Update: New Human Development and Applied Anthropology major will soon be available! HDAA courses already are!
The faculty of the Anthropology and Human Development majors have combined these programs in response to changes at SSU. We're very excited to present a new major that brings together everything we love about Anthropology and Human Development and allows us to do something new and innovative! Our new Human Development and Applied Anthropology (HDAA) major is one of a kind. Some changes related to the new major are already apparent (for example, our HD and ANTH courses are now listed under the HDAA prefix. We'll let you know when it's possible to enroll as an HDAA major.
Key features of the HDAA Major
- HDAA takes "human-ness" as a key analytic and asks, what does it mean to be human, across time and space, throughout the life course, biologically, culturally, and socially?
- HDAA is grounded in Anthropology, but is interdisciplinary, including perspectives from across the social sciences.
- HDAA is invested in social justice and solving social problems!
- HDAA balances theoretical depth with skills-based training that equips students to do meaningful work that supports communities and makes a difference.
Why HDAA now?
- HDAA combines the expertise of SSU faculty across Anthropology and Human Development into a single curriculum that maximizes student access to faculty.
- HDAA responds to institutional changes at SSU to "right size" our programs in response to budget cuts and changing enrollment patterns.
- HDAA responds to disciplinary changes in our fields of expertise, reflecting student demand for skills you can apply to meaningful work!
Important Information for continuing and new students
Juniors and Seniors
Are you an Anthropology or a Human Development major with junior or senior status? If so, stay the course! We will continue to offer the courses you need to graduate. The major change for you is that your courses will now be offered under the HDAA prefix. You can find a list of ANTH to HDAA course equivalents here, and faculty advisors are available to help you map your path to graduation!
Freshman and Sophomores, Incoming Students
Are you a sophomore or freshman or an incoming student, including transfer students? As we wait for the HDAA BA to come online, you should choose either the Anthropology or Human Development jaor that most reflects your areas of interest. Once the HDAA BA becomes ready for you to enroll in, we will strongly advise you to consider HDAA, as we will be orienting our attention, efforts, and advising in this direction as we phase out the separate degree paths over the next few years. However, faculty advisors support whichever path you choose that suits your academic goals. You can compare programs side by side here.
All Students
For all students - we, your HDAA faculty, are so excited about our new curriculum, and hope you are too. Whether you are finishing out a traditional degree path, or jumping into something new, you will benefit from the enthusiasm and commitment we have to Anthropology and Human Development as exciting sites of social research, theory, and applied work solving problems. Please join us for special events like guest speakers, social gatherings like our end of the year party for graduating seniors, and group advising (pizza always provided!)
Want to get even more involved? Meet our amazing students by joining our ANTH club, follow us on social media to stay updated about events, and be sure you are enrolled in your major so you are on our email lists!
Once it's possible to enroll in the new major, we will let you know! You will need to fill out a "change of major form" and switch to HDAA. You can find the Major update form here.
Pardon Our Dust
We are doing our best to roll out our new major while we support student success now! Thanks for your patience as we make these changes, and if you have any questions, please reach out to your faculty.
Subfields of Anthropology
Archaeology
Archaeology examines the ways of life of past humans, from recent history to the earliest members of our species. Its practitioners study objects made or modified by humans, organic remains (human, animal, and plant), written records, and oral traditions to understand the experiences of past peoples and the societies and natural environments in which they lived.
Linguistic Anthropology
Linguistic Anthropology understands language and communication systems as the keys to society and culture. By examining the structure and diversity of language in all its forms (past and present), its ability to shape worldviews and belief systems, build and share meaning, form or change identities, and make or change relations of power can be understood.
Biological Anthropology
Biological Anthropology studies how biology and culture work together to shape humans’ adaptation to different environments, the causes of disease and death, and the evolution of the human body, mind and behavior. This involves the study of humans (living and dead), other primate species such as monkeys and apes, and fossils of human ancestors.
Applied Anthropology
Applied Anthropology emphasizes how the theories, techniques and methods of each of the four subfields of anthropology can be employed to address real world problems. Its practitioners may be found working with local communities, public agencies, non-profit organizations, corporations on issues ranging from health, education, consumer behavior, and the environment.
Cultural Anthropology
Cultural Anthropology explores the diversity of existing human ways of life – how they work, how they change, and how they interrelate in the modern world. Its practitioners often spend time living with peoples and cultures whose values and lifeways are different from their own to learn about their perspectives, practices, and social organization.
Building Knowledge and Skills
For the members of Sonoma State University's anthropology faculty, research and teaching are inseparable, and the Anthropology Department encourages both graduate and undergraduate students to meet professional standards of achievement in their work and research.
Faculty members regularly assist students in developing and executing individual and collaborative research projects as part of coursework or independently. Students often present the results of their work at SSU’s annual student research symposium, in professional meetings, peer-reviewed research publications, and public documents. Learn more about faculty members’ research projects and opportunities for students at our Research page.
We believe that Anthropology majors should master six learning outcomes by the time they graduate:
- 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.
- An ability to integrate the four major subfields of anthropology – sociocultural, biological, archaeology and linguistic – via holistic and contextualized interpretations of evidence.
- 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.
- Competence in the qualitative and quantitative methods of at least one anthropological subfield, and the ability to apply these methods to real-world scenarios.
- 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.
- An ability to critically locate, understand, evaluate, and synthesize anthropological scholarly materials, and to communicate resulting interpretations orally and in writing, individually and collaboratively.
The Anthropology Department is an active, integrated, intellectual community that emphasizes (1) an informed, critical understanding of the diachronic and synchronic complexities of human cultural expression and its evolutionary antecedents, and (2) opportunities for hands-on application of that understanding in field and workplace contexts.