Anthropology at Bellevue Community College

photo taken in Hyderabad, India

As a subject, anthropology is the study of human societies, cultures, and biological diversity as these are observed around the planet and have evolved during the past several million years. Cultural anthropologists study societies in odd corners of the world as well as aspects of modern societies. Anthropological linguists study the diversity of human language and its relation to learning, thinking, and the structure of communities. Physical anthropologists investigate the biology, behavior and evolution of humans and other primates. Archeologists recover and analyze the material remains of ancient and modern societies in order to reconstruct past lifeways, construct culture histories, and explain the dynamics and evolution of cultural systems.

The Anthropology Department at BC offers courses in cultural/social anthropology, linguistics, physical anthropology, and archeology. Most of these provide credits to fulfill the social science distribution requirement for BC's degree programs and transfer to Washington State four-year institutions as social science credit. Some transfer only as humanities credit or only as science credit. At the 100 level, the department offers a general introduction to the entire field of anthropology, the anthropology of American culture, and a wide variety of special topic, seminar and individual studies classes to satisfy every curiosity and need. At the 200 level, we look in more detail at the principles of linguistics, physical anthropology, archeology, cultural anthropology, and comparative religion. Again, individual studies, workshops, seminars, and special topics in anthropology for 200-level credit can be arranged to fulfill individual interests and talents.

To plan your anthropology courses for the next quarter, see the BC online Class Schedule or the Distance Education Website for information about the distance program and our online class offerings.

For more information about BC's anthropology courses in general, distribution requirements, and special offerings, see the BC Course Catalog.

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