Department of Anthropology | University of Waterloo

Anthropology Courses with Web Pages

Once you click on this UW-ANGEL link you will be taken to the UW-ANGEL start page where you should enter your Quest/UWdir userid and password. Once you have logged in, you should see a list of your UW-ACE courses under the Courses header bar. Clicking on the course name will take you to that course.

Anthropology Course Descriptions

To read the calendar descriptions of all the courses offered by the Anthropology department, follow this Course Descriptions link and then click on "Anthropology" but be aware that only some of the courses listed there are offered in any given year.

Future Anthropology Course Offerings

The Registrar's Office maintains a web page with up-to-date offical information on courses that are being offered and enrollment information. For the most authoritative information you should follow that link to find out which courses are offered each term and whether there is any room for you to enroll in them. The code for Anthropology is ANTH and you use the following codes to choose which term, eg. 1111=Winter term 2011.

The following courses have been de-activated effective September 1, 2011: ANTH 103 (The Nature of Language), ANTH 203 (The Archaeology of North America), ANTH 210 (Anthropology Through Science Fiction), ANTH 229 (Peoples of Africa), ANTH 230 (Native Peoples of Canada), ANTH 311 (Anthropology of Religion), ANTH 335 (Arctic Archaeology), ANTH 347 (Survey of Medical Anthropology), ANTH 380 (Matrilineal Societies in Aboriginal North America), ANTH 404 (Human Development in a Cross-Cultural Perspective), ANTH 411 (Symbolic Anthropology), ANTH 420 (Social and Cultural Change), ANTH 461 (Selected Topics in Primate Behaviour).

Circumstances beyond the control of the Faculty of Arts and its Departments may result in unforeseen changes to courses and program offerings. Students should consult the most current information (above) and check with the Anthropology Undergraduate Advisor before making registration choices.

List of FALL 2012 and WINTER 2013 Anthropology courses:

ANTH 101 Human and Cultural Evolution (Fall and Winter)

This course surveys the evolution of the human species and outlines our cultural development from the earliest tool use through the beginnings of civilization. Lecture topics include evolutionary theory, humand and primate fossil remains, and archaeological evidence concerning the origins and development of culture.

ANTH 102 Introduction to Social & Cultural Anthropology (Fall and Winter)

The dynamic nature of culture systems is examined. Topics include language, technology, social organization, economics, politics, and religion. Data are drawn from a broad global and historical ethnographic base. Also offered on-line.

ANTH 201 Principles of Archaeology (Fall and Winter)

An introduction to the working assumptions, analytic approaches, and integrative and descriptive methods of archaeological anthropology. Antireq: CLAS 205 taken before Fall 2009 (Cross-listed with CLAS 221)

ANTH 202 Principles of Cultural Anthropology (Fall and Winter)

This course explores ways in which anthropologists have adapted and innovated ethnographic approaches, methods, and questions to explore the challenges of colonialism, development, disease, genocide, displacement, nationalism, and militarism. Prereq: ANTH 102

ANTH 233 Inuit and Eskimo Cultures (Winter)

An examination of Inuit and Eskimo cultures of Alaska, Canada and Greenland from their prehistoric origins to the present. Administrative systems imposed upon the Inuit and Eskimo will be analysed and compared, as will the contemporary problems these communities face. Prereq: Level at least 2A

ANTH 260 Human Evolution (Fall)

Data, methods and theory in the study of the origina and evolution of humans are surveyed. Topics will include genetic theory, primate evolution, human fossils and modern human adaptation. Prereq: ANTH 101

ANTH 290 Visual Anthropology (Winter)

Ethnographic and documentary photographs and films as well as indigenous media are examined from the standpoint of contemporary anthropological thought. Topics include the role of advocacy and activism, the place of the imagination and performance, the role of museums and representation, and global media and transnationalism.

