You are in the official 2005-2006 General Catalog
for California State University, Fresno.
Department of Anthropology
Department of Anthropology
COURSES
Anthropology (ANTH)
A. The Core Curriculum
ANTH 1. Introduction to Physical Anthropology (3)
Examines the biological basis of being human. Compares humans with what are thought to be primate relatives. Traces speculated evolution of species from four-million-year-old
australopithecines to try to account for the great anatomical and biochemical
diversity among modern human populations. (CAN ANTH 2)
ANTH 2. Introduction to Cultural Anthropology (3)
Prerequisite: G.E. Foundation A2. Examines the nature of culture,
humanity's unique mechanism for adapting to the changing environment.
Explores the varieties of human life and explains how culture
has made possible the range of different and successful societies,
from hunters and gatherers to industrial civilization. G.E. Breadth
D3. (CAN ANTH 4)
ANTH 3. Introduction to Prehistory and Physical Anthropology
(3)
Prerequisite: G.E. Foundation A2. Examines the biological and
cultural basis of being human. Compares us with our primate relatives,
traces the biological and cultural evolution of our species from
earliest ancestors, through the development of agriculture to
the emergence of civilization. G.E. Breadth D3.
ANTH 100. Concepts and Applications (3)
This foundation course demonstrates the use of selected core concepts
within the context of a defined research project which the students
carry out during the semester. Acquaints students with the conceptual
framework of the discipline and the basic processes of anthropological
inquiry.
ANTH 101A. Introductory Fieldwork in Archaeology (6)
An introduction to basic methods and strategies for archeological
excavation and site survey. Involves a commitment by students
of a block of time in the field away from campus. Not open to
students who have taken 101A-S. Course fee, $75.
ANTH 101A-S. Introductory Fieldwork in Archaeology (6)
An introduction to basic methods and strategies for archaeological
excavation and site survey in a public service context. Involves
a commitment by students of a block of time in the field away
from campus. Not open to students who have taken 101A.
ANTH 101B. Advanced Fieldwork in Archaeology (6)
Advanced methods and strategies for archaeological excavation
and site survey. Involves a commitment by students of a block
of time in the field away from campus. Not open to students who
have taken 101B-S.
ANTH 101B-S. Advanced Fieldwork in Archaeology (6)
Advanced methods and strategies for archeological excavation and
site survey in a public service context. Involves a commitment
by students of a block of time in the field away from campus.
Not open to students who have taken 101B.
ANTH 104. History and Theory of Anthropology (3)
Prerequisite: ANTH 100. A history of the growth of anthropological
thought through an analysis of the informational and explanatory
powers of five major theoretical schools: Nineteenth-century Evolutionists,
British Functionalists, Boasian Historical Particularists, Neo-Evolutionists/Marxists,
and Cognitivists.
ANTH 111A. Introduction to Ethnographic Fieldwork (3)
An introduction to methods of ethnographic field methods,
including participant observation, interviewing, and the use of
audiovisual media. Topics include the ethics of fieldwork, organizing
data, and ethnographic writing. Students will conduct short fieldwork
assignments on cultural and linguistic topics in the local area.
(Formerly ANTH 101)
ANTH 111B. Intermediate Ethnographic Fieldwork (3)
Prerequisite ANTH 111A. Students conduct an enthnographic
field project under the direction of the instructor, employing
methods such as participant observation, interviewing, and audiovisual
media. The course involves field trips and may include weekend
sessions. Not open to students who have taken 111B-S.
ANTH 111B-S. Intermediate Ethnographic Fieldwork (3)
Prerequisite ANTH 111A. Students conduct an enthnographic field
project under the direction of the instructor, employing methods
such as participant observation, interviews, and audiovisual media.
Involves field trips and may include weekend sessions. Not open
to students who have taken 111B.
