of fossil casts and models, the student also becomes familiar with the stages of human and primate evolution. Prerequisite or in concurrently: ANTH 125.

ANTHROPOLOGY CLUB

This club meets 1 to 2 times per month for Kula Potlucks, ethnographic film screenings, guest speakers, field trips, and career-advising. Students run the club and activities change based on student interest. Contact Jessica Einhorn, faculty advisor for the club, for more information at 650-306-3311 or einhornj@smccd.edu

LINKS

http://www.aaanet.org/resinet.htm
http://www.scahome.org/
http://www.archaeologyfieldwork.com/forums/index.php
http://www.societyforvisualanthropology.org/svawelcome.html
http://www.physanth.org/

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