CUET 2026 Syllabus Anthropology (Code 303)

Anthropology- (303) FOR THE YEAR 2026 Syllabus for CUET (UG)

Unit-1: Physical/Biological Anthropology 1) Human Evolution: Theories of evolution (Darwinism, Lamarckism, Neo-Darwinism and Neo- Lamarckism); Living Primates and their features. Hominid evolution: Australopithecus, Homo habilis, Homo erectus, Homo sapiens neanderthalensis, and other Homo sapiens 2) Human Variation (Body size, Body shape, Skin color, Genetic traits). 3) Human Genetics: Mendelian Genetics (Laws of Inheritance), Dominant, recessive, sex-linked, sex- limited and sex-influenced traits. Monogenic, polygenic and multifactorial inheritance. Chromosomes and their aberrations. 4) Forces of Evolution, Genetic Drift, Mutation, Natural Selection and Gene flow. 5) Genetic Markers: Blood Groups (ABO, MN, Rh(D) and their distribution), DNA as a genetic marker in population diversity. Unit-2: Archaeological Anthropology 1) Stone Age: Paleolithic, Mesolithic, Neolithic Cultures. 2) Development of tool typology and technology. Evolution of stone tool technology: Choppers, Hand Axes, scrapers, Blade Tools Microliths, celts unifacial and bifacial tools, Pottery. 3) Metal Age: Discovery and use of Bronze and Iron. 4) Stratigraphy, Archeological dating (Dating of sites and materials with relative and absolute (carbon 14 and potassium-argon dating methods). 5) Important Archaeological Sites (Sohan, Burzahom and Nevasa; Indus Valley Civilization. Unit-3: Socio-Cultural Anthropology 1) Family types (Nuclear, Joint, Extended) and their Functions; Marriage: Cultural variation in forms of Marriage (Monogamy, Polygamy); Kinship: rules of Descent (Matrilineal, Patrilineal). 2) Concepts of Culture: Cultural Relativism, Ethnocentrism; Socialization and Cultural Change (Diffusion, Acculturation). 3) Functions of religion in Society; Beliefs: Totemism, Animism, Animatism, Magic, and Shamanism. 4) Subsistence Strategies: Hunting, Gathering and Agricultural practices. 5) Traditional Political Systems: Bands, Tribes, Chiefdoms; Power, Authority, and Social Control in Traditional Societies. Unit-4: Linguistic and Tribal Anthropology 1) Language as a Cultural and Social Phenomena. 2) Linguistic and Cultural Diversity in India (festivals, house types, rituals and food habits) 3) Distribution and Characteristics of Tribes in India: Economic, Social, and Political Organization. 4) Major Indian Tribes (Santhals, Bhils, Gonds, etc.), Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Groups (PVTGs). 5) Social Movements: Features; Ecological, Class Based, Caste Based and Tribal Movements. Unit-5: Social Change and Applied Anthropology 1) Caste System and Social Stratification in India. 2) Impact of Colonialism on Indian Society; Changes in Indian Society: Modernization and Globalization. Anthropology and development; Tribal development. 3) Role of Anthropology in Public Health and Personal Identification (skeletal material, blood groups and fingerprints). 4) Change and development in Industrial Society. 5) Challenges of Cultural Diversity.