Program Requirements
The Major concentration is especially appropriate for students who aim to take courses across several sub-disciplinary or topical concentrations, and for whom specialization is premature. There are no prerequisites for admission to the Major Concentration Anthropology. Students are encouraged to take a course in quantitative methods (listed under the Honours program), but this course cannot count as part of this concentration.
Complementary Courses (36 credits)
200 Level
6 credits selected from 200-level courses in Anthropology.
-
ANTH 201 Prehistoric Archaeology (3 credits)
Overview
Anthropology : Examination of the origin of cultural behaviour and culture as an adaptive mechanism from the earliest times to the rise of the first civilizations in the Old and New Worlds. The implications of these data concerning the nature of humans and their future development will be considered.
Terms: Fall 2015
Instructors: Costopoulos, Andre (Fall)
Fall
-
ANTH 202 Socio-Cultural Anthropology (3 credits)
Overview
Anthropology : An introduction to ways of understanding what it means to be human from the perspective of socio-cultural anthropology. Students will be introduced to diverse approaches to this question through engagement with a wide range of ethnographic cases.
Terms: Fall 2015, Summer 2016
Instructors: Kalman, Ian (Fall) Barber, Nicholas (Summer)
Fall
-
ANTH 203 Human Evolution (3 credits)
Overview
Anthropology : An examination of evolutionary theory and the fossil and archaeological record for human origins, emphasizing the interaction between physical and cultural evolution. The use of primate behaviour in reconstructing early human behaviour. The origin and meaning of human variation.
Terms: Winter 2016
Instructors: Desjardins, Sean (Winter)
Winter
-
ANTH 204 Anthropology of Meaning (3 credits)
Overview
Anthropology : Through the analysis of language, symbols and cultural constructions of meaning, this course explores how people in different societies make sense of their world, and the ways in which they organise that knowledge, and how ideologies represent the different interests present in a society.
Terms: This course is not scheduled for the 2015-2016 academic year.
Instructors: There are no professors associated with this course for the 2015-2016 academic year.
Winter
-
ANTH 206 Environment and Culture (3 credits)
Overview
Anthropology : Introduction to ecological anthropology, focusing on social and cultural adaptations to different environments, human impact on the environment, cultural constructions of the environment, management of common resources, and conflict over the use of resources.
Terms: Fall 2015
Instructors: McAllister, Karen Elisabeth (Fall)
Fall
-
ANTH 207 Ethnography Through Film (3 credits)
Overview
Anthropology : This course will investigate and discuss cultural systems, patterns, and differences, and the ways in which they are observed, visually represented, and communicated by anthropologists using film and video. The visual representation of cultures will be critically evaluated by asking questions about perspective, authenticity, ethnographic authority and ethics.
Terms: This course is not scheduled for the 2015-2016 academic year.
Instructors: There are no professors associated with this course for the 2015-2016 academic year.
-
ANTH 208 Evolutionary Anthropology (3 credits)
Overview
Anthropology : The basic elements and mechanisms of evolutionary theory; the place of evolutionary theory in anthropology, including social anthropology, archaeology, physical anthropology and anthropological linguistics. Emphasis on the debates in each sub-discipline in which evolutionary theory has played an important role.
Terms: This course is not scheduled for the 2015-2016 academic year.
Instructors: There are no professors associated with this course for the 2015-2016 academic year.
Winter
-
ANTH 209 Anthropology of Religion (3 credits)
Overview
Anthropology : Nature and function of religion in culture. Systems of belief; the interpretation of ritual. Religion and symbolism. The relation of religion to social organization. Religious change and social movements.
Terms: Winter 2016
Instructors: Haince, Marie-Claude (Winter)
Winter
-
ANTH 212 Anthropology of Development (3 credits)
Overview
Anthropology : Processes of developmental change, as they affect small communities in the Third World and in unindustrialized parts of developed countries. Problems of technological change, political integration, population growth, industrialization, urban growth, social services, infrastructure and economic dependency.
Terms: Winter 2016, Summer 2016
Instructors: McAllister, Karen Elisabeth (Winter) McAllister, Karen Elisabeth (Summer)
Winter
-
ANTH 214 Violence, Warfare, Culture (3 credits)
Overview
Anthropology : Cultural diversity and comparative perspectives on violence and warfare; sociological, political, materialist, psychological, and ideological explanations of conflict. Examines historical and contemporary cases of warfare in state and pre-state societies; 'ethnic', civil, nationalist secessionist and genocidal forms of conflicts; processes of conflict avoidance and resolution, peace-making and -keeping.
Terms: This course is not scheduled for the 2015-2016 academic year.
Instructors: There are no professors associated with this course for the 2015-2016 academic year.
Fall
-
ANTH 222 Legal Anthropology (3 credits)
Overview
Anthropology : Exploration of dispute resolutions and means of social cohesion in various societies of the world. Themes: dichotomy between law and custom, local definitions of justice and rights, forms of conflict resolution, access to justice, gender and law, universality of human rights, legal pluralism.
