20809280General Anthropology
Course Information
Description
Anthropology as the study of humanity through time and across the world. Nothing that is human is alien to anthropology. This course will take through all of human history, from before our ape ancestors stood up and began walking on two feet up to the present day. Along the way, you'll learn a little bit about the 4 sub-fields of anthropology: Biological Anthropology, Archaeology, Linguistics, and Cultural Anthropology.
Total Credits
3
Course Competencies
  1. Explain the scope and subfields of anthropology
    Assessment Strategies
    Essay, Exam, and/or Written Product
    Criteria
    Define anthropology and its four-field approach (biological, cultural, linguistic, and archaeology)
    Explain methods anthropologists use study human diversity across time and space
    Illustrate the interaction of the four subfields of anthropology in building holistic perspectives of human societies
    Identify career fields in which anthropological perspectives are useful

  2. Apply evolutionary theory to human origins
    Assessment Strategies
    Essay, Exam, and/or Written Product
    Criteria
    Explain the principles of modern evolutionary theory and their application to human evolution
    Describe the mechanisms of evolution and their contribution to genetic variation and environmental adaptation
    Differentiate between scientific explanations and pseudo-science in evolutionary studies
    Assess how fossil and genetic evidence supports evolutionary models
    Analyze how natural selection and other evolutionary mechanisms shape hominin evolution and modern human biological variation

  3. Analyze the biological and cultural aspects of human evolution
    Assessment Strategies
    Essay, Exam, and/or Written Product
    Criteria
    Identify major fossil hominins and their significance in human evolutionary history
    Evaluate how environmental and cultural adaptations shaped human evolution
    Distinguish between anatomical traits across major hominin species
    Discuss how tool use, fire, and social structures contributed to human survival and development
    Describe the development of tools from the Stone Age through the development of agriculture and the Industrial Revolution

  4. Examine the development and variation of human cultures
    Assessment Strategies
    Essay, Exam, and/or Written Product
    Criteria
    Define culture and cultural relativism and their importance in anthropology
    Analyze how cultures develop, change, and interact with the environment
    Recognize ethnocentrism and explain the importance of cultural relativism in cross-cultural understanding
    Compare cultural adaptations to different environmental and historical challenges

  5. Investigate the role of archaeology in reconstructing the human past
    Assessment Strategies
    Essay, Exam, and/or Written Product
    Criteria
    Explain archaeological methods and their contributions to reconstructing past human societies
    Evaluate ethical considerations in archaeology, including issues of heritage and repatriation
    Describe how archaeological contexts influence interpretation of material evidence
    Distinguish between relative and absolute dating techniques and their applications
    Identify how archaeology helps us understand the past, explain the present, and provides insights into the future

  6. Interpret the rise of domestication and its societal impact
    Assessment Strategies
    Essay, Exam, and/or Written Product
    Criteria
    Discuss the biological basis of human variation and its misinterpretation in racial classification
    Explore race as a social construct with real-world consequences
    Identify historical and contemporary consequences of racial ideologies
    Analyze anthropological critiques of biological determinism

  7. Evaluate the concepts of race, ethnicity, and human variation
    Assessment Strategies
    Essay, Exam, and/or Written Product
    Criteria
    Explore the origins of human language and its role in shaping human societies
    Compare linguistic structures and cultural communication systems
    Recognize key theories about the origins of human language
    Analyze how language encodes cultural norms, values, and worldviews
    Investigate the methods used by sociolinguists and historical linguists to learn about past languages, as well as the distribution and evolution of modern languages

  8. Examine the evolution of language and communication
    Assessment Strategies
    Essay, Exam, and/or Written Product
    Criteria
    Compare different forms of economic exchange and political organization across cultures through human history
    Identify material and spatial indicators of centralized power in early civilizations
    Compare tribute, redistribution, and market-based economies in archaeological contexts
    Analyze how urbanization and complex societies developed across the world
    Discuss how globalization influences economic and political structures

  9. Analyze how the development of political and economic systems contributed to complex civilizations from an archaeological perspective
    Assessment Strategies
    Essay, Exam, and/or Written Product
    Criteria
    Define kinship and marriage systems and compare cross-cultural variations
    Explore gender as a cultural construct and its role in different societies
    Identify how kinship systems influence inheritance, residence, and group identity
    Evaluate how gender roles vary across cultural and historical contexts

  10. Investigate kinship, marriage, and gender across cultures
    Assessment Strategies
    Essay, Exam, and/or Written Product
    Criteria
    Use anthropological theories to evaluate modern societal challenges such as climate change, migration, and inequality
    Assess how anthropology contributes to solving real-world problems
    Examine how anthropologists engage in applied work in areas like health, development, or migration
    Use anthropological examples to critique simplistic narratives in media or public policy

  11. Apply anthropological perspectives to contemporary issues
    Assessment Strategies
    Essay, Exam, and/or Written Product
    Criteria
    Use anthropological theories to evaluate modern societal challenges such as climate change, migration, and inequality
    Assess how anthropology contributes to solving real-world problems
    Examine how anthropologists engage in applied work in areas like health, development, or migration
    Use anthropological examples to critique simplistic narratives in media or public policy

  12. Develop critical thinking and scientific literacy skills
    Assessment Strategies
    Written Products
    Criteria
    Distinguish between evidence-based research and misinformation
    Apply anthropological methods to evaluate sources and construct well-reasoned arguments
    Evaluate the credibility of anthropological claims based on evidence and source reliability
    Apply anthropological reasoning to synthesize information across subfields
    Writing is organized, clear, and includes sources as specified by the instructor