University of Toronto at Scarborough 2002/2003 Calendar
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An introduction to the study of prehistoric and historic archaeological materials including ceramics, lithics, metal and faunal bone.
Students will carry out analyses on samples of artifacts, learning
about their construction, their functions and their development
through time. These studies will lead to consideration of the
survival and importance of "traditional" technologies
in both developing and developed modern countries.
Two hours of lecture per week and 2 hours of practical per week.
Exclusion: ANTD03
Prerequisite: ANTA01Y, [ANTC26 is recommended as a corequisite]
M. Latta
An examination of slavery as an institution in several areas of the world. Principal emphasis will be on slavery in the Americas through examination of the causes and consequences of the Atlantic slave trade with cases from Brazil, Africa, the Caribbean and native America.
Prerequisite: ANTA01Y
T.B.A.
The development of art, technology, religion and lifeways of hunters and gatherers living during the Paleolithic, from two million to ten thousand years ago. Examination of the two major cultural developments of the past ten thousand years out of which emerged modern human societies: the agricultural and urban transformations. The course emphasizes the ecological-adaptive factors and the archaeological evidence bearing on the beginnings of permanent human settlements, the domestication of plants and animals, and the development of complex social and technological systems.
Prerequisite: ANTA01Y or permission of the instructor.
An examination of the agricultural and urban transformations which gave rise to modern human societies.
The course emphasizes the ecological-adaptive factors and the archaeological evidence bearing on the beginnings of permanent human settlements, the domestication of plants and animals, and the development of complex social and technological systems.
Prerequisite: ANTA01Y
T.B.A.
This course examines the traditional cultures of Canadian native peoples through the media of archaeology, ethnohistory and oral tradition. Questions to be considered involve: the nature and source of political authority, the status and rights of women and off-reserve individuals, definition of educational systems, enforcement mechanisms and the rights of the individual and the ban to personal and collective freedom.
Prerequisite: ANTA01Y or ANTB15Y or BGYA03Y
This course examines a fundamental question in anthropology: is there a "human nature?" Myths, legends, and now film frequently use monkeys and apes as metaphor and model in which the "innate" being of humans is derived from them. This course investigates this desire to see ourselves reflected in other creatures by exploring the literature of physical anthropology and related fields which have sought to describe human nature.
Two hours of lectures per week.
Prerequisite: ANTA01Y recommended
An examination of the nature of myth and symbol from an anthropological perspective.
Using narratives recorded in small-scale societies of Amazonia, Africa, Australia and Melanesia, the course will critically examine various ways anthropologists make sense of myth. Myths are treated as idealized history, dogmas about the nature of the world and origin of humanity, storehouses of ecological information, and expressions of the structure of the human mind.
The course traces changes in themes and styles of myth interpretation, especially those that parallel shifts in sociological and psychological theories of symbol formation.
Prerequisite: ANTA01Y
An investigation of the similarities and variations among contemporary and traditional Muslim societies from an anthropological perspective.
Focusing primarily on the peoples of the Middle East and North Africa, this course seeks to explore the bonds of a common faith that is itself a social system, which unites the diverse cultures of the Islamic World.
Prerequisites: ANTA01Y or permission of the instructor
Described literally as 'deathtraps of humankind', urban centres in most westernized countries prior to 1900 subjected their inhabitants to crowded living conditions, poor sanitation, increased inter-personal contact and, at times, excessive mortality through acute infections. Using a holistic approach that embraces socio-cultural, biological, demographic and ecological concerns, the course will trace the origin and development of cities with particular emphasis on the importance and development of housing infrastructure, food bye-laws, water supply, sanitation system, medical facilities and their role in influencing the health of urban dweller.
Two hours of lecture per week.
Prerequisite: Any A-level course.
A cross-cultural study of systems of belief and ritual
concerning spiritual beings and the cosmos; of social actions,
rights, and obligations arising out of human dependence on spiritual
beings; and of magic, curing, witchcraft and sorcery. The course
is concerned with the anthropological study of supernatural beliefs
in small scale non-western societies. Topics covered (time permitting)
will be: the origin and function of religion; symbolism; myth;
ritual; shaminism; magic; witchcraft; divination; death; ghosts;
ancestor cults; and dynamics in religion.
Two hours of lecture per week.
Exclusion: ANT341H
Prerequisite: ANTA01Y or permission of the instructor
G. Gillison
This course is designed to complement ANTB05 by giving closer examination to selected issues in African ethnography. Case studies from different parts of the continent will be used to highlight problems in a comparative framework, as well as to illustrate major developments in anthropological thought.
Exclusion: (ANTB06)
Prerequisites: ANTA01Y or ANTB05H or ANTB20Y or permission of the instructor
T.B.A.
A cross-cultural examination of sex roles and gender constructs and their implications for the position(s) of women in contemporary and traditional societies.
