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What is Anthropology?

Anthropology is the study of humankind everywhere, throughout time. Anthropology involves the study of people, their origins, biological variations and characteristics, their languages and cultural patterns, their social structures and institutions, and their adaptation to their environment. Anthropologists strive to create useful generalizations about people and their behavior in hopes of bringing about the fullest possible understanding of human diversity.

Anthropology is unique among the social sciences because of its comprehensive scope, unique methods, and particular focus on people from non-Western societies. Due to its wide range of subject matter, anthropologists specialize in one of four major subfields:

Sociocultural Anthropology

Sociocultural anthropology is the study of the cultures of living people or the ways of life in contemporary societies.

Archaeology

Archaeology is the systematic study of humanity in the past.

Biological Anthropology

Biological anthropology is the study of human origins, evolution, and biological variation.

Anthropological Linguistics

Anthropological linguistics is the study of languages and their relation to culture.

Anthropology at Northridge

Our faculty brings into the classroom a diverse and extraordinary amount of professional knowledge. Their collective fieldwork experience spans the world and among the locations where students and faculty are currently conducting or participating in field programs are the Channel Islands, Baja California, Mexico, Guatemala, Spain and Iceland. Students majoring in Anthropology at Northridge receive experience in qualitative research methods including the use of computers in anthropological research, a thorough grounding in anthropological history and theory, and the opportunity to take a variety of electives and seminars. Opportunities to participate in research exist throughout the curriculum, as well as in field courses.