A study of anthropology at Merritt College is intended to provide students with knowledge and appreciation of the diversity of cultural and biological contributions to human adaptations, in the past and in the present.  

 Program Learning Outcomes: 

Upon successful completion of this program, students will be able to:  

  1. Analyze human biological and cultural adaptations, including the different factors that have affected and continue to affect humans biologically and culturally.  
  1. Analyze the factors that cause modern human biological and cultural diversity and demonstrate an appreciation for, and sensitivity to, human biological and cultural diversity.  
  1. Understand and apply the scientific and methodological approaches necessary for conducting research in the interdisciplinary fields of anthropology.  


The Anthropology department offers the following degrees: 

Associate in Arts in Anthropology for Transfer (AA-T) 

Associate of Arts Degree in Anthropology 


The Associate in Arts (AA) Degree in Anthropology  

This degree will be awarded upon satisfactory completion of the major course requirements below, and the General Education Requirements. To qualify for the Anthropology Associate in Arts degree, students must satisfactorily complete the major requirements specified above and the local AA/AS general education requirements. See the Associate Degrees and Certificates section of the current Merritt catalog for more information on the local AA/AS overall requirements and the local AA/AS general education requirements. 

Dept/No.  Required Courses:  Units 
ANTHR 1  Introduction to Physical Anthropology  3 
ANTHR 1L  Physical Anthropology Laboratory  1 
ANTHR 2  Introduction to Archaeology and Prehistory  3 
ANTHR 3  Introduction to Social and Cultural Anthropology  3 
ANTHR 5  American Indian History and Culture  3 
MATH 13  Introduction to Statistics  3 

 

 

  Elective Courses (Select 2 from the following):   
ANTHR 4  Ancient Civilizations: Aztec, Inca, Maya  3 
ANTHR 7  Magic, Religion, and Witchcraft  3 
ANTHR 13  Urban Anthropology  3 
ANTHR 16  Sex and Society  3 

 

  Total Required Major Units for AA Degree:  23 

 

The Associate in Arts in Anthropology for Transfer (AA-T)  

Intended to meet the lower division requirements for anthropology majors or majors that have been deemed similar in the California State University (CSU) system.  

Successful completion of the degree affords students specific guarantees for transfer to the CSU system such as admission to a CSU with junior status, priority admission to their local CSU campus and to a program or major in anthropology or similar major. Students transferring to a CSU campus will be required to complete no more than 60 semester or 90 quarter units after transfer to earn a bachelor’s degree.  

To qualify for the Associate in Arts in Anthropology for Transfer (AA-T) degree, students are required to complete 60 semester units that are eligible for transfer to a California State University, including both of the following:  

  1. The California State University General Education – Breadth Requirements (CSU GE-Breadth) or the Intersegmental General Education Transfer Curriculum (IGETC) and  
  1. 19-22 semester units with a grade of “C” or better, or “P” if the course is taken on a “Pass/No-Pass” basis, in the major and an overall minimum grade point average (GPA) of at least 2.0 in all CSU transferable coursework. (Some universities may have limits on the number of Pass/No-Pass units they will accept for transfer. See a counselor for more information.)  

See the Transfer to Four-Year Colleges and Universities section of the current Merritt catalog for more information on AA-T overall requirements and CSU GE-Breadth or IGETC.