An overview of social and cultural anthropology, its origins, its distinctive methods and concepts, and its place in the contemporary world. A critical examination of human diversity and how social and cultural differences are produced and shaped by local and global patterns. [3-0-0]
Peoples and cultures of prehistory. Examines archaeologists and their work in archaeological sites around the world, from the earliest evidence of humankind and hunting and gathering culture, to the emergence of civilization and state-level societies. [3-0-0]
Examination of the place of humans in nature. Human genetics, biologically-determined variation in contemporary populations, human growth and development, comparative primatology, human evolution, and human disease. [3-0-0]
Exploration of human communication, both verbal and non-verbal. The structure, cognitive role, and social functions of the spoken languages of the world will be emphasized. [3-0-0]
Examines the range of approaches to public anthropology and how its methods and insights can be used to effect social change, encourage broader public conversation and debate, and respond to inequality, injustice, and human suffering. [3-0-0] Prerequisite: Either (a) one of ANTH 100, ANTH 103 or (b) ANTH 170. Second-year standing.
An anthropological exploration of how understandings of gender, sex, and the body are culturally and historically shaped, with a focus on theory as well as case studies. How globalization and transnationalism are changing norms of gender and sexuality is also explored. Credit will be granted for only one of ANTH_O 205 or GWST_O 205. [3-0-0] Prerequisite: Second-year standing. Equivalency: GWST_O 205.
Examines challenges and opportunities for archaeologists in the 21st century, including tensions in the discipline, the composition and differing interests of the archaeological community, the impact of the digitization of archaeology and ownership of the past and historical perspectives in archaeological thinking. [3-0-0] Prerequisite: ANTH 103.
Anthropological approaches to tourism, the politics of cultural encounters, and how the desire for difference shapes peoples' everyday lives and pleasure travel. [3-0-0] Prerequisite: Second-year standing.
Overview of how social, cultural, historical, biological, and political-economic forces intersect to affect human health and disease. Biomedicine will be treated as only one among many efficacious systems of medical knowledge and how it is embedded in local and global forms of social inequalities will be explored in depth. [3-0-0] Prerequisite: Second-year standing.
Introduction to environmental anthropology with an emphasis on the relationship of cultural systems to contemporary environmental issues. Includes material from the Okanagan region and diverse societies around the world. May include one or more local field trips. [3-0-0] Prerequisite: One of ANTH 100, SUST 104.
Provides an introduction to visual anthropology and the history of film in anthropological research. Students critically evaluate how anthropologists and documentary filmmakers represent other peoples and cultures through film and new media. [3-0-0]
Introduction to ethnobotany, the study of people's use, classification, and management of plants. Explores ethnobotany's beginnings; fundamental principles and practices; the diverse relationship between people and plants, including the use of plants for food, medicine, and materials; and the role of plants in ritual and religion. [3-0-0] Prerequisite: Second-year standing.
Cross-cultural exploration of how sounds of language are produced (articulatory phonetics) and organized into the sound systems of individual languages (phonemics), the history of phonological theory, and the method for discovering the phonemic system of individual languages (phonological analysis). [3-0-0] Prerequisite: ANTH 170.
Critical inquiry into the development and role of reading and writing in cross-cultural context. Emphasis on the origins of writing from archaeological evidence, the impact of writing systems on societies past and present, the social functions of writing, and innovations in new media. [3-0-0] Prerequisite: Second-year standing
Contemporary issues in anthropology topics. [3-0-0] Prerequisite: Varies with the topic; contact the department.
What are ethnographic methods and how is anthropological research conducted? Topics include research design, relationships with study participants, field techniques, ethical debates, data analysis and presentation. The emphasis is on interactive, workshop-style group learning. Credit will be granted for only one of ANTH 307 or ANTH 407. [3-0-0] Prerequisite: One of ANTH 100, ANTH 170, ANTH 200, ANTH 252. Third-year standing.
Digital data, methods, practice, tools and technologies in archaeology and heritage are examined in light of conventional global archaeological practices that distance descendant communities from their heritage. Hands-on training in geospatial and digital data, processing and interpretation, and experimentation with different tools and technologies used in digital heritage. [3-0-0] Prerequisite: One of ANTH 103, ANTH 170, ANTH 200. Second-year standing.
Critical examination of religious beliefs and practices in the context of both past and contemporary societies. Surveys approaches to related phenomena such as myth, ritual, witchcraft and shamanism, as well as theories regarding the changing role of religion in a globalized world shaped by secularism, fundamentalism, nationalism, and new religious movements. [3-0-0] Prerequisite: ANTH 100.
