anthropology
Hocbigg - Anthropology
🎓 Path to a free self-taught education in Anthropology!
Contents
Summary
This roadmap provides a structured, self-paced program equivalent to a 4-year undergraduate foundation in Anthropology, condensed into 1–2 years assuming approximately 20 hours per week of dedicated study.
Anthropology explores human diversity across time and space through its four main subfields:
- Cultural anthropology (social and cultural practices)
- Biological anthropology (human evolution and variation)
- Archaeology (material remains of past societies)
- Linguistic anthropology (language in social contexts).
The program balances theoretical knowledge, methodological skills, and practical application, emphasizing critical thinking about human societies, evolution, and cultural dynamics.
The structure is divided into four phases:
- Introductory (orientation and fundamentals, ~3–4 months)
- Core (essential subjects building depth, ~6–9 months)
- Advanced (specialization tracks with electives, ~4–6 months)
- Capstone (synthesis and application, ~2–3 months).
After Introductory: Achieve a broad understanding of anthropology’s subfields and basic concepts; self-assess via reflective essays on human diversity.
After Core: Gain proficiency in methods and theory; milestone includes a mock research proposal integrating subfields.
Specialization tracks allow deeper focus in one subfield while maintaining interdisciplinary breadth. Tracks include:
- Cultural Anthropology: Emphasizes social structures, ethnography, and contemporary issues like globalization.
- Biological Anthropology: Focuses on human biology, evolution, and primatology.
- Archaeology: Centers on material culture, excavation techniques, and historical interpretation.
- Linguistic Anthropology: Explores language as a cultural tool, semiotics, and sociolinguistics.
Note: When there are courses or books that don’t fit into the curriculum but are otherwise of high quality, they belong in extras/courses, extras/readings or extras/other_curricula.
Process. Students can work through the curriculum alone or in groups, in order or out of order.
- We recommend doing all courses in Core, only skipping a course when you are certain that you’ve already learned the material previously.
- For simplicity, we recommend working through courses (especially Core) in order from top to bottom. Some students choose to study multiple courses at a time in order to vary the material they are working on in a day/week.
- The courses in the Advanced section are electives. Choose one track to specialize in and complete all the courses listed under it.
Communities
- Forums:
- Subreddits:
- Discord servers:
- Other:
- Savage Minds (anthropology blog and forum)
- Fediverse Group: Anthropology (Mastodon group)
- You can also interact through GitHub issues. If there is a problem with a course, or a change needs to be made to the curriculum, this is the place to start the conversation. Read more here.
Curriculum
Introductory
This phase introduces the discipline’s scope and subfields, building foundational knowledge without assuming prior expertise.
| Subject | Why study? | Book | Videos |
|---|---|---|---|
| Introduction to Anthropology | Provides an overview of anthropology’s holistic approach to human understanding. | Anthropology: Appreciating Human Diversity by Conrad Phillip Kottak; free alternative: Perspectives: An Open Invitation to Cultural Anthropology (https://perspectives.americananthro.org/) | MIT OpenCourseWare: Introduction to Anthropology |
| Fundamentals of Human Biology | Establishes biological basics for analyzing human variation and evolution. | Fundamentals of Human Biology and Health by Heather Murdock; free alternative: Human Biology (https://open.umn.edu/opentextbooks/textbooks/576) | edX: Introduction to Biology - The Secret of Life |
| Basics of Social and Cultural Systems | Introduces frameworks for contextualizing human behavior and societies. | Cultural Studies: The Basics by Jeff Lewis; free alternative: Beyond Race: Cultural Influences on Human Social Life (https://open.umn.edu/opentextbooks/textbooks/beyond-race-cultural-influences-on-human-social-life) | FutureLearn: Anthropology: Understanding Societies and Cultures |
Core
Building on introductory knowledge, this phase covers essential theoretical, methodological, and historical elements, equivalent to the bulk of an undergraduate major. Subjects should be studied in the listed order where prerequisites apply, with potential overlap to fit the weekly hours.