The course explores how and why socio-cultural systems based on sexual inequality originate, how they maintain themselves, and how they change. Topics include: biological freedoms and constraints; cultural interpretations of femaleness and maleness seen in myth, ritual, metaphor and other imagery; economic and political aspects of gender relations, especially sexuality and reproduction; differences and similarities between small scale and complex societies.
Exclusion: ANT343
Prerequisites: ANTA01Y or WSTA01Y or permission of the instructor. [ANTB20Y is recommended]
T.B.A.
The purpose of this course is to learn field techniques in the study of non-human primates. The current subjects are Old World Monkeys (vervets, Cercopithecus aethiops) which were translocated to Barbados from 3 hundred years ago. Orientation and training sessions preceed the two weeks of field work. Observation is from dawn till dusk. Evenings are set aside for discussion, transcriptions and analyses. In addition, there are guest lectures from local ethologists and wildlife conservators, and visits to important sites. There will be some free time. Evaluation includes participation, preliminary research, field notes, log book and seminar and/or paper. Fees of approximately $1,500 - $2,000 includes air fare and local transportation, and shared room/apartment. Deposit must be made by May 30. Participation is by permission of instructor. Please contact Professor Burton directly for further information at e-mail: burton@scar.utoronto.ca or (416) 287-7345.
Enrolment is limited to 10.
Prerequisites: ANTB22Y (ANTC22) & permission of the instructor
An investigation of comparative economic systems from ecological and adaptive perspectives.
In particular, this course focuses on methods of production, both as a developmental process and as it relates to total societal frameworks. The course examines cross-cultural systems of production, redistribution, and market exchange, with attention given to the production and use of material objects in differing cultural environments, and to the effects of change on the ideologies surrounding these objects as products of specific environments. The marketplace is used as the focus for studying these features.
Prerequisites: ANTA01Y or permission of the instructor
Under capitalism everything is ultimately for sale; conversely there is currently a demand for public institutions to be funded by means of private donations. Yet both of these trends, the spread of commoditization into 'private' life and of gift-giving into public life, provoke uneasiness. What limits exist or can be set to commoditized relations? To what extent can money be transformed into virtue, private goods into the public "Good"? After a relatively brief consideration of what classic social thinkers (Marx, Simmel, Weber) have had to say about money and its effects, we will examine the anthropological literature on gift-giving, non-western systems of exchange and value, attempts to distinguish commodities from gifts and favours in the Chinese state bureaucracy, the tyranny of hospitality in a Yemeni town, and sacrifice and the collection of tribute in a Malagasy sacred kingdom. Finally, we will think about how Canadians understand paying taxes, giving alms, and donating to good causes (or what the University of Toronto at Scarborough now refers to as 'Advancement'). Students will be expected to construct and carry out a short ethnographic project on money in our own society, a subject at once obvious and mysterious.
Prerequisite: ANTA01Y or permission of the instructor. ANTB20Y is recommended.
Introduction and training in the methods and theory of archaeological fieldwork.
The course will provide introduction and practice in such essential field methods as excavation, topographic surveying and mapping, environmental evaluation, and basic artifact introduction and conservation. There will be special components based on criteria relevant to the site including site history, soils and natural resources.
Prerequisites: Any B-level course in Archaeology or Physical Anthropology or a B-level course in a cognate discipline.
A general survey of the role of political systems in a largely "development' framework.
Two hours of lecture per week.
Exclusion: (ANTB32)
Prerequisite: ANTA01Y or permission of the instructor. ANTB20Y recommended
T.B.A.
A consideration of quantitative data and analytical
goals, especially in archaeology and physical anthropology. Some
elementary computer programming, and a review of programme packages
suitable for anthropological analyses will be included.
Two hours of lecture per week.
Exclusion: (ANTB43); ECOB11; PSYB07; SOCB06
Prerequisite: ANTA01Y; [ANTB15 and ANTC26 are recommended]
L. Sawchuk
An attempt to understand the development and achievements of the civilizations of Mexico. We will consider the two main problems: the beginnings of agriculture and its effects on culture, and the forces which contribute to the emergence or disappearance of civilization. Students will become familiar with the art, crafts and architectural styles of the best known sites which typify the civilizations of this region.
Exclusion: (ANTB37)
Prerequisites: ANTA01Y; [ANTB03H and ANTB38H are recommended.]
An introduction to the establishment and diversification of native traditions in North America from a late Paleolithic hunting base to the emergence of civilization in Mesoamerica. The course will focus on processes of cultural change and on archaeological methods of reconstructing the past. Primary attention will be paid to the civilizations of the eastern and southwestern United States. At the end of the course, a field trip to Ohio will permit students to obtain first-hand experience of the remains of the Hopewell mound builders, one of the most interesting early traditions in this region.
Exclusion: ANTB38
Prerequisite: ANTA01Y
An examination of the biological, demographic, ecological and socio-cultural determinants of human and non-human population structure and the interrelationships among them. Lecture topics include population and societal strategies for survival and adaptation, population structure of small-scale and urban societies, and paleodemography and palaeopathology.
