The examination of health and disease in ecological and socio-cultural perspective. Emphasis is placed on variability of populations in disease susceptibility and resistance in an evolutionary context. With its sister course, ANTC61H3, this course is designed to introduce students to the basic concepts and principles of medical anthropology. Principles of epidemiology, patterns of inheritance and biological evolution are considered.
Science credit

This course is an enquiry into the social construction of science and scientific expertise, with a particular focus on medicine and health. The interdisciplinary field of Science and Technology Studies (STS) opens up a very different perspective from what gets taught in biology classes about how medical knowledge is created, disseminated, becomes authoritative (or not), and is taken up by different groups of people. In our current era of increasing anti-science attitudes and “alternative facts,” this course will offer students an important new awareness of the politics of knowledge production.

This course explores the global cultural phenomenon of tourism. Using case studies and historical perspectives, we investigate the complex motivations and consequences of travel, the dimensions of tourism as development, the ways tourism commodifies daily life, the politics of tourism representation, and the intersection of travel, authenticity and modernity.

Epidemiology is the study of disease and its determinants in populations. It is grounded in the biomedical paradigm, statistical reasoning, and that risk is context specific. This course will examine such issues as: methods of sampling, types of controls, analysis of data, and the investigation of epidemics.
Science credit

Colonization, globalization and socio-ecological factors play an important role in origin, maintenance and emergence of old and new infectious diseases in human populations such as yellow fever, cholera, influenza, SARS. Issues of co-morbidity, the epidemiological transition, syndemics and the impact of global warming on the emergence of new diseases are discussed.
Science credit

This course explores key themes, theories, and thinkers that have shaped anthropological thought, past and present. In any given year we will focus on the work of a particular important thinker or a school of thought. As we examine trends and approaches that have been influential to the field, we consider the debates these have generated, the ethnographic innovations they have inspired, and their relevance for core debates in anthropology. Topics and readings will be chosen annually by the instructor.

This course is an exploration of the ongoing significance of the ethnographic method to the practice of research in socio-cultural anthropology. How and why have ethnographic methods become so central to anthropology, and what can we continue to learn with them? Students complement readings and lectures on theories and practices of ethnographic methods, both historical and contemporary, with exercises and assignments designed to provide first-hand experience in carrying out various techniques of ethnographic research. We also consider the unique ethical challenges of ethnographic methods and what it means to conduct ethically sound research.

This course examines the evolution of human-environment systems over deep time as well as the present implications of these relationships. We will examine the archaeological methods used in reconstructing human palaeoecology and engage with evolutionary and ecological theory as it has been applied to the archaeological record in order to understand how humans have altered ecosystems and adapted to changing climates through time and space. Building upon the perspective of humans as a long-term part of ecological systems, each student will choose a current environmental policy issue and progressively build a proposal for a remediation strategy or research program to address gaps in knowledge.

This course explores ideas of race and racist practice, both past and present. Socio-cultural perspectives on race and racism must address a central contradiction: although biological evidence suggests that racial categories are not scientifically valid, race and racism are real social phenomena with real consequences. In order to address this contradiction, the course will examine the myriad ways that race is produced and reproduced, as well as how racism is perpetuated and sustained.

The topics presented in this course will represent a range of contemporary issues in Anthropology. Topics will vary by instructor and term.

This course examines 65 million years of evolutionary history for non-human primates. The primary emphasis will be on the fossil record. Topics covered may include the reconstruction of behaviour from fossil remains, the evolution of modern primate groups, and the origins of the Order.

This course examines the social life of violence, its cultural production and political effects in a global perspective. It asks how social worlds are made and unmade through, against, and after violent events, how violence is remembered and narrated, and how ethnography might respond to experiences of suffering, trauma, and victimhood.

This course provides students with experience in carrying out ethnographic research in the Greater Toronto Area. Working with the Center for Ethnography, students define and execute individual research projects of their own design. The course provides students with the opportunity to present and discuss their unfolding research, as well as to present the findings of their research. This course is completed over two terms, and culminates in an original research paper.

This course considers the reading and writing of ethnography - the classic genre of socio-cultural anthropology. We examine what differentiates ethnography from other forms of research and how to distinguish ethnographic works of high quality. Also considered are the politics of representation, including how ethnographic writing may reflect unequal relationships of power.

This course allows students to examine particular culture areas at an advanced level. Regions to be covered may include South Asia, East Asia, the Muslim World, Latin America, The Pacific, Europe, Africa, or North America. Specific case studies from the region will be used to highlight theoretical and ethnographic issues.

This course will examine cultural understandings of ‘life’ – What is life? What is a life? How do humans value (or alternatively not value) life in different social and cultural settings? What constitutes a ‘good life’? To what degree are cultural understandings of ‘life’ entangled with those of ‘death’.

