Course Overview

The General Anthropology DSST exam covers the material that would typically be taught in an undergraduate college course on general anthropology. InstantCert's course for this subject offers a concise but thorough introduction to the main branches of anthropology and the theories and concepts associated with studying human organization and cultures.

Topics Covered in This Course

Anthropology as a Discipline - Branches and Methodologies

Physical anthropology
Cultural Anthropology
Linguistics
Archaeology

Various Theoretical Perspectives

Structuralism
Functionalism
Cultural ecology
Cultural evolution
Cultural determinism

Physical Anthropology

Genetic principles
Adaptation, natural selection, variations
Living primates
Fossils

Archaeology

Methodology
Paleolithic and Mesolithic
Neolithic
Development of civilization and urban societies

Nature of Culture

Symbols and symbolic systems
Language, morphology, phonology
Society vs. culture
Cultural variation: universals and alternatives
Real vs. ideal culture
Cultural change – invention, diffusion, innovation
Cultural relativity, ethnocentrism
Etic and emic world views
The individual in culture
The arts

Social Organization

Marriage and family patterns
Kinship and descent groups
Groups and associations
Social stratification

Economic Organization

Subsistence and settlement patterns
Formal and substantive approaches
Communal and private ownership of land, material and nonmaterial property
Reciprocity, redistribution, and market exchange
Production , allocation, use, and consumption of goods and services

Political Organization

Politics, political systems – bands, tribes, chiefdoms, states
Social control – customs, laws, war

Religion

Religious institutions
Beliefs systems, world views
Religious practices and practitioners
Rites of passage

Modernization and Application of Anthropology

Applied anthropology
Cultural survival
Directed cultural change

Customer Test Results for the Anthropology DSST

28 users submitted test results since January, 2009
25 of those users reported a passing score (89%)


The following are a sample of the test results submitted by members who’ve taken the General Anthropology DSST exam after using InstantCert’s study program. These are unfiltered, unedited results and this list is automatically updated to show the ten most recent results:

August 7, 2010 User  failed with a score of na out of 80
July 23, 2010 User  passed with a score of 50 out of 80
May 19, 2010 User  passed with a score of 48 out of 80
April 8, 2010 User  passed with a score of 51 out of 80
February 26, 2010 User  passed with a score of 55 out of 80
January 12, 2010 User  passed with a score of 61 out of 80
January 6, 2010 User  failed with a score of A out of 80
December 15, 2009 User  passed with a score of 61 out of 80
November 24, 2009 User  passed with a score of 59 out of 80
October 5, 2009 User  passed with a score of 61 out of 80

Free Sample Of Anthropology DSST Questions

Get a taste of the InstantCert study experience with five actual flashcards pulled from our database. Remember, you're not expected to know anything about the subject beforehand. Just read the question, think about what the answer might be (typing it is optional), and then click "Continue" when you're ready to see the answer and explanation.

Question 1 of 5

__________ anthropology, sometimes called "biological anthropology," studies the mechanisms of biological evolution, genetic inheritance, human adaptability and variation, primatology, and the fossil record of human evolution.


Your Answer:  

Related Exams with Overlapping Subject Matter

The General Anthropology DSST exam does not have a significant amount of overlap with any of the other CLEP or DSST exams.