Anthropology

This course introduce the principles and significance of research methodology in anthropology, with an emphasis on both theoretical understanding and practical application. It covers designing and conducting anthropological research, using qualitative and, when relevant, quantitative approaches. Particular attention is given to fieldwork methods, ethical considerations, and the collection, analysis, and interpretation of anthropological data (interviews, participant observation, surveys, archives). The course also develops proficiency in organizing, processing, and critically analyzing information produced during research.

This course examines the study of the ‘blue’ spaces of our planet—oceans, rivers, reefs, and inland bodies of water—through case studies in the arts and literature. Using the vantage point in Te Moana-nui-a-Kiwa, “The Great Connector”, it considers environments and peoples whose lives are explicitly connected with and determined by the ocean. It considers kinship, sovereignty, and belonging through aesthetic, historical, religious, political, social, and material manifestations. Situated around issues of ocean acidification, pollution, and sea-level rise, it critically reflects on ways the humanities can improve our knowledge of cultures, histories, publics and practices of the blue planet.

This course provides an overview of the history of contemporary anthropology, as well as to examine certain changes in the society of the People’s Republic of China from an anthropological perspective. To this end, students read newspaper articles and academic research articles, in French and possibly in English; class time is devoted to collectively discussing the content of these articles.

This introductory level course provides a critical review of the evolution of notions of the human to the present day from a philosophical, anthropological, historical, social, and technological perspective.

The course investigates current problems from a posthumanist dimension articulated with at least two of the following perspectives: social, cultural, technological, or ethical, to highlight possible individual and collective impacts, in a way that promotes metacognitive reflection and action on the student's responsibility as an agent of change. Class discussions will focus on personal learning experiences and the usefulness of the post humanist perspective in one's daily reality.

Our contemporary world continues to be shaped by many different kinds of empire: from the nation states that assert political and military control over mineral resources in foreign lands to the global corporations that control public access to medicines, food, and telecommunications; from attempts to unify new territories and populations by force to attempts to expand global markets under the banner of freedom and liberation. This course asks, how are we to understand Empires today. How might we approach Empires as cultural projects of power and control? How might we approach Empires from the perspective of those without them? What does it mean to consider contemporary Empires in the light of colonialism? And how might the study of past Empires help us to reflect on the limits to globalizing ambition?
 

This course explores key currents in classical and contemporary anthropology through three complementary approaches. First, it examines the multiple relationships between anthropology and history, focusing not only on historical disciplines but also on how anthropologists engage with historical processes, practices, and modes of thought. Particular attention is given to ethnohistory, historical social anthropology, and reflexive approaches to the history of anthropology, as well as to dialogue with major traditions in French and international historiography. Second, the course introduces the anthropology of contemporary worlds. Rather than attempting an exhaustive account of modern society, it focuses on selected themes that characterize the present era, including globalization, (post)colonialism, multiculturalism, and their impacts on identity formation, cultural transmission, and everyday life. Topics may include cultural production (mass media, cinema, music), digital and virtual social worlds, sport, food, and other key domains of contemporary anthropological research. Finally, tutorial sessions are devoted to the close reading and discussion of classical and contemporary anthropological texts, reinforcing concepts introduced in lectures and developing students’ analytical and interpretive skills.

This course situates migration within broader social and economic contexts. To understand human mobility, it conceives migration as an intrinsic part of wider processes of economic and social change, rather than as a “problem to be solved”. Drawing on empirical and theoretical work, it demonstrates the contradictions and continuities in how migration has been understood in social science scholarship and explores how migration affects key areas of the economy and society, including implications from a public health perspective. By examining historical and contemporary examples, the course shows how migration patterns evolve in response to shifting economic demands, political decisions and social transformations.

This introductory course fosters an evolutionary understanding of the human body, thought, emotion, behavior, society, and culture, and it is offered as a basic class open to students from any academic background.  

“Evolution” is the key concept for scientifically investigating the characteristic patterns of human thought, emotion, and behavior, as well as sociocultural phenomena. 
Drawing on intriguing findings from anthropology, cognitive neuroscience, evolutionary psychology, and behavioral ecology, we address a wide range of issues in individual lives and sociocultural contexts from an evolutionary perspective. 

Topics include Evolutionary inquiries for humans, Foundations of evolutionary theory, Overview of human evolutionary history, Evolutionary approaches to mind and behavior, Sex and mating, Family and kinship, Group life and sociality, Culture and religion.

This course examines the diverse roles Aboriginal women have played in Indigenous and Settler societies and investigates historical and contemporary issues and the activism and leadership that Aboriginal women have undertaken. It covers activism and leadership, agency, and power from both Indigenous and non-Indigenous standpoints. It looks at Aboriginal women in contemporary times as well as from early colonial days and on the missions, Aboriginal women feminism and the making of a nation, Aboriginal women’s literature and roles in higher education, Indigenous women in sport, social and emotional wellbeing, as well as Aboriginal women and criminal justice.

Stonehenge is the world's most famous stone circle, dating from the Neolithic and Early Bronze Age. An iconic symbol of mystery and counter-culture, it has attracted attention from enthusiasts around the world who have come up with myriad and often bizarre interpretations of who built it, how and why. This course explores Stonehenge and other monumental constructions within their social, cultural, and landscape context, allowing Stonehenge to be understood within the world of prehistoric Britain and Europe from the adoption of farming to the development of copper and bronze metallurgy. The course examines the history of archaeological research on Stonehenge, and the nature of social change from the Neolithic to the Bell Beaker period and the Early Bronze Age. With many recent investigations of Stonehenge and its wider context producing a wealth of new evidence, this course brings students up to date on our knowledge of this fascinating period in prehistory.