anthropology - askastudent

anthropology, major, minor, programs

if they don’t say no, it’s a yes

April 9, 2024

I’m from an Ontario high school, can I double major in Anthropology and Archeology and minor in Indigenous studies? Like is that a thing?

hey there,

well, have i got good news for you. *fishes in my pocket* here it is: to my understanding, yes, you can absolutely do a double major in anthropology and archaeology while also doing a minor in indigenous studies. i think that’s a really great combination, those programs compliment each other so well!

below is my explanation. there are a couple reasons why i think you might have asked this question, and i think i’ve got them covered.

1. are anthropology and archaeology too similar?

there is nothing i can find on the department of anthropology website or on the arts & science calendar that says you can’t take both anthropology and archaeology together. i get how it might be confusing because they’re both in the same department, and require several of the same courses. but if they don’t say otherwise, i’m pretty sure you can take them at the same time. because usually, if you can’t take two programs together, they’ll clearly say it on the program pages that i linked above.

and, it’s actually a good thing that archaeology and anthropology are similar. if you do choose to do a double major and a minor, you may be worried about fitting in all the courses into four years, since that minor adds on extra credits to fulfill. but you should know that you’re able to take courses that count towards both of these programs.

for example, if you took ANT100Y1, it would be counted towards both your archaeology and anthropology majors. hitting two credits with one class! that’s not the only one, too. there are many other courses i can see that overlap between these programs. work smarter, not harder.

2. can i take 2 majors and a minor?

another reason you might have asked the question is because it initially seems like you only have 3 program combinations to build your own degree with: one specialist, or two majors, or one major and two minors.

but these options are just the minimum that you need to graduate. some students choose to do more than this, and it’s great! the maximum number of programs you can take is 3, as long as one of them is a minor.

3. 12 distinct credit rule

keep in mind that there is a rule about having 12 distinct credits. this means you need at least 12 different credits that aren’t overlapped, and it kind of just makes sure that people don’t overlap their entire degree. like, there is a limit.

finally, i’d recommend checking out one of my recent answers to a similar question. and if you’re ever unsure about anything programs-wise, or need an Official Answer TM, literally just send an email to the department you’re looking at. they’re so helpful and will have answers, too. (it’s literally their job! take advantage of that!)

good luck with everything, hope this clears things up!

over and out,

aska

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anthropology, subject POST, UTM

tis a learning process, i am learning

January 9, 2020

I posted this before but didn’t make it clear I go to UTM, which made it confusing for you, I’m sorry. I would like to apply to the Anthropology Major (Science) program at the end of this school year. I am in my final year and will have completed all the requirements for the program by April 2020, however my CGPA is below a 2.00 at the moment and they require a 2.00 for program enrolment. I am not planning on doing any post-graduate studies, I just want to graduate.
Would I still have a chance in any way to make it into the Anthropology Major (science) program if I were to apply today? Is there a letter I can write? What can I do? I am slowly bringing my crap average up from what it use to be, but it may not be above a 2 by April. It is a type 2 post, but has some requirements.

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hey there,

got it! everything makes sense now. if a campus isn’t mentioned, my default is typically st. george, but i guess i should be looking things up for all three campuses when something doesn’t make sense. will keep that in mind for the future. thanks for being patient with meeee 🙂

i see the 2.0 CGPA requirement you were referring to now. mainly, my answer remains the same: you will still need to wait until march 12 at the earliest to request your program. should you get admitted, you’d accept your enrolment between may 10 and july 26. so you still wouldn’t be able to graduate in anthropology for june.

your best option is still to get in touch with the department and see if there’s anything that can be done. they’ll be the ones to advise you whether there are letters you can write, and tell you to whom you should be writing. i think you should also hit up your registrar— book an appointment with them and explain your situation. they might be aware of more possible avenues you can take, beyond what i can offer you.

be Boundless,

aska

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anthropology, subject POST

“i just want to graduate” me too, bud

September 30, 2019

i would like to apply to the Anthropology Major (Science) program at the end of this school year. I am in my final year and will have completed all the requirements for the program by April 2020, however my CGPA is below a 2.00 at the moment and they require a 2.00 for program enrolment. I am not planning on doing any post-graduate studies, I just want to graduate.