ANTH 111C. Advanced Ethnographic Fieldwork (3)
Prerequisite ANTH 111B. Students continue work on an ethnographic
field project begun in ANTH 111B. Under the direction of the instructor,
students employ methods such as participant observation, interviewing,
and audiovisual media. Students produce a substantial written
review combining secondary sources with their own data.
ANTH 111C-S. Advanced Ethnographic Fieldwork (3)
Prerequisite ANTH 111B or 111B-S. Students continue work on an
ethnographic field project begun in ANTH 111B or 111B-S, employing
various research methods. Students produce a substantial final
paper with a focus on public service applications of their findings.
ANTH 195. Colloquium (1)
Each spring semester students and department faculty will meet
three times to discuss current problems in the field of anthropology.
These three hour seminars will be led by a faculty member. Students
will be expected to do all assigned readings and complete a paper
on one of the topics discussed.
B. CULTURAL Curriculum
ANTH 30. Critical Thinking in Anthropology (3)
Distinguish belief vs. knowledge and fact vs. opinion; examine
relationship between language/logic; use inductive/deductive reasoning;
recognize informal/formal fallacies; appreciate socio-cultural
context of critical thinking. These skills are applied to topics
of race/intelligence, religion/values, and social policy. Skills
demonstrated/assessed through oral and written performance. G.E.
Foundation A3.
ANTH 102. Introduction to Linguistic Anthropology (3)
A compendium of current thinking on language and culture from
a variety of interdisciplinary perspectives. Examines the nature
of language, language description, language and worldview, gendered
speech, ethnicity and language, power and performance, verbal
and nonverbal art, and associated theories and research methods.
ANTH 105W. Applied Anthropology (3)
Prerequisite: Prerequisite: G.E. Foundation and Breadth Area D,
satisfactory completion (C or better) of ENGL 1 graduation requirement,
to be taken no sooner than the term in which 60 units are completed.
Examination and assessment of the use of anthropological data
and concepts to address contemporary issues in education, health
care, law, environmental planning, and social services. Students
work on applied problems and write observations, plans, reports,
and research documents geared to the needs of professionals, service
providers, and particularly planners in modern institutional contexts.
Meets the upper-division writing skills requirement for graduation.
G.E. Multicultural/International MI.
ANTH 111B-S. Intermediate Ethnographic Fieldwork (3)
Prerequisite: ANTH 111A. Students conduct a public service ethnographic
field project under the direction of the instructor, employing
methods such as participant observation, interviewing, and audiovisual
media. Involves field trips and may include weekend sessions.
ANTH 111C-S. Advanced Ethnographic Fieldwork (3)
Prerequisite: ANTH 111B or 111B-S. Involves continued work on
ethnographic field project begun in ANTH 111B or 111B-S, employing
various research methods. Includes producing a substantial final
paper with a focus on public service applications of their findings.
ANTH 115. World Cultures (3)
An examination of contemporary issues in anthropology based on
evidence from both classical and modern ethnographies. Considers
strategies of qualitative research and reporting, including ethics
and the application of enthographic research in modern societies.
ANTH 116W. Anthropology of Religion (3)
Prerequisites: G.E. Foundation and Breadth Area D, satisfactory
completion (C or better) of the ENGL 1 graduation requirement,
to be taken no sooner than the term in which 60 units are completed.
Examines the patterned belief systems of the world's tribal, peasant,
and sectarian societies. Stresses the role of religion in individual
and group perception, cognition, ritual, and social organization.
Topics include myth, magic, shamanism, mysticism, witchcraft,
trance, hallucinogens, and cultism. Meets the upper-division writing
skills requirement for graduation. G.E. Integration ID.
ANTH 117. Folk Medicine (3)
A cross-cultural examination of health practices and of the cultural
assumptions and attitudes on which they are based. Reviews ethnomedicine,
ethnopsychiatry, and epidemiology in the health care systems of
non-Westerners and of ethnic communities in pluralistic America.
