Anthropology - ANTH
8 courses · Bakersfield College · 2026-2027 Catalog
Classes: Fall 2026 · Spring 2027
ANTH B1 Physical Anthropology
- Units
- 3
- Hours
- 54 lecture hours
- Transfers to
- CSU, UC
- C-ID
- ANTH 110
Study of human biology through time. Examines the biological development of the hominin lineage with consideration of cultural developments. Topics include biology and genetics, evolutionary processes and speciation, nonhuman primates, examination of the hominin lineage through fossils and molecular data, technological developments, and human diversity.
ANTH B1L Physical Anthropology Laboratory
- Units
- 1
- Hours
- 54 lab hours
- Prerequisite
- Successful completion of ANTH B1 or equivalent with a grade of C or better or may be taken concurrently.
- Transfers to
- CSU, UC
- C-ID
- ANTH 115L
This laboratory course is offered as a supplement to Introduction to Biological Anthropology either taken concurrently or in a subsequent term. Laboratory exercises are designed to introduce students to the scientific method and explore genetics, human variation, human and non-human primate anatomy and behavior, the primate/hominid fossil record and other resources to investigate processes that affect human evolution.
ANTH B2 Introduction to Cultural Anthropology
- Units
- 3
- Hours
- 54 lecture hours
- Transfers to
- CSU, UC
- C-ID
- ANTH 120
This course explores how anthropologists study and compare human culture. Cultural anthropologists seek to understand the broad arc of human experience focusing on a set of central issues: how people around the world make their living (subsistence patterns); how they organize themselves socially, politically and economically; how they communicate; how they relate to each other through family and kinship ties; what they believe about the world (belief systems); how they express themselves creatively (expressive culture); how they make distinctions among themselves such as through applying gender, racial and ethnic identity labels; how they have shaped and been shaped by social inequalities such as colonialism; and how they navigate culture change and processes of globalization that affect us all. Ethnographic case studies highlight these similarities and differences, and introduce students to how anthropologists do their work, employ professional anthropological research ethics, and apply their perspectives and skills to understand humans around the globe.
ANTH B3 Introduction to Archaeology
- Units
- 3
- Hours
- 54 lecture hours
- Transfers to
- CSU, UC
- C-ID
- ANTH 150
This course is an introduction to the study of concepts, theories, data and models of anthropological archaeology that contribute to our knowledge of the human past. The course includes a discussion of the nature of scientific inquiry; the history and interdisciplinary nature of archaeological research; dating techniques; methods of survey, excavation, analysis, and interpretation; cultural resource management; professional ethics; and selected cultural sequences. This course may include a lab component. Field trips may be required.
ANTH B4 Introduction to Linguistic Anthropology
- Units
- 3
- Hours
- 54 lecture hours
- Transfers to
- CSU, UC
- C-ID
- ANTH 130
This introductory course serves as a foundation for understanding language from an anthropological perspective, addressing such core questions as how, what, when, where, why and with whom we communicate. This course surveys three core areas in linguistic anthropology: structural linguistics; historical linguistics: including the biological basis for language; and socio-cultural linguistics and issues of language conservation and loss.
ANTH B5 Native Peoples of North America
- Units
- 3
- Hours
- 54 lecture hours
- Transfers to
- CSU, UC
Examination and comparative study of Native Peoples of North America from initial peopling of the New World to today, through both an anthropological and ethnic studies lens to better understand the interconnectedness of culture and the intersection and impact of race, ethnicity, and other forms of differences upon communities of color and how these communities’ response to discrimination is relevant today. Topics include: culture areas of North America, cultural case studies covering practices and knowledge such as indigenous viewpoints, values, and norms; impacts of Spanish, French, English and Russian colonization on Native American Cultures, events impacting rights and sovereignty in the U.S., Canada, and northern Mexico; establishing sovereignty and federal recognition; Impacts of racism on Native American groups and resistance movements; Native cultures and identity. Native North American cultures are viewed in terms of pre-contact and post-contact lifeways, cultural interactions, and cultural adaptations to environmental changes through time. Post-colonial discussion includes citizenship and federally owned lands, intersectional approach to race and gender identities, spirituality, language preservation, and social activism among Native populations today. Note: Not open to students that have successfully completed ETHN B5.
ANTH B6 Medical Anthropology: Culture, Health and Healing
- Units
- 3
- Hours
- 54 lecture hours
- Transfers to
- CSU, UC
This course introduces medical anthropology as a cross-cultural survey of health, healing, and illness. This sub-field of anthropology uses an anthropological perspective, students explore sociocultural, biocultural, and ecological influences on medical systems in cultures. Students analyze case studies around the world to gain understanding of medical systems as social structures, the culturally-constructed context of medical decision-making and therapy, and the impact of structures of inequality on the distribution and treatment of human diseases.
ANTH B7 Culture, Religion and Ritual
- Units
- 3
- Hours
- 54 lecture hours
- Transfers to
- CSU, UC
This course provides a cross-cultural perspective in understanding the human experience with the supernatural, with an emphasis on cultural practices from daily rituals, beliefs, and symbolism to organized forms of collective religious expression. Ethnographic studies of non-Western religious expression will be compared to Western concepts of religion. Anthropological perspectives on the origins and evolution of religion are examined, as well as the impact of globalization on traditional religious beliefs and rituals, and the role of religious identity in cultural conflicts and movements around the world.