Prerequisites: ANTA01Y; [ANTB15 is recommended]
Human adaptability refers to the human capacity to cope with a wide range of environmental conditions, including aspects of the physical environment like climate (extreme cold and heat), high altitude, geology, as well as aspects of the socio-cultural milieu, such as pathogens (disease), nutrition and malnutrition, migration, technology, and social change. Behavioural/cultural, physiological, and genetic modes of adaptation are discussed within the context of a holistic, population-based, bio-cultural perspective. Case studies are used extensively. Emphasis is placed on applying theories and principles to contemporary environmental problems.
Two hours of lecture per week.
Exclusion: (ANTB44)
Prerequisite: ANTA01Y or BIOA03Y; [ANTB15 highly recommended]
T.B.A.
A "hands-on" laboratory course which introduces students to the methods of analyzing human skeletal remains.
This course is designed with the needs of Physical Anthropology and Archaeology students in mind, but has proven useful to students in allied disciplines. The first half of the course is the "Bone Biology/ Anatomy" part, while the second half is the "Anthropological" unit. During the first half of the year, lectures and labs will cover (1) the composition and microstructure of bone; (2) the development, growth, remodeling and plasticity of bone; and (3) the detailed "normal" gross anatomy of the skeleton and dentition. Topics and analytic methods covered during the second half include: (1) the recovery and treatment of skeletal remains from archaeological sites; (2) odontological description, including dental pathology; (3) osteometric description; (4) nonmetric trait description; (5) methods of estimating age at death and sex; (6) quantitative analysis of metric and nonmetric data; and (7) paleopathology. One 1-1/2 hour lecture and one 1-1/2 hours laboratory session per week.
Limited enrolment: 20
Exclusion: ANT334Y
Prerequisite: ANTA01Y or BGYA01Y; [ANTC16 and ANTB15 recommended]
T.B.A.
A comparative cross-cultural study of the problem of death and suitable treatment of the dead from the last Pleistocene to today.
To the archaeologist, burials are uniquely important because they are intentional depositions, intended for preservation into the future of otherwise lost complex symbolic systems. A selection of ethnographic studies of burial practices will lead to an evaluation of the way in which activities are assimilated into the archaeological record. Next, we will examine archaeological burial data to compare the nature of symbolic response to death with important social and economic cultural processes including the rise of horticulture, urbanization and the development of social stratification.
Prerequisites: Any B-level course in Anthropology
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, ANTC61H, 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. Specific topics include: the rise of infectious disease and urbanization, Tay sachs and World Jewry, palaeopathology and paleodemography, as well as social change and childhood mortality in the urban environment.
Prerequisites: ANTA01Y or permission of the instructor. [ANTB15 is recommended.]
With its complement, ANTC64 an examination of the historical and continuing relationship of humans to their food sources.
In Part 1, we take the evolutionary approach: we investigate changes in the human diet over millennia as humans moved from gatherer-hunters to domesticators of food sources. The attendant redistribution of nutrient within society is the background for issues relating specifically to food availability. Topics to be discussed include human dietary needs, the primate base, malnutrition and its consequences.
Exclusion: ANTC56
Prerequisite: ANTA01Y & one other full-course equivalent at B- or C- level in Anthropology
An advanced seminar course primarily for majors and
specialists in anthropology.
Topic to be announced.
Two hours of lecture per week.
Prerequisite: Permission of the instructor
M. Latta
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. Laboratory sessions will cover: methods of data collection and analysis, problem sets in medical genetics, karyotyping, the use of genetic markers in biomedical anthropology and the life table and the analysis of cause-specific mortality over time. Two hours of lectures and one three-hour laboratory session per week.
Exclusion: (ANTC45)
Prerequisites: ANTC51 and one C-level full-course equivalent in Physical Anthropology
This seminar course focuses on the intersection of body, mind, and self in cross-cultural perspective. Particular attention will be paid to the analysis of symbols, ritual, and the meaningfulness of bodily experience; to issues of gender and power; and to the healing process. Limited enrolment: 20
Exclusion: (ANTC46)
Prerequisite: ANTC61H or permission of instructor. [ANTC25 and ANTC11 are highly recommended.]
An overview of the history of ethnological thought. This course focuses on certain key theoretical debates which run through it and largely determine the "state of the art" today.
Evolutionary, diffusionist, psychological, cross-cultural, functionalist, structuralist, and hermeneutical approaches will be considered through selected writings from such major figures as Tylor, Durkheim, Boas, Kroeber, Malinowski, Radcliffe-Brown, and LÈvi-Strauss. An attempt will be made to understand these individuals in terms of the social and intellectual climates in which they wrote.
Exclusions: (ANTC16), (ANTC17)
Prerequisites: [ANTA01Y & ANTB20Y] or [permission of the instructor]
University of Toronto at Scarborough 2002/2003 Calendar
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