Anthropology
Anthropology is the study of human life. In this program you’ll study:
- anthropological archaeology
- cultural anthropology
- biological anthropology
- social anthropology
- visual anthropology
Potential careers
What can you do with an anthropology degree? Here are a few jobs that relate the program:
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Indigenous relations advisor
- corporate ethnographer
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community engagement coordinator
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cultural program coordinator
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recruiter
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social media specialist
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communications coordinator
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human resources advisor
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media planner
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policy analyst
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research associate
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foreign services officer
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diversity officer
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fundraiser
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university admissions officer
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English as a second language (ESL) instructor
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secondary school teacher
- multicultural education specialist
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curatorial assistant
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heritage planner
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archaeologist
- advertising specialist
- marketing assistant
- market research analyst
- journalist
- design specialist
- survey researcher
- qualitative researcher
- epidemiologist
- immigration officer
- rural development officer
- research consultant
- public health educator
- land claims researcher
- legal counsel
- heritage site manager
- project manager
- police service member
- museum collections manager
- coroner
Some of these roles may require post-graduate studies or training.
Find a career that fits you
- Explore your career options at an appointment with a career educator.
- Attend career development workshops as you search for work.
- Enrol in the Your Career Starts Here course to generate career ideas and plan your next steps.
Experience & connections
Opportunities within the anthropology program
- With the Co-op program you can alternate study with paid work.
Opportunities outside your program
- With a work study position you can develop skills during your study term.
- Volunteering is a great way to give back to your community while you build skills.
Networks can you connect to
Here are a few professional associations related to anthropology:
Hands-on learning opportunities
These courses in the anthropology program offer extensive hands-on learning.
Course-based experiences
ANTH 315 - Living Technologies
Interact with expert craftspeople while studying material culture
ANTH 483 - Seminar in Cultural Anthropology
Work with archival materials in the anthropology of money and alternative currencies
Creative performance or exhibit
ANTH 303 - Anthropology of Sound
Experiment with soundscape production and perform for an audience
Creative or design project
ANTH 397 - The Archaeology of Death
Present research on mortuary practices with a website, magazine, etc.
ANTH 398 - Life and Death in the Viking World
Create experimental archaeology projects, beads, stained glass, etc.
ANTH 409 - Applied Ethnographic Film
Produce original ethnographic videos in teams
Field experience
ANTH 397 - The Archaeology of Death
Conduct fieldwork in a cemetery to record monuments and map them digitally
ANTH 449 - Archaeology of the Northwest Coast
Take part in field trips to study Northwest Coast archaeology
Field placement
ANTH 380 - Directed Experiential Learning in Anthropology
Gain experience working with an organization (150 hours)
Field school
ANTH 343 - Archaeological Field Techniques
ANTH 344 - Regional Topics in Archaeology
(Potential international experience)
Take part in an archaeological field project
ANTH 393 - Selected Problems in Anthropology: Cultural Anthropology
ANTH 395 - Selected Problems in Anthropology: Method and Theory
(Involves interaction with Indigenous communities and has potential international opportunities)
Gain practical field experience
ANTH 381 - Cultural Anthropology Field School Methods
ANTH 382 - Cultural Anthropology Field School Regional Topics
Learn the methods of fieldwork in cultural anthropology
Lab experience
ANTH 360 - Zooarchaeology
Research photographs in the BC Archive; projects may address community needs
ANTH 499 - Honours Seminar
Research, write and orally defend a graduating honours essay
These courses are not always offered as described.
What you'll learn
Every student at UVic builds skills all employers look for. At UVic Co-op & Career we call these "competencies". This is what you’ll learn in the anthropology program.
Knowledge
- understand and appreciate the present and past diversity of human life
- recognize multiple ways of knowing and
- gain in-depth understanding of particular peoples, places and histories
- understand select content areas of anthropology
- use the concepts, language and theories of anthropology
Methods and theory
- understand the history and development of major trends in anthropological theory
- apply ethnographic methods in the field
- apply archaeological methods in the field
- apply biological anthropological in the field
- draft researchable propositions, research design and data analysis
Biological anthropology
- understand primate behaviour ecology
- apply theory and methodology to the study of human skeletal remains
- reconstruct human lineage through the examination and interpretation of fossil evidence
- identify examples of human adaptiveness through modern evolutionary theory
- analyze the biological and social issues arising from pandemics
Cultural & social anthropology
- analyze and create tools to better understand how the contemporary world is changing
- understand the relationship between global processes, social inequality, the environment, health and technology
- conduct research through film, photography and new media
- understand how religion and religious ideas affect social life in ways that are unseen
Archaeological anthropology
- review archaeological evidence and records to understand the development of cultures and societies
- explore the role of cave art, personal adornment and symbol use in the evolution of human cognition
- understand the methodology and study of animal bones
- use the methods and techniques of archaeology with a field project