University of Southern California

Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and Sciences

Health and Humanity

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

Bachelor of Arts in Health and Humanity

The Bachelor of Arts in Health and Humanity is a liberal arts degree. It is 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 requirement in major electives. Students should consult their academic advisers for precise information on prerequisites and admission requirements for specific health fields.

Summary of Requirements

Core: 24 units; experiential learning: 1–4 units; major electives: one thematic module 16–20 units, other electives 16–20 units; total requirements: 61–64 units including at least 36 upper-division units plus prerequisites for certain electives.

Core (16 lower-division, 8 upper-division) Units
BISC 120L General Biology: Organismal Biology and Evolution, or
BISC 121L Advanced General Biology: Organismal Biology and Evolution 4
BISC 220L General Biology: Cell Biology and Physiology, or
BISC 221L Advanced General Biology: Cell Biology and Physiology 4
BISC 320L Molecular Biology 4
CHEM 105aLbL General Chemistry, or
CHEM 115aLbL Advanced General Chemistry 4-4
HBIO 300 Evolution, Ecology, and Culture 4
Experiential Learning (1–4 units) Units
Choose one course. A health-related internship is required:
AMST 365 Leadership in the Community 4
GERO 495 Practicum in Geriatric Care 4
MDA 250 Internship for Liberal Arts: Work and Career — Theory and Practice 1–2, max 4
POSC 395 Directed Governmental and Political Leadership Internship 4
SWMS 311 Gender Studies and the Community: Internship 4
Major Electives Units
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)
ANTH 305 Childhood, Birth and Reproduction, or
POSC 333 Stigma and Society: Physical Disability in America, or
SOCI 475 Medical Sociology, or
GERO 475 Ethical Issues in Geriatric Health Care, or
OT 375 The Narrative Structure of Social Action: Narrative, Healing and Occupation 4
REL 319 Religious and Ethical Issues in Death and Dying, or
REL 341 Ethics in a Technological Society, or
REL 360 Ethical Issues in the New Medical Revolution 4
REL 460 Senior Seminar: Medical Ethics 4
Health, Gender and Ethnicity Module (16 units)
ANTH 125 Social Issues in Human Sexuality and Reproduction, or
SWMS 225 Gender, Sex, and Science: A Gender Studies Approach 4
ANTH 305 Childhood, Birth and Reproduction, or
HBIO 405 Evolutionary Medicine 4
PSYC 462 Minority Mental Health 4
SWMS 336 Health, Gender, and Ethnicity, or
SWMS 420 Woman, Nature, Culture: The Behavioral Ecology of Women 4
Health and Aging Module (16 units)
GERO 320 Psychology of Adult Development (Recommended preparation: PSYC 100), or
GERO 330 Society and Adult Development 4
GERO 340 Policy, Values, and Power in an Aging Society, or
GERO 437 Social and Psychological Aspects of Death and Dying 4
GERO 380 Diversity in Aging, or
GERO 435 Women and Aging: Psychological, Social and Political Implications 4
GERO 416 Health Issues in Adulthood 4
Health and the Mind Module (20 units)
PSYC 100 Introduction to Psychology 4
PSYC 320 Principles of Psychobiology, or
PSYC 326 Behavioral Neuroscience 4
PSYC 336L Developmental Psychology 4
PSYC 360 Abnormal Psychology, or
PSYC 404L Psychophysiology of Emotion 4
PSYC 361 Introduction to Clinical Psychology, or
PSYC 462 Minority Mental Health 4
Global Health Module (20 Units)
ANTH 101 Body, Mind, and Healing, or
ANTH 105 Culture, Medicine, and Politics 4
ANTH 305 Childhood, Birth and Reproduction, or
HBIO 405 Evolutionary Medicine 4
IR 305 Managing New Global Challenges, or
IR 382 Order and Disorder in Global Affairs 4
IR 306 International Organizations, or
IR 371 Global Civil Society: Non-State Actors in World Politics 4
IR 344 Developing Countries in World Politics 4
Group B
Biological Sciences Module (20 units)
BISC 290L Introduction to Biological Research (lab assignment required), or
BISC 490x Directed Research (lab assignment required) 4
BISC 325 Genetics, or
BISC 330L Biochemistry 4
CHEM 322abL Organic Chemistry, or
CHEM 325abL Organic Chemistry 4-4
MATH 208x Elementary Probability and Statistics 4
Biochemistry Module (20 units)
BISC 330L Biochemistry 4
CHEM 300L Analytical Chemistry 4
CHEM 322abL Organic Chemistry, or
CHEM 325abL Organic Chemistry 4-4
CHEM 432 Physical Chemistry for the Life Sciences, or
BISC 403 Advanced Molecular Biology, or
BISC 435 Advanced Biochemistry 4
Biotechnology Module (20 units)
BISC 325 Genetics 4
BISC 330L Biochemistry 4
BISC 406L Biotechnology 4
CHEM 322abL Organic Chemistry, or
CHEM 325abL Organic Chemistry 4-4