For undergraduate students, California State University, Northridge offers a BA in Anthropology, a Minor in general Anthropology, and a Minor in Applied Anthropology.
The Major in Anthropology is designed to contribute to a student's liberal arts education and to prepare the student for graduate work, teaching or other professional pursuits. Majors receive firm grounding in traditional sub-disciplines, including archaeology, physical anthropology and sociocultural anthropology, as well as the emerging field of applied anthropology, preparing students for employment that utilizes anthropological training, advanced work in the field, and a host of other professional paths. Students interested in focusing on a more specialized area of interest have the choice to pursue the Optional Major Program.
The Minor in Anthropology draws on the traditional, holistic emphasis in the field, which will serve students well in a variety of post-graduate experiences and career paths. The Minor in Anthropology provides students with substantive anthropological knowledge and methodological and analytic skills with a focus on diversity and global issues.
The Minor in Applied Anthropology focuses specifically on how to operationalize anthropological knowledge and skills in non-academic settings and thus provides a focused complement to studies in many fields. This minor will provide students with sufficient theoretical, methodological, and substantive background to enable them to combine anthropological perspectives and skills with those of their chosen major, making them significantly more desirable and effective in a competitive job market.
STUDENT LEARNING OUTCOMES FOR THE UNDERGRADUATE PROGRAM IN ANTHROPOLOGY (revised Spring 2017)
Students completing the undergraduate degree program in anthropology should be able to:
1 Describe/explain human experiences & the causes/consequences of cultural diversity across space/time from an anthropological perspective
2 Describe and explain the evolutionary process, particularly as it relates to primate and specifically hominin evolution
3 Describe and explain biological and behavioral variation among human and non-human primates in context
4 Demonstrate an understanding of the foundational concept of culture and core theories in anthropology and their applications to the field
5 Demonstrate the ability to conceptualize, collect, describe, analyze, interpret, and communicate anthropological evidence according to generally accepted professional practice and ethics
6 Describe and explain how anthropology can be used to engage in contemporary issues and can be applied toward addressing social problems
Requirements for the B.A. in Anthropology
Requirements for a Major in Anthropology (42-45 Units Total)
1. Foundations (12 units)
ANTH 151 Physical Anthropology (3)
ANTH 152 Culture and Human Behavior (3)
ANTH 153 Introduction to Archaeology (3)
ANTH 303 Anthropological Thought (3)
2. Peoples and Places (3 units)
Choose one from the following:
ANTH 306 Native Peoples of North America (3)
ANTH 307 Native Peoples of California and the Southwest (3)
ANTH 338 Peoples of Africa (3)
ANTH 345 Diversity in the United States (3)
ANTH 351 Peoples of Middle America (3)
ANTH 352 Peoples of South America (3)
ANTH 353 The Maya: Ancient and Modern (3)
ANTH 356 Peoples and Cultures of the Mediterranean (3)
3. Method and Theory (3 units)
Choose from one of the following:
ANTH 473 Theory and Method in Archaeology (3)
ANTH 475 Ethnographic Research Methods (3)
4. Seminar (3 units)
Choose from the following:
ANTH 490A-E Seminar in Anthropology (A-Archaeology, B-Biological, C-Cultural, D-Linguistics, E-Applied Anthropology) (3)
ANTH 516 Seminar on Ethnography as Narrative (3)
ANTH 521 California Archaeology (3)
ANTH 560 Social Evolution (3)
5. Breadth Electives (12 units)
In consultation with the undergraduate Advisor for the Anthropology Department, choose one course from each of the following subdisciplines:
Cultural Anthropology
ANTH 310 Language in Culture: Anthropological Linguistics (3)
ANTH 326 Introduction to Folklore (3)
ANTH 404 Comparative Social Organization (3)
ANTH 405 Cognitive Anthropology (3)
ANTH 424 Supernatural in the Modern World (3)
ANTH 430 Ecological Anthropology (3)
ANTH 450 Historical Anthropology (3)
ANTH 451 Economic Anthropology (3)
ANTH 462 Anthropology of the Arts (3)
Biological Anthropology
ANTH 311 Human Variation (3)
ANTH 341 Bones: An Introduction to the Study of Human Remains (3)
ANTH 421 Primatology: Morphology, Behavior and Social Organization (3)
ANTH 423 Human Behavior: Evolutionary Perspectives (3)
ANTH 445/L Human Osteology and Lab (3/1)
ANTH 453 Human Paleontology (3)
Archaeology
ANTH 426 Old World Archaeology (3)
ANTH 427 Archaeology of North America (3)
ANTH 428 Archaeology of Mesoamerica (3)
ANTH 429 Archaeology of South America (3)
ANTH 460 The Archeological Study of Women in the Ancient World (3)
Applied Anthropology
ANTH 302 Introduction to Applied Anthropology (3)
ANTH 432 Environmental Justice and Health (3)
ANTH 346 Urban Anthropology (3)
ANTH 425 Culture, Health and Healing (3)
ANTH 465 Museum Anthropology: Principles and Practices (3)
ANTH 468 Cultural Heritage (3)
ANTH 486 Interrogating Globalization: the Ethnography of Global Problems (3)
6. Additional Electives (12 units)
In consultation with the undergraduate Advisor for the Anthropology Department, choose four additional 3-unit Upper Division courses in Anthropology (12 units). See “Exceptions and Restrictions” below for important information about selection of electives.
Exceptions and Restrictions
- ANTH 360 does not count as credit for the Anthropology major.
- No more than one of the four additional elective courses may be from the following General Education courses: ANTH 212, 222, 305, 308, 315.
- Students can double count one of the following courses as an Anthropology additional elective and as a Social Science GE course: 212, 302, 305, 319, 341.
- ANTH 341 cannot count as both a biological anthropology breadth requirement and a GE Social Science Course.
- ANTH 302 cannot count as both an applied anthropology breadth requirement and a GE Social Science Course.
- Any one section of ANTH 494AA-ZZ will count as one elective course.
Requirements for the Minor in Anthropology
Requirements for a Minor in Anthropology (18 Units Total)
1. Foundations (3 units)
Choose one of the following: Anth 150 or 152
2. Peoples and Places (3 units)
Choose one from the following: Anth 306, 307, 338, 345, 351, 352, 353, 356
3. Electives (12 Units)
In consultation with the undergraduate advisor for the anthropology department, choose four additional three-unit upper division courses in anthropology
NOTE: Either Anth 212 or Anth 222 can be permitted as one of the four electives.
Requirements for the Minor in Applied Anthropology
Requirement for a Minor in Applied Anthropology (18 Units Total)
1. Foundations (3 units)
Choose one of the following:
ANTH 150 The Human Adventure: Introduction to Anthropology (3)
ANTH 152 Culture and Human Behavior (3)
2. Methods (6 units)
ANTH 302 Introduction to Applied Anthropology (3)
ANTH 475 Ethnographic Research Methods (3)
3. Electives (9 units)
Choose three from:
ANTH 341 Bones: An Introduction to the Study of Human Remains (3)
ANTH 345 Diversity in the United States (3)
ANTH 346 Urban Anthropology (3)
ANTH 425 Culture, Health and Healing (3)
ANTH 430 Ecological Anthropology (3)
ANTH 432 Environmental Justice and Health (3)
ANTH 445/445L Human Osteology (3)
ANTH 465 Museum Anthropology: Principles and Practices (3)
ANTH 468 Cultural Heritage (3)
ANTH 476A-Z Topics in Anthropological Methods (3)
ANTH 486 Interrogating Globalization: Ethnography of Global Problems (3)
ANTH 490E Seminar in Applied Anthropology (3)