Anthropology
11 courses · Napa Valley College · 2026-2027 Catalog
Classes: Fall 2026 · Spring 2027
ANTH-120 Biological Anthropology With Lab
- Units
- 4
- Hours
- 54 hours lecture; 54 hours lab; 108 hours total
- Advisory
- Completion of ENGL-C1000 or equivalent with a minimum grade of C. Completion of Elementary Algebra level content or equivalent or appropriate placement.
- Transfers to
- UC, CSU
This course introduces students to the theories, methods, and applications of biological anthropology. Topics include the scientific method, principles of evolution and adaptation, human genetics, human osteology, hominin species and the fossil record, and the anatomy and behavior of living non-human primates. Lab is included in this course.
ANTH-121 Introduction to Cultural Anthropology
- Units
- 3
- Hours
- 54 hours lecture; 54 hours total
- Advisory
- Eligibility for ENGL-C1000 or appropriate placement.
- Transfers to
- UC, CSU
This introductory course positions culture as a key concept for understanding and engaging with diverse ways of life both internationally and in American communities. Primary anthropological methods and concepts of kinship, gender, ethnicity, race, sexuality, disability, and class will be explored as formative elements of society and culture. Through analyzing the intersections between global processes and local realities, this class will explore what it means to be "American," as well as to be human, in the contemporary world.
ANTH-122 Magic, Witchcraft, and Religion
- Units
- 3
- Hours
- 54 hours lecture; 54 hours total
- Advisory
- Completion of ENGL-C1000 or equivalent with a minimum grade of C.
- Transfers to
- UC, CSU
This course offers a cross-cultural study of magic, ritual, myth, ancestor worship, and witchcraft using the theories and methods of anthropology. Emphasis is on understanding the role of belief and ritual within a given cultural context, as well as broader comparisons to derive insight into the general functions of belief and ritual in human life.
ANTH-130 Introduction to Archaeology and Prehistory
- Units
- 3
- Hours
- 54 hours lecture; 54 hours total
- Advisory
- Completion of ENGL-C1000 or equivalent with a minimum grade of C.
- Transfers to
- UC, CSU
Introduces the basic theories and principles of contemporary scientific archaeology and the methods through which archaeologists recover and interpret the past. Students will explore basic excavation and analysis methods, as well as the relevance of archaeological studies to contemporary social issues. Fieldwork and museum exhibits outside of class are required.
ANTH-131 Mesoamerican Archaeology
- Units
- 3
- Hours
- 54 hours lecture; 54 hours total
- Transfers to
- UC, CSU
An archaeological survey of the ancient civilizations of Mesoamerica. The course includes studies of the Olmec, the Maya and the Aztec, with particular emphasis on Maya civilization. Students will explore the major archaeological sites of Mesoamerica through both primary sources and current archaeological research.
ANTH-145 Introduction to Medical Anthropology
- Units
- 3
- Hours
- 54 hours lecture; 54 hours total
- Advisory
- Eligibility for ENGL-C1000 or appropriate placement.
- Transfers to
- CSU
This course introduces students to medical anthropology - the cross-cultural study of health, illness, healing, and practitioner work as complex, mediated social systems. Students will use critical medical anthropology theory, ethnographic field methods, and the biocultural perspective to investigate the human, ecological, and epidemiological dimensions of health. Special emphasis is placed on the intersections of ongoing structural socioeconomic inequality with issues related to ethnicity, class, gender, sexuality, disability. Students will engage with ethnography and case studies that illustrate the lived dimensions of health disparities, cultural healing practices, and medical systems in diverse communities. The course is designed to prepare and inspire health occupations and behavioral science majors to think critically about health and healing in multicultural contexts.
ANTH-150 Anthropology of Sex, Gender and Sexuality
- Units
- 3
- Hours
- 54 hours lecture; 54 hours total
- Advisory
- Eligibility for ENGL-C1000 or appropriate placement.
- Transfers to
- UC, CSU
This course explores the anthropology of sex and gender, examining how sexed and gendered identities, cultural roles and expectations, and human sexual behaviors are shaped by biological, cultural, and historical forces. Students will study diverse gender systems, kinship structures, and symbolic representations, while also analyzing the intersections of gender with race, class, sexuality, ability, age, health status, and ethnicity, particularly within American ethnic and diasporic groups. Drawing on ethnographic case studies from around the world, the course highlights intersectional approaches to understanding systems of power, embodiment, and social change.
ANTH-180 The Anthropology of Childhood
- Units
- 3
- Hours
- 54 hours lecture; 54 hours total
- Advisory
- Eligibility for ENGL-C1000 or equivalent with a minimum grade of C.
- Transfers to
- UC, CSU
A comparative study of childhood as experienced in a variety of world cultures. Explores different cultural patterns of child rearing and the differential experiences of childhood as they are influenced by race, class, gender and environmental variables. The role of women and girls as child bearers, caretakers and providers will be emphasized. The effects of rapid culture change on children will be studied with particular emphasis on poverty, armed conflict, and HIV/AIDS. Cross-listed with CFS-180.
ANTH-200 Linguistic Anthropology
- Units
- 3
- Hours
- 54 hours lecture; 54 hours total
- Advisory
- Completion of ENGL-C1000 or equivalent with a minimum grade of C.
- Transfers to
- UC, CSU
This course examines the complex relationship between culture and language. Lectures and readings will use linguistic case studies and data to explore various theories about how language is shaped by, and in turn shapes, culture and social relations.
ANTH-202 The Anthropology of Travel and Tourism
- Units
- 3
- Hours
- 54 hours lecture; 54 hours total
- Advisory
- Eligibility for ENGL-C1000 or appropriate placement.
- Transfers to
- CSU
Students will examine the contributions of anthropology to the study of travel and tourism, including spiritual tourism, heritage tourism, disaster and dark tourism, voluntourism, ecotourism, and others. Students will perform fieldwork to address the advantages, disadvantages, and possible outcomes of various tourism models.
ANTH-222 Introduction to Forensic Anthropology
- Units
- 4
- Hours
- 54 hours lecture; 54 hours lab; 108 hours total
- Advisory
- Completion of a course taught at or above the level of intermediate algebra or appropriate placement.
- Transfers to
- UC, CSU
The application of biological anthropology to the medico-legal process. Students will explore basic cellular and evolutionary biology; genetics; osteology and odontology; anthropometry; trauma analysis; pathology; trace analysis; animal scavenging; and related identification procedures. Students will critique the wide range of forensic anthropological applications both locally and globally.