Anthropology

alt Anthropology is a science of humanity that addresses human issues both from a cultural and from a biological point of view. The narrowest concern of anthropology is the survival of humanity; its broadest is the conditions of continuity and change for all human life. While broadly educated, individual anthropologists generally specialize in a particular approach to this whole view of humanity. Our University offers undergraduate and graduate programs in four approaches, or "sub-disciplines" of anthropology: The department of Anthropology offers a large number of courses that provide students with an opportunity to engage with human rights issues in a significant way. Experienced faculty members teach a wide array of human rights related courses, ranging in topic and approach but connected to a central theme of human rights.

For more information, including registration details, contact the Anthropology department.

Plagues and People (ANTH 2240)

Examines selected plagues in evolutionary, ecological, and epidemiological context, and considers the complex biological, social, and economic repercussions for human populations. Foci include past, present, and emerging infectious disease epidemics.

Anthropology of Childhood (ANTH 2300)

Anthropological approaches to the study of children and childhood. Childhood is examined as a social and historical construction, and children are analyzed as active contributors to their social worlds. Cross-cultural ethnographic material relating to children and youth is critically read and discussed.

Anthropology of Economic Systems (ANTH 2510)

A comparative study of factors bearing upon production, exchange, and consumption of goods, practices and ideas in varying social contexts. The course also examines the articulation of economic systems in the global political economy.

Anthropology of Political Systems (ANTH 2530)

Analysis of political institutions and their changing nature in diverse societies and forms of society, with attention to authority, leadership, decision-making, power and its disguises, and forms of resistance.

Women in Cross Cultural Perspective (ANTH 3320)

Critical perspectives on the role of women cross-culturally, with ethnographic reference to non-Western societies and cultures.

Anthropology of Sex and Sexualities (ANTH 3350)

Anthropological approaches to the study of human sexuality and the diversity of sexual expression and identification. Sex and sexualities are examined as social and cultural constructions, experiences, discourses, identities and practices taking place in specific local contexts and shaped by wider social processes, including colonialism and globalization.

Canadian Subcultures (ANTH 3550)

An anthropological study of dimensions of community, ethnicity, and social class in Canadian society.

Forensic Anthropology (ANTH 3730)

This course provides the theory, methods, and techniques for forensic identification of human skeletal remains, including estimation of sex, age-at-death, stature, population affinities and features of personal biology. The laboratory component of this course, where students work with actual human skeletal remains, is a major component.