Associate in Arts Degree in Anthropology for Transfer

Golden West College

Anthropology is the study of humans and non-human primates in all times and all places. It consists of four main fields of research: cultural/social, physical/biological, archaeology, and linguistics. The Associate in Arts in Anthropology for Transfer Degree explores these topics through holistic, multidisciplinary, and cross-cultural lenses. It focuses on a critical analysis of human variation, including evolutionary pathways, sociocultural adaptations, technology and material culture, language patterns, belief systems, biocultural diversity, and more within prehistorical, historical, and contemporary contexts. Students in the Associate in Arts in Anthropology Transfer Degree will gain a basic, though in-depth understanding of the various fields and sub-fields of anthropology, as well as the theoretical underpinnings and methodological approaches. They will also gain a greater understanding of what it means to be human the scientific origin of humans as a species the role of culture in human evolution and the importance of tolerance among sociocultural variation. Students will gain an appreciation of the diversity contained and exhibited by humankind on a global scale within historical and contemporaneous contexts. Students will engage in courses such as Cultural Anthropology Physical Anthropology Archaeology Linguistics Magic, Witchcraft, and Religion and Gender, Culture, and Society among others. After earning the Associate in Arts in Anthropology for Transfer Degree, students will be prepared to continue on for a baccalaureate degree in Anthropology at a California State University.