Undergraduate handbook

This page is designed to help students in the Department of Anthropology get the most out of their undergraduate experience at UVic.

It includes information on major requirements, as well as resources available to our majors and minors. You will also find valuable tips on career planning and envisioning your future.

Be sure to consult this page as an aid to your studies in anthropology; however, this page is not a substitute for advising. We encourage you to consult the anthropology undergraduate advisor (anthua@uvic.ca) on a regular basis to assist you in course and career planning.

What is Anthropology?

Anthropology is a broadly encompassing field within the social sciences that has undergone significant change over the last few decades. Formerly anthropologists focused primarily on the study of non- western societies, and most anthropologists worked in universities or museums. Today, anthropologists engage in research in a wide variety of settings, urban to rural, in Canada and beyond. The majority of professional anthropologists are employed outside the academy (universities or museums) and work in a variety of capacities in government, industry, health care, consulting, and more.

In broad terms, anthropology is the study of human populations and cultures in evolutionary, historical, and comparative frameworks. Our department’s curriculum promotes an understanding of the variety of past and present human groups, the processes that underlie human biological and cultural development and change, and how human society and cultures are maintained. We attend to critical processes and ideas, from globalization, inequality, and development to art, meaning, knowledge, and the significance of place. Students learn and apply the research methods and theoretical ideas used by anthropologists in their study of humans and their primate relations, past and present. Excavation and analysis of the remains of past cultures, observation of primate behavior, examination of global social and cultural change, and deep collaborations with partner communities are a few of the approaches anthropologists use to investigate the human way of life.

What can I do with my degree in Anthropology?

You were probably attracted to anthropology by its subject matter, but may be wondering how a degree in anthropology will prepare you for life beyond university. While many of our former students go on to pursue graduate study in anthropology, many others use their undergraduate studies in anthropology as a springboard for advanced studies in other fields. Others use their Bachelor’s degree as a foundation for moving directly into the workforce. As an anthropology student, you will gain both knowledge and skills that translate into a variety of work settings.

Individuals who report being satisfied in their careers are often those who combine a passion for what they do with the knowledge and skills gained through education. As such, the career trajectories open to anthropology students are as diverse as the wide-ranging interests and passions that our students bring to their studies. We offer a few examples below but encourage you to reflect on your own interests and passions and how you might connect those to the skills and knowledge that you will acquire as a student of anthropology.

• Anthropology students learn how to analyze social relations and understand how culture influences human behaviour, as for example the cultural determinants of health and to healthcare access. This knowledge can be applied cross-culturally, providing students with the capacity to work with diverse groups in international settings. In an increasingly globalized world, the cross-cultural perspective of anthropology students is a valued skill that graduates bring to their future careers in related fields such as education, public health, and cultural resource and heritage management
• The Department’s emphasis on Indigenous knowledge provides students with an awareness of Indigenous and non-Indigenous relations in Canada and abroad. This knowledge has led graduates to pursue work with Indigenous communities and others working toward reconciliation in Canada.
• Anthropology students learn how to derive, evaluate, and produce knowledge from a variety of sources including artefacts, field observation, interviews, and statistics. When combined with an emphasis on problem-solving and critical analysis fostered by anthropological coursework, these skills can be used to interpret a wide range of information. Students gain specialized skills through advanced courses in Anthropology’s subfields: archaeology, biological anthropology, and sociocultural anthropology. UVic’s Department of Anthropology is one of the few in Canada that offers training in visual anthropology, which can be applied to careers in museums, film, photography, design, and mass media.

Field Schools

Programs

• BSc Major: Combine your study for a BSc in Anthropology with a broad range of electives in anthropology and other subjects. 
• BA Major: Combine your study of Anthropology with a broad range of electives in Anthropology and other subjects. 
• Minor: Flexible program for students whose interests lie in other areas in addition to Anthropology. 
• Honours: The honours program is for third- and fourth-year BA and BSc major students who want to study anthropology more intensively and independently. It is ideal for students considering a professional career or moving on to graduate If you wish to do an Honours program, please consult with our current Honours advisor.

Co-op and Career services

Anthropology students have had co-op placements such as:

• trip facilitator with Me to We in Kenya
• documentarian and archaeologist in Ghana
• heritage interpreter and guide in Drumheller, Alberta
• Chinatown street interpreter in the historic town of Barkerville, BC
• Traditional Land & Marine Use Researcher, TSeycum First Nation
• Archeological Collections Assistant, Royal BC Museum
• Research Assistant, Aboriginal Affairs and Northern Development Canada

Meet our faculty

The Department of Anthropology is an active community of collaborative teachers, learners, and researchers who are forging creative connections between anthropology’s traditional subfields of archaeology, biological anthropology, and sociocultural anthropology in relation to the department’s thematic foci: Evolution and Ecology; Inequality, Culture, and Health; Space, Place, Knowledge, and Power; and Visual Anthropology and Materiality.

Visit our website for a full listing of faculty, a description of their research interests, and recent publications as well as the community research map of where our faculty are working around the world.

See our facilities

Get involved

While there is much to be gained from your course work in anthropology, we encourage you to become part of our anthropological community outside the classroom as well. There are a variety of ways to become involved and interact with faculty, graduate students, and other undergraduates while expanding your anthropological horizons.

• A.S.C. - an undergraduate course union for the Department of Anthropology at UVic that organizes fun and inclusive events (social and academic) to bring anthropology students together
• Anthropology Colloquium series - on Mondays during fall and spring terms. This series welcomes speakers from UVic (faculty and graduate students) and from all over North America. Everyone welcome. See the website for upcoming (and past) speakers.
• Currents in Anthropology conference – great place to present your research, whether a project completed for an anthropology course, research you did for JCURA, or other research. See the website for more details.
• Volunteer research opportunities - faculty and graduate students can sometimes provide opportunities for undergraduate students to become involved in ongoing research projects. See our faculty and their research here and reach out directly to those you are interested in working with to see if they have any opportunity available. Any volunteer (or paid) research opportunities are usually circulated via our undergraduate mailing list. You can subscribe to the list here.
• PlatForum - a peer-reviewed journal published by UVic anthropology graduate students

• Work Study - program funded by Student Awards and Financial Aid (SAFA) with the objective to provide additional financial assistance through on-campus part-time employment opportunities for students with documented financial need.

Advising

Planning and getting the right information at the right time are key to any successful endeavor. There are a number of people in the Department of Anthropology who are available to help you with the decisions you need to make in order to achieve your academic and career goals:

• Melissa Gauthier: Undergraduate Advisor: anthua@uvic.ca
• Melissa Gauthier: Honours Advisor: anthhonours@uvic.ca
• Daromir Rudnyckyj (Graduate Advisor) anthgs@uvic.ca

We can help you with field school opportunities, career planning, and choices related to graduate school as well as making sure you are on the right track in terms of the courses you need to satisfy your degree requirements. It is also a good idea to speak to any of our faculty members whose field of expertise interests you to get a sense of some of the career paths open to you and how best to prepare for them.

Faculty members who do not currently serve on the Undergraduate Committee are also available for student advising. We encourage you to seek advice from faculty members that you’ve come to know through course work or participation in a research project.

Please note that this handbook is not intended as a substitute for advising. Be sure to meet with an advisor in the Department throughout your career at UVic.

Awards and Scholarships

 More on funding here.

FAQs