Dec 03, 2024  
2024-2025, 2nd ed. General Catalog 
    
2024-2025, 2nd ed. General Catalog

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.

Note: A maximum of 12 transfer units in lower-division courses can be used to complete the 40-unit anthropology major options and advisory plans.

* Students must earn a C- or better in any course applied to the major.

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.


The introductory course should be completed prior to enrolling in the respective upper division subfield course.

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


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.

Complete one of the following courses in Cultural Anthropology:


* At least one such course offered each semester.

Complete one of the following courses in Linguistic Anthropology:


* At least one such course offered each semester.

Complete one course from the list of methods courses below:


* At least one such course offered each semester.

Complete the following course the fall semester prior to graduation:


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