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Catalog Description Hours: 54 lecture Description: Introduction to the study of human culture and cultural diversity. Examination of the nature of culture as well as its profound and diverse influences upon our perspectives, practices, and experiences. Learn and practice cultural anthropological methods for studying culture with a focus on cultivating cultural humility and intercultural engagement. Explores culturally specific ways of knowing, being, and belonging. Uses cross cultural cases to examine holistic interconnections between languages, worldviews, religions, families, economies, ecologies, politics, and other key aspects of our and others’ lives. (C-ID ANTH 120) (CSU, UC) Course Student Learning Outcomes CSLO #1: Define anthropology, compare the subfields, and apply anthropological approaches to the study of culture. CSLO #2: Explain culture, examine how it works, and describe how and why the concept of culture is important to studies of the human experience. CSLO #3: Describe and analyze examples, both at home and abroad, of how people perceive the world around them, how we learn, become, interact, organize, and live in different ways. CSLO #4: Explain and evaluate culture change and intercultural interactions, both locally and globally. Effective Term Fall 2026 Course Type Credit - Degree-applicable Contact Hours 54 Outside of Class Hours 108 Total Student Learning Hours 162 Course Objectives Define anthropology, compare the subfields, and apply anthropological approaches to examine relevant topics and issues Explain culture, discuss why it matters, describe how anthropologists study it, and examine cross-cultural as well as personal examples. Discuss interconnections between languages, cognition, cultures, and realities, then apply those perspectives to examine cross-cultural examples. Cultivate cultural humility by exploring manifestations of ethnocentrisms and relativisms in intercultural relations as well as assessing examples of engaged and humanitarian anthropology. Use cross-cultural cases to explore ethnopsychologies and discuss the importance of examining cultural influences upon intersectional identities. Discuss the anthropological and pragmatic relevance of research into culturally diverse marriages, families, kinship systems, and sexualities. Explain interconnections between culture, power, control, resistance, and change by discussing cross-cultural cases of power relations, political systems, institutions, social orders, and social movements. Explore diverse cases and current issues to discuss the cultural dynamics of economic systems as well as ecological interactions and impacts. Use cultural anthropological studies to discuss the interconnectedness of economic, political, and sociocultural forces of globalization amongst diverse cultural groups. General Education Information Approved College Associate Degree GE Applicability AA/AS - Behavioral Sciences AA/AS - Social Sciences AA/AS - Social and Behavioral Sciences AA/AS - Multicultural Studies CSU GE Applicability (Recommended-requires CSU approval) CSUGE - D1 Anthro/Archaeology Cal-GETC Applicability (Recommended - Requires External Approval) IGETC Applicability (Recommended-requires CSU/UC approval) IGETC - 4A Anthro Archaeology Articulation Information CSU Transferable UC Transferable Methods of Evaluation Classroom Discussions Example: The instructor assigns an article, chapter, documentary, or podcast for student scholars to read in preparation for an in-class reading discussion about cross cultural gender systems and identities, for example. Student scholars bring reading notes about content highlights (ex. key ideas, stories, information, quotes, etc.) from the assigned material as well as thoughts and questions to inform class conversations and discussion. The instructor helps student scholars form small groups and then directs them to use their notes to begin conversing about the assigned material. Student scholars are then asked to collaboratively identify ways in which the assigned reading pertains to the main ideas and key concepts within the current learning unit. Groups identify a spokesperson who will share out the highlights of their case study and thoughts about how it pertains to the current learning to initiate broader class discussion about the case study. Each student will complete a written paragraph or activity organizer which addresses the key content, their own thoughts about how it connects with the current unit, as well as what they gained from collaborating with peers. Assignments will be evaluated based on the accuracy of content addressed as well as comprehension of course concepts within the current learning unit. Essay Examinations Example: Student scholars will reflect upon their unit learning about the distinctions and culturally specific dynamics of race and ethnicity, for example. Students will engage with additional learning resources (ex. an ethnographic article or book segment) to develop deeper understanding and then explain their key learning takeaway from the unit. Students scholars will then share their thoughts about possible real-world applications of their cultural anthropological learning about race and ethnicity. Student scholars will draw upon empirical evidence and reference anthropological studies from the learning unit to support the importance and applicability of their learning. Objective Examinations Example: Student scholars will take scripted answer exams (ex. LMS quizzes) to assess basic comprehension of cultural anthropological concepts, approaches and information about cross-cultural political systems. Evaluation will be assessed based upon accuracy of answers. One possible example would asking students to match the phrase "Gaining as much knowledge and experience as possible to be able to understand people's perspectives and practices in their culturally specific contexts" with the concept of "cultural relativism." Projects Example: Throughout the semester, student scholars will plan, conduct and present their own cultural anthropological capstone projects. Students will choose between various course specific topics such as culturally specific wedding practices, particular linguistic practices, local educational dynamics/issues, a culturally specific art form, a particular community's experiences of injustice and unfairness, etc. Student scholars will demonstrate their understanding of basic cultural anthropological approaches and methods within the design phase of their project. They will engage with anthropological methods to gather empirical data and grow their understanding of their topics via a combination of primary (ex. participant-observation, interviews, etc.) and secondary sources (via library online databases). Scholars will then apply course concepts (such as cultural relativism, cultural constructivism, power/resistance, language as social action, etc.) to examine their research findings, compile their work into a final