Anthropology Courses

Archaeology and physical anthropology provide a unique opportunity to examine the development of human society. With their long temporal depth, we can examine how humans, and their ancestors, evolved and populated the entire globe. The nature of modern archaeological and physical anthropological research including topics of hominid evolution, origins of agriculture, rise of state-level societies and First Nations archaeology will be discussed. Students will have an opportunity to apply this knowledge using real archaeological data. Three credits. Offered every year

Socio-cultural anthropology involves the comparative study of societies throughout the world. Students will learn how societies differ from each other, as well as observing similarities among them. The course surveys traditional ways of understanding cultures while incorporating current insights and research. Topics include diverse political, legal and economic systems, kinship patterns, religion, forms of ethnic and gender identity, health and medicine, development and migration. Department foci relating to Indigenous peoples, development and general anthropology are introduced. Three credits. Offered every year.

An examination of global health and illness from an anthropological perspective, this course applies key anthropological concepts to topics such as the meaning of health and illness cross-culturally, cultural construction of the body, medical pluralism, cross-cultural psychiatry, critical medical anthropology and the health of Indigenous peoples in Canada and other parts of the world. Cross-listed as HLTH 218. Prerequisites: ANTH 111, 112 or permission of the instructor. Three credits.

Globalization has affected economies at all scales, from the household to international trading and investments. This course will examine how people make a living in this context. Ethnographic studies will be used to explore such aspects as international labour migration, global commodity chains, tourism, and the sending and investing of money. Cross-listed as DEVS 223. Prerequisites: ANTH 111, 112, or DEVS 101 or permission of the instructor. Three credits.

This course explores the rich cultural diversity of human societies around the globe through an ethnographic lens. Using a variety of ethnographic works, students will analyze how anthropologists have represented this diversity. Course material will include classic and current texts about ‘other’ and ‘own’ societies, the representation of Indigenous peoples, ethnographic film, as well as portrayals of culture in new media. Prerequisites: ANTH 111, 112 or DEVS 101 or permission of the instructor. Three credits. Offered 2024-2025 and in alternate years.

The complexity of contemporary cultural, political and legal Indigenous issues are explored using anthropological methods and theories. Beginning with the historical antecedents of colonial relations and leading to contemporary ethnography, this course assesses the impacts of state policies and legislation on Indigenous peoples today. Students will exlore the relationships between Indigenous peoples and settlers in areas of Indigenous rights, culture, law, governance, politics, environment, media, social development, gender, and health, and critically examine reconciliation strategies and pathways to self-determination. Prerequisites: ANTH 111, 112 or permission of the instructor. Three credits. Offered every year.

This course offers an examination of modern archaeological research including how archaeologists work in the field, their analytical techniques, and some of the principal methodological and theoretical issues facing the discipline. A wide variety of archaeological examples (from lavish Egyptian tombs to simple nomadic settlements) will be used to illustrate the main themes of the course. Students will participate in the process of archaeological research through a series of practical exercises and assignments. Prerequisites: ANTH 111, 112. Three credits.

Urban living is an increasingly common experience for humans across the globe; city life, however, is not a modern phenomenon. This course is a broad introduction to the process of urbanism and the rise of early pre-industrial cities. Specific cases are examined in order to elucidate the varying roles cities played in ancient states and how this knowledge can aid in our current understanding of modern urban life. Prerequisites: ANTH 111, 112. Three credits. Offered 2024-2025 and in alternate years.

The topic for 2024-2025 is Fraud, Myths, and Mysteries. Did aliens help build the Pyramids, was Atlantis a real continent, and did a race of giants once roam eastern North America? From the “missing link” to alien landing strips, this course explores and exposes some of the biggest archaeological hoaxes in history. In the process, it will investigate the role pseudoscience plays in perpetuating such frauds and examine how archaeologists debunk hoaxes by establishing what we know about the past. Prerequisites: ANTH 111, 112 or permission of instructor. Three credits.