Terms: Winter 2016
Instructors: Niezen, Ronald (Winter)
Winter
-
ANTH 227 Medical Anthropology (3 credits)
Overview
Anthropology : Beliefs and practices concerning sickness and healing are examined in a variety of Western and non-Western settings. Special attention is given to cultural constructions of the body and to theories of disease causation and healing efficacy. Topics include international health, medical pluralism, transcultural psychiatry, and demography.
Terms: Fall 2015
Instructors: Hyde, Sandra (Fall)
Fall
Core (350 Level)
6 credits, from the following Core courses (350 level) :
(Note: These are restricted to students in any Anthropology program with U2 standing or above.)
-
ANTH 352 History of Anthropological Theory (3 credits)
Overview
Anthropology : Exploration in the history of anthropological theory; schools, controversies, intellectual history, sociology of knowledge.
Terms: Fall 2015
Instructors: Manoukian, Setrag (Fall)
Fall
Prerequisites: one 200-level anthropology course and one other anthropology course at any level
Restriction: Honours, Joint Honours, Major and Minor students in Anthropology, U2 standing or above
-
ANTH 355 Theories of Culture and Society (3 credits)
Overview
Anthropology : Contributions to contemporary anthropological theory; theoretical paradigms and debates; forms of anthropological explanation; the role of theory in the practice of anthropology; concepts of society, culture and structure; cultural evolution and relativity; interpretive anthropology, post-modernism.
Terms: Winter 2016
Instructors: Bakke, Gretchen (Winter)
Winter
Prerequisites: one 200-level anthropology course and one other anthropology course at any level
Restriction: Honours, Joint Honours, Major and Minor students in Anthropology, U2 standing or above
-
ANTH 357 Archaeological Methods (3 credits)
Overview
Anthropology : The collection of materials in field investigations and their analysis to yield cultural information. The processes of inference and reconstruction in archaeological interpretation.
Terms: Fall 2015
Instructors: Bennett, Gwen (Fall)
Fall
Prerequisites: ANTH 201 and one other course in archaeology
Restrictions: Honours, Joint Honours and Major students in Anthropology, U2 standing or above
-
ANTH 358 The Process of Anthropological Research (3 credits)
Overview
Anthropology : The nature of anthropological research as evidenced in monographs and articles; processes of concept formation and interpretation of data; the problem of objectivity.
Terms: Fall 2015
Instructors: Veissière, Samuel (Fall)
Fall
Prerequisites: one 200-level anthropology course and one other anthropology course at any level
Restrictions: Honours, Joint Honours, Major and Minor students in Anthropology, U2 standing or above
-
ANTH 359 History of Archaeological Theory (3 credits)
Overview
Anthropology : A systematic investigation of the theories that have guided the interpretation of prehistoric archaeological data since the Middle Ages; the relationship between these theories and theoretical developments in the other social sciences.
Terms: Winter 2016
Instructors: Couture, Nicole (Winter)
Areas
6 credits selected from Area courses:
Ethnography
-
ANTH 304 Chinese Culture in Ethnography and Film (3 credits)
Overview
Anthropology : Uses both ethnography and film to examine 20Ih century Chinese society and popular culture in the context of the revolution and its aftermath.
Terms: This course is not scheduled for the 2015-2016 academic year.
Instructors: There are no professors associated with this course for the 2015-2016 academic year.
-
ANTH 322 Social Change in Modern Africa (3 credits)
Overview
Anthropology : The impact of colonialism on African societies; changing families, religion, arts; political and economic transformation; migration, urbanization, new social categories; social stratification; the social setting of independence and neo-colonialism; continuity, stagnation, and progressive change.
Terms: Fall 2015
Instructors: Glassco, Jennifer (Fall)
-
ANTH 326 Anthropology of Latin America (3 credits)
Overview
Anthropology : Central themes in the anthropology of Latin America, including colonialism, religiosity, sexuality and gender, indigeneity, social movements, and transnationalism.
Terms: This course is not scheduled for the 2015-2016 academic year.
Instructors: There are no professors associated with this course for the 2015-2016 academic year.
Fall
Prerequisite: ANTH 202 or 204 or 205 or 206 or 212 or permission of instructor
-
ANTH 327 Peoples of South Asia (3 credits)
Overview
Anthropology : An exploration of the dominant social institutions, cultural themes and perspectives, and psychological patterns found in India and greater South Asia.
Terms: Fall 2015
Instructors: Lemons, Katherine; Larouche, Catherine (Fall)
-
ANTH 329 Modern Chinese Society and Change (3 credits)
Overview
Anthropology : 20th and 21st century Chinese economic, social and cultural changes and continuities. Topics include rural development, revolution and reform policies, gender and households, family planning, minorities, urbanization, and human rights.
Terms: This course is not scheduled for the 2015-2016 academic year.
Instructors: There are no professors associated with this course for the 2015-2016 academic year.
-
ANTH 337 Mediterranean Society and Culture (3 credits)
Overview
Anthropology : An exploration of Mediterranean ethnography, with special attention to southern Europe. Cultural patterns, such as "honour and shame'', social patterns such as "patron/client relations'', and current issues, such as "development'', shall be explored.
