Course Descriptions

Students will learn the core concepts and methods of social anthropology, and be introduced to a wide variety of cultural responses to the challenges of human life: surviving and thriving in particular environments, communicating ideas and beliefs, organizing societies, and finding creative outlets for expression. We will also explore the process and effects of rapid cultural change, engendered through colonization, the expansion of capitalism, and globalization.

This course provides an introduction to the theoretical foundations and methods of archaeology, including the techniques used to discover, reconstruct, and interpret the human past. Examples will be drawn from archaeological research around the world.

This course is an introduction to the theoretical foundations and evidence for human origins as presented by archaeology and biological anthropology. The biological and cultural evolution of humankind is examined through a study of evolutionary theory, primate behaviour, skeletal remains, and archaeological discoveries.

This course will familiarize students with the major theoretical and methodological traditions within anthropology. These will be critically examined and the influences on contemporary anthropology assessed. The issues and debates surrounding such topics as social organization, representation, ethics, gender, tradition, religion, subsistence practices and the dynamic nature of culture may be explored in a variety of ethnographic case studies.

The study of the interaction of people, culture and environments, emphasizing human adaptive strategies. Focus of the course will vary each semester, exploring such topics as subsistence patterns, systems of knowledge in traditional cultures, modernization and globalization, and current issues.

A study of the relations between ethnic groups. The construction, maintenance and expression of ethnic boundaries and identities will be examined within a variety of cultural contexts, including Canada. The course will address the social construction of difference and will offer perspectives on racial stereotyping, the politics of representation, the expression of ethnic popular culture and its wider consumption. Processes, such as de-colonization and globalization which have been involved in the rise of ethnic consciousness will be analysed, together with theoretical concepts through which ethnicity may be comprehended.

The course examines multiculturalism in Canada with comparative material drawn from other parts of the world. The creation and impact of multiculturalism will be addressed from historical and cultural perspectives. Topics covered may include: history and reality of Canadian immigration, the changing cultural landscape, maintenance of culture and identity, and the influence of official policy.

This course focuses on the First Nations of British Columbia through the lens of anthropology. Through lectures, discussions, readings, guest speakers, and films, it will provide context for understanding the diversity of First Nations' cultures, peoples, and issues. Students will obtain an understanding of the archaeological record in the province; cultures as they were immediately prior to the arrival of Europeans; Indigenous oral histories; the impact and legacies of colonialism; and the contemporary lives and experiences of First Nations peoples.

A survey of the cultural history and social organization of indigenous peoples of the North American continent including Canada, the United States and Mexico. An examination of traditional lifestyles including family, political, religious and ecological patterns; and current issues.

This course is a survey of the indigenous societies of South America, Central America, and Mexico. Course subject matter will be addressed from an archaeological and cultural anthropological perspective and will include: a review of traditional lifeways of indigenous cultures in different regions of Latin America (including social organization, political structure, economy, and belief systems); an analysis of the impact and effect of European contact and policy on indigenous peoples, including assimilation strategies and resistance movements; and an examination of in Latin American societies today, including contemporary issues, patterns of change, and the maintenance of various traditional practices.

This course will address the deceptively simple question of why do we eat what we do? It will explore human food systems from our nutritional needs, through our classification of resources into edible and inedible, and how we acquire ingredients, cook them, and then share them through meals. Food reaches into everyone's existence, and as such it is offers us an opportunity to uncover and begin to understand our cultural similarities and differences expressed through our food habits. The course will draw upon ethnographic material from many cultures, and utilise current debates in the relatively new field of the anthropology of food.

This course introduces students to the study of music as a fundamental expression of culture. Through diverse case studies, students will explore the ways in which music and music-making are embedded within complex cultural systems, by examining the relationships between music and other components of human societies. Prior knowledge or study of music is not required for this course.

