Anthropology

What makes us different from each other? What makes us similar? Exploring and comparing practices of kinship, politics, economics and religion in societies from around the world give us powerful insights into the unique human capacity to create cultures, and into the ways in which culture is fundamental and essential to our shared human experience. 

This course considers long-term human biological and cultural change. The course introduces biological anthropology via the study evolutionary processes, the human evolutionary tree, and human diversity. This course then considers questions surrounding the evolution of culture and language. To introduce archaeology, the course presents processes of cultural change and major archaeological discoveries from paleolithic, mesolithic, pre-contact and historical cultures. Throughout, emphasis is placed on how archaeological and palaeoanthropological sites are formed and studied. The course includes a variety of laboratory exercises. Students who receive credit for ANTH 1303/ARCH 1303 cannot receive credit for ANTH 1002.

This course addresses central dynamic tensions in Archaeology and their impact on archaeological practice, including culture history versus cultural process; materialist versus idealist approaches to the past; processual versus post-processual archaeologies; archaeology as a study of the archaeological record versus archaeology of as a study of past human cultures; academic archaeology versus cultural resource management; archaeology and Aboriginal peoples. Students who receive credit for ARCH 2303 cannot receive credit for ANTH 2303.

Biological anthropologists attempt to reconstruct the lives of people using human remains from both forensic and archaeological contexts. In this course, students are introduced to the application of biological anthropology to past human populations through analysis of their biological remains (bones, teeth and preserved soft tissues). Topics include: determining and understanding population demographics (age, sex, ancestry, and stature), health and disease, chemical and genetic analysis, and quantitative methods and population studies.

Examines landmark theories and enduring debates in order to encourage students to evaluate anthropological theories and to think more critically about the nature of theory in the social sciences.

This course allows students to receive university credit for experience in social science research gained under the supervision of a university-seated researcher or from a non-university organization.

Registration: Students may only register after making arrangements for supervision and grading with the department.

This course addresses quantitative anthropological research design and statistical analysis. The course guides students through the process of anthropological research: formulating a research question, choosing a methodology, collecting and analysing data, and producing a project report. Students can incorporate archaeology, social anthropology and medical anthropology, research interests into their research projects. 

How do human gender roles vary from culture to culture and over time? How has anthropology attempted to explain these variations? What are the implications for the nature/nurture debate? Examples are drawn from archaeology, biological anthropology, and socio cultural studies.

This course surveys of the cultural history of North America through an in-depth examination of the origins and development of the Native cultures of North America, from the earliest traces to European contact. 

This course presents a detailed examination of the historical, theoretical and methodological development of Americanist archaeology.

Allows students to receive university credit for experience gained in museum studies, collections management and/or material culture analysis gained outside the university setting. 

The lab school offers an introduction to archaeological analytical techniques through participation in a lab-based research project. This section emphasizes systematic approaches to research, recognition and cataloguing of archaeological materials, and basic data recovery. 

The lab school offers an introduction to archaeological analytical techniques through participation in a lab-based research project. This section emphasizes quantitative methods, data manipulation and presentation, and technical analysis.

This course explores ancient technologies from the view of experimental archaeology and replication of specific tools. Various materials, such as stone, clay, metal and cloth are examined, and particular tool classes, such as weapons, containers, and transport vessels are considered. 

This seminar examines the domain and nature of archaeological inquiry, and the relationships among archaeology and other disciplines in the social, physical and natural sciences.

This course offers an introduction to public and community-based archaeology and provides an overview of archaeology as public outreach. Topics include public engagement and education, the role of museums, universities, and field projects, and the ethical issues around public education focused on excavation. Students participate in the development and implementation of a public archaeology project, including creating a display or showcase on archaeological practices. The course also involves interacting with the public, with other students, and with the university community, and involves mentoring and teaching others about archaeological practice.

Allows students to receive university credit for experience gained in archaeological field research outside the university setting.

The field school offers an introduction to archaeological field techniques through participation in a field research project. This section emphasizes safety in the field, systematic approaches to research, site survey, recording, testing and excavation techniques.

The field school offers an introduction to archaeological field techniques through participation in a field research project. This section emphasizes recognition and recovery of archaeological materials, recording of basic field procedures and recovery of materials for technical analyses.

Introduces the use of Geographic Information Systems with a special focus of the use of GIS in social sciences. Students learn how to create and analyze archaeological spatial data and become familiar with the use of Esri’s ArcGIS spatial software suite.

Medical anthropology is playing an increasingly important role in public health. This course builds on basic concepts introduced in ANTH 2504 with an emphasis on the contributions of medical anthropological theories and concepts towards an understanding of complex health-related behaviour. This course examines why public health policies and interventions are more likely to be effective if the beliefs and behaviour of people are understood and taken into account. Some examples of particular health problems are examined, such as HIV/AIDS, cancer, cardiovascular diseases, diabetes, malaria and other communicable and non-communicable diseases to show how an anthropological approach can contribute to both a better understanding of health and illness and to more culturally appropriate public health measures. 

In this course students are introduced to the major primate taxa (i.e. prosimians, New World monkeys, Old World Monkeys, and apes) to illustrate the great variety in the anatomy, physiology, behaviour, and ecology within the Primate Order. The biological and social adaptations of primates are explored as well as basic evolutionary concepts, current trends and theories in primatology. The following topics are addressed: evolutionary history, taxonomic classification, diet, predation, communication, social systems, kin selection, reproductive strategies, cognition, and conservation.

