ANTH& 100 - Survey of Anthropology

Credits: 5
Provides a basic understanding of the four sub-fields of anthropology: Physical anthropology, archaeology, linguistics, and sociocultural anthropology. Units of study include evolution, culture, human biological and cultural origins, primate behavior, pre-history, language acquisition, and cultural development.

Prerequisite: Eligible for ENGL 099; or instructor’s permission.

Satisfies Requirement: Social Science

Course Outcomes:
Students who successfully complete this class will be able to:

Describe nature of anthropology and its uniqueness as a discipline.
Explain biological evolutionary theory, and how it applies to human evolution specifically.
Discuss why humans are classified as primates and yet are unique kinds of primates.
Examine primate and human evolution, including the complex interrelationships between human biology and culture.
Identify the major primate and human fossils and their provenience
Explain the basic components of human heredity and how these interact with environments to produce human biological variation.
Identify the nature of the race concept, historically and contemporarily, and how some problems of human biological variation are being studied by physical anthropologists.
Point out the basic tools and methods of archeology and the importance of context in the exploration of human history and prehistory.
Briefly discuss dating techniques and their applications.
Analyze human acquisition of language, and our efforts to understand primate communication.
Discuss the concept of culture, and its importance to human survival.
Point out different economic and kinship structures around the world, and how they work to create human alliances.

Program Outcomes

Define the anthropological concept of cultural relativism.
Identify the holistic perspective.

College-wide Outcomes

Critical Thinking - Critical thinking finds expression in all disciplines and everyday life. It is characterized by an ability to reflect upon thinking patterns, including the role of emotions on thoughts, and to rigorously assess the quality of thought through its work products. Critical thinkers routinely evaluate thinking processes and alter them, as necessary, to facilitate an improvement in their thinking and potentially foster certain dispositions or intellectual traits over time.
Responsibility - Responsibility encompasses those behaviors and dispositions necessary for students to be effective members of a community. This outcome is designed to help students recognize the value of a commitment to those responsibilities which will enable them to work successfully individually and with others.