The following upper-level courses are recommended for anthropology majors and specialists interested in pursuing the topical interests listed. These are not required courses for the degree, but are recommended by faculty as key courses for students interested in pursuing these fields of interest as careers or for graduate study. These lists are intended to provide some guidance when choosing among the many upper-level courses offered by the Department of Anthropology at UTM.
Note: (SCI) = Science course, and (SSc) = Social Science course.
Additional tips
- Make sure to take any second year courses that you need for your third and fourth year courses. Course prerequisites are listed in the UTM Academic Calendar.
- Some courses are not offered every year, so check the Timetable Builder for current offerings.
- Students should review requirements for completion of anthropology programs.
- Use U of T's Degree Explorer to stay on track with your completion requirements.
View recommended upper-level courses for
- Archaeology
- Biological anthropology, evolutionary anthropology, and/or anthropology of health
- Forensic anthropology and/or bioarchaeology
- Linguistic anthropology
- Politics, policy & law (PPL)
- Sociocultural anthropology
- Generalist anthropology
Archaeology
- ANT210H5 Fantasies, Hoaxes and Misrepresentations of the Ancient World (SCI)
- ANT310H5 Political Anthropology of Ancient States (SSc)
- ANT312H5 Archaeological Analysis (SCI)
- ANT314H5 History of Archaeological Theory (SCI) (formerly Archaeological Theory)
- ANT318H5 Archaeological Fieldwork (SCI)
- ANT320H5 Archaeological Approaches to Technology (SCI)
- ANT327H5 Agricultural Origins: The Second Revolution (SCI)
- 300-level prehistory courses for regions of interest:
- ANT313H5 China, Korea and Japan in Prehistory (SCI)
- ANT316H5 South Asian Archaeology (SSc)
- ANT317H5 Archaeology of Indigenous Eastern North America (SCI) (formerly Pre-contact Indigenous History of Eastern North America)
- ANT358H5 Field Methods in Sociocultural Anthropology (SSc) and/or ANT364H5 Fieldwork in Language, Culture, and Society (SSc)
- ANT407H5 Quantitative Methods in Archaeology and Biological Anthropology (SCI)
- ANT414H5 People and Plants in Prehistory (SCI)
- ANT415H5 Faunal Archaeo-Osteology (SCI)
- ANT416H5 Advanced Archaeological Analysis (SCI)
- ANT460H5 Theory in Sociocultural Anthropology (SSc)
Breadth of knowledge in the other subfields of anthropology is highly recommended for archaeologists.
Students may also want to consider courses available through Biomedical Communications, Geography, History and Classics, Geology and other physical sciences, and the life sciences.
Biological anthropology, evolutionary anthropology, and/or anthropology of health
- ANT220H5 Introduction to the Anthropology of Health (SCI)
- ANT312H5 Archaeological Analysis (SCI)
- ANT331H5 The Biology of Human Sexuality (SCI)
- ANT332H5 Human Origins I: Early Ancestors to Homo (SCI)
- ANT333H5 Human Origins II: The genus Homo (SCI)
- ANT334H5 Human Osteology (SCI)
- ANT337H5 Anthropology of Growth and Development (SCI)
- ANT338H5 Laboratory Methods in Biological Anthropology (SCI)
- ANT340H5 Osteological Theory (SCI)
- ANT341H5 Anthropology of Infectious Disease (SCI)
- ANT407H5 Quantitative Methods in Archaeology and Biological Anthropology (SCI)
- ANT415H5 Faunal Archaeo-Osteology (SCI)
- ANT434H5 Palaeopathology (SCI)
- ANT436H5 Theory and Methods in Molecular Anthropology (SCI)
- ANT437H5 Advanced Seminar in the Anthropology of Health (SCI)
- ANT438H5 Rethinking Anthropology from a Community Perspective (SCI) (formerly The Development of Thought in Biological Anthropology)
- ANT462H5 Living and Dying: Topics in Medical Anthropology & Global Health (SSc)
Students may also want to consider courses available through biomedical communications and biology.
Forensic anthropology and/or bioarchaeology
- ANT205H5 Introduction to Forensic Anthropology (SCI)
- ANT306H5 Forensic Anthropology Field School (SCI) or ANT318H5 Archaeological Fieldwork (SCI)
- ANT312H5 Archaeological Analysis (SCI)
- ANT314H5 History of Archaeological Theory (SCI) (formerly Archaeological Theory)
- ANT334H5 Human Osteology (SCI)
- ANT340H5 Osteological Theory (SCI)
- ANT407H5 Quantitative Methods in Archaeology and Biological Anthropology (SCI)
- ANT414H5 People and Plants in Prehistory (SCI)
- ANT415H5 Faunal Archaeo-Osteology (SCI)
- ANT434H5 Palaeopathology (SCI)
- ANT436H5 Theory and Methods in Molecular Anthropology (SCI)
- ANT438H5 The Development of Thought in Biological Anthropology (SCI)
- ANT439H5 Advanced Forensic Anthropology (SCI)
- ANT441H5 Advanced Bioarchaeology (SCI)
- Prehistory courses for regions of interest (e.g., Archaeology of Indigenous Eastern North America (SCI) for Ontario & Eastern North America).
Students may also want to consider courses available through the forensic science program, biomedical communications, and biology.
