Anthropology

Imagine student life in Melbourne; passing by vibrant street art on your way to class in the morning, and watching the sunset on the beach with friends in the evening. Whether you end up studying Māori  culture in New Zealand, take part in an archeological dig in China, or contribute to community-based research in Nguruma Village, Tanzania, you can immerse yourself in the languages and cultures of another part of the world all while finishing your degree. From exchange to internships and global seminars, check out the range of international experiences.

Our recommended exchange destinations for Anthropology students include, but are not limited to:

Put your language skills and cultural knowledge to work for you. Gaining paid, full-time co-op experience will help you explore careers in non-profits and community organizations, arts organizations, education, government, and the private sector with employers across Canada and abroad. Graduate with career skills, experience, and a network of professional contacts that will give you a competitive edge after graduation.

Build a career while you are studying through part-time, unpaid internships. Exciting internships are being created in local museums, galleries and culturally diverse non-profit and social service organizations like the Vancouver Rent Bank or the Chinese Cultural Centre. Apply your valuable intercultural understanding and language skills to the world of work and gain industry contacts along the way.

Work and learn in community settings like non-profits and inner city schools. Take a course with a community-based experiential learning (CBEL) component and develop an understanding of community contexts and the systemic factors underlying community needs. Whether it’s a course or signing up for Trek & Reading Week placements, or a grant project in community, you’ll build skills in real-world settings and make invaluable connections with people in community.

Join the Ten Thousand Coffees platform to find a mentor or meet with classmates. Connect with peers based on your interests to share ideas, insights and advice over a cup of coffee.

The Student Directed Seminars program provides upper-year undergraduate students (in 3rd year or later) the opportunity to propose, coordinate, and lead their own 3-credit seminar class with a small group of peers on a topic not currently offered at UBC-Vancouver. Each seminar brings together a group of highly-motivated students that explore and investigate a topic through learning activities including group discussions, research papers, presentations, guest lectures, applied problem-solving, and Community Service Learning. This is a fantastic opportunity for Arts students to share their passion for a topic, as well as build key skills in the areas of facilitation, time management, peer-to-peer learning, and more.

Choose from an urban ethnographic field school (ANTH 480) or an archaeological field school in either British Columbia or China (ANTH 306). Both courses offer hands-on learning experiences essential for training as an ethnographer or archaeologist.

Students in anthropology courses have numerous opportunities to participate in and advance their own research with facilities, classroom-based courses, field courses, the honours program, and opportunities within and beyond the department.

Just three credits shy of completing her Political Science major Vana made the switch to CENES and learned a very important life lesson, which is to always follow your passion. Vana loved everything she learned from the Scandinavian plays, Italian movies to great German literature.  The courses provided for a great balance between school and work-life. Today Vana is continuing to follow her passion by working in television for a NBC affiliate as an Account Executive. She is also writing a novel that will draw on what she learned during her studies in CENES at UBC.

Aisha Jamal graduated from UBC with a double major in German Studies and International Relations. She received her Ph.D. from the University of Toronto’s Department of German Literature and Languages. During her studies, she produced and directed her first documentary entitled Dolls and Bombs, which premiered at the Montreal World Film Festival. Aisha is currently holding the position of Assistant Professor of German in the Modern Languages and Literatures Department of Trent University in Peterborough, Ontario, as well as teaching Media Arts at Sheridan College in Oakville, Ontario.