First Year Courses

All of our 1000-level courses combine lectures with small seminars. In these courses you will engage with a wide range of materials and improve your analytical writing skills.  You will learn to develop your ideas in a clear orderly way, marshal evidence and construct persuasive arguments. You will also, of course, acquire a basis for the further study of Anthropology: an understanding of the complexities of human existence, an awareness of the importance of context (both geospatial and cultural), a working knowledge of the material record, and a preliminary understanding of the relevance, range and nature of anthropological research and theory.

Peterborough & Durham Campus 1000-level offerings are as follows:

ANTH 1001H – General Anthropology (Sc)
Anthropology is the study of humankind and anything to do with humans across time and space. This course surveys anthropology as a whole, emphasizing how biological, archaeological, linguistic, and cultural anthropology’s topics, methods, and findings combine to create a holistic understanding of humanity’s origins, prehistory, languages, and ways of life. Excludes ANTH 1000Y, 1010H, 1020H. Offered only at the Durham campus.

Sample syllabus: ANTH-1001H General Anthropology

ANTH 1002H – Applied Anthropology
This course surveys uses of anthropology to solve problems and achieve goals in business, sustainability, technology, development, health, education, forensics, politics, and careers. It explores ways anthropological research can improve the effectiveness of anything people set out to achieve, since humans are always part of the process. Offered only at the Durham campus.

Sample syllabus: ANTH-1002H Applied Anthropology

ANTH 1010H – Biological Anthropology I: Becoming Human (Sc)
Focuses on the biology and behavior of humans, non-human primates, and fossil hominins. Students learn how human form and behavior is shaped by local environment, biology, and culture. Topics include human evolution, skeletal biology, mortuary archaeology, primate behavior, applied anthropology (medical and forensic), human growth, and development. Excludes ANTH 1000Y, 1001H, 1002H. Offered only at the Peterborough campus.

Sample syllabus: ANTH-1010H Biological Anthropology I: Becoming Human

ANTH 1020H – An introduction to sociocultural anthropology
Covers topics such as the idea of culture and its role in shaping the way we see the world; the relationship between society and culture; and the role fieldwork plays in cultural anthropology. Students read classic and/or contemporary ethnographies. Excludes ANTH 1000Y, 1001H, 1002H. Offered only at the Peterborough campus.

Sample syllabus: ANTH-1020H An introduction to sociocultural anthropology

ANTH 1030H – Archaeology I: Accessing the Past
Explores the origin, development, challenges, and lessons of archaeological practice around the world, with a focus on specific, illustrative case studies drawn from the history of the discipline. Excludes AHCL 1001H. Offered only at the Peterborough campus.

Sample syllabus: ANTH-1030H Archaeology I: Accessing the Past