This course will give students an understanding of past and present trends in anthropological theory. Students will learn about the purpose of theory and the main elements of major theoretical frameworks. There will be an emphasis on how to apply theory to anthropological material. Prerequisites: ANTH 111, 112 and at least 6 ANTH credits at the 200 level. Three credits. Offered every year

This course introduces students to qualitative fieldmethods used by anthropologists and social scientists. Through lectures, seminars and field assignments, students will participate in a variety of research techniques including digital data gathering, video ethnography, participant observation, archival searches, oral and life histories, interviewing, sampling, mapping and focus group strategies. In addition to practical application of these skills, students will learn about Indigenous research methods, and collaborative participatory action and ethical research design. Prerequisites: ANTH 111, 112 or permission of the instructor. Three credits. Offered every year.

This course introduces students to the basic principles of statistics and quantitative analysis of anthropological data. Through lectures, seminars and lab assignments students will learn skills such as quantitative research design and methods, data analysis, and computer applications in anthropological research. Prerequisites: ANTH 111, 112. Three credits. Offered every year.

Tourism is an important industry as well as a source of identity and meaning for individuals, local groups, and nations. ‘This course examines tourism using a variety of theoretical frameworks. Students analyze various forms of tourism, such as historical tourism, cultural heritage tourism, eco-tourism, ethnic tourism and development tourism. Attention is given to gender, ethnicity, nationalism, class, environmental and economic impact, and the political importance of tourism in a globalizing world. Prerequisites: ANTH 111, 112. Three credits.

This course examines the people engaged in development policy and practice, from target populations, to NGO workers, international organizations, business and governments. Students will consider the impacts of strategies such as those promoting popular participation, gender equality, small-scale business, local knowledge and democratic reform, as well as of different forms of development institutions. The course uses case studies based on long-term, first-hand participant observation that place development processes in larger historical, political and economic contexts. Cross-listed as DEVS 321. Prerequisites: ANTH 111, 112 or DEVS 201, 202. Three credits. Offered every year.

Weave your way through Celtic knots and ”horror vacui” fear of empty space,” and discover the art of the Celts. From the Battersea Shield to the Book of Kells, we will trace our way through the extraordinary legacy of weaponry, jeweller, illuminated manuscripts, Celtic crosses, and Sheela-na-Gigs to arrive at a deeper understanding of the people who made them. Acceptable as a course in history. Cross-listed as ART 321 and CELT 321. Three credits. Not offered 2024-2025.

This course examines how past and present feminist anthropologists have used and problematized categories of difference and identity, such as, gender, class, sexuality, race, ethnicity, ability, religion and nationality as they pursue anthropological research. The course explores themes of contemporary importance through socio-cultural anthropology, archaeology, linguistic anthropology and/or biological anthropology. Topics might focus on: Indigenous gender roles; cross-cultural sexualities; masculinity and pre-historic gendered hierarchies; etc. Credit will be granted for only one of ANTH 323 or ANTH 324 and WMGS 324. Cross-listed as WMGS 327. Prerequisites: ANTH 111, 112 or WMGS 100 or WMGS 200 or permission of the instructor. Three credits.

This course explores current themes and debates about the constitution of families cross culturally. It will examine topics such as: cultural understandings of kinship; historical transformations of kinship systems; current reconfigurations of marriage; partnering strategies; new reproductive technologies; transnational adoption; intrafamilial conflict; the role of kinship for individuals and in societies; and the influence of the state on kin patterns. Course material will include ethnographic examples from around the world. Cross-listed as WMGS 326. Prerequisites: ANTH 111, 112, or WMGS 100 or 200 or permission of the instructor. Three credits.

Using theories and methods relevant to research respecting Indigenous knowledge, self-determination, strategies of resistance and cultural sustainability of the L’nu (Mi’kmaq) Nation of Atlantic Canada, we first explore L’nu (Mi’kmaq) oral histories, cosmology and sociocultural organization. We then analyze the impacts of colonization on L’nu (Mi’kmaq) cultural practices and governance. In the third section we focus on contemporary treaty implementation, revitalization of Indigenous laws, economic development and livelihoods, governance, and the mobilization of reconciliation through the TRC Calls to Action, Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls Calls to Justice and the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples. Prerequisites: ANTH 111, 112, 234 or permission of instructor. Three credits. Offered 2024-2025 and in alternate years.

