Anthropology

Are you interested in how people organize and move within social life? Would you like to learn more about social justice and policy, cultures and subcultures, gender and sexuality, race and ethnicity, work and leisure? Anthropology offers perspectives on social life in all its complexity. Learn to communicate across boundaries—boundaries of countries, histories, languages, cultures, social inequalities, and power differences. Anthropology provides you with tools to think critically and creatively about how history and individual lives interact with the world.

About anthropology

Sociology and anthropology are combined into a single department at Simon Fraser University. That means you can shape your studies by pursuing a broad range of interests and issues. The Department of Sociology and Anthropology excels at interdisciplinary research methods.

The Department of Sociology and Anthropology offers various major, minor, and honours programs in sociology and anthropology. You can also can pursue a joint major in sociology and anthropology (honours available), sociology and communications, sociology and criminology, or sociology and gender, sexuality, and women's studies. The department also offers a social justice certificate and a postbaccalaureate diploma in social policy.

Career pathways

Anthropology combines well with many other interests. It can be a foundation for post-graduate work in social policy, social work, law school, the arts, medical professions, and business. Sociology majors and minors excel when they combine their broad-thinking training with other interests, such as policy analysis, communications, social activism, organizational management, research design, or communications/media/arts.

Learn more

Has anybody ever asked you what your race is? Have you ever wondered yourself? Maybe the answer is no. Or, maybe you remember when you realized there was an answer. In this lecture, we’ll talk about how we know — or how we decide — who belongs to what race. And along the way, we’ll challenge the idea that “races" exist at all.

Learn more at our e-Library