Summer 2025 - ARCH 322 D100
Special Topics in Biological Anthropology I (3)
Class Number: 3721
Delivery Method: In Person
Overview
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Course Times + Location:
May 12 – Aug 8, 2025: Wed, 2:30–5:20 p.m.
Burnaby
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Instructor:
Casey Kirkpatrick
clkirkpa@sfu.ca
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Instructor:
Casey Kirkpatrick
clkirkpa@sfu.ca
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Prerequisites:
ARCH 131.
Description
CALENDAR DESCRIPTION:
Select topics relating to biological anthropology. Variable units: 3, 4, 5.
COURSE DETAILS:
COVID-19 has highlighted the immeasurable impact that outbreaks, epidemics and pandemics can have on societies and even on the world as a whole. It is just the latest in a long history of deadly infectious diseases that have affected human populations. Informed by archaeological and historical data, this course will examine the origins of various infectious diseases and the biological and sociocultural factors that have contributed to the sudden spread of diseases in the distant and more recent past. It will follow the spread of diseases through major historical changes such as transitions to sedentism and agriculture, urbanism, trans-oceanic travel, industrialization, and globalization. It will also examine the impact of diseases on shaping human history and scientific advancement. Discussions of cultural perceptions of disease, the impact of inequality on human health, and the materiality of disease will also be included in this course.
Grading
- Participation 10%
- Presentation 20%
- Midterm Exam 35%
- Final Exam 35%
Materials
REQUIRED READING:
Plagues upon the Earth: disease and the course of human history, Kyle Harper, 2021, – Available online through the SFU library
ISBN: 0-691-22472-2
REQUIRED READING NOTES:
Your personalized Course Material list, including digital and physical textbooks, are available through the SFU Bookstore website by simply entering your Computing ID at: shop.sfu.ca/course-materials/my-personalized-course-materials.
Department Undergraduate Notes:
Students with hidden or visible disabilities who may need class or exam accommodations, including in the context of remote learning, are advised to register with the SFU Centre for Accessible Learning (caladmin@sfu.ca or 778-782-3112) as soon as possible to ensure that they are eligible and that approved accommodations and services are implemented in a timely fashion.
Deferred grades will be given only on the basis of authenticated medical disability.
Registrar Notes:
ACADEMIC INTEGRITY: YOUR WORK, YOUR SUCCESS
SFU’s Academic Integrity website http://www.sfu.ca/students/academicintegrity.html is filled with information on what is meant by academic dishonesty, where you can find resources to help with your studies and the consequences of cheating. Check out the site for more information and videos that help explain the issues in plain English.
Each student is responsible for his or her conduct as it affects the university community. Academic dishonesty, in whatever form, is ultimately destructive of the values of the university. Furthermore, it is unfair and discouraging to the majority of students who pursue their studies honestly. Scholarly integrity is required of all members of the university. http://www.sfu.ca/policies/gazette/student/s10-01.html
RELIGIOUS ACCOMMODATION
Students with a faith background who may need accommodations during the term are encouraged to assess their needs as soon as possible and review the Multifaith religious accommodations website. The page outlines ways they begin working toward an accommodation and ensure solutions can be reached in a timely fashion.