| Subject | Why study? | Book | Videos |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cultural Anthropology | Deepens understanding of cultural diversity and social practices. | Cultural Anthropology: A Toolkit for a Global Age by Kenneth J. Guest; free alternative: Perspectives: An Open Invitation to Cultural Anthropology (https://perspectives.americananthro.org/) | StraighterLine: Cultural Anthropology |
| Biological Anthropology | Explores human biological variation and evolution. | Essentials of Biological Anthropology by Clark Spencer Larsen; free alternative: Explorations: An Open Invitation to Biological Anthropology (https://explorations.americananthro.org/) | Alison: Genetics & Evolution through Biological Anthropology |
| Archaeology | Introduces study of past societies through material evidence. | Archaeology: Theories, Methods, and Practice by Colin Renfrew and Paul Bahn | FutureLearn: Archaeology: from Dig to Lab and Beyond |
| Linguistic Anthropology | Examines language as a cultural phenomenon. | Living Language: An Introduction to Linguistic Anthropology by Laura M. Ahearn; free alternative: Language, Culture, and Society by Zdenek Salzmann (older editions may be accessible) | Coursera: Miracles of Human Language: An Introduction to Linguistics |
| Anthropological Theory | Surveys theories for critical analysis across subfields. | Anthropological Theory: An Introductory History by R. Jon McGee and Richard L. Warms | MIT OpenCourseWare: Anthropological Theory |
| Research Methods in Anthropology | Teaches practical skills for anthropological research. | Research Methods in Anthropology: Qualitative and Quantitative Approaches by H. Russell Bernard | University of Florida: Online Courses on Research Methods in Cultural Anthropology |
Advanced
This phase allows specialization while encouraging electives from other tracks for breadth. Choose one primary track and complete its required subjects, plus 2–3 electives from any track. Prerequisites ensure core competency; adjust workload to ~15–20 hours/week, including synthesis activities like comparative readings.
Cultural Anthropology
| Subject | Why study? | Book | Videos |
|---|---|---|---|
| Advanced Ethnography | Builds skills in immersive cultural analysis. | Ethnographic Methods by Karen O’Reilly | EPIC: Ethnographic Research Design and Innovation |
| Anthropology of Globalization | Analyzes global cultural dynamics. | The Anthropology of Globalization: A Reader by Jonathan Xavier Inda and Renato Rosaldo | edX: Anthropology of Current World Issues |
| Medical Anthropology | Explores health in cultural contexts. | Medical Anthropology: A Biocultural Approach by Andrea S. Wiley and John S. Allen | FutureLearn: Medicine and the Arts: Humanising Healthcare (related to medical anthropology) |
Biological Anthropology
| Subject | Why study? | Book | Videos |
|---|---|---|---|
| Human Evolution and Adaptation | Deepens knowledge of evolutionary factors. | Human Evolution: An Introduction to Man’s Adaptations by Bernard Campbell; free alternative: The History of Our Tribe: Hominini (https://open.umn.edu/opentextbooks/textbooks/576) | edX: Introduction to Human Evolution |
| Primatology | Studies primates to inform human behavior. | Primates in Nature by Alison Richard | Coursera: Primate Conservation |
| Forensic Anthropology | Applies methods to legal contexts. | Introduction to Forensic Anthropology by Steven N. Byers | FutureLearn: Forensic Archaeology and Anthropology |
Archaeology
| Subject | Why study? | Book | Videos |
|---|---|---|---|
| Advanced Archaeological Methods | Refines techniques for site analysis. | Archaeology: Theories, Methods, and Practice by Colin Renfrew and Paul Bahn (advanced sections) | FutureLearn: Advanced Archaeological Remote Sensing |
| Prehistoric Societies | Examines human prehistory and change. | The Human Past: World Prehistory and the Development of Human Societies by Chris Scarre | FutureLearn: Exploring Stone Age Archaeology |
| Cultural Heritage and Museums | Explores preservation and ethics. | Museum Studies: An Anthology of Contexts by Bettina Messias Carbonell | FutureLearn: Creating a Digital Cultural Heritage Community |
Linguistic Anthropology
| Subject | Why study? | Book | Videos |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sociolinguistics | Analyzes language in social contexts. | An Introduction to Sociolinguistics by Janet Holmes and Nick Wilson | FutureLearn: Accents, Attitudes and Identity |
| Language and Culture | Integrates language with cultural practices. | Language and Culture by Claire Kramsch | Coursera: Miracles of Human Language: An Introduction to Linguistics |
| Language Documentation | Focuses on preserving endangered languages. | Essentials of Language Documentation by Jost Gippert (editor) | (Blank; limited MOOCs available, consider related revitalization courses on MOOC-list) |
Capstone
This culminating phase synthesizes knowledge through an independent project, demonstrating mastery. Complete after Advanced, dedicating ~15–20 hours/week.
| Subject | Why study? | Book | Videos |
|---|---|---|---|
| Capstone Project in Anthropology | Integrates knowledge into practical demonstration. | Doing Anthropological Research: A Practical Guide by Natalie Konopinski | MIT OpenCourseWare: Environmental Conflict (project-based example) |