version (ex. paper, brief video, podcast, presentation, etc.), and share with the class. Student scholars are encouraged to examine cultural anthropological topics which will advance their personal, academic and/or professional interests. Repeatable No Methods of Instruction Lecture/Discussion Distance Learning Lecture: Professor lectures in order to define, explain and offer examples of ethnocentrism, cultural relativism and engaged/humanitarian anthropology. The professor then directs student scholars to discuss in small groups the key points of assigned readings which highlight the problems with ethnocentrism as well as the complex tensions between cultural relativism and humanitarian anthropology. Student scholars brainstorm questions which are addressed by the professor. Instructor then shows brief videos which reveal provocative examples of cross-cultural practices. Student scholars are then directed to form new small groups and develop their own thoughts about the examples by applying the key concepts of ethnocentrism, relativism and applied/humanitarian anthropology. Instructor assigns reading about the relationships between language, cognition, and culture. During the class session, the instructor directs students to form small groups to discuss the article or book chapter. Towards the end of the discussion, the instructor will hand out an in-class activity or exercise which requires student scholars to apply the ideas and information in the reading to a particular example which may involve screening a brief video. Students engage in the activity/exercise and work collaboratively to fill out the information and respond to critical thinking prompts. At the appropriate time, the instructor calls the groups together to share their findings and reflections on the assignment in a general class discussion. Professor lectures about language as sociocultural action and the power of language use to shape perspectives and actions, student scholars conduct a minor version of a digital ethnography upon their social media feeds. They look for patterns of language use and key instances of meaning making, framing, and powerful discourses. Scholars record digital ethnographic fieldnotes to bring to class and collaborate in groups and as a class to analyze the data in a cultural anthropological way. At the end, student scholars submit a brief report about their fieldwork experiences, findings, and relevance. Distance Learning Within the module where an introduction to the concept of culture is the focus, the instructor will provide several key learning resources such as an originally produced overview video, assigned textbook chapter and/or pages, a case study article and/or video. Student scholars will engage with the learning resources provided and demonstrate their learning in stages throughout the module. That can occur by responding to prompts, images, or sections of the instructor's lecture video about the idea of culture, and each other, via mulit-media forum or discussion board assignment with relevant prompts. Scholars may also be asked to demonstrate their understanding of the concept of culture as addressed in the textbook chapter by taking a LMS quiz or discussing what they found to be intriguing ideas/examples about culture in the textbook via a LMS discussion board assignment. Students should also respond to the case study article and/or video by sharing their thoughts about the key content, how it pertains to the idea of culture and its key elements, then discussing how the approach and case might pertain to aspects of their own lives. Typical Out of Class Assignments Reading Assignments 1. Student scholars read the assigned pages from the textbook or lecture notes on the topic of marriage, family and kinship. They will take notes and/or pre-assess their knowledge (ex. LMS quiz), then come to the next class session prepared to ask questions and discuss the material. 2. Student scholars read an ethnographic article or book chapter pertaining to sustainable ecological knowledges. They will take notes and answer a reflection question about the assigned reading in preparation for an in-class discussion activity. At the end, students submit their notes, reflection responses, and discussion takeaways for credit. Writing, Problem Solving or Performance 1. Students read an article about unfamiliar marriage and family dynamics. Students bring notes for a class discussion. Afterwards, students write down answers to questions about how the article relates to key anthropological approaches and concepts for studying and understanding culturally specific family and kinship systems. 2. After a lecture about anthropological approaches to relativism students are presented with a case study to discuss in groups. Students hypothetically apply various approaches to the example. Then students write down their thoughts about which most resonates with their own views. 3. Students learn about ethnographic methodologies, view an example, and then engage in their own ethnographic interviews somewhere on campus or in a comfortable community context. Students record fieldnotes to bring to class for discussion and collaborative analysis of the data. They then produce a brief report regarding the benefits, challenges, and relevance of their research experiences and findings. Other (Term projects, research papers, portfolios, etc.) Course Capstone Project (also mentioned above) Throughout the semester, student scholars will plan, conduct and present their own cultural anthropological capstone projects. Students will choose between various course specific topics such as culturally specific wedding practices, particular linguistic practices, local educational dynamics/issues, a culturally specific art form, a particular community's experiences of injustice and unfairness, etc. Student scholars will demonstrate their understanding of basic cultural anthropological approaches and methods within the design phase of their project. They will engage with anthropological methods to gather empirical data and grow their understanding of their topics via a combination of primary (ex. participant-observation, interviews, etc.) and secondary sources (via library online databases). Scholars will then apply course concepts (such as cultural relativism, cultural constructivism, power/resistance, language as social action, etc.) to examine their research findings, compile their work into a final version (ex. paper, brief video, podcast, presentation, etc.), and share with the class. Student scholars are encouraged to examine cultural anthropological topics which will advance their personal, academic and/or professional interests. Required Materials Perspectives: An Open Invitation to Cultural Anthropology Author: American Anthropological Association Publisher: Publication Date: 2020 Text Edition: 2nd Classic Textbook?: OER Link: OER: https://perspectives.americananthro.org/ Other materials and-or supplies required of students that contribute to the cost of the course.