Anthropology Spring/Summer 2026
Application Deadline: January 30, 2026
Department of Anthropology, Faculty of Science and Environmental Studies
Lakehead University, Thunder Bay Campus, invites applications for a Contract Lecturer in the Department of Anthropology. Applications are requested to teach:
Anthropology / Women Studies 2116 SDE – Gender in Cross-Cultural Perspective – Web-based Offering
After a brief introduction to the anthropological approach, different cultural interpretations of gender roles and abilities are discussed. Homosexuality will be examined cross-culturally. How some human societies organize sexual differences by assigning work roles and other activities is also reviewed. Societies at various technological levels will be used as examples. This includes forager, horticultural, pastoral, agricultural, and industrial societies, specifically in Scandinavia, Japan, Russia and Canada.
Anthropology 3312 ADE – Medical Anthropology: Illness and Healing in Cultural Perspective – Web-based Offering
Medical Anthropology explores conceptualizations of the body, illness and healing from a cross-cultural lens. This course will examine alternatives to the western bio-medical model in terms of traditional healing and holistic interpretations of the body. In addition, the course will focus on Medical Anthropology as an engaged field of work by situating it within the political economy of global health and power/capitalist relations.
Anthropology 3811 ADE – Consumer Culture and Identities – Web-based Offering
This class examines intersections of identity, consumerism, and capitalism from a critical anthropological lens. We examine subjects and the psychosocial, and the places, spaces, and experiences of consumerism in relation to capitalism, ideologies, and surveillance. We explore questions such as: In what ways does neoliberal capitalism shape identities? In what ways do citizens reject the ideologies and practices of consumerism? In what ways are they complicit in consumerism, and what is the cost of that?
Anthropology 3811 SDE – Anthropology of Altruism – Web-based Offering
The purpose of this course is to explore the concept of altruism. Altruism has been defined as a belief in or practice of selfless concern for the welfare of others. The particular ways in which altruism has been understood varies dependent upon the theoretical paradigm. The course is divided into 4 sections where we will consider altruism from a philosophical perspective, in terms of economic anthropology and bioethics, within spirituality, and from an evolutionary psychological paradigm.
Start Date/Duration:
ANTH / WOME 2116 SDE – May 4 – 25, 2026
Web-based
ANTH 3312 ADE – July 2 – 23, 2026
Web-based
ANTH 3811 SDE – May 27 – June 16, 2026
Web-based
ANTH 3811 ADE – July 27 August 18, 2026
Web-based
Please note: This schedule is tentative and subject to change. Instructors should refer to the online timetable prior to the start of classes.
Qualifications Preferred: PhD in Anthropology or related field with significant expertise related to the topic they will be teaching. The minimum requirement is a Master’s degree. Experience with experiential learning and online or alternative modes of delivery is highly desired.
Lakehead is a comprehensive university with a reputation for innovative programs and cutting-edge research. Our campuses are located in Thunder Bay on the traditional lands of the Fort William First Nation, Signatory to the Robinson Superior Treaty of 1850 and in Orillia on the traditional territory of the Anishinaabeg, and Rama First Nation. Lakehead University acknowledges the history that many nations hold in the areas around our campuses and is committed to a relationship with Métis and Inuit and First Nations peoples. Lakehead has approximately 10,000 students and 2,160 faculty and staff. With an emphasis on collaborative learning and independent critical thinking and a multidisciplinary teaching approach, Lakehead offers a variety of degree and diploma programs at the undergraduate, graduate, and doctoral levels through its nine faculties, including Business Administration, Education, Engineering, Health and Behavioural Sciences, Natural Resources Management, Science and Environmental Studies, Social Sciences and Humanities, Graduate Studies, and Faculty of Law. For further information, please visit: www.lakeheadu.ca.
For further information, please contact Dr. Matthew Boyd. Detailed information on the Department of Anthropology and our programs is available at: https://anthropology.lakeheadu.ca.
Review of applications will begin on January 30, 2026 and will continue until the position is filled. The electronic application (in the form of one PDF document) should include: a curriculum vitae, statement of teaching interests and/or evidence of teaching effectiveness. A completed Confirmation of Eligibility to Work in Canada.pdf form must accompany your package. We encourage applicants with the Right of First Refusal (as outlined in article 19.03.02 of the LUFA/LU Collective Agreement) to indicate their status in their application.
Applicants should submit their electronic application to:
Department of Anthropology
Lakehead University
955 Oliver Road
Thunder Bay, ON P7B 5E1
Attn: Dr. Matthew Boyd, Chair
E-mail: anthropology@lakeheadu.ca
Lakehead University is committed to creating a diverse and inclusive environment and welcomes applications from all qualified individuals including women, racialized persons, Indigenous people, persons with disabilities and other equity-seeking groups. All qualified candidates are encouraged to apply; however, Canadian citizens and permanent residents will be given priority. This is in accordance with Canadian immigration requirements.
Lakehead University has an Equity, Diversity and Inclusion Action Plan 2019-2024 with a goal to recruit and retain a diverse workforce as measured by increasing representation of under-represented groups among applicants, candidates and hires. Experience working with Indigenous or racialized communities, and/or members of other equity-deserving groups is a strong asset. A lived experience or worked experience of any of these issues is preferred.
We appreciate your interest; however, only those selected for an interview will be notified. Lakehead University is committed to supporting an accessible environment. Applicants requiring accommodation during the interview process should contact the Office of Human Resources at (807) 343.8010 ext. 8334 or human.resources@lakeheadu.cato make appropriate arrangements.
This position is subject to budgetary approval.