This course explores past and present Indigenous societies from North America and we examine how these societies emerged, developed and were radically transformed by European colonization. Students will discover that even though great spans of time separate modern and ancient Indigenous cultures, cultural continuity exists. Prerequisite: ANTH 243 or 253. Three credits. Offered 2024-2025 and in alternate years.

This course will use archaeological and ethnohistorical information to examine the people who lived in Mesoamerica (currently, Mexico, Belize, Honduras and Guatemala) prior to and at the time of early contact with Europeans. Students will use archaeological data to study the Aztecs, Maya, Zapotecs and their predecessors. Students will also refine their knowledge of archaeological inquiry and methods through practical assignments based on actual archaeological data. Prerequisite: ANTH 243 or 253. Three credits. Not offered 2024-2025.

This course teaches students the basic archaeological field methods of site survey and excavation through participation in an actual archaeological field project either locally or in another part of Canada or abroad. The course will examine a range of archaeological techniques and methodological approaches. It will also introduce students to the ethical issues they need to consider when conducting archaeological field research in Canada and abroad. Prerequisite:ANTH 243 or 253 or permission of the instructor. Three credits. Not offered 2024-2025.

This course teaches students methods of analysing, cataloguing and reporting on materials recovered from archaeological site survey and/or excavation. Students will learn how to disseminate information to professional and public audiences. Prerequisite: ANTH 371 or permission of the instructor. Three credits. Not offered 2024-2025

A required course for all senior honours students. Six credits. Offered every year.

This course examines global HIV/AIDS from an anthropological perspective. Using a holistic and cross-cultural approach, students will think about how kinship systems, gender, class, sexual orientation, nationality, ethnicity and global economic and political structures affect how individuals in different populations learn about and give meaning to HIV/AIDS, the risks they face, and the degree to which they can protect themselves and receive treatment if infected. Prerequisite: ANTH 211 or 218 or DEVS 201/202 or permission of the instructor. Three credits. Not offered 2024-2025.

Power and change can be volatile processes. This course allows students to understand and analyze them from an anthropological point of view. Topics may include the tension between Indigenous collective rights and individual human rights; the tortuous local politics of constructing identity; identity and the life course; the cultural causes and consequences of terror and war; the politics of food and cuisine. Prerequisites: 12 credits ANTH or permission of instructor. Three credits. Offered 2024-2025 and in alternate years.

A course for senior students wanting to use Indigenous research methods and theories to engage anthropologically with specific issues of concern to Indigenous peoples. Topics may include in-depth analyzes of Indigenous legal traditions, treaty and Aboriginal rights, politics and governance, natural resource management, cultural production and sustainability, decolonization and reconciliation. Prerequisite: ANTH 234 or permission of the instructor. Three credits. Offered 2024-2025.

This seminar develops on the foundation of archaeological method and theory introduced in previous courses. Through an examination of various topics, students will engage in an in-depth analysis of key concepts and ideas. Past topics have included: Archaeology of Death and Dying; Ancient Colonization and Acculturation in the Mediterranean; Archaeology of Ancient Egypt, Decolonizing Archaeology. Prerequisite: ANTH 341 or 342 or permission of the instructor. Three credits. Not offered 2024-2025.

This course is a capstone seminar aimed primarily at honours students, but also will be of interest to students who wish to use their anthropological training in their future careers. This course builds on ANTH 303, which introduces students to the main anthropological frameworks of the past and present. Students will investigate selected social justice issues and apply anthropological practice to particular contexts. There are three principal objectives: to use anthropological ideas to analyze current events and representations of current events; to learn how anthropological practice can be used to analyze information derived from anthropological and archaeological research; and to investigate how anthropological practice can be applied to assist marginalized communities in achieving their goals. Prerequisites: ANTH 303 and 12 additional ANTH credits or permission of the instructor. Three credits. Not offered 2024-2025.

Under the direction of a professor, students will work in an area of anthropology now available in other course offerings. Interested students must consult with a faculty member or with the program coordinator. See section 3.5.  Three or six credits.