An advanced seminar course primarily for majors and specialists in biological anthropology. Topic to be announced annually.

An advanced seminar course primarily for specialists and majors in Anthropology. Topic changes annually and is linked to the theme of our seminar series for the year. Students will attend talks by 2-3 guest speakers in addition to the regular seminar. In previous years, the theme has been Masculinities, Pilgrimage, History and Historicities.

This course is designed for advanced students seeking an intensive examination of specific problems in medical Anthropology. Problems to be discussed include: genetic disorders in families and populations, the interaction of malnutrition and infectious diseases in human populations, chronic non-infectious diseases in populations today, and epidemiology and medical anthropology as complementary disciplines.
Science credit

This seminar course will examine the clinical, epidemiological and public health literature on osteoporosis and other conditions impacting skeletal health. The course will also explore the potential economic impacts of osteoporosis on Canada's health care system given emerging demographic changes.
Science credit

This seminar style course provides a foundation in the anthropology and archaeology of small-scale societies, particularly hunter-gatherers. The seminar’s temporal remit is broad, spanning ~2.5 million years of human evolution from the earliest tool-making hominins to living human societies. A selection of critical topics will therefore be covered. These include theoretical aspects of and evolutionary trends in forager subsistence strategies; technologies; mobility and use of space; sociopolitical organization; cognition; symbolism, ritual and religion; and transitions to food production. Topics will be illustrated using diverse case studies drawn from throughout the Paleolithic.

A large percentage of nonhuman primate species are at risk of extinction due mostly to human-induced processes. Relying on theory from Conservation Biology, this course will consider the intrinsic and extrinsic factors that lead to some primate species being threatened, while others are able to deal with anthropogenic influences. Students will critically examine conservation tactics and the uniqueness of each situation will be highlighted.

A field-based research seminar exploring the cultural dimensions of community and sense of place. Partnering with community-based organizations in Scarborough and the GTA, students will investigate topical issues in the immediate urban environment from an anthropological perspective. Yearly foci may include food, heritage, diaspora, and family.

This seminar course will examine contemporary theory and questions in primatology and carefully examine the types of data that researchers collect to answer their research questions.
Science credit

This course will examine the social and cultural contexts of animal-to-human disease transmission globally, and the public risks associated zoonoses present here in Canada. The course will incorporate both anthropological and epidemiological perspectives.
Science credit

Beginning with archaic Homo sapiens and ending with a discussion of how diet exists in a modern globalized cash economy, this course engages an archaeological perspective on changes in human diet and corresponding societal shifts. We will explore paradigmatic discourse around topics such as big game hunting, diet breadth, niche construction, and the Agricultural Revolution, while examining the archaeological record to clarify what "cavemen" really ate, inquire whether agriculture was as "revolutionary" as it has been presented, and delve into evidence of how colonialism, capitalism, and globalization have shaped our modern diet. Discussions will aim to interrogate current theories and contextualize why scientists (and the public) think the way they do about diet in the past and present.

Directed critical examination of specific problems in Anthropology, based on library and/or field research.
These courses are available in exceptional circumstances and do not duplicate regular course offerings. Students are advised that they must obtain consent from the supervising instructor before registering. Individual tutorials, as arranged. A minimum B plus average is normally required to be considered for these courses. May be science credit or area course depending on topic.

Directed critical examination of specific problems in Anthropology, based on library and/or field research.
These courses are available in exceptional circumstances and do not duplicate regular course offerings. Students are advised that they must obtain consent from the supervising instructor before registering. Individual tutorials, as arranged. A minimum B plus average is normally required to be considered for these courses. May be science credit or area course depending on topic.

This course investigates global diversity in human-environment dialogues from a geoarchaeological perspective. We will emphasize the place of geoarchaeology in evolutionary anthropology, specifically addressing topics such as the role of fire in human evolution, human-ecosystem coevolution, societal resilience and collapse, and the developing Anthropocene. Through “hands-on” authentic research, the class will engage with the collection and interpretation of chronological, geochemical, biomolecular, micromorphological, and micro-sedimentary data for site formation processes, paleoenvironments, and human behaviors. We will collaborate on developing new geoarchaeological perspectives of the human-environment interactions unfolding along the eastern branch of Yat-qui-i-be-no-nick (Highland Creek) coursing through UTSC. How did Highland Creek shape cultures and societies through time? How did people shape the Creek’s environs?

This course will focus on a new direction in anthropology, exploring the potential of skeletal remains in reconstructing past lifeways. This seminar style class will build upon concepts introduced in Human Osteology courses. Additionally, more advanced methods of reconstructing patterns of subsistence, diet, disease, demography and physical activity.