The Department of Anthropology consists of 15 full-time faculty divided into three major research areas: Archaeology and Bioarchaeology (11), Sociocultural Anthropology (3), and Linguistic Anthropology (1). Included among the faculty is a Canada Research Chair in Environmental Archaeology (Paul Szpak).
We specialize in:
Human/ environment relationships:
- Long-term archaeological perspectives on the relationship of human settlement and mobility with resource use, agricultural ecosystems, urbanism, food, and health.
- Cross-cultural studies of the constitution, use, and meanings of landscape, space, and place
Food, diet, and human health:
- Long-term, cross-cultural perspectives on diet and human health
- Food and drink studies
Materiality & the world of things:
- New Materialism, or semiotic interrogations of the meaning potentials of materiality
- The production and consumption of material culture, including behavioural chains, usewear, taphonomy, and technological analyses.
![Trent anthropology and archaeology student sifts dirt while finding archaeological artifacts that will be studied as an anthropology course](/anthropology/sites/trentu.ca.anthropology/files/2023-05/SQ_dirtsift.jpeg)
The Experience
Anthropology is the only discipline that focuses on all aspects of the human experience. The Department of Anthropology offers students numerous opportunities to participate in experiential learning - not only in the classroom, but also in the lab and in the field.