Anthropology University of Toronto

Overview

About this Degree

Anthropology at University of Toronto examines the complexity and diversity of human experience, past and present, through evolutionary, archaeological, social, cultural, and linguistic perspectives. As such, Anthropology is a truly interdisciplinary venture that spans the natural sciences, social sciences, and humanities. This broad mandate has led to the division of the discipline into three broad areas of research: Archaeology; Evolutionary Anthropology; and the study of Society, Culture and Language.

Archaeologists study the material remains of the human past. Archaeological methods range widely, from the study of artifacts to the analysis of plant and animal remains, and Archaeological research covers a vast expanse of time from the earliest stone tools to the complex record let by modern industrial society. Archaeologists also grapple with a range of theoretical issues including material culture, culture change, identity, and ritual. Many archaeologists today also work in collaboration with local communities and engage with the questions of archaeological ethics.

Evolutionary Anthropology is the study of the biological diversity of humans, the history of this diversity, and the biological relationships between humans and non-human primates. Major foci in Evolutionary Anthropology include Human Biology, the study of modern humans; Osteology, the study of the human skeleton; Paleoanthropology, the study of human evolution; and Primatology, the study of non-human primates. Evolutionary anthropologists integrate biological and social variables in their explanations of the effects of evolution on humans and other primates.