ANTH 300 Design of Anthropological Inquiry and Practice (Winter)

This course systematically examines research design and methodology in anthropology. Prereq: ANTH 202

ANTH 305 Paleopathology of Health and Disease (Fall)

The study of health and disease is an important factor in the interpretation of society in the past, and the understanding of disease process and consequences. The history of disease contributes to understanding its impact in the contemporary world, and in developing effective medical responses. This course introduces students to the identification and interpretation of skeletal evidence for disease, the literary evidence for ancient medicine, and current clinical literature on disease. The laboratory component will include the examination of examples of pathology in archaeological remains and the process of developing a differential diagnosis of skeletal lesions. Prereq: ANTH 260

ANTH 320 Studies in Hunter-Gatherer Archaeology (Fall)

Detailed consideration of prehistoric cultural developments from earliest toolmaking to the transition to agriculture. An examination of the human mode of adaptation and the increasing complexity of cultural systems among prehistoric hunters and gatherers. Areas and periods of emphasis will vary from year to year. Prereq: ANTH 201/CLAS 221 or CLAS 205 taken prior to Fall 2009

ANTH 322 The Archaeology of the Great Lakes Area (Winter)

An in-depth study of the archaeological evidence for prehistoric cultures in the Great Lakes area from their arrival ca. 11,000 years ago to the coming of Europeans. Cultural ecology and cultural evolution will be stressed. Prereq: ANTH 201/CLAS 221 or CLAS 205 taken prior to Fall 2009

ANTH 330 Cultural Ecology (Winter)

An examination of the relationships among environment, technology, society, and culture. The increasing levels of complexity will be considered in the context of hunting and foraging bands, horticultural tribes and chiefdoms, pastoral tribes, and agricultural peasantry. Prereq: ANTH 101 or 102

ANTH 347 Medical Anthropology (Fall)

This course is designed to teach students the fundamentals of anthropological approaches to illness, health, medicine, and bioethics. It will cover the history and major movements, debates, and topics within the field. It will also include cross-cultural examinations of healing systems and contemporary problems such as those raised by new biomedical technologies within global health. Prereq: ANTH 202

ANTH 348 Anthropology of Tourism (Fall)

This course examines the nature of tourism as cross-cultural contact and critiques the phenomena of mass travel and globalized tourism. The various perspectives of anthropologists and tourists in understanding culture will be explored. Preqreq: ANTH 102

ANTH 352 History of Anthropological Thought (Fall)

An examination of the development of anthropological theory. The primary emphasis will be on modern and post-modern perspectives. Prereq: ANTH 202

ANTH 355 Human Osteology (Fall)

This laboratory course emphasizes the recovery and identification of human skeletal material at archaeological sites and in forensic contexts. Prereq: ANTH 101 and one of ANTH 201/CLAS 221, or CLAS 205 taken prior to Fall 2009

ANTH 361 Biocultural Examination of Primate Conservation (Winter)

Increasingly, nonhuman primate species are threatened by extinction. Because of its biological and cultural subdisciplines, anthropology is uniquely positioned to examine the intersection between conservation biology, the rights and well-being of local human communities, and effects of globalization. In addition, the examination of conservation efforts reflects a public-issues-oriented anthropology that engages intersections between political ecologies, local communities, governmental and non-governmental organizations, and the media. In this course, we will examine concepts of conservation biology, with a focus on the Order Primates. We will discuss the primary threats to primates in the wild (e.g., habitat alteration and hunting). We will also examine and evaluate competing conservation strategies, particularly in light of their ramifications for both the human and nonhuman residents. An analysis of case studies will be used to illustrate the impact of these threats and intervention strategies on nonhuman primates and their human neighbors. Prereq: ANTH 202 and ANTH 261

ANTH 400 Special Topics in Anthropology (Fall & Winter)

Seminar on current topics in Anthropology. Focus will vary from year to year. The topic for the Fall 2012 term is "Anthropology of Science". Topic for Winter 2013 term is "Advanced Readings in Medical Anthropology". Instructor consent required

ANTH 403 Anthropological Inquiry into the Origin of Language and Cultural Behaviour (Winter)

This seminar course will explore the origins of language and cultural behaviour from a biological anthropology perspective, addressing the question of how the ability to produce a complex symbolic system evolved in humans. The course will integrate multiple fields of anthropological inquiry, including humand and primate evolution, primate behaviour and cognition, and anthropological linguistics. Prereq: ANTH 202, 260

ANTH 455 Skeletal Biology and Forensics (Winter)

This laboratory course will focus on the evaluation of human skeletal remains in archaeological and forensic contexts. Topics will include determination of basic biological categories, e.g. age, sex, race, evaluation of paleopathological conditions, and aspects of forensic anthropology. Prereq: ANTH 101, 102, 355/450

ANTH 499A & B Honours Essay (Fall and/or Winter)

Directed readings and research in a selected area of anthropology inquiry. Prereq: permission of instructor.