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Headlines: Dominguez Hills Dateline, Dr. Janine Gasco

"Carson, CA - Like many women, Janine Gasco is obsessed with chocolate. Her obsession however, centers less around eating it, and more around finding ways to bring fair trade practices to its production. Having spent more than 25 years researching forest crops such as cacao and vanilla in the Soconusco region of Chiapas, Mexico, the associate professor of anthropology was able to provide a single source of chocolate to Askinosie Chocolate in Springfield, MO."

Check out Dominguez Hills Dateline for the full story.

Department Office: SBS G-322, (310) 243-3443

The Department of Anthropology offers undergraduate students course work in the four anthropological subdisciplines: ethnology, archaeology, physical anthropology and anthropological linguistics. In addition, courses focus on contemporary disciplinary research, area studies and societal applications of anthropological knowledge.

By majoring or minoring in Anthropology, a student gains a better understanding of people's behavior within cultural settings. Anthropology studies the varied nature of human experience in American society and in the cultures of the world. Through this study of people, their lifestyles and how they adapt to cultural change, both present and past, a student is better prepared to comprehend human behavior. What distinguishes anthropology from other disciplines concerned with people is its holistic perspective or encompassing view, and its central concern with the concept of culture.

The Department of Anthropology, in the College of Liberal Arts, offers a major and minor in the discipline. Majors may choose between the general anthropology concentration or the archaeology concentration. 

Comparative and evolutionary, scientific and humanistic, Anthropology provides a unique opportunity for broadening and integrating one's view of human existence. Goals of the major concentration in General Anthropology include an understanding of cultural heritage along with a general overview of the significance of cultural change, whether that change be ongoing, from the past, or anticipated in the future. Acquainting students with the cross-cultural perspective and cultural pluralism also are major goals of the general anthropology concentration.

The major concentration in Archaeology is designed to provide the undergraduate student with a strong background in general anthropology, archaeology and cultural preservation. It stresses anthropological theory, archaeological methodology, field research, data collection, area studies and applications of the field to cultural resource management. In the face of rapid population expansion and increased development, public concern has grown to protect the quickly diminishing cultural resources related to our ancestral and traditional heritage. 

The Minor in Anthropology complements a major in other disciplines and professional programs such as biology, health sciences, art, communications, history, philosophy and the other behavioral sciences. Students have the opportunity to develop a focused minor in consultation with an advisor in specialized areas such as medical anthropology, New World cultures, physical anthropology, cognitive anthropology, etc.