Anthropology, M.A.
Anthropology
Head: Derek Johnson
Associate Head: Julia Gamble
Grad Chair: Fabiana Li
Campus Address/General Office: 432 Fletcher Argue Bldg.
Telephone: 204-474-9361
Fax: 204-474-7600
Email Address: anthro@umanitoba.ca
Website: umanitoba.ca/arts/anthropology
Academic Staff: Please refer to the Faculty at umanitoba.ca/arts/anthropology/faculty-and-staff
Anthropology Program Information
The department offers programs leading to the Master of Arts and the Doctor of Philosophy degrees.
Admission Information
Admission to the Faculty of Graduate Studies
Application and Admission Procedures are found in the Academic Guide.
Admission requirements for Master’s students are found in the Master’s Degrees General Regulations section of the Guide.
Anthropology M.A. Admission Requirements
In addition to the minimum admission requirements of the Faculty of Graduate Studies found in the Graduate Studies Regulations Section of this calendar, an advanced (four year) degree in Anthropology is the normal preparation for the M.A. program. Applicants without a background in Anthropology may be recommended for the Pre-Master’s Program consisting of up to 18 hours of courses from the undergraduate, and especially the advanced, curriculum.
Application Information
Students should complete and submit their online application with supporting documentation by the date indicated on the Anthropology M.A. program of study page.
Degree Requirements
Students must complete a minimum number of 12 credit hours of coursework at the 7000 level, including at least 9 credit hours of Anthropology courses. In addition a mandatory pass/fail ANTH 7000 Professional Development in Anthropology Course must be taken. Students must submit an acceptable thesis and pass a thesis oral examination.
Expected Time to Graduate: 2 years
Progression Chart
| Year 1 | Hours | |
|---|---|---|
| GRAD 7300 | Research Integrity Tutorial | 0 |
| GRAD 7500 | Academic Integrity Tutorial | 0 |
| ANTH 7000 | Professional Development in Anthropology | 0 |
| ANTH 7XXX | Courses designated ANTH 7000 or above | 9 |
| Select a course designated 7000 or above | 3 | |
| Hours | 12 | |
| Year 2 | ||
| GRAD 7020 | Master's Re-registration | 0 |
| GRAD 7000 | Master's Thesis 1 | 0 |
| Hours | 0 | |
| Total Hours | 12 | |
- 1
The M.A. thesis proposal must be approved by the advisor and committee.
Certain programs of study within anthropology may require courses outside the Department of Anthropology.
Registration Information
Students should familiarize themselves with the Faculty of Graduate Studies ‘GRAD’ courses applicable to their program. If you have questions about which GRAD course(s) to register in, please consult your home department/unit.
All students in the graduate program must meet with their advisor to determine their course load. Courses must be listed on the departmental approval form (available from the Anthropology general office) and written approval granted from both the Advisor and the department head or designate. Registration revisions are to be dealt with and approved in like manner.
Regulations
Students must meet the requirements as outlined in both Supplementary Regulation and BFAR documents as approved by Senate.
Supplementary Regulations
Individual units may require specific requirements above and beyond those of the Faculty of Graduate Studies, and students should consult unit supplementary regulations for these specific regulations.
Bona Fide Academic Requirements (BFAR)
Bona Fide Academic Requirements (BFAR) represent the core academic requirements a graduate student must acquire in order to gain, and demonstrate acquisition of, essential knowledge and skills.
All students must successfully complete:
- GRAD 7300 prior to applying to any ethics boards which are appropriate to the student’s research or within the student’s first year, whichever comes first; and
- GRAD 7500 within the first term of registration;
unless these courses have been completed previously, as per Mandatory Academic Integrity Course and Mandatory Research Integrity Online Course.
Students must also meet additional BFAR requirements that may be specified for their program.
General Regulations
All students must:
- maintain a minimum degree grade point average of 3.0 with no grade below C+,
- meet the minimum and not exceed the maximum course requirements, and
- meet the minimum and not exceed the maximum time requirements (in terms of time in program and lapse or expiration of credit of courses).
Courses
Anthropology
The course is designed for graduate students to develop the professional skills needed to pursue careers in anthropological research, teaching, and practice. The course prepares students for academic and applied careers through regular group meetings, participation in workshops, and departmental community outreach initiatives. This course is graded Pass/Fail.
