Anthropology - 2012 entry
BSc (Hons)
- single
BA (Hons)
/
BSc (Hons)
- combined (see 'Combine with...' tab for available combinations)
Typical A-level offer: BBC or equivalent
Overview
Do you want to know about human origins? Are you interested in the great diversity of forms of human society and culture? Would you like to look at interactions between culture and biology?
Anthropology is the study of humans, with the emphasis on humans in groups rather than individuals. The Anthropology course at Oxford Brookes focuses on the holistic and comparative breadth of the subject, studying humans from a wide variety of social, cultural, biological and evolutionary perspectives.
The study of social anthropology helps you to appreciate and respect the customs and beliefs of other societies, as well as holding a powerful mirror up to your own cultural norms. Biological anthropology allows you to understand our evolutionary history, our response to environmental challenges and our relationship to the other primates.
Why Brookes?
Oxford Brookes is one of a very few UK universities teaching biological and social anthropology alongside each other and it is our aim to give you access to a rich and rewarding environment that fosters anthropological learning and gives you the confidence, skills and academic foundation to tackle a wide range of challenges.
Distinctive features:
- winners of the Queen’s Anniversary Prize 2008 for excellence (MSc in Primate Conservation)
- choice of single or combined honours
- 70% of research activity in Anthropology was judged to be international and 5% of this world leading in terms of originality, significance and rigour (Research Assessment Exercise 2008)
- all teaching staff are active researchers
- truly international environment – students and staff from over 40 countries around the world
- dedicated support staff.
Teaching, learning and assessment
Teaching methods for all modules include lectures, illustrated lectures or films, seminars and tutorials. Some modules also include practical classes, group work and excursions.
Unusually, the expertise of the teaching staff includes sociocultural and biological anthropology as well as archaeology and primatology. These subfields, usually taught in isolation, are brought together in order to improve understanding across disciplinary boundaries.
We value research highly and actively encourage you to become researchers in your own right. At the heart of our teaching is the dissemination of knowledge acquired from the latest research. All our teaching staff are published, active researchers and acknowledged experts in their field. Undergraduate research is valued and encouraged.
Various assessment procedures are used. In Year 1 assessment is by both coursework and examination. In Years 2 and 3 some modules are assessed by coursework, some by examination, and some by a combination of the two.
Learning outcomes
When you have successfully completed the course, you will have:
- an understanding of human society from the perspectives of both social anthropology and biological anthropology
- a thorough working knowledge of the methods of anthropological investigation
- a broad-based approach to study that enables you to move freely between academic disciplines and draw relevant conclusions
- the ability to design and execute a sustained research exercise
- a range of transferable skills in such areas as learning, time management, IT, communication and teamwork.
In detail
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Course content
Anthropology is available as a single honours degree or to study in combination with one of a number of other subjects (combined honours) - see the 'Combine with...' tab for the list of available combinations. Whichever route you take, you will be able to choose from a selection of modules designed to offer social and biological perspectives on a range of topics. The single honours degree gives you the chance to specialise in social or biological and archaeological anthropology.
The exposure you will gain to both biological and social science approaches is a particular strength of the course. Year 1 modules provide a broad introduction to both sociocultural and biological perspectives whereas advanced modules taken in Years 2 and 3 provide an opportunity to concentrate on specific areas or issues within these subfields, and to integrate them creatively.
Social anthropology includes:
- the cross-cultural study of social organisation, kinship and gender
- political structures
- economic institutions
- religion and ritual
- art and aesthetics
- values and beliefs
- social change.
Area specialisms include South Asia, Japan and Europe.
Biological anthropology provides complementary perspectives on human life within a broad evolutionary framework, including:
- human population
- variation in biological characteristics
- gene frequencies
- diseases
- the interaction between people and their environment
- the social behaviours and comparative anatomy of non-human primates and early hominins.
One of the most challenging and rewarding elements of the honours degree is the dissertation or project module, which involves supervised research and allows you to engage in fieldwork.
As courses are reviewed regularly, the module list you choose from may vary from that shown here. You can view a detailed description of the modules here.
Year 1
Compulsory modules:
- Introduction to Biological Anthropology*
- Prehistoric Archaeology
- Introduction to Social Anthropology*
- Introduction to Japanese Society and Culture
* Combined honours compulsory modules
Years 2 and 3
Year 2
Compulsory modules for single and combined honours - choose one module from:
- Methods and Analysis in Biological Anthropology
- Social Anthropology Theory
and one from:
- Research Methods in Social Anthropology
- Human Evolutionary Biology and Geography
Compulsory for single honours, two modules from:
- Anthropology of Art
- Anthropology of Ritual
- European Societies (double credit)
- South Asian Ethnography
- Work and the Japanese
- Humans and other Primates
- Primate Societies
- Human Ecology
Year 3
All honours students must pass at least six honours modules. Compulsory for single honours (optional for combined honours):
- Anthropology Dissertation
and four modules from:
- Advanced Topics in Social Anthropology
- People and Other Animals
- Advanced Topics in Biological Anthropology
- Applied Anthropology
- Human Osteology
- Minorities and Marginality: Class and Conflict in Japan
- Dawn of Civilisation in the Fertile Crescent
- Independent Study
Other acceptable modules in Years 2 and 3:
- Conservation and Heritage Management
- Geoarchaeology
- Cultural Geographies of Nature
- Development and Social Change
- Culture and Global Change
- Sex, Drugs and Rock ‘n Roll: Cultural Geographies of the Recent Past
- Political Communications in the Global Age
- Cross-cultural Perspectives in Psychology
- Gender and Society
- Ethnicity and Exclusion
- Global Sociology
Study abroad
Anthropology students can benefit greatly from time spent living in a culture that is different from their own and studying abroad is a popular option.
