Program

Anthropology

Anthropology is the study of humankind, dealing with the origin, development and nature of humans and their culture. As such, it is concerned with human phenomena in the widest possible terms, both biological and cultural. It differs from other social sciences in its comparative and historical approach, and in its intimate links with both the natural sciences and the humanities.

Anthropology examines societies today and in the past, both complex civilizations, global and transnational interconnections, and relatively small-scale, non-literate societies. From this vantage point, Anthropology attempts to understand the common factors underlying human existence and the factors that produce social change and differences between people and cultures.

Because of its vast subject matter, Anthropology is traditionally divided into four subject fields: Socio-cultural Anthropology, Evolutionary Anthropology, Anthropological Linguistics, and Archaeology. At the present time, University of Toronto Scarborough offers courses within two major streams: Socio-cultural and Evolutionary. Some Linguistic Anthropology courses are also offered and are closely linked to the Socio-cultural stream.

Students intending to complete a program in Anthropology must take ANTA01H3 and ANTA02H3 within their first year in order to prepare them for more advanced courses. Students normally elect whether to pursue the Socio-cultural stream (which leads to a B.A. degree) or the Biological Anthropology stream (which leads to a B.Sc. degree) during their second year of study, but are encouraged to take courses in both streams. All courses in Evolutionary Anthropology carry a science credit.