Linguistic anthropology
- ANT362H5 Language in Culture and Society (SSc)
- ANT364H5 Fieldwork in Language, Culture, and Society (SSc)
- ANT365H5 Meaning, Self, Society (SSc)
- ANT460H5 Theory in Sociocultural Anthropology (SSc)
- JAL253H5 Language and Society (SSc)
- LIN353H5 Discourse Analysis/Conversation Structures (SSc)
- JAL355H5 Language and Gender (SSc)
Students may also want to consider courses available through linguistics.
Politics, Policy & Law (PPL)
Through detailed case studies and in-depth ethnographic research from around the world, anthropology of Politics, Policy & Law courses explore a wide range of contemporary concerns. The PPL focus has two strongly recommended courses – ANT217H5 and ANT468H5 – which serve as gateway and capstone courses.
- ANT217H5 Anthropology of Law (SSc)
- ANT207H5 Being Human: Classic Thought on Self and Society (SSc)
- ANT209H5 War, Trade and Aid: The Anthropology of Global Intervention (SSc)
- ANT216H5 Racketeers, Smugglers and Pirates: Anthropology of Illegality (SSc)
- ANT310H5 Political Anthropology of Ancient States (SSc)
- ANT350H5 Globalization and the Changing World of Work (SSc)
- ANT351H5 Money, Markets, Gifts: Topics in Economic Anthropology (SSc)
- ANT352H5 Protest, Power and Authority: Topics in Political Anthropology (SSc)
- ANT354H5 Capitalism and its Rebels (SSc)
- ANT365H5 War, Peace, and Revolution in the Middle East: Anthropological Perspectives on Political Conflicts (SSc)
- ANT357H5 Nature, People and Power: Topics in Environmental Anthropology (SSc)
- ANT358H5 Field Methods in Sociocultural Anthropology (SSc)
- ANT370H5 Environment, Culture and Film (SSc)
- ANT371H5 The Natural City: Cultural Approaches to Urban Sustainability (SSc)
- ANT463H5 Anthropologies of Water: On Meaning, Value, and Futures (SSc)
- ANT455H5 Toxicity and Environmental Injustice (SSc)
- ANT467H5 Are Media Turning Humans into Cyborgs? (SSc)
- ANT468H5 Anthropology of Troubled Times (SSc)
Sociocultural anthropology
- ANT335H5 Anthropology of Gender (SSc)
- ANT351H5 Money, Markets, Gifts: Topics in Economic Anthropology (SSc)
- ANT352H5 Protest, Power and Authority: Topics in Political Anthropology (SSc)
- ANT353H5 Disabled Cyborgs and Racist Robots: Bodies, Technologies, and Social Justice (SSc)
- ANT356H5 War, Peace, and Revolution in the Middle East: Anthropological Perspectives on Political Conflicts (SSc)
- ANT363H5 Magic and Science (SSc)
- ANT365H5 Meaning, Self, Society (SSc)
- ANT460H5 Theory in Sociocultural Anthropology (SSc)
Generalist anthropology (broad grounding in the various subfields, for maximum career flexibility)
Make sure to take any required second year prerequisite courses for your third and fourth year courses. View the complete list of Anthropology courses and descriptions via the UTM Academic Calendar.
Consider taking these core second-year courses:
- ANT200H5 Introduction to the Practice of Archaeology (SCI)
- ANT201H5 World Archaeology (SCI) (formerly World Prehistory)
- ANT202H5 Biological Anthropology: Human Variation and Adaption (SCI)
- ANT203H5 Biological Anthropology: Primatology and Palaeoanthropology (SCI)
- ANT204H5 Sociocultural Anthropology (SSc)
- ANT206H5 Introduction to Linguistic Anthropology (SSc)
- ANT207H5 Being Human: Classic Thought on Self and Society (SSc)
- ANT215H5 How Should One Live? An Introduction to the Anthropology of Ethics (SSc)
- ANT217H5 The Anthropology of Law (SSc)
- ANT220H5 Introduction to the Anthropology of Health (SCI)
Advanced courses:
- ANT312H5 Archaeological Analysis (SCI)
- ANT314H5 History of Archaeological Theory (SCI) (formerly Archaeological Theory)
- ANT318H5 Archaeological Fieldwork (SCI)
- ANT331H5 The Biology of Human Sexuality (SCI)
- ANT335H5 Anthropology of Gender (SSc)
- ANT334H5 Human Osteology (SCI)
- ANT337H5 Anthropology of Growth and Development (SCI)
- ANT338H5 Laboratory Methods in Biological Anthropology (SCI)
- ANT352H5 Protest, Power an Authority: Topics in Political Anthropology (SSc)
- ANT355H5 Disabled Cyborgs and Racist Robots: Bodies, Technologies, and Social Justice (SSc)
- ANT356 War, Peace, and Revolution in the Middle East: Anthropological Perspectivs on Political Conflicts (SSc)
- ANT363 Magic and Science (SSc)
- ANT364H5 Fieldwork in Language, Culture, and Society (SSc)
- ANT365H5 Meaning, Self, Society (SSc)
- ANT438H5 The Development of Thought in Biological Anthropology (SCI)
- ANT460H5 Theory in Sociocultural Anthropology (SSc)
