Anthropology

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 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.

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.

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

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.

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.