Terms: This course is not scheduled for the 2015-2016 academic year.
Instructors: There are no professors associated with this course for the 2015-2016 academic year.
-
ANTH 338 Native Peoples of North America (3 credits)
Overview
Anthropology : Ethnographic survey of Native cultures in North America. Conditions arising from European colonization and their social, economic and political impact. Contemporary situation of indigenous peoples.
Terms: This course is not scheduled for the 2015-2016 academic year.
Instructors: There are no professors associated with this course for the 2015-2016 academic year.
-
ANTH 340 Middle Eastern Society and Culture (3 credits)
Overview
Anthropology : Exploration of daily life, culture and society in the Middle East, through examination of ethnographic accounts.
Terms: This course is not scheduled for the 2015-2016 academic year.
Instructors: There are no professors associated with this course for the 2015-2016 academic year.
-
ANTH 416 Environment/Development: Africa (3 credits)
Overview
Anthropology : Study of environmental effects of development in East Africa, especially due to changes in traditional land tenure and resource use across diverse ecosystems. Models, policies and cases of pastoralist, agricultural, fishing, wildlife and tourist development will be examined, across savanna, desert, forest, highland and coastal environments.
Terms: This course is not scheduled for the 2015-2016 academic year.
Instructors: There are no professors associated with this course for the 2015-2016 academic year.
Winter
Restriction: Open only to students in the Study in Africa program, a full-term field study program in East Africa
Prerequisite: One prior course in Anthropology, Geography or Environmental Studies
-
ANTH 422 Contemporary Latin American Culture & Society (3 credits)
Overview
Anthropology : Themes central to the culture and society of contemporary Latin America and the Caribbean, including globalization, questions of race and ethnicity, (post)modernity, social movements, constructions of gender and sexuality, and national and diasporic identities.
Terms: Winter 2016
Instructors: Norget, Kristin (Winter)
- ANTH 436 North American Native Peoples (3 credits)
-
ANTH 500 Chinese Diversity and Diaspora (3 credits)
Overview
Anthropology : Explores ethnic diversity within mainland China, as well as the diversity of Chinese cultures of diaspora, living outside the mainland, often as minorities subject to other dominant cultures.
Terms: This course is not scheduled for the 2015-2016 academic year.
Instructors: There are no professors associated with this course for the 2015-2016 academic year.
Winter
Restrictions: Reserved for U3 Anthropology undergraduate students or graduate students, any other students by permission of instructor.
Enrolment Limit: 25 students.
Archaeology
-
ANTH 307 Andean Prehistory (3 credits)
Overview
Anthropology : Questions related to social inequality, ritual practice, monumental space, and urban landscapes within the context of the Pre-Columbian Andes and sections on the Inkas, as well as earlier groups, such as the Nazca, Wari, Moche, Tiwanaku, and Chimu.
Terms: Fall 2015
Instructors: Couture, Nicole (Fall)
Fall
Prerequisites: ANTH 201 and 1 other course in Social/Cultural Anthropology or permission of instructor
Restriction: Students must be U2 or U3 standing.
-
ANTH 317 Prehistory of North America (3 credits)
Overview
Anthropology : Peopling of the New World; cultural adaptations of grasslands, woodland, desert and maritime environments; factors that favoured the shifts in subsistence activities, settlement patterns and social organization.
Terms: This course is not scheduled for the 2015-2016 academic year.
Instructors: There are no professors associated with this course for the 2015-2016 academic year.
Fall
Prerequisites: ANTH 201 or 203 or equivalent.
-
ANTH 319 Inka Archaeology & Ethnohistory (3 credits)
Overview
Anthropology : In-depth study of material and symbolic manifestations of power and identity in the Pre-Columbian Inka state, drawing on both archaeological and ethnohistoric sources.
Terms: This course is not scheduled for the 2015-2016 academic year.
Instructors: There are no professors associated with this course for the 2015-2016 academic year.
-
ANTH 330 Traditional Whaling Societies (3 credits)
Overview
Anthropology : The investigation of similarities and diversity of prehistoric and historic small-scale whaling societies. Examples will be drawn from throughout the world, including, but not limited to, East Asia, Northwest Coast, Arctic, North Atlantic and Northern Europe societies.
Terms: Winter 2016
Instructors: Savelle, James M (Winter)
-
ANTH 331 Prehistory of East Asia (3 credits)
Overview
Anthropology : Comparative study of prehistoric hunting and gathering cultures in China, Japan, Korea, Mongolia and Eastern Siberia; origins and dispersal of food production; cultural processes leading to the rise of literate civilizations in certain regions of East Asia.
Terms: This course is not scheduled for the 2015-2016 academic year.
Instructors: There are no professors associated with this course for the 2015-2016 academic year.
Fall
Prerequisite: ANTH 201 or permission of instructor
400 Level
6 credits, two 400-level Anthropology courses.
Undergraduate Level
12 credits of additional undergraduate-level Anthropology courses of which no more than 6 credits may be at the 200 level.