Comparative study of a particular theme or problem in political anthropology.
An intensive analysis of religion as a cultural subsystem, dealing comparatively with ideologies, rituals, and ceremonies and the various anthropological theories put forward to explain religious behaviour.
Selected topics in the study of cultural factors involved in health/illness, with emphasis upon a particular cultural system. The course content may vary. Students can earn multiple credits for this course only when the topic subtitle is different.
Discussing key issues in museology such as collections and collecting, conservation, representation, repatriation, and restitution, this course will explore the museum as witness. Particularly examining how museums are entangled with violence, we will attend to memory as our approach for delving into both museums’ histories and their imagined futures. The course will bring scholarship, contemporary art, exhibitions, activism, and policy into creative and critical conversation on the state and idea of museums today. Not open to students who have completed ANTH 4080 or equivalent. Permission of Instructor.
This seminar examines diverse global conceptualizations and practice of human rights and social justice with particular attention to instances where human rights are emergent, and where they are contested or are subjects of conflict. May not be held with ANTH 7900 under the same topic subtitle.
Mutually Exclusive: ANTH 7900
This course will focus on anthropological studies and perspectives related to environmental issues. Students will gain familiarity with current academic debates and new theoretical approaches to nature, environmental rights, and environmental justice issues. May not be held with ANTH 7900 under the same topic subtitle.
Mutually Exclusive: ANTH 7900
An examination of the systematic nature of culture and its interrelationships with natural environmental factors.
Approaches and techniques in field research.
Data and techniques involved in the reconstruction of past environments, with special emphasis on the influences of environment on prehistoric cultural development.
Laboratory techniques for analysis and presentation of archaeological data.
An intensive survey of the archaeology of a major region or culture area of the world. Content will vary according to the interests of the instructor. The course content may vary. Students can earn multiple credits for this course only when the topic subtitle is different.
The seminars will consist of an intensive examination of major methodological, analytical and interpretive issues in current archaeological research. Content will vary according to the interests of the instructor. The course content may vary. Students can earn multiple credits for this course only when the topic subtitle is different.
This course is an intensive seminar on major methodological issues in archaeological analysis and interpretation.
Archaeological theory as seen from historical and contemporary perspectives.
An intensive examination of archaeological cultural resource management. Emphasis will be placed on current Canadian CRM issues and on practical applications of concepts and methods.
The course will cover the major theoretical, methodological, and practical issues in the analysis of archaeological faunal remains. Topics are addressed through lectures, demonstrations, and laboratory exercises.
PR/CR: A minimum grade of C is required unless otherwise indicated.
Prerequisite: ANTH 3990 or written consent of instructor.
In this course, a range of scientific methods that can be applied to answer questions in archaeology and biological anthropology will be considered. These include microscopy, 3-D and virtual technologies ancient DNA, and elemental analyses. Students will learn how many of the core techniques are transferable across fields and will learn the strengths and limitations of the methods. Not open to students who have completed ANTH 4470 or equivalent. Permission of Instructor.
A broad overview of the history of anthropological theory and method from the 18th century to World War II. Focus on British and American developments in the context of the rise of industrialization and imperialism.
Investigation, comparison and evaluation of contemporary approaches to culture theory in the areas of symbolism, social organization and ecology.
Investigation of major case studies, research methodologies, intervention strategies, and substantive areas of application in applied anthropology. Topical emphases such as economic development, health care delivery, resettlement schemes, will reflect the interests of the instructor.
An intensive study of human population biology in diverse environments inhabited by human populations. Emphasis on selected examples of cultural adaptability as a specifically human mechanism for dissipating stress on the biological system.
Analysis of metric and nonmetric morphological skeletal variation in human populations, with emphasis on the cultural and physical environment. Exemplary problems are drawn from the literature as well as from current research.
Selected theories of social organization in cross cultural perspective. Subject matter may include kinship, age grading, territorial groupings, social stratification or ethnicity.
Problems in ethnological research. The course content may vary. Students can earn multiple credits for this course only when the topic subtitle is different.
Special problems in Human Biology. The course content may vary. Students can earn multiple credits for this course only when the topic subtitle is different.
Reading and research. The course content may vary. Students can earn multiple credits for this course only when the topic subtitle is different.
Reading and research. The course content may vary. Students can earn multiple credits for this course only when the topic subtitle is different.