Anthropology

Overview

Anthropology offers a unique opportunity to understand human cultural diversity. You can compare your own culture with those which are remote in time, geographic distance, or simply in terms of cultural difference. Studying Anthropology at McGill will broaden your perspective. You will gain an appreciation for what makes cultures and peoples unique, and will learn to connect and communicate across cultural differences.

Tropical rainforests and other ecosystems are degrading at ever-increasing rates, globalization is affecting the most remote corners of the earth, and our own society is becoming increasingly multicultural. To understand these phenomena, we must consider the nature of cultural diversity, the connections between our fate and the fate of other peoples, and the short- and long-term processes of socio-cultural change which have made our world what it is.

Anthropology gives you a chance to look at the world "from the ground up". You can learn about the history and values of a group of people by spending time in their community and learning from them. You could also learn about ancient cultures through Archeology, which is the study of human culture through artefacts. This makes anthropology a central link among the social and historical disciplines.