Bachelor of Arts

students in class

The B.A. in anthropology at Sonoma State University is designed to give students a well-rounded background in the four subfields of anthropology (biological, cultural, archaeological, and linguistic anthropology) as well as in the application of anthropological methods.

 

Lower Division Requirements

All anthropology majors must take the following courses at the lower division level. These courses should be completed prior to, or concurrently with, enrolling in the respective upper division subfield courses. In some cases the lower division course is a required prerequisite for upper division subfield courses in that area, so students are encouraged to check the specific prerequisites for individual upper division anthropology courses.

  • ANTH 200: Introduction to Language Studies (3) (Fall/Spring)
  • ANTH 201: Introduction to Biological Anthropology (3) (Fall/Spring)
  • ANTH 202: Introduction to Archaeology (3) (Spring only)
  • ANTH 203: Introduction to Cultural Anthropology (3) (Fall/Spring)

Upper Division Core Requirements

All anthropology majors must take the following upper division core courses. Anthropology 491 (Senior Seminar) must be taken in the student’s final Fall semester prior to graduation.

  • ANTH 300: Nature, Culture & Theory: The Growth of Anthropology (4) (Fall/Spring)
  • ANTH 491: Senior Seminar (1) (Fall)

Upper Division Subfield and Methods Requirements

Anthropology majors must take one upper division course in each of the four subfields of anthropology, as well as one upper division course in anthropological methods.

One upper division course in Archaeology

  • ANTH 321: Archaeology of Contact and Colonization (4)
  • ANTH 322: Historical Archaeology (4)
  • ANTH 324: Archaeology and the Bible (4)
  • ANTH 326: Topics in Archaeology (4)
  • ANTH 327: Archaeology of North America (4)
  • ANTH 328: New Technologies in Archaeology and Cultural Heritage (4)
  • ANTH 329: Bioarchaeology (4)
  • ANTH 392: Research in California Prehistory (4)

One upper division course in Biological Anthropology

  • ANTH 301: Human Fossils and Evolution (4)
  • ANTH 302: Evolution of Males and Females (4)
  • ANTH 303: Human Behavioral Ecology (4)
  • ANTH 305: Topics in Biological Anthropology (4)
  • ANTH 309: Health and Disease in the Past (4)
  • ANTH 313: Primate Behavioral Ecology (4)
  • ANTH 315: Forensic Anthropology Theory and Practice (4)

One upper division course in Cultural Anthropology

  • ANTH 345: Anthropology & the Environment (4)
  • ANTH 348: Foundations in Critical Medical Anthropology (4)
  • ANTH 352: Global Issues (4)
  • ANTH 358: Topics in Sociocultural Anthropology (4)

One upper division course in Linguistic Anthropology

  • ANTH 380: Language, Culture, and Society (4)
  • ANTH 382: Language Change (4)
  • ANTH 383: Language in Sociopolitical Context (4)
  • ANTH 384: Topics in Linguistic Anthropology (4)
  • ANTH 386: Sign Languages and Signing Communities (4)

One upper division course in Anthropological Methods

  • ANTH 412: Human Osteology (4)
  • ANTH 414: Observing Primate Behavior (4)
  • ANTH 415: Forensic Anthropology Methods (4)
  • ANTH 451: Applied Ethnographic Methods (4)
  • ANTH 454: Ethnographic Field School (4) (Summer)
  • ANTH 480: Studies of Language Use (4)

Additional Elective Courses in Anthropology

In addition to the course requirements above, students must take additional anthropology upper division courses to complete a total of 40 units in anthropology. Elective units may come from any of the following sources:

  1. Additional subfield or methods course(s) from the list above
  2. SSCI 299 (How to Think Like a Social Scientist)
  3. Lower and upper division General Education course(s) in anthropology (ANTH 240: Living in our Globalized World; ANTH 318: Human Development in Evolutionary Perspective; ANTH 341: Archaeology of Complex Societies)
  4. Contract courses, such as Special Studies, Community Involvement Project, Internships, etc. Contract courses can be taken for less than 3 units.

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 receive a grade of C- or better in any course applied to the major.