Cultural Anthropology and Development Sociology (BSc)
Do you want to understand the complexities of today’s gender issues, social media use, food habits, social justice movements, labour relations or religious expressions? Join our international bachelor's programme in Cultural Anthropology and Development Sociology and get insight into people's social and cultural differences!
Bachelor Cultural Anthropology at Leiden University
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Our international bachelor's programme in Cultural Anthropology and Development Sociology challenges you to explore cultural diversity by seeing the world through other people’s eyes. You will be challenged to dive deep into topics that move you, from climate change to racism, homelessness, or child labour, to name but a few.
At Leiden, there’s also more to being an anthropologist than just reading about people or talking to political elites. We offer a unique mix of theory and practice, with students conducting fieldwork, doing internships, and producing films in the Netherlands and abroad.
Nicolás Moreno-Gutiérrez
Student Ambassador CADS
"I’ve always thought of people as a never-ending collection of stories. Ever since I have approached them with this mindset, I have been marveled by the complexities of human relationships. This is what made me study Cultural Anthropology, and this is what brought me here to Leiden. Now that I am in my second year, I have developed a more nuanced understanding of the human experience by connecting it to broader social realities. I hope to continue doing so during the remainder of the programme. In an increasingly interconnected and diverse world, grasping these complexities proves to be more important than ever."
Andrew Littlejohn
Assistant Professor CADS
"Moving towards more low-carbon, sustainable futures requires rethinking the social, cultural, and political worldviews underpinning our economies. Anthropology can contribute here due to its profound concern with human diversity. It shows us that there are many different ways of conceiving relations between environment and society, nature and culture, and humans and other animals. Paying attention to this diversity provides inspiration for how to re-imagine our social and economic systems in more sustainable ways."
Mora
First-student CADS
''I have always been interested in human behaviour, why people behave the way they do, and why these behaviours vary and differ spatially according to different contexts and societies.''
''From an early age, I was familiar with anthropology and sociology because of my mom, who is also an anthropologist. She works assessing agro-commodity projects all around the world, and her stories always amazed me. How she and the NGO for whom she works were having a positive impact on the communities they were working with.
I got to experience something similar to fieldwork while visiting an isolated community in Salta, an Argentinian province I visited when I was still living at home. That trip certainly made me realize why I was so interested in understanding different cultures and ways of life.
When choosing a university, I chose Leiden for two main reasons: I was told it was a very international university (which would certainly add to my study experience, considering I was choosing a bachelor's degree centered on understanding cultures), and the study program looked super interesting and applicable to today's globalized world.''
This programme is definitely for you if:
- You often wonder why people differ from each other;
- You want to learn why people behave the way they do;
- You empathise with and want to help individuals, groups, and communities affected by pressing issues;
- You are interested in photography and film as research methods;
- You relish the challenge of developing an independent mindset.
See here for information on admission and application.
Online Experience
See if Cultural Anthropology is something for you and join us in our Online Experience. You will follow short lectures on the four key themes of our programme: Sustainability, Diversity, Digitalisation and Methodology. This is an easy way to get a taste of the first year of our programme. Experience the Online Experience of Cultural Anthropology and Development Sociology.