About Anthropology

There are currently some 200 anthropology majors at SFSU. Anthropology is both a major in itself and is often combined into a double major with Classics, International Relations, or other disciplines.

Within the Major, there are 3 Subdisciplines:

In this area the Department of Anthropology focuses on urban and applied anthropology, especially ethnicity, gender, inner city social problems and Asian and Hispanic immigration.Other areas of emphasis are visual anthropology and medical anthropology. Geographic specializations of faculty are in the cultures of the Pacific Rim (Korea, China, and Japan), Latin America, Native California, and Urban North America.

Here the Department focuses upon primatology and upon human and non-human evolution. Courses offered also include osteology, medical, and forensic anthropology. Geographic specialties of faculty are East Asia, Southeast Asia, and North American urban populations.

The archaeology program has two major foci: training students in California/Great Basin archaeology primarily for applied archaeology (Cultural Resource Management) and the study and appreciation of ancient societies of Mexico, Central and South America, and the Far East. Emphasis is upon both awareness of the past and its presentation to the non-professional public and upon practical field training.

Our graduates have entered the business, public non-profit, and governmental communities successfully and have been admitted to advanced degree programs in major universities throughout the United States and Canada.