BA in Anthropology BA (Hons)
Providing a comprehensive introduction to the key issues, themes and problems that have shaped anthropological thought since the 19th century, this degree offers a thorough study of all kinds of human society and culture.
This programme emphasises the relevance of anthropology for understanding contemporary cultural issues. You will explore links between theoretical issues and ethnographic studies, enabling you to think critically about your own culture and society. We don't assume you have any knowledge of anthropology, and welcome applications from anyone with arts, social studies or science backgrounds. Teaching is through lectures, seminars and tutorials.
What you study
In the first two years, you concentrate on basic anthropological concepts - such as kinship, ritual, world systems, and development - and on methods of studying and analysing these, including the use of video, film, and written texts. You can also study two regions of the world in depth.
In your final year(s) you can specialise your studies by choosing a selection of option topics. Courses currently available enable you to investigate: the interrelationships of gender, sexuality and the body; international development from an anthropological perspective, including the imbalances in power relations, discourses, processes and institutions post-World War II; the anthropology of rights - from human rights to indigenous rights, animal rights to intellectual property rights, customary law to international humanitarian law; medical anthropology - from ideas about healing to considerations of social inequality; anthropological understandings of human-environment relations and their bearing on debates about environmentalism; representation and contemporary media, encompassing practical exploration of the techniques of videomaking/photography in relation to anthropological theories; key issues in the anthropology of art - such as conflicting definitions of art and aesthetics, and the politics inherent in the ownership and display of non-Western art; the changing use of different urban spaces, and how they are represented; theories of human-animal relations with regard to developments in technologies of exploitation; and psychological perspectives in anthropology. There's also the opportunity for individual project or dissertation work.
Assessment
Seen and unseen papers, extended essays, dissertations and coursework.
