Anthropology Department
What makes us human? By exploring our past and other cultures, we can better understand humankind and how we relate to one another.
Why study anthropology at CapU?
Learn about our world and who we are as people. Anthropology is the study of humankind, offering views on the human condition from evolutionary and comparative perspectives.
Learning about anthropology at CapU may take you beyond the classroom, including the opportunity for field study or observation exercises. Our courses span these subfields:
Archaeology is the study of humans through the remains of their physical activities, usually through investigation and classification of sites and artifacts.
Also known as physical anthropology, this subfield focuses on human biology, past and present. Interest ranges from human origins and development to contemporary biological diversity.
Biological anthropologists explore the relationship between human biology and culture. Many study non-human primates in order to better understand the behaviour of our primate ancestors.
Social (or cultural) anthropology includes fieldwork to observe the relationship between people, culture and society in any part of the world in the recent past and present. This involves living or working with the community you are trying to understand.
Applied Anthropology draws upon the knowledge generated by the other three subfields to enable communities to deal with change, housing, healthcare, political and economic issues.
Careers paths and further education
Studying anthropology helps you gain a greater understanding of people from other cultural backgrounds. This broader perspective is useful in many fields of employment including government, health care, social work, environmental studies and education.
A degree in anthropology can open the door to work in teaching, research or museum studies.
Related programs
Anthropology courses can be applied to many CapU programs, including:
Flexible pre-major in anthropology
After completing two years of study you may choose to transfer to the third year of a Bachelor of Arts program with a major in anthropology at another post-secondary institution.
Find out more at the BC Transfer Guide's Anthropology Flexible Pre-Major page.
Anthropology courses
Introduce yourself to new concepts of culture and what makes us human.
- ANTH 121 Introduction to Social Anthropology
- ANTH 123 Introduction to Archaeology
- ANTH 124 Introduction to Biological Anthropology
- ANTH 200 Intermediate Social Anthropology
- ANTH 202 Anthropology and the Environment
- ANTH 204 Ethnic Relations
- ANTH 205 Multiculturalism
- ANTH 206 First Nations of British Columbia
- ANTH 208 Indigenous Peoples of North America
- ANTH 209 Anthropology of Latin America
- ANTH 222 Eating Culture: An Anthropology of Food
- ANTH 225 The Anthropology of Music
- ANTH 230 Anthropology of Religion
- ANTH 232 Archaeology of Africa, Asia and Europe
- ANTH 233 Archaeology of the Americas
- ANTH 240 Visual Anthropology
- ANTH 241 Archaeology Field School
- ANTH 249 Comparative Cultures: A Field Study in Anthropology
- ANTH 320 Archaeology and Popular Culture
- ANTH 323 Learning from the Past: The Relevance of Archaeological Research
- ANTH 340 Stuff: The Anthropology of Material Culture
- ANTH 342 Life's Passage: The Anthropology of Aging
- ANTH 350 Ethnology of a Selected Region
- ANTH 420 Contemporary Topics in Anthropology
- ANTH 490 Directed Studies
Student opportunities
Gain hands-on experience working in the field.
Experiential learning
Are you interested in taking your lessons outdoors? Archaeology Field School is an opportunity to excavate, find artifacts and apply the skills of a working archaeologist. The course is offered during summer, and excavation sites vary each year (applications for 2019 now closed).
The Comparative Cultures course is a field study in which students observe in depth a particular geographic area and its people.
Student resources
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Related news
North Shore News: CapU archaeology instructor Bob Muckle awarded for unearthing forgotten North Vancouver community
Cassandra Bill
Instructor, AnthropologyFaculty of Arts and Sciences
School of Social Sciences
Anthropology
604 986 1911 ext. 7322
Fir Building, room FR431
cbill@capilanou.ca
Gillian Crowther
Instructor, AnthropologySchool of Social Sciences
Anthropology
Faculty of Arts and Sciences
604 990 7963 ext. 7963
Fir Building, room FR429
gcrowthe@capilanou.ca
Gregory Morrissey
InstructorFaculty of Arts and Sciences
School of Social Sciences
Anthropology
604 986 1911 ext. 3507
Fir Building, room FR451
gregmorrissey@capilanou.ca
Judy Te Kanawa
Emergency Floor Warden Fir Bldg., DDA 1, School of Social SciencesSchool of Social Sciences
Applied Behaviour Analysis
Criminology
Anthropology
Economics
Geography
Political Science
Psychology
Sociology
Women's & Gender Studies
604 986 1911 ext. 2036
Fir Building, room FR401
jtekanawa@capilanou.ca
Karen Thomas
InstructorSchool of Social Sciences
Anthropology
Faculty of Arts and Sciences
604 986 1911 ext. 3654
Fir Building, room FR449
krthomas@capilanou.ca
Maureen Bracewell
Chair, School of Social SciencesSchool of Social Sciences
Anthropology
Faculty of Arts and Sciences
Women's & Gender Studies
604 986 1911 ext. 2498
Fir Building, room FR417
mbracewe@capilanou.ca
Robert (Bob) Muckle BA, MA
Instructor, AnthropologyFaculty of Arts and Sciences
School of Social Sciences
Anthropology
604 990 7853 ext. 7853
Fir Building, room FR431
bmuckle@capilanou.ca
Sandra Cooper
Divisional Supervisor, Emergency Floor Warden Fir Bldg.School of Social Sciences
Anthropology
Applied Behaviour Analysis
Criminology
Economics
Geography
Political Science
Psychology
Sociology
Women's & Gender Studies
Faculty of Arts and Sciences
604 983 7525 ext. 7525
Fir Building, room FR415
scooper@capilanou.ca
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Contact
Have questions about this department?
Anthropology Department
604 984 4953 Fir Building, room FR401 socsci@capilanou.ca
Student Information Services
604 984 4900 604 984 1798 (fax) Birch Building, room BR230 registration@capilanou.ca