Nature of gender relations, their social and cultural expression, and theories of gender inequality drawn from anthropological research. Credit will be granted for only one of ANTH_O 313 or GWST_O 313. [3-0-0] Prerequisite: ANTH_O 100. Equivalency: GWST_O 313.
Survey of theories on and archaeological evidence for the origins and spread of settled village life, food production systems, and complex social and political organization. Begins with the early Neolithic period and continues through to the appearance of state societies globally. [3-0-0] Prerequisite: ANTH_O 103, and one of ANTH_O 200, ANTH_O 210.
Drawing on anthropology, archaeology and material culture studies, this course examines the value, significance and meaning of the material world, and the role of objects and things in the production of social life and culture. Past and present examples include commodities, ritualized gift exchanges, food, and the role of social media and new technology in shaping human interactions. [3-0-0] Prerequisite: One of ANTH 100, ANTH 103. and third-year standing.
Introduction to the field of psychological anthropology, focusing on how the concepts and experience of mental health and illness are shaped by cultural, historical, and political economic contexts. Different systems of knowledge and diverse understandings of normality and pathology; emotions and embodiment; illness and healing; self, subjectivity, and personhood will be examined. ANTH 227 is strongly recommended. [3-0-0] Prerequisite: ANTH 100.
The anthropology of science with an emphasis on biosciences (life sciences and environmental sciences). Focus on ethnographic approaches to tracing and interpreting knowledge-making practices about living entities and processes. [3-0-0] Prerequisite: Third-year standing.
The human impact on the environment is now so far-reaching that the term Anthropocene is being used to refer to the current geological epoch. An examination of the defining characteristics of this time period and its implications for future engagements of humans with more-than-human worlds. Credit will be granted for only one of ANTH 345 or ANTH 490H. [3-0-0] Prerequisite: One of ANTH 100, SUST 104. Third-year standing.
Advanced study of ethnographic and theoretical problems specific to a region and topic that will vary each term. [3-0-0] Prerequisite: ANTH 100.
Advanced study of ethnographic and theoretical problems in India. Topics such as religion, caste, gender and sexuality, agriculture and urban development, nationalism, Bollywood cinema, and globalization. [3-0-0] Prerequisite: ANTH 100. and third-year standing.
Introduction to Africa as a rhetorical construct and to the study of the African continent as a nexus of world-making innovation. Combines theoretical critiques from Black studies, African/a studies, and postcolonial theory, as well as African popular culture, to deconstruct common portrayals of Africa. [3-0-0] Prerequisite: ANTH 100. and third-year standing.
An examination and critique of the social and cultural foundations of development, as both discourse and practice, and the close relationship of development aid and ideologies with contemporary forms of global capitalism. [3-0-0] Prerequisite: ANTH 100. Third-year standing.
Cross-cultural exploration of grammar focusing on the structure of words, organization of words into phrases and sentences, coding of meaning in grammar, methods used in grammatical analysis, and history of grammatical theory. [3-0-0] Prerequisite: ANTH 170.
Foundations, theories, and methods of language socialization. The cultural basis of language learning across the human lifespan with emphasis on the role of family, schooling, heritage, and endangerment. Prerequisite: One of ANTH 100, ANTH 170. Third-year standing. ANTH 170 is preferred.
Investigation of the ways in which human desire is controlled, expressed, and manifested in economic activity; the relationship of economic anthropology to neo-classical economics, traditional political economy, and current approaches to conceptualizing the relationship between culture and economics. [0-0-3] Prerequisite: ANTH 100. and 6 additional credits of ANTH at the 200-level or above.
Examines the sociopolitical organization of language variation: multilingualism; dialectology; and the use of language to indicate formality, ethnicity, gender, age, political attitudes, socio-economic status, and class. [3-0-0] Prerequisite: Either (a) ANTH 100 or (b) ANTH 170. Third-year standing. ANTH 170 is preferred.
Review of anthropological theory and practice beginning with the origin of the discipline in the late nineteenth century and ending with the contemporary period. [3-0-0] Prerequisite: ANTH 100. and third-year standing.
Key theoretical orientations and debates since the 1980s with emphasis on questions of representation, globalization, and the application of anthropological theory and research to contemporary social issues. Credit will be granted for only one of ANTH 300 or ANTH 401. [3-0-0] Prerequisite: ANTH 100. and third-year standing.
Advanced study of the theory and practice of applied, action, and consultancy anthropology; application of anthropology to questions of Aboriginal rights and title, education, medicine, development, women and development, tourism, and other social issues. [3-0-0] Prerequisite: ANTH 100. and third-year standing.
