USC
University of Southern California
black horizontal bar for print styles

Health and Humanity

Department of Anthropology
Grace Ford Salvatori 120
(213) 740-1902
Email: jherrick@usc.edu

Bachelor of Arts in Health and Humanity

The Bachelor of Arts in Health and Humanity is a liberal arts degree intended for students interested in fields that inform the health professions and in related questions about health and human experience. Courses in this interdisciplinary major meet many of the requirements for admission to the professional programs in medicine, nursing and other fields, but do not meet all of those entrance requirements. Some electives in this major have prerequisites in mathematics and physics that cannot be counted toward the 36-unit "major electives" requirement. Students should consult their academic advisors for precise information on prerequisites and admission requirements for specific health fields.

Summary of Requirements
Core: 24 units (16 lower division, 8 upper division); experiential learning: 4 units; major electives: one thematic module 16-20 units, other electives 16-20 units; total requirements: 64 units including at least 36 upper-division units plus prerequisites for certain electives.

CoreUnits
ANTH 300Evolution, Ecology, and Culture4
BISC 120LGeneral Biology: Organismal Biology and Evolution, or
BISC 121LAdvanced General Biology: Organismal Biology and Evolution4
BISC 220LGeneral Biology: Cell Biology and Physiology, or
BISC 221LAdvanced General Biology: Cell Biology and Physiology4
BISC 320LMolecular Biology4
CHEM 105 aLbLGeneral Chemistry, or
CHEM 115 aLbLAdvanced General Chemistry4-4

Experiential LearningUnits
Choose one course. In each case, 4 units of a health-related internship placement are required:
AMST 365Leadership in the Community4
GERO 495Practicum in Geriatric Care 4
MDA 250Internship for Liberal Arts: Work and Career -- Theory and Practice4
POSC 395Directed Governmental and Political Leadership Internship4
SWMS 311Gender Studies and the Community: Internship4

Major ElectivesUnits
Choose one complete thematic module from the list below (16-20 units). Then choose additional electives from the list of modules to equal nine courses (36 units) in all. No more than two courses may be lower-division (100- or 200- level). At least two courses must come from Group A and two courses from Group B.

Group A
Bioethics Module (16 units)
GERO 475Ethical Issues in Geriatric Health Care, or
OT 375The Narrative Structure of Social Action: Narrative, Healing and Occupation 4
POSC 333Stigma and Society: Physical Disability in America, or
SOCI 475Medical Sociology4
REL 319Religious and Ethical Issues in Death and Dying, or
REL 360Ethical Issues in the New Medical Revolution4
REL 460Senior Seminar: Medical Ethics4

Health, Gender and Ethnicity Module (16 units)
ANTH 125Social Issues in Human Sexuality and Reproduction, or
SWMS 225Sex Similarities and Differences: A Multidisciplinary Approach4
ANTH 305Childhood, Birth and Reproduction, or
ANTH 405Evolutionary Medicine4
SWMS 336Health, Gender, and Ethnicity, or
SWMS 420Woman, Nature, Culture: The Behavioral Ecology of Women4
PSYC 462Minority Mental Health4

Health and Aging Module (16 units)
GERO 320Psychology of Adult Development (Recommended preparation: PSYC 100), or
GERO 330Society and Adult Development4
GERO 340Policy, Values, and Power in an Aging Society, or
GERO 437Social and Psychological Aspects of Death and Dying4
GERO 380Diversity in Aging, or
GERO 435Women and Aging: Psychological, Social and Political Implications4
GERO 416Health Issues in Aging4

Psychology Module (20 units)
PSYC 100Introduction to Psychology4
PSYC 320Principles of Psychobiology, or
PSYC 326Behavioral Neuroscience4
PSYC 336LDevelopmental Psychology4
PSYC 360Abnormal Psychology, or
PSYC 404LPsychophysiology of Emotion, or
PSYC 426Motivated Behaviors4
PSYC 361Introduction to Clinical Psychology4

Group B
Biological Sciences Module (20 units)
BISC 290LIntroduction to Biological Research (lab assignment required), or
BISC 490xDirected Research (lab assignment required)4
BISC 325Genetics, or
BISC 330LBiochemistry4
CHEM 322abLOrganic Chemistry, or
CHEM 325abLOrganic Chemistry4-4
MATH 208xElementary Probability and Statistics4

Biochemistry Module (20 units)
BISC 330LBiochemistry4
CHEM 300LAnalytical Chemistry4
CHEM 322abLOrganic Chemistry, or
CHEM 325abLOrganic Chemistry4-4
CHEM 432Physical Chemistry for the Life Sciences, or4
BISC 403Advanced Molecular Biology, or
BISC 435Advanced Biochemistry4

Biotechnology Module (20 units)
BISC 325Genetics 4
BISC 330LBiochemistry4
BISC 406LBiotechnology4
CHEM 322abLOrganic Chemistry, or
CHEM 325abLOrganic Chemistry4-4