Cultural Anthropology
Please note: Information on this page relates to the 2016 academic year unless otherwise specified.
This subject is taught by the School of Social and Cultural Studies.
Overview
Cultural anthropology studies cultural diversity in a wide range of local and global settings. It explores the role of culture in shaping all areas of our lives, such as our families and gender norms, our economic and political structures, our rituals and modes of creative expression, and our social conflicts and systems of reconciliation. Cultural anthropology also explores how individuals and groups become the makers of history and social change, examining how our systems of meaning and beliefs are contested and transform over time.
Anthropology literally means 'the study of human beings', while cultures are patterns of human behaviour and knowledge that every human learns as a member of a society. Cultural Anthropology focuses on how these cultural patterns shape our experiences. Anthropologists carry out research using the unique method of participant observation; they often live with the people they study for over a year, learn their language, and adopt their daily habits, gaining in-depth and firsthand insights into their way of life. This leads them to produce ethnographies: richly detailed texts describing the life and experiences of a cultural group.
Students majoring in Cultural Anthropology towards a Bachelor of Arts (BA), will explore how culture is expressed in areas such as ritual, symbolism, language, personality, religion, inequality, gender, family, art and politics. We compare life in New Zealand to the way people live in a range of diverse locations around the world. Understanding how other societies organise their lives and give meaning to their existence also increases our understanding of our own cultural worlds.
Cultural Anthropology lecturers at Victoria have research expertise in such fields as: ritual, migration, inequality, ethnicity, psychological anthropology, historical anthropology, colonisation, indigenous peoples, and charity and development. They have carried out research in countries such as Greece, Italy, New Zealand, Germany, Canada, Papua New Guinea and the Cook Islands.
Undergraduate information
Cultural Anthropology major requirements
- ANTH 101 and 102
- 40 points from ANTH 200-299
- 40 points from ANTH 300-399
Postgraduate information
Postgraduate qualifications in Cultural Anthropology
For information specific to Cultural Anthropology, please see our Postgraduate Study page. For information about the postgraduate qualifications, please click on the Faculty links below.
How to find out more
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If you need help deciding what degree might be right for you, or what courses to take, talk with a liaison officer or book a course planning session with us, call 0800 VICTORIA (842 867) or email course-advice@vuw.ac.nz.
If you’re a returning or transferring student, contact the Faculty Student and Academic Services Office, for help with degree planning and for information on admission requirements and transfer credit from other institutions.
Related subjects and careers
Career paths in Cultural Anthropology
Cultural Anthropology graduates from Victoria have gone into a wide variety of careers. Cultural Anthropology provides you with a broad range of skills important in today's world. At a general level, these include critical and creative thinking, research, writing and analysis, and the effective communication of ideas. More specifically, the study of cultural anthropology will teach you to understand cultural diversity and the role of culture in all areas of life, and to apply anthropological knowledge to current social issues.
Careers and Employment are available to assist with a wide range of queries—from the general exploration of career ideas and career implications of subject choices, to details of specific jobs, employers, or postgraduate courses.
The latest Career View publication on Cultural Anthropology is downloadable from the Careers and Employment website. Also of relevance to this subject area is Anthropologists in the News.
| Related subjects | Careers |
|---|---|
Asian Studies | Community work |
List of courses
Please note: the list of courses displays undergraduate– and postgraduate–level courses for this subject.