COURSE CURRICULUM

The Culture, Language and Society concentration requires students to complete a structured set of anthropology courses that develop an understanding of cultural diversity, social systems, and the role of language in human societies. The program begins with 13 units of lower division core courses that introduce students to the main areas of anthropology. These include Introduction to Biological Anthropology with a laboratory component, Introduction to Cultural Anthropology, Introduction to Archaeology, and Language, Culture, and Critical Thinking. These courses provide a broad foundation in human evolution, cultural diversity, archaeological study, and the relationship between language and society.Students then complete 12 units of upper division core courses designed to deepen their knowledge of the major anthropological subfields. In this stage, students select one sociocultural anthropology course such as Thinking About Culture or Ethnographic Analysis, and one linguistic anthropology course such as Linguistic Anthropology or Language and Culture. They also choose one archaeology course from options such as California Archaeology, Great Basin Archaeology, Prehistory of the Southwest, North American Prehistory, Early Mesoamerican States, or Peopling of North America. In addition, students select one biological anthropology course such as Human Paleontology, Fundamentals of Biological Anthropology, Evolution of Human Behavior, or Human Variation. These courses help students gain a balanced understanding of human cultural, linguistic, archaeological, and biological perspectives.For the Culture, Language and Society concentration, students complete 18 units of specialized upper division coursework. Within the Exploring Culture and Language category, students select three courses focusing on sociocultural topics such as Economic Anthropology, Political Anthropology, Urban Anthropology, Religion and Culture, Anthropology of Globalization, or regional cultural studies like Peoples and Cultures of Latin America or African Cultures and Societies. Students also complete a Practicing Anthropology course, which may include Applied Anthropology, Research Methods in Linguistic Anthropology, Museum Methods, Human Rights and Culture, Ethnographic Methods and Research Design, or an anthropology practicum that provides practical experience in the field. In addition, students complete two elective courses chosen from a wide range of anthropology topics related to culture, society, language, globalization, gender studies, and applied anthropology.Overall, the anthropology major requires 43 to 44 units in the major. Students must also complete 43 units of general education requirements, including courses in communication, quantitative reasoning, arts and humanities, social and behavioral sciences, physical and biological sciences with a laboratory component, ethnic studies, and upper division interdisciplinary learning. This curriculum helps students develop strong analytical, cultural, and research skills that prepare them for careers or further study in fields related to culture, language, society, and community engagement.