Hocbigg - Anthropology
Contents
Summary
The Anthropology curriculum is a complete education in Anthropology using online materials.
Organization
This repository is organized into 2 main components:
- Core Curriculum (this page): the foundational knowledge of the field;
- Projects: support learning through practical application throughout the curriculum.
Process: Learners may work through the curriculum independently or collaboratively, and either sequentially or selectively.
- For simplicity, courses in the Core Curriculum are ordered according to their prerequisites.
- The Core Curriculum provides a shared foundation and is intended to be completed in full.
Practical work is integrated through the Projects section and may be undertaken alongside coursework.
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.
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.
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Join our Discord server (for discussions around this and other curricula):
Curriculum
This curriculum outlines a pathway for studying anthropology's core subjects. Proceed through the eight subjects in the suggested order. For each, use the textbook, the online course, or—for the most comprehensive understanding—both.
| Subject | Rationale & Learning Goals | Primary Textbook | Supplementary Video Courses |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Introduction to Anthropology | Establishes the discipline's scope, its four-field approach, and its unique perspective on humanity. Distinguishes anthropology from related fields like sociology and history. | Perspectives: An Open Invitation to Cultural Anthropology (See "Part I: What is Anthropology?") | MIT OCW: Introduction to Anthropology |
| 2. Anthropological Theory | Trains the ability to interpret human societies through explicit conceptual frameworks (e.g., structuralism, practice theory) rather than commonsense assumptions. Covers key thinkers and paradigms. | Anthropological Theory: An Introductory History | MIT OCW: Anthropological Theory |
| 3. Ethnographic Methods | Explains how anthropological knowledge is produced through participant observation, fieldwork, and ethical engagement. Focuses on the practice and challenges of immersive research. | Perspectives: An Open Invitation to Cultural Anthropology (See "Part II: Methods") | MIT OCW: Ethnography |
| 4. Social & Cultural Anthropology | Provides core tools for analyzing social organization, kinship, ritual, economics, and meaning-making across diverse societies. The heart of sociocultural analysis. | Perspectives: An Open Invitation to Cultural Anthropology (Parts III–X) | FutureLearn: Introducing Anthropology: Cultures and Societies |
| 5. Linguistic Anthropology | Examines language as a social practice and cultural resource. Explores how language shapes identity, enacts power, and constitutes social reality. | Language, Culture, and Society | Coursera: Miracles of Human Language (Note: General linguistics intro; seek sociolinguistic content to supplement) |
| 6. Biological Anthropology | Situates human cultural life within our evolutionary history, primate heritage, and biological variation. Emphasizes the biocultural synthesis. | Essentials of Biological Anthropology | Biological Anthropology - Alivia Brown |
| 7. Archaeological Anthropology | Introduces methods for studying material culture to understand past human societies, long-term change, and processes like domestication and urbanization. | Archaeology: Theories, Methods, and Practice | FutureLearn: Archaeology: from Dig to Lab and Beyond |
| 8. Comparative Anthropology | Trains comparative reasoning across cultures and time periods. Focuses on drawing connections and contrasts without collapsing difference or falling into generalization. | Comparative Anthropology | Example: The "Comparing Cultures" section in Perspectives |
Note
This curriculum does not cover applied anthropology, development studies, medical anthropology, or policy-oriented research, as these areas presuppose a solid theoretical and methodological foundation. Advanced debates in poststructuralist theory, quantitative modeling, and specialized archaeological science require higher levels of academic training and technical expertise than intended here. The program also does not aim to provide regional specialization; focused study of particular societies should follow, not precede, conceptual grounding.