Would I still have a chance in any way to make it into the Anthropology Major (science) program if I were to apply today? I will obviously work hard to get above a 2 (but just in case). Is there a letter I can’t write? What can I do?

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heyo,

it’s been a solid two weeks of nothingness in the aska inbox, so this question feels like a curveball. i know nothing about sports and i have no business using sports metaphors. but man. i’m not too sure where you got the 2.00 CGPA requirement information from. sometimes people throw things at me i don’t recognize.

it does seem that the evolutionary ANT major, the science one, is a type 2, but when i checked out the artsci calendar, a 2.0 CGPA wasn’t listed under the enrolment conditions. i’ve actually not heard of a type 2 program that has a CGPA requirement, although i know there are type 3 programs like PCJ that look at CGPA.

so as far as i know, all you need to get into ANT is a grade higher than 67% in ANT100Y1, or higher than 70% in ANT203Y1. i dunno if those are thresholds you’ve managed to make, but that’s what the department would be looking for in order to let you in.

as for applying to the program, i dunno if that’s still something you can do today, per se. you did mention being willing to wait til the end of the school year, which you’re definitely gonna have to do if you do things the normal way– both program request periods are now over and i’m not aware of any exceptions. thing is, even putting yourself through the first of the two request periods will only get you in and enrolled by august.

what i’d recommend you do is contact the department. especially if you have all the program requirements down and you’re trying to dip from this school by june, it’s your best option. if anyone’s able to get ya in, it’ll be them.

as for your question about letters. there are plenty of letters you can’t write. i can think of a few. i can also think of a few you shouldn’t. all that’s relevant for you, though, is that if you don’t meet the requirements i highly doubt a letter is going to do anything for you. but i feel like the requirements aren’t what you thought they were, unless there’s something not listed that i’m just totally not aware of.

hope this answered your questions and best of luck!

be Boundless,

aska

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anthropology, registration, timetable

i can only speculate

June 8, 2019

if i can’t find a course on the timetable, does that mean it isn’t being offered? i’m really interested in ANT195H1 (Speculative Fiction and Social Reality) but when i try to add it to the timetable, it won’t show up!

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hey there,

ANT195 does sound pretty cool! unfortunately, it’s hard for me to say at this point because the timetable is still constantly being updated. i’m not sure if these are big updates or small ones. i tried looking it up too, both using the course code and by scrolling through the anthropology listings, and can’t find any mention of ANT195.

i guess if you really wanted to check on it, you could very politely email the department? thing is, if it hasn’t been finalized yet, the department may not even have an answer for you.

might wanna start looking into backups, just in case. ENG102 might be a good option if it’s the speculative fiction you’re into– my guess is it would be a larger course than the anthro one, though. lemme know if you need any other recommendations and i can try to dig those up for you! i would recommend you plan for something else for now, and keep checking up on the course as the weeks go by. maybe, with a little luck, it’ll come up. it’s still in the calendar, anyway, which is more than i can say for some of the courses i planned to take.

a side note — since the timetable is always being updated, it’s best to double check all your courses before your start time at the end of july!

over n out,

aska

EDIT 06/08/19: i’ve received word that the timetable actually has a few issues that need ironing out. eg. old courses appearing, current ones missing etc. there’s a possibility that ANT195 may fall into the latter category. i will add to this post if i find anything out, but i would sit tight for now.

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12 distinct credits, anthropology

upping the ANT(e)

February 28, 2019

Can I major and minor in the same thing? I mean they are slightly different. Like if I’m majoring in Anthroplogy (Science) for the BSc… and want to minor in Anthroplogy (Arts) is it allowed? My other minor is Political Science.

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hello hello,

sorry it took so long for me to get to this!

as far as the artsci degree requirements indicate, as long as you have 12.0 distinct full-course equivalents (FCEs) between your programs, you’re able to take both the anthro major and minor. i consulted the undergrad anthro page for your requirements, and it seems like if you’re careful with the courses you choose, you are able to get 12.0 distinct credits out of this combination.

i’d suggest you talk to your registrar just to confirm. degree explorer is also a useful tool we’ve recommended in the past, that can help you track this yourself.

this is kind of a weird one– usually i’d suggest you take a specialist if you love your stuff that much, but i guess one isn’t available for the sciencey anthropology. huh.

peace, love, and fairy dust (we’re team oxford comma here),

aska

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anthropology, applying for U of T, arts & sciences, international relations, programs

programs ‘n such

March 24, 2017
Hi Aska, I am a grade 12 student who just applied for INternational
Relations at UTSG, however I was wondering if it is possible to undertake a
double degree in IR and Anthropology at U of T? If so, what would the
course load be like, similar to majoring in both subjects or harder? As
well as, how long would it take for me to complete both degrees, would it
be the standard timeframe of 4 years or longer?

