Anthropology Brandon University

Overview

Anthropology, taught at Brandon University, is a broad field spanning four sub-fields:

• Biological Anthropology (the evolution of our species, modern physical variation)
• Archaeology (the study of ancient peoples though their material remains)
• Sociocultural Anthropology (the study, description, and analysis of culture, society, and humanity)

• Linguistic Anthropology (the study of language)

Key Facts

Archaeologists study past people through the material they left behind:

• pottery and stone tools
• bones of food animals
• art and building 

They explore how past peoples lived:

• the food they ate
• the tools they used
• the shelters they built
• their social organization
• their world views

Biological Anthropology

Biological anthropologists study past people through their skeletal remains. They determine:

• age
• sex
• diet
• presence of disease
• to understand peoples’ lives.

A Forensic Anthropologist is a specially trained biological anthropologist who works with medical examiners and the police to help locate, recover and analyze human skeletal remains that are associated with a medico-legal investigation.

Socio-cultural Anthropologists use socially and politically engaged methods to study social patterns, practices and beliefs within and across cultures. They explore people’s experience of life and the ways social and cultural life is organized, governed and given meaning.

Socio-Cultural anthropology at BU focuses on issues of:

• Gender & Religion
• Health & medicine
• Political & economic systems
• Violence, conflict & warfare
• International development & globalization

Careers

Professional archaeologists:

• Excavate sites that could be damaged by construction activities
• Work in museums
• Enforce heritage legislation that protects archaeological sites

Biological anthropology can help prepare you for:

• Graduate school & forensic anthropology
• Medical & Law school & related fields
• Careers in human & primate biology
• Archaeology & museum careers

Socio-cultural anthropology prepares you for:

• Graduate school
• Nursing & Medical School
• Employment with Canadian & global private, NGO & government agencies
• Social advocacy & activism