This course explores our biocultural evolution. It introduces students to human biological diversity, our similarities and differences and why these exist. How did humans in different parts of the world adapt and survive in their specific environments? What selective pressures were exerted on population genetics to produce modern variations? Topics include human adaptations: micro- and macro-evolution, skin pigmentation, growth and development,  demography, aging and senescence, genetic variations, disease prevention and susceptibility.

This course introduces the field of forensic anthropology, which involves the application of biological anthropology methods to a medico-legal context. To identify human remains, forensic anthropologists assist law enforcement by determining age, sex, ancestry, stature, and unique features from skeletal remains. Using decomposition rates, they can provide an estimate of the postmortem interval. Course topics include: establishing a forensic context, methods of scene recovery, estimating the postmortem interval, reconstruction of demographic information, and identification of bone pathology and trauma.

This course focuses on the study of ancient human diseases and their origins through examination of their remains in the archaeological record. Only a few diseases leave their marks on bone and tooth enamel, the most common remnants of ancient populations. Students are taught how to identify these abnormalities and assess their potential implications for the health of a living person/population, and to interpret the bioarchaeological evidence to gain insight into the health of past populations.

Human skeletal anatomy and biology are fundamental to the study of forensics and biological anthropology. This course emphasizes a hands-on learning process for the identification of individual bones, and their morphological features, siding, and anatomical orientation. Relevant techniques for the reconstruction of past populations and the assessment of human biological variation are introduced (age at death, sex, growth and development).

This field program, with ANTH 3553, offers an introduction to mortuary archaeology and bioarchaeological field methods through skeletal excavation. This section of the course emphasizes ethics when handling human remains, safety in the field, bioarchaeological recording, and data collection methods and skeletal excavation techniques.

Explores the distinctiveness of Canada’s Aboriginal peoples through their varied societies and cultures and how these have withstood centuries of colonial impact to confront the many shared challenges of living in contemporary Canadian society.

Relates specific ethnographic studies of Latin American and Caribbean societies to the analysis of colonialism, imperialism and underdevelopment.

Introduces basic concepts for the analysis of South Asian society, including class, caste, ethnic groups, local and national state and economic relations, in an historical context of colonialism and underdevelopment. Debates surrounding these issues are addressed.

The ethical codes of many national anthropological associations recommend that teachers impress upon students the ethical challenges involved in every phase of anthropological work, as well as encouraging them to reflect upon available ethical codes. They also encourage dialogue with colleagues on ethical issues. This seminar provides a forum for extended discussions of complex ethical challenges that face anthropologists in their professional work.

Examines how culture mediates the relationship between humans and their environment, including traditional ecological knowledge and/or local knowledge systems. 

Examines the wide diversity of gender roles, kinship forms and marital arrangements in human cultures of all scales. 

Explains the cultural and social roots of religious beliefs as well as the diversity of religious understandings and practices throughout the world.

Identity is often as much as about politics as it is about cultural heritage. Current and classic examples of the politicization of cultural heritage and ethnic identity are explored in light of political action.

In this seminar, students examine the 11,000 years of prehistory in the Atlantic region, emphasizing changes in material culture, ecological adaptations, and social interaction.

These courses provide an in-depth examination of an archaeological topic selected by the instructor. Examples of topics that may be selected include: geoarchaeology, prehistoric human ecology, hunter-gatherer studies, consulting archaeology, or diet and subsistence. 

A course designed to evaluate the application of medical anthropology in understanding and improving human health problems. A selection of case studies reflecting the various dimensions of medical anthropology in different cultural contexts are considered. The course begins with an introduction to the research methods used in medical anthropology. The important theoretical constructs that have influenced the field of medical anthropology and their application in research problems are examined.

Examines the genetic basis of human evolution. With the advent of modern genetic technologies, it has been possible to compare and contrast evolutionary relationships at the genetic level. One current debate in biological anthropology surrounds the origin of anatomically modern Homo sapiens based on DNA evidence. Fossil evidence along with the genetic picture are considered in detail.

This course provides students with a detailed introduction to the methodology used in the study of human teeth in forensics, biological anthropology, and archaeology. Students are taught how to use teeth in establishing a biological profile for human remains using anatomical aspects of human dentition as well as morphological variation, pathology, and changes with age and development. Topics selected for study represent areas of current research that address important questions in the study of forensic identification, human biological variation, bioarchaeology, and human origins.

In this course students are introduced to advanced topics in the discipline of bioarchaeology, the application of biological anthropological techniques to reconstruct the lives of past populations from an archaeological context using their skeletal remains. Specific topics include patterns of subsistence, diet, disease, demography, and physical activity.

This course introduces the basic concepts of human genetics and examines its application in anthropological research. Topics covered include: human genetic variability and its role in disease prevention and susceptibility; the use of DNA in reconstructing the biological profile of human remains from forensic contexts; and using ancient DNA to trace population migrations and resolve issues of human origins. Ethical questions and implications pertaining to the human genome project and human genetic research are also addressed.

A course designed to evaluate the gender dimension of health and disease, and addresses the articulation of gender roles and ideology with health status, the organization of health care, and health policy in a cross-cultural perspective. Gender is a cultural construct, and cultural ideas about women’s health and women’s bodies differ between social groups and historical periods. Gender issues pertain to men as well, and male gender roles and expectations are also culturally constructed. There are biomedical consequences to the cultural constructions of gender differences. The course examines how expressions of gender and power can play a role in prevention and treatment strategies.

Students explore the research process through conducting an individual research project in anthropology, developed in conjunction with the instructor. In addition, students engage in professional development and experiential opportunities.