Thanks

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hello,

at U of T in the faculty of arts and sciences, we have programs, which are basically your major and minors:
1. a specialist (one discipline) e.g. specialist in international relations
2. a double major (two disciplines) e.g. majoring in international relations and anthropology
3. one major and two minors (three disciplines) e.g. majoring in international relations, minoring in anthropology and … english?
if you specialize (option 1), you’ll be going more in depth with one subject, but if you pick option 2 or 3), you’ll be able to dabble in more disciplines, but at a more shallow level. does that make sense? it depends on how deep you wanna go into the subjects you are studying.

what you’re referring to is a double major in international relations and anthropology, which is definitely possible.

each option is equal in terms of difficulty and course load, meaning that you can complete any of the three options in the “standard” 4 years. some people finish their degrees under 4 years by taking courses during the summer, and others take longer to complete their degree because they take a smaller, more manageable course load throughout 5+ years. both options are pretty common!

i hope this answered your questions!

peace and love,

aska
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anthropology, Portal, subject POST

retroactive POSt changes, not nearly as fun as retro music

September 8, 2014

Hey aska,
I go to the downtown campus and I’m starting my third year as an English/ anthro double major. One small problem. When I enrolled, ant 372 wasn’t categorized as group a b or c within the anthro department. This year, however, it’s in group c. Nonetheless, degree explorer keeps telling me it’s not a group c credit, and that I’m short a group c credit.
Log story short, is this happening because I have to stick to how the course was catagorized in my first year calendar?

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hey there,

degree explorer should be sticking to what the POSt requirements were in the year you entered the POSt. however, things can get head-achingly confusing when the department shifts courses around too much. so there’re a few things i’d advise you to do:

1) never take what degree explorer says at face value. though it should recognize the year that you entered the POSt (and it should list that year, actually), there is a possibility it hasn’t been updated, or some bit of data was input incorrectly, or a million other things that could’ve messed up the system.

2) ultimately, the people who decide whether or not you’ve completed the requirements for a POSt are the department. so contact anthropology, explain which credit you have and when you entered the POSt, and ask where you stand in terms of POSt requirements. they’ll be able to tell you if you’re still ok, or if there’s another course you need to take.

good luck with it,

aska

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12 distinct credits, anthropology, subject POST

versatility at its finest

July 24, 2013

Hello!

I’m on the precipice of my fourth year (of five) at U of T. And now, during course selections, I want to change my POST. Specifically, I want to trade my general anthropology major, my diaspora and transnational studies minor and my biology minor, for a double major in biological anthropology and socio-cultural anthropology. I believe I can do this and still respect the 12.0 distinct course rule.

Can I hold two majors offered by the same department? And, will I be able to continue enrolling in classes normally if I delete my current POST in order to make these changes?

Thanks for your time

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Hey hey

“Precipice” sounds like an awkward word choice right there. Why not “cusp”? Or “brink”? Something more “edge”-esque?

Anyhow, yes, yes you can enrol in those two majors together.

I’m going to be honest with you, my first reaction was “Lol no.” I asked another person who said “Lol no but maybe double check with anthro.” Then I emailed anthro — be tea dubs, the anthro undergraduate administrator is such a sweet woman! — and well… apparently you can certainly do a double major in anthro and anthro!

Naturally, of course, heed the 12.0 distinct credits rule, and remember that you can’t have more than 15.0 credit with the same three letter code.

But your ability to function on ROSI (e.g. enrolling in new courses if they suit your fancy) is based on you being in a proper subject POSt combo, so if you suddenly drop the three you have and linger in a state of “requested” for the other two majors, that’ll be a problem.

So for now, stick with the POSts you have and request the two majors — there’s no limit to what you can request. And then when you get invited to the new majors in September, THEN you delete the old ones.

Make sense?

Cheers!

aska

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