Fall 2025 - SA 101 D900
Introduction to Anthropology (A) (4)
Class Number: 4420
Delivery Method: In Person
Overview
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Course Times + Location:
Sep 3 – Dec 2, 2025: Mon, 2:30–5:20 p.m.
Surrey
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Instructor:
Cristina Moretti
cmorett1@sfu.ca
Office Hours: TBA via Zoom and in-person
Description
CALENDAR DESCRIPTION:
Anthropology asks fundamental questions about how people live and interact in different contexts. Engages with contemporary social life around the world, including the relations among people, ideas, and things. Provides analytical tools to help understand the role of culture and society in our lives. Breadth-Social Sciences.
COURSE DETAILS:
What is culture, and how does it shape the way we move in the world, organize our lives, and think about ourselves and others? What makes social groups in different regions of the world different, and what do we all share? In this course, we will learn some of the main anthropological insights and methods that allow us to learn from different people’s lives, ideas, and realities. At the same time, our goal will be to question some of the habits and assumptions that we take for granted in our everyday life. Classes will be a combination of lectures, discussions, and small group work. Topics covered in this course will include space and time; inequality; families and kinship systems; migration; the environment; and anthropological research methods.
COURSE-LEVEL EDUCATIONAL GOALS:
At the end of the course, students will be able to
- describe and explain key anthropological terms, concepts, questions, and research methods.
- explain some of the ways that culture shapes ideas, societies, individual and group identities, language, space, and everyday life, by describing, analyzing, and comparing examples from different cultures.
- think critically about their own society, and engage with perspectives different than their own; recognize how their culture informs experiential aspects of their own lives.
- understand that power relations are a key force in shaping cultures and societies; evaluate the effects of unequal power relations in particular examples.
Grading
- Assignment on fieldwork/methods 15%
- Readings and course material responses 35%
- Course tests (including in-class essay) 50%
NOTES:
Grading: Where a final exam is scheduled and the student does not write the exam or withdraw from the course before the deadline date, an N grade will be assigned. Unless otherwise specified on the course syllabus, all graded assignments for this course must be completed for a final grade other than N to be assigned. This means that you must write the midterm exam, participate in at least half of the seminars, complete at least half of the discussion questions, give a presentation, and submit the proposal and essay. An N is considered as an F for the purposes of scholastic standing.
Grading System: The Undergraduate Course Grading System is as follows:
A+ (95-100) | A (90-94) | A- (85-89) | B+ (80-84) | B (75-79) | B- (70-74) | C+ (65-69) | C (60-64) | C- (55-59) | D (50-54) | F (0-49) | N*
*N standing to indicate the student did not complete course requirements
Academic Honesty and Student Conduct Policies: The Department of Sociology & Anthropology follows SFU policy in relation to grading practices, grade appeals (Policy T20.01), and academic honesty and student conduct procedures (S10‐S10.05). Unless otherwise informed by your instructor in writing, in graded written assignments you must cite the sources you rely on and include a bibliography/list of references, following an instructor-approved citation style. It is the responsibility of students to inform themselves of the content of SFU policies available on the SFU website.
Centre for Accessible Learning: Students with hidden or visible disabilities who believe they may need classroom or exam accommodations are encouraged to register with the SFU Centre for Accessible Learning (1250 Maggie Benston Centre) as soon as possible to ensure that they are eligible and that approved accommodations and services are implemented in a timely fashion.
The Sociology and Anthropology Student Union, SASU, is a governing body of students who are engaged with the department and want to build the SA community. Get involved! Follow Facebook and Instagram pages or visit our website.
Materials
MATERIALS + SUPPLIES:
All readings will be available through Canvas or the SFU library.
REQUIRED READING:
All readings will be available through Canvas or the SFU library.
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.
Registrar Notes:
ACADEMIC INTEGRITY: YOUR WORK, YOUR SUCCESS
At SFU, you are expected to act honestly and responsibly in all your academic work. Cheating, plagiarism, or any other form of academic dishonesty harms your own learning, undermines the efforts of your classmates who pursue their studies honestly, and goes against the core values of the university.
To learn more about the academic disciplinary process and relevant academic supports, visit:
- SFU’s Academic Integrity Policy: S10-01 Policy
- SFU’s Academic Integrity website, which includes helpful videos and tips in plain language: Academic Integrity at SFU
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.