Physical anthropologists focus on the biological development of Homo sapiens. Attention is given to our relationship to other primates and to the mechanics of evolution as it applies to the physical and cultural development of our species through time. Cultural anthropologists primarily examine contemporary folk societies, viewing humans as culture-bearing animals. Attention is paid to the function of major cultural institutions, including subsistence and economy, technology, marriage patterns, family and kinship forms, social class and status, ownership and inheritance, law and social control, religion, magic and myth, ritual and the life cycle. Archaeologists, as anthropologists, attempt to reconstruct the behaviors and past cultures of prehistoric human populations based on the archaeological record.
Anthropologic linguists focus their attention on how humans use language.
Students choosing to study anthropology in detail would normally choose to follow a program leading to the Associate in Arts Degree, and then transfer to a college or university which offers an anthropology major. Anthropology courses taught at Yakima Valley Community College offer students a solid foundation in anthropology as a discipline.