The certificate program (30 credits) provides intensive training in the required skills of applied anthropology:
- the ethics of advocacy and advocacy-based research;
- formulating advocacy-based research questions;
- the ethnographic/qualitative field methods to investigate these issues;
- and the public engagement skills by which critical interventions on the basis of that research may be made.
This honours minor/certificate program in Applied or “Engaged” Anthropology requires 30 credits of which 24 credits are required courses. The program provides two high impact Experiential Education Community Based Research opportunities in which the applied anthropology skill set can be applied in real world context. There is one required course at each year level (2 through 4) plus an additional work placement capstone experience.
Course Requirements
i) Core Requirements (24 credits total):
- ANTH 2210 6.0 Advocate and Educate for Change: Applying Anthropology
- ANTH 3110 6.0 Acquiring Research Skills
- ANTH 4340 6.0 Advocacy and Social Movements
- ANTH 4130 6.0 The Professional Anthropologist
ii) And 6 elective credits chosen from the following:
- ANTH 2020 6.0 Race, Racism & Popular Culture
- ANTH 3030 3.0 Discourses of Colonialism
- ANTH 3080 6.0 Modes of Enablement: A Cultural Perspective on Physical Disability
- ANTH 3240 6.0 Sexing the Subject: Sexuality from a Cross-Cultural Perspective
- ANTH 3280 6.0 Anthropology & Psychiatry in Global Context
- ANTH 3400 6.0 The Politics of Recognition: Citizenship & Civil Society
- ANTH 3410 6.0 Race, Ethnicity and Nationalism: Us and Them
- ANTH 3420 6.0 Indigenous Peoples & Indigenous Rights
- ANTH 3560 3.0 Anthropology of the Senses
- ANTH 3630 3.0 The Anthropology of Illicit Networks
- ANTH 4160 6.0 Anthropology and Indigenous People's Health
- ANTH 4240 3.0 Nature, Culture, Power: The Anthropology of Environment
- ANTH 4330 3.0 Critical Issues in Medical Anthropology
- ANTH 4410 3.0 The Anthropology of Human Rights
- ANTH 4420 3.0 The Gendered Politics of War
- ANTH 4430 6.0 The Anthropology of Reproduction, Personhood & Citizenship
ANTH 4130 Placement Course Student Testimonials
My ANTH 4130 Placement experience has been one of the most valuable and enriching takeaways from my Anthropology degree at York University. Throughout this course, I was able to find a placement that provided me with relevant hands-on experience in an organization that focused on food sovereignty, indigenous knowledge, and relationship building. This diverse exposure to work experience has enriched my understanding of the possibilities an anthropology undergrad can undertake. It has also given me more soft skills that I can transfer into various jobs in the future. Aside from the amazing placement experience, the course has also made it possible to establish a stronger relationship with my professors, whilst having their full support throughout my placement. Ultimately, this opportunity has allowed me to be more prepared for my future aspirations, both at university and future jobs outside academia.
— Diego Lopez
Honours Bachelors of Arts in Anthropology & Kinesiology
I’m so grateful I got the opportunity to obtain the certificate in Advocacy and Public Engagement through York’s Anthropology Department. It has allowed me to seamlessly and simultaneously pursue my major in Media Arts and my interest in Anthropology, and apply the skills I’ve learned from each discipline toward my academic and professional goals. I was drawn to this certificate because of the socially-engaged courses and opportunities for professional experience. Thanks to the passionate and dedicated faculty, I have gained a multi-faceted perspective of the world and feel I’m taking so much more than a degree out of York when I graduate.
— Kristen Buckley
4th Year, Certificate in Advocacy and Public Engagement