In the C3 Framework (see my last post for the details) is a guide for creating a well-rounded and meaningful social studies curriculum that is meant to help students prepare for real world challenges.
One of the weaknesses of the C3 Framework is that it defines Social Studies it is limited in the Social Studies fields considered essential. The C3 Framework considers Civics, Economics, Geography, and History to be the four key disciplines. I consider anthropology to be core to the subject of social studies. The Appendix of the C3 Framework contains some companion documents that demonstrate how other humanities or social science fields relate to the core of the program set forth, one of which is anthropology. I, however, think that anthropology deserves a space among the essential disciplines.
Anthropology, as a field, is very far-reaching in its content: it relates to the harder sciences and biology through physical anthropology, it considers humanity and culture at its most basic forms and definitions in cultural anthropology, archaeology and cultural anthropology study human beings from the beginning of our species to present day; and linguistic anthropology particularly studies human development of language. All the disciplines mentioned in the C3 Framework dimension 2 are highly connected to this single field. It is the field that often provides the kind of evidence that dimension 3 asks students to find and utilize. It provides the methodologies used to answer the compelling questions and conduct the inquiry suggested in dimension 1. It also seems to provide an understanding of the path for the community action that dimension 4 calls for. To me, this makes anthropology an integral part of the C3 Framework.