ANTH 118. Women: Culture and Biology (3)
(Same as WS 170.) A cross-cultural and interdisciplinary analysis
of the determinants of female statuses and circumstances. Examines
theories, including biological and cultural determinism, which
explain variations in the expression of sexuality, maturation,
reproduction, and the life cycle.
ANTH 119. Law and Culture (3)
A comparative, holistic perspective on the evolution of law. Examines
its natures and origins, the basic assumptions behind legal systems,
their cross-cultural expression and effects, and the directionality
of legal evolution.
ANTH 120. Ethnic Relations and Cultures (3)
Prerequisites: G.E. Foundation and Breadth Area D. The cultural
and social origins of ethnicity, and its opportunities and problems
for contemporary mass societies. Offers a critical review of major
theories on ethnic politics, economics, and ideology in the light
of cross-cultural evidence. G.E. Multicultural/International MI.
ANTH 123. Peoples and Cultures of Southeast Asia (3)
Prerequisites: G.E. Foundation and Breadth Area D.An introductory
survey of the cultural and historical adaptations of societies
in Burma, Thailand, Laos, Cambodia, and Vietnam; and of Insular
societies in Indonesia, Malaysia, and the Philippines. Examines
the major effects of culture contact between East and West. G.E.
Multicultural/International MI.
ANTH 124. Peoples and Cultures of East Asia (3)
Examines cultural pluralism. Considers cultural adaptations and
change among minorities such as Moslems, Tibetans, and Mongolians
in China, and ethnic groups of Japan and Korea. Outlines kinship,
religion, organization, and technological factors in the Asiatic
culture complex.
ANTH 125. Tradition and Change
in China and Japan (3)
(Same as HUM 140.) Prerequisites: G.E. Foundation and Breadth
Area D. Examines the current aspirations and problems of the Chinese
and Japanese in terms of their traditional cultures, and explains
how their histories, values, world views, and intellectual traditions
affect their lifestyles and their international relations today.
G.E. Multicultural/International MI.
ANTH 126. Cultures and Foods of
East Asia (3)
(Same as ASAM 151.) Treats cuisine as a systematic product of
the interaction between culture and ecology. Focuses on sociocultural
rather than bio-nutritional factors in the preparation and ritual
implications of food in Mainland and Insular Asia. Students learn
to prepare and serve a variety of Oriental dishes.
ANTH 128. Environmental Anthropology (3)
Examines the interactions between environment and human culture.
Specific topics include theoretical and empirical trends in environmental
anthropology, materialist and cognitive approaches to human-environment
interactions, human culture in ecosystem perspective, religion
and ecology, and contemporary environmental movements.
ANTH 130. Peoples and Cultures of the Southwest (3)
A survey of Native American cultures of the Southwestern United
States and Northwestern Mexico from their prehistoric origins
to the present. Emphasis is placed on cultural continuity and
change during the past 400 years of contact with western culture.
ANTH 134. Modern Africa (3)
(See HIST 157.)
ANTH 138T. Topics in Cultural Anthropology (1-6; max total
12 if no topic repeated)
Prerequisite: varies with title. Special studies in the theory
and practice of organized cooperation and conflict in nature and
culture.
C. ARCHAEOLOGY Curriculum
ANTH 101A-S. Introductory Fieldwork in Archaeology (6)
Introduces basic methods and strategies for archaeological
excavation and site survey in a public service context. Involves
a commitment by students to a block time in the field away from
campus.
ANTH 101B-S. Advanced Fieldwork in Archaeology (6)
Advanced methods and strategies for archaelogical excavation
and site survey in a public service context. Involves a commitment
by students to a block of time in the field away from campus.
ANTH 140. Contemporary Archaeology (3)
Examines archaeological theory (both historical and contemporary)
as well as methods and techniques used by archaeologists to gather,
analyze, and interpret data.
