Department of Anthropology

The Undergraduate Program in Anthropology

There are many ways for undergraduates to study anthropology at San José State. Majors from other departments or students who have not yet declared a major should be aware that a number of our classes satisfy university graduation requirements. Since university requirements vary from time to time, it is extremely important to check the latest SJSU catalog and to consult your advisor. You should also note that not all anthropology courses are offered each semester. You may want to plan ahead by consulting our projected course rotation. The Department of Anthropology offers a general Anthropology major and administers and provides the advising for the four Behavioral Science majors offered in conjunction with the Departments of Psychology and Sociology.  Minors degrees in Anthropology with a variety of emphases (including Native American Studies) are also offered. Academic advising can help you understand the university requirements which relate to declaring a major. "Consult with a General Education Academic Advisor during your first semester of attendance at SJSU and a Major Academic Advisor prior to declaring a major" (SJSU catalog, Spring 07). The Career Center can help you in your decision making process. Please contact Gloria Montez about declaring a major in Anthropology or visit our office in Clark 469 on the fourth floor of Clark Hall.

In general, lower division students can satisfy the Core GE requirement to take one three-unit "Physical Science" (B1) course by taking Anthropology 12 (Introduction to Human Evolution). Students are also required to complete one course each in "Human Behavior" (D1), "Comparative Systems" (D2), and "Social Issues" (D3). Anthropology 11 (Cultural Anthropology) satisfies the D1 requirement. Anthropology 173 (Culture Through Film) satisfies the D2 requirement. Anthropology 102 (SiliconValley Connects) satisfies the D3 requirement and Anthropology 25 (Human Lifecourse in Context) fulfills the requirement to take one class in "Human Understanding and Development" (E). MUSE courses also qualify for Core GE credit and the areas they satisfy are listed in the catalog. Only one MUSE course can be used to satisfy CORE GE requirements. You should consult our current course offerings to see what is being offered this semester.

Students who have completed the Core GE requirements and have passed the Written Skills Test may take Upper Division anthropology courses to satisfy some SJSU Studies requirements (formerly "Advanced GE"). ("For students who begin continuous enrollment Fall 2005 or later, 100W is prerequisite or co-requisite to enrollment in all other SJSU Studies courses," SJSU Spring catalog, 2007). You may want to fulfill the 100W requirement by taking a course in our department (Anth 100W). Please note: "For students who begin continuous enrollment Fall 2005 or later, courses used to satisfy Areas R, S, and V must be taken from three separate SJSU departments or other distinct academic units," (SJSU Spring catalog, 2007). This means that if you use an anthropology course to satisfy one area R,S, or V requirement, you must take a course listed as being taught in another department to satisfy your remaining two requirements. Anthropology 160 (Reconstructing Lost Civilizatons) can be used to satisfy the "Earth and Environment" (R) requirement. Anthropology 140 (Human Sexuality) and Anthropology 138 (U.S. History from the Social Science Perspective) satisfy the "Self, Society & Equality in the U.S." (S) requirement. The requirement to take a course in "

Culture, Civilization & Global Understanding" (V) may be satisfied by taking Anthropology 115 (Emerging Global Culture), Anthropology 146 (Culture and Conflict), Anthropology 114 (Legacy of Asia), Anthropology 122 (Magic, Science, and Religion), or Anthropology 125 (Mideast Tradition). Check to see what Upper Division courses are currently being offered.

Please be aware that some of these classes are cross-listed with and taught in other departments. Consult an advisor to make sure that the class you choose meets the requirement you wish to fullfill.

This page is provided for you convenience but the SJSU catalog is the ultimate source of information on requirements.