Traces major trends, debates, and schools of thought in archaeology, emphasizing the entanglement of theory, practice, and method. Explores the emergence of different approaches in archaeology, from its roots in antiquarianism and cultural history to contemporary theoretical currents. Contemplates the interdisciplinary and collaborative aspects of archaeology as well as the ethical and political implications. Credit will be granted for only one of ANTH 310 or ANTH 410. [3-0-0] Prerequisite: ANTH 103. and third-year standing.
A critical examination of selected topics on religion and society drawing on contemporary ethnography and current issues. [3-0-0] Prerequisite: ANTH 100. and third-year standing. ANTH 312 is recommended.
An anthropological exploration of kinship as a symbolic ordering of human relationships and reproduction. Emphasis is on the naturalization of nuclear family and marriage forms such as monogamy, and on changes in relatedness through new technologies, socio-legal processes, and mobility. Credit will be granted for only one of ANTH_O 414 or GWST_O 414. [3-0-0] Prerequisite: ANTH_O 100. Third-year standing recommended. Equivalency: GWST_O 414.
A critical examination of selected topics in the field of tourism, migration and mobility studies drawing on contemporary ethnography and current issues. [3-0-0] Prerequisite: ANTH 100. and third-year standing. ANTH 218 is recommended.
In-depth examination of a specific topic, drawing on contemporary theory and methodological issues in anthropology. This course is restricted to students in the ANTH Major or Minor. [0-0-3] Prerequisite: Third-year standing.
Critical look at the politics of heritage (both tangible and intangible) and how it shapes the construction and deconstruction of social memory. How the ownership of the past is shaped by colonial practices, state formation and international conventions. [3-0-0] Prerequisite: One of ANTH 100, ANTH 103. And third-year standing.
Global health and international development from the perspective of critical medical anthropology. Consideration of ethnographic critiques of contemporary global health and development as humanitarian, security, and political-economic projects, as well as how applied medical anthropologists work to translate public health knowledge and policy into effective action in specific social and cultural contexts. ANTH 227 is strongly recommended. [3-0-0] Prerequisite: ANTH 100. and third-year standing.
Study of the ways in which political processes shape the relationships of human societies to other species and the physical environment. Resource conflict, environmental degradation, inequality, marginalization, environmental movements, environmental discourse and other topics are analyzed using a combination of ethnographic case studies and theoretical materials. Credit will be granted for only one of ANTH 445 or GEOG 445. [3-0-0] Prerequisite: One of ANTH 100, GEOG 128, GEOG 129, SUST 104. Third-year standing.
Explorations of the intersections of art and anthropology, with a focus on the social processes that create art objects and experiences. Application of key theories and methods in visual anthropology to cross-cultural case studies. Emphasis on the role of aesthetics, politics, and economics in creating art worlds and sensory practices. [3-0-0] Prerequisite: ANTH 100. and third-year standing. ANTH 252 is recommended.
Study of language shift, including local and global influences of historical, social, cultural, political, and economic factors impacting on language loss, endangerment, retention, and revival. Practical strategies for sustaining and reviving languages, including language documentation and revitalization. Credit will only be granted for one of ANTH 473 and INLG 480. [3-0-0] Prerequisite: Either (a) ANTH 100 or (b) ANTH 170. And 6 credits of ANTH at the 300 or 400 level required. ANTH 170 is preferred.
Anthropological approaches to the study of contact languages, new sign languages, and constructed languages, including how they are formed, their linguistic features, the social context in which they are used, whether or not they can ever be considered real and/or standard languages; some reasons for their development, including trade, unity, education, media, secrecy, and solidarity. [3-0-0] Prerequisite: Either (a) ANTH 100 or (b) ANTH 170. Third-year standing. ANTH 170 is preferred.
Surveys contemporary anthropological thinking about how the construction of history and tradition shapes present cultural practices. Critical look at history-making by social scientists and by people themselves. [0-0-3] Prerequisite: ANTH 100. 6 credits of ANTH at the 200-level or beyond; and third-year standing.
Individualized directed reading or research project in anthropology under the supervision of a faculty member. Students can complete no more than 6 credits of ANTH 480. Prerequisite: Third-year standing. Permission of the department head and faculty supervisor also required.
Self-directed, collaborative studies, in a group-learning environment, initiated and coordinated by senior undergraduate students with the supervision of a faculty sponsor. Course structure, enrolment and delivery methods will comply with the Student Directed Seminars Guidelines. At least third-year standing and permission of the Department are required. [0-0-3]
Intensive examination of selected topics in anthropology. Consult the department for this year's offerings and prerequisites. [3-0-0] Prerequisite: ANTH 100. 6 credits of ANTH at the 300 or 400 level; and third-year standing.