ANTH 141. Prehistory of North America (3)
Traces the development of Native American cultures from the Arctic
to Mesoamerica, from the peopling of the continent to early historic
times. Examines the archaeological evidence for the antiquity,
spread, and variation of cultural adaptations to changing ecological
conditions.
ANTH 142. Old World Prehistory (3)
Examination of current knowledge of the prehistory of one area
of the Old World. Chronologies, current findings, and important
issues in theory method are reviewed. Consideration of these matters
in relation to work in archaeology throughout the world and to
work in closely related disciplines such as biology and geology.
Some historic archaeology may also be included. Areas include
Europe, Asia, the Middle East, Africa, and Australia.
ANTH 143. Archaeology and Prehistory of California (3)
Origins and prehistory of the California Native Americans. Examination
of the archaeological record, both statewide and regionally, with
emphasis on adaptations to natural and social environments from
12,000 B.P. until early historic times.
ANTH 145. Cultural Resources Management (3)
Prerequisites: G.E. Foundation and Breadth Area D. Provides an
in-depth overview of historic and prehistoric cultural resources
(districts, sites, buildings, and objects), their significance,
and their management in the U.S. Topics include the legal context
for CRM, identifying and evaluating cultural resources, assessing
effects, treatment planning, and careers in CRM. G.E. Integration
ID.
ANTH 159T. Topics in Archaeology (1-6; max total 12 if no
topic repeated)
Prerequisite: varies with title. Special studies in archaeological
methods, techniques, history and theory, or of prehistoric culture
areas not covered in the regular curriculum.
D. PHYSICAL ANTHROPOLOGY CURRICULUM
ANTH 161. Bio/Behavioral Evolution of the Human Species
(3)
Prerequisites: G.E. Foundation and Breadth Area B. Examines the
evolution of the human species and its relationship to living
and extinct primates. Explores the biological basis of human culture.
Integrates evolutionary biology, geochronology, and anthropology
in order to understand the bio/behavioral nature of modern man.
G.E. Integration IB.
ANTH 162. Primates (3)
An introduction to the study of primate biological and behavioral
evolution. Explores sociobiological theory in order to explain
the unity and diversity of social behavior in prosimians, monkeys,
and apes.
ANTH 163. Human Variation (3)
A cross-cultural examination of variations in human morphology,
physiology, and biochemistry. Establishes the correlation between
variations in human biology and variations in climate, culture,
nutrition, and disease.
ANTH 164. Human Osteology (3)
Introduces a range of analytic techniques for extracting information
from human skeletal remains: sexing and aging, osteometry, odontometry,
the examination and diagnosis of epigenetic traits and pathological
lesion, and the statistical interpretation of skeletal data.
ANTH 169T. Topics in Physical Anthropology (1-6; max total
12 if no topic repeated)
Special studies of the discovery and interpretation of information
in physical anthropology, and of the application of this subdiscipline
in legal, medical, and scientific research.
E. ADVANCED STUDY CURRICULUM
ANTH 190. Independent Study (1-3; max total 6)
See Academic Placement - Independent
Study. Approved for RP grading.
ANTH 192. Directed Readings (1-3; max total 3)
Supervised reading on a student-selected topic outside the regular
curriculum, conducted through regular consultation with a faculty
sponsor.
ANTH 193. Internships in Anthropology (1-6; max total 6)
Interns will work on a variety of tasks involving the analysis
and curation of archaeological collections; design and curation
of museum displays; the collection and analysis of physical anthropological
data, including working with primates at local zoos; and ethnographic
data collection. CR/NC grading only.
ANTH 194. Honors Thesis (1-3; max total 3)
Development of a student report or paper into a manuscript of
professional and publishable quality. Requires approval by an
Honors Committee of three faculty members.
ANTH 197T. Current Topics in Anthropology (1-6; max total
12 if no topic repeated)
Subject matter of these courses combines topics from the various
subfields of anthropology, providing the student with a more integrated
view of the discipline.
Anthropology
Degrees