**Photo provided by The Associated Press.** Man holds an arm bone fragment.

On the far southwest side of campus, students stagger into a small lecture room in McLaughlin-Walsh Residence Hall at 8 a.m. each Monday, Wednesday and Friday. Despite the early morning science class, the groggy students are met with the infectious energy and passion of Dr. Isaura Cruz, who holds a doctorate in anthropology from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

For certain Santa Clara University students, the core curriculum’s natural science requirement proves a daunting and uneasy task. If you’re not a “science person,” then biology, chemistry or physics can feel out of your comfort zone.

Thankfully, the university provides niche options for students looking to see beyond the microscope. Cruz’s “Introduction to Biological Anthropology” is the perfect opportunity for Broncos seeking a natural science course more closely associated with the humanities and social sciences.

The 4-credit course studies the evolution, variation and behavior of humans and related primates.

“I was really fascinated by scientific explanations in general,” stated Cruz about her journey into science. Cruz wanted to dig deeper and became “Interested in the more applicable, hands-on elements of biology, and what it could tell us.”

She leads sleepy students through various topics throughout the ten-week course, challenging them to think critically about the interplay between biology and culture. Some days, this means watching gorillas use sign language on YouTube.

The intuitive, humanistic applications of the class’ holistic content make the learning process enjoyable for students, regardless of their background or interests. “Centering the human,” as Cruz referred to it, invokes enthusiasm from students who otherwise might not be excited by scientific concepts in isolation.

“We begin the course talking about topics you will find in a biology course,” she stated. “We then go on to talk about how these processes have effects on humans, how there is a feedback loop between our physical environment, both the natural environment, and the cultural context.”

The distinguishing characteristic of the field is the use of multiple perspectives, a valuable approach regardless of whether you plan on digging up fossils one day.

Brandon Zelaya ’25, who declares himself not a science nerd, enrolled in the course this fall with a single goal—to fulfill the natural science requirement needed to graduate. However, he’s been pleasantly surprised with the unique perspective he’s gained, especially since he doesn’t consider biology his forte.

“You get a little bit of everything,” he said. “I’m much more of a physics, data analysis, math kind of student. But, there’s actually a lot of crossover between the classes I’m taking in Psychology and the content in this class.”

Brandon’s experience isn’t uncommon, in fact, it's quite the opposite. An interconnected, comprehensive learning environment is often stimulating, regardless of other factors.

The natural science requirement “is a thing,” Cruz admitted with a grin on her face, well aware that many of her enrollees are in search of the credit. “No hard feelings there,” she assured, yet explained that her approach to teaching remains constant.

“I really enjoy teaching, I really enjoy having students in my class, I really enjoy the labs,” she said. It’s with this passion that she encourages students to come give it a try. “I don’t know,” she said with a laugh. “We might have a good time.”