Bachelor of Arts [B.A] [Anthropology] From San Diego State University

Anthropology is the comprehensive study of people. It explores the fascinating world of human biological evolution and variation and the way humans in all parts of the world, from prehistoric times to today, adapt to their environment; form groups such as families, clans, tribes, and nations; survive and become extinct; regulate behavior through sanctions, laws, and government; worship and celebrate; communicate; educate their young; and change to meet new challenges.

To achieve this, all majors are required to take courses in each of the four main subdivisions of anthropology: archaeology, the analysis of past cultures; cultural anthropology, the study of cultural differences in contemporary societies; linguistic anthropology, examination of the relationship between language and other aspects of culture - the ways people communicate; and physical or biological anthropology, analysis of the biological characteristics of past and present peoples and other primates.

As anthropology majors, students explore humankind, focusing on the similarities and differences between humans and other primates, as well as the similarities and differences in culture found in human populations yesterday and today. By taking courses in the four sub-disciplines, students develop a broad background which prepares them for numerous career paths.

Program Overview

Several classes are taken in preparation for the major, including introduction to cultural anthropology, introduction to biological anthropology and archaeology, introduction to statistics, and three one-unit computer courses. Majors must take four upper division courses: Principles of Physical Anthropology, Principles of Archaeology, Principles of Anthropological Linguistics, and History of Ethnological Theory. The remaining units of required upper-division anthropology courses are electives which are chosen from each of the three categories, area regional, theory, and methods.