Undergraduate students in Anthropology have many opportunities to become involved in research. Students often work as assistants on faculty-led projects, support or conduct their own research in the context of placements and as part of their coursework.
Outstanding undergraduate research is often published in Contingent Horizons: The York University Student Journal of Anthropology, either as regular articles or on the journal’s blog which features shorter, multi-media works that engage with issues of public concern. Featured on this page are outstanding research essays, original films and compositions completed by students in Anthropology courses.
How do “hockey culture” and identity intersect with mental and physical health among hockey players in their athletic community?
Identity on Ice: Intersections of Mind, Body and Identity
We’re all astronauts exploring our place in the universe. We’re collaborative lifeforms on a rock in space moving through the cosmos in the only place in the universe where life exists, that we know of.
Space Enthusiasts, Power, Kinship and Unpredictability: The Human Journey to the Cosmos and Outer Space Ethics
by Katrina Ince-Lum
ANTH 3110
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This essay only scratches the surface of the issues with feminism because still many narratives and stories go unnoticed. Continuing the works of bell hooks and other feminist anthropologists, I hope to see more space opening for women of colour, not just in academia or the workforce but also in feminism. No woman should be left behind in a movement aimed at helping their lives.
Polluted Narratives: The Consequences Feminism Had On Black Women In The Academics
by Brandon Shiga
ANTH 3230
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The sexualization and objectification of breasts in the SSA of Black, female bodies has existed for centuries dating back to the colonial era. Through storytelling, photography and the various displays of Black, female bodies, representations of the breast as sexual objects become widespread.
Breasts in Sub-Saharan Africa: Colonial Ideologies and the Cultural Control Over Women and Breast-feeding Mother’s Breasts
by Ishimwe Rushemeza
ANTH 3230
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While the dictatorship of Eyadema was corrupt and violent in its own ways, Togolese society still had an idea of where sovereign power was held, and to whom communities were beholden to.
A Critical Reading of Piot’s Nostalgia for the Future: Scenes of Neoliberal Dreams and Spectres of Deterritorialized Sovereigns in Togo
by Shannon Harman
ANTH 4110
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I use this paper to present an in-depth case study of the experiences of marginalized Black Americans living in the post-Black Power era.
Post-Black Power Era Inequalities and Strategies in Black American Urban Communities
by Balkirat Pannu
ANTH 4450
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On Tuesday, June 23rd, I conducted my interview with Edwin Iseense, a fifty-five-year old Brazilian born immigrant, who works as an IT engineer in Toronto.
Exploring the Challenges of Online Activism as an Immigrant
by Bernardo Athayde
ANTH 4340
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This research project will be focused on how the COVID-19 pandemic has impacted Toronto residents’ ability to maintain adequate housing. My focus is on renters in the city of Toronto and my main research question is looking at how the COVID-19 pandemic has impacted their sense of security.
COVID-19 and Housing in Toronto
by Siram Tortumlu
ANTH 3110
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The 19th century saw the emergence of new religious movements such as New Age, Wicca and Neo-Paganism. As Western modernity changed, people responded by attempting to carve out new identities and reposition humanity within the natural environment (Zwissler 2018).
Neo-Paganism on TikTok: Negotiating Religious Identity, Community & Authority Online
by Emma Anderson
ANTH 3110
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TikTok has prospered into a platform that has connections in multiple social and political institutions.
TikTok: The Algorithms in Identities of Young Women
by Maria Cappelletti
ANTH 3110
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Undergraduate Student Podcasts
Below are podcasts created in our ANTH 2110 course: Core Concepts in Anthropology, displaying students' exceptional work on the discussion of Japanese Canadians.
Throughout this podcast I will be discussing my chosen image of Japanese Canadians in 2 separate topic discussions which will go as follows. The first topic discussion I will be focusing on is who are the individuals in the photo and what is the significance of the Japanese Canadian Buddhist church in Toronto. As for the second topic, the discussion will focus on an audio clip from the Japanese Buddhist Church in Toronto. Lastly throughout this podcast there will be random yet interesting facts that I touch upon that correlate to my chosen image!
— Kailyn Jackson, ANTH 2110 Core Concepts in Anthropology
This audio recording tells the story of Terry Adachi, a Japanese Canadian man who worked at the Jackfish roadcamp during World War 2, during the period of Japanese-Canadian Internment.
— Gina Filarski, ANTH 2110 Core Concepts in Anthropology