Undergraduate Course Descriptions

This course introduces students to human nature and behavior from the broad, holistic perspective of contemporary U.S. American anthropology. The four primary sub-fields of anthropology, biological, cultural, linguistics, and archeology, will be discussed in order to integrate various aspects of the human condition.

This course is a worldwide survey of prehistoric cultural adaptations from the first use of bone and stone tools to the ancient mysterious civilizations of Asia, Africa, the Americas, and Europe, including recent archaeological discoveries. Emphasis is on the development of technologies, social groups, and the patterns of cultural development. Archaeological excavation methods and archaeological artifacts are discussed in considerable detail. In the second half of this course the student will engage in a “virtual dig” of a Middle Paleolithic site in France, using a workbook and a CD-Rom.

This course is an introduction to the human species as revealed by living fossil primates, ancient forms of humanity, and the interaction of biological and cultural evolution. It examines the origin and evolution of the human species, primates, modern human variation, prehistoric societies, and linguistic classification.

This course is designed to acquaint the novice anthropology student with anthropology and its various sub-fields, examining cross-cultural, global, comparative, and critical perspectives on human behavior and culture, as well as the diversity of human cultures from hunter-gatherers to industrialized city dwellers. The implications of socio-cultural analysis of economic, social, symbolic, and religious systems are also considered.

Forensic anthropology is the application of physical anthropology in a medico-legal context; forensic anthropologists use the tools of archaeology and physical anthropology to discover, recover and identify human remains. Students will be exposed to the interdisciplinary, scientific basis of forensic anthropology, along with legal and ethical issues forensic anthropologists face. The course is designed to give students a broad overview of the field by introducing them to the process of human remains identification; the archaeological and laboratory methods incorporated in human remains recovery; and, a review of the work forensic anthropologists work do with law enforcement, forensic pathologists and odontologists in recovering and collecting victims of foul play as well as those of mass fatalities, such as the 9/11 terrorist attack on the World Trade Center.

An opportunity for Social Science students to pursue an independent research project or examine a specific area of Social Science under the mentorship of a single professor. Course is open to upper division students only. Participation is at the discretion of the faculty member. The course will typically involve six or more professor contacts and produce a major research paper (30+ pages); there will be no examination. Students will submit a proposal prior to the start of the project, and a rough draft of the paper at week 10, both of which will count toward the final grade. Participation is at the discretion of the faculty member. To be eligible for an independent study, students must be enrolled in a bachelors degree program, must have completed 24 hours at APUS toward their current degree program, and should have already contacted a professor and gained approval for the independent study topic. Once these conditions are met the student should contact his/her student advisor. Once the course is open the student must complete an official online registration for the course.