Course goals and learning outcomes support the Foundational Component Areas defined by the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board. Course goals are linked to the respective Core Curriculum Competencies: Critical Thinking Skills, Communication Skills, Empirical and Quantitative Skills, and Social Responsibility. Specific competencies are identified in designated course goals and learning outcomes.

Upon successful completion of this course, students will:

Identify different cultural patterns and their relationship to the theoretical orientations in anthropology by
1. explaining the subdivisions of anthropology;
2. differentiating between the ethnocentric and cultural relativistic points of view;
3. discussing the major dating techniques used in paleoanthropology and archaeology;
4. explaining the basic features of culture;
5. distinguishing among the major theoretical orientations in anthropology.
Analyze the different types of early people, their habits, and their characteristics by
1. citing the fossil evidence for bipedality among the Australopithecines;
2. discussing the physical and cultural consequences of bipedality;
3. discussing and listing the major characteristics of early Homo;
4. explaining the cultural consequences of fire use.
Demonstrate an awareness of the politics and leadership skills of early societies by
1. explaining the difference among the basic types of political organization;
2. explaining the difference among the basic modes of subsistence technologies;
3. identifying the beginnings of agriculture;
4. describing the nomadic characteristics of band societies;
5. identifying the major characteristics of egalitarianism.
Demonstrate an understanding of the roles of family, cultural rules of sexuality, and economic systems as they relate to institutions by
1. describing the main theories of gender role differentiation with respect to labor;
2. discussing the relative contributions of males and females to political leadership;
3. listing the types of cultural regulations on sexuality;
4. identifying the primary functions of marriage;
5. distinguishing among the different forms of economic transactions that take place at marriage;
6. outlining the basic forms of marriage;
7. describing the different types of economic systems as they relate to the institutions;
8. discussing the relationship between childrearing techniques;
9. discussing rites of passage.
Demonstrate an understanding of religion, spirituality, and alternative belief systems by
1. tracing the history of religion;
2. explaining the functions of religion;
3. outlining the categories of supernatural powers;
4. distinguishing among magic, witchcraft, and sorcery;
5. distinguishing between pharmaceutical medicine and non-pharmaceutical medicine as they relate to medical systems.
Demonstrate an understanding of how the arts relate to anthropology by
1. defining art and drama;
2. explaining the different types of verbal, visual and musical arts;
3. listing the social functions of music.
Demonstrate an understanding of the future of cultural organizations by
1. discussing cultural change, environmental adaptation, cultural disintegration, one-world culture, and cultural pluralism;
2. discussing the causes and attempts to curb starvation in developing nations;
3. discussing the global social problems and factors that are required for the survival of any society.
Communication Skills: Communicate effectively the basic theoretical perspectives of anthropology by
1. describing the key concepts and methods of anthropology;
2. applying each major theoretical position to a current event;
3. utilizing each theory as a means of understanding the permanence of social institutions;
4. differentiating between each theoretical perspective.
Empirical and Quantitative Skills: Use empirical and quantitative skills to manipulate and analyze data within the confines of traditionally accepted methodological approaches by
1. comparing and contrasting the subfields of anthropology, including but not limited to physical anthropology, cultural anthropology, and archeology;
2. differentiating approaches to data collection;
3. identifying ethical problems in research design by using case studies as examples;
4. describing the major research designs, including quantitative vs. qualitative, inductive vs. deductive;
5. explaining the difference between dependent and independent variables and correlation vs. causality.
Critical Thinking Skills: Describe the empirical findings of various subfields of anthropology and social institutions by
1. demonstrating an understanding of anthropological approaches to human diversity;
2. citing the numerous types of family forms and how they transmit ideological stances;
3. becoming an active consumer of information by critiquing media power, bias, and influence while critically assessing valid, peer-reviewed news sources;
4. understanding religion as an ideology, the power of collective consciousness, types of religious belief patterns, and theoretical approaches to religion.
Social Responsibility: Explain the importance of ethical behavior by
1. understanding the impact one individual can make in society at large in both positive and negative ways;
2. discussing service learning opportunities and clubs on campus that can provide hands-on experience in non-profit and for-profit businesses related to anthropology.

ANTH 2346

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ANTH 2346 - General Anthropology