This course will introduce students to the anthropological study of religion by considering some of its major topics, such as magic, witchcraft, shamanism and rites of passage. It will also provide rich ethnographic case studies as examples of the practice of religion in a variety of cross-cultural contexts.

This course will familiarize students with the nature of archaeological research in Africa, Asia and Europe. The primary focus is on providing a survey of cultural adaptations, from the first evidence of culture to the earliest civilizations. Theoretical, legal, and ethical issues related to the discovery, recovery, and interpretation of the archaeological record in Africa, Asia and Europe are also examined.

This course will familiarize students with the nature of archaeological research in the Americas. The primary focus is on providing a survey of cultural adaptations, from the initial peopling of the continents to the period of European contact. Theoretical, legal and ethical issues related to the discovery, recovery, and interpretation of the archaeological record in the Americas are also examined.

This course will introduce students to visual anthropology. Students will examine a wide variety of artistic traditions from around the world by exploring such topics as cross-cultural aesthetics, the function of art, the role of artists, and art and ethnicity.

This practical field course focuses on the identification, recording and recovery of archaeological remains. The majority of the time is spent in the field. When the course is offered during a seven week summer session, the course hours each week are doubled.

An interdisciplinary course to consider in depth a particular geographic area and its people. Comparative institutions, cultural ecology, contemporary issues, methods of observation and study. Students and instructor study in the field.

This course examines archaeology in popular culture from a critical perspective, focusing on understanding the nature of popular culture and how social scientists study it, and evaluating the way archaeology, archaeologists, and the human past are portrayed in media, tourism, theme parks, and advertising.

From environmental degradation to technological advances that forever change the way we live - many of the themes that characterize our modern society can also be seen in the archaeological record of past societies. This course examines some of the most significant developments that occurred during the early course of human existence, such as the origins of agriculture, the nature and causes of warfare in ancient societies, and issues deriving from early versions of "global politics¿ and ¿global economies" in the ancient world. We will conclude by critically evaluating the contribution of archaeological research on past societies to addressing current problems in our own.

Stuff, the perfect term to capture humanity's material baggage, and this course explores, from an anthropological perspective, the way people make stuff, and how stuff makes people. It follows the journey of stuff from point of origin, through exchange, display, consumption, and destruction. This will be explored through two decades of anthropological ideas about material culture that culminates in a new theory of materiality that will make anyone look with fresh eyes at their own possessions. The course will explore the creation of commodities, cross-cultural encounters through material culture, the representation of stuff in museums, and will finally examine private possessions, consumption, and ultimately reflect on how our stuff defines us today.

This course will examine the way culture shapes the formation of identity for its members throughout their lifespan. Aging will encompass the whole lifespan from the moment of birth to death. It will provide a cross-cultural exploration the processes of aging through the lenses of gender, kinship, social organization, religion, politics and economics. Particular emphasis will be placed on understanding the acquisition of status and the societal roles that accompany each life stage.

This course will draw upon ethnographic material, and will provide an integrated description and ethnological analysis of the cultures, their historical and present day economic, social, political, and religious ways of life of selected ethnic groups from different regions around the world. The selection of the region may vary from one semester to the next. See the Anthropology Department website for the specific focus for a specific semester.

Language is intimately connected to cultural identity and it is through language that we express our relationships to land and to other beings. Throughout history, language has been a powerful tool in the creation of social difference and the maintenance of social inequality. It has also functioned as a means of resistance to dominance and oppression. This course applies an anthropological perspective to the study of language ideologies and strategies across time and space, and within the contexts of colonialism, state-building, nationalism, Indigenous rights, and cultural resurgence.

This course explores contemporary issues in anthropology, including current debates in the discipline. Specific topics will vary from year to year, but may include, for example, examinations of anthropology's response to globalization, anthropology and the military, representations of the 'other', or debates on ethical concerns in research.

Students will work with an Anthropology faculty member to guide them in the development of a research-based project. Specific course details will be arranged between individual students and faculty members. See the Department of Anthropology website for complete details on the application process.