Information about exchanges, European work placements and other study abroad programmes, is available here.
Departmental research highlights
The Department of Social Sciences is home to the Europe-Japan Research Centre and the Anthropology Centre for Conservation, Environment and Development, incorporating a number of research groups including:
- the Nocturnal Primate Research Group
- the Human Origins and Palaeo Environments group (HOPE)
- Oxford Brookes Archaeology and Heritage (OBAH).
Free language courses for students - the Open Module
Free language courses are available to all full-time undergraduate and postgraduate students who are studying any course on our Headington (including Marston Road), Harcourt Hill or Wheatley Campuses, and can be taken as a credit on some courses.
Key facts
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Department
Course length
Full-time: 3 years
Part-time: up to 6 years
Teaching location
Headington Campus, Gipsy Lane
Start date
September 2012
UCAS code
L600 BSc/AX
Combine with...
RELATED COURSES:
This course can be combined with one of the following subjects:
Communication, Media and Culture
LP69 Mod/ANHQ
QL63 Mod/ANEA
English Language and Communication
LQ63 Mod/ANLD
Environmental Sciences
FL96 Mod/ANEV
Geography
LL67 Mod/ANGG
History
LV61 Mod/ANHI
History of Art
LV63 Mod/ANHA
International Relations
L6L2 Mod/ANRL
Japanese Studies
TL26 Mod/ANJB
Law
LM61 Mod/ANLW
Philosophy
LV65 Mod/ANPQ
Politics
LL62 Mod/ANPO
Psychology
CL86 Mod/ANPS
Religion and Theology
VL6P Mod/ANRC
Sociology
LL36 Mod/ANSO
Fees / funding
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International students
Full-time: £11,000
Find out how to pay your fees.
Questions about fees?
Contact Student Finance on:
+44 (0)1865 483088
finance-fees@brookes.ac.uk
Funding and scholarships
For general sources of financial support, see:
Apply / Entry reqs
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Typical offers
A-level: BBC or equivalent
IB Diploma: 31 points
Advanced Diploma: grade B, including A-level at grade B
Other typical offers include:
- BB at A-level and CC at AS-level
- vocational A-levels are also accepted at equivalent grades.
For combined honours, normally the offer will lie between the offers quoted for each subject.
Other academic qualifications that fulfil the entry requirements include:
- a recognised foundation or access course
- European Baccalaureate.
Further EU qualifications are also accepted; for more details please contact the senior tutor for this course.
Specific entry requirements
Please also see the university's general entry requirements.
English language requirements
Please see the university's standard English language requirements.
English language requirements for visas
If you need a student visa to enter the UK you will need to meet the UK Border Agency's minimum language requirements as well as the university's requirements. Find out more about English language requirements.
Full-time students should apply for this course through UCAS.
Part-time students should apply directly to the university.
Conditions of acceptance
When you accept our offer you agree to the conditions of acceptance. You should therefore read those conditions before accepting the offer.
Credit transfer
Oxford Brookes operates the European Credit Transfer System (ECTS). All undergraduate single modules are equivalent to 7.5 ECTS credits and double modules to 15 ECTS credits. More about ECTS credits.
Student experience
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Why Oxford is a great place to study Anthropology
One hour from London but on the edge of quintessentially English countryside, Oxford provides the perfect backdrop for student life. For the last two years Oxford has been voted the top UK city for culture and has a worldwide reputation as a centre of academic excellence.
The world famous Pitt Rivers and Natural History Museums, invaluable resources for anthropologists, are on your doorstep, and you can easily visit London’s museums also.
Specialist facilities
The department offices are located in the Gibbs Building on the Headington Campus where you will meet for seminars, lectures and tutorials. It is situated just a mile from Oxford’s beautiful and historic city centre.
The university library is also on the Headington Campus and holds an impressive selection of books and journals. You can also take advantage of the Library Electronic Information Network (LEIN), giving you access to a range of bibliographical searching tools, databases and electronic journals in anthropology.
Other facilities include:
- Resource Centre with a wide range of documentary and visual materials.
- Europe-Japan Research Centre which runs a regular seminar series open to all students.
- Anthropology Centre for Conservation Environment and Development (ACCEnD) which holds conferences and seminars open to all students, including the Primate Conservation regular seminar series.
- Geography and Anthropology laboratory which is used for research and teaching.
- Japan Room, used to introduce students to aspects of social life in Japan.
Support for students studying Anthropology
The support you receive as an Anthropology undergraduate is unparalleled. Our student support co-ordinators are there for you from the day you arrive to the day you leave, helping with anything from module planning to supporting you with any personal issues you may experience. They organise induction programmes and events throughout the year, and offer a friendly face when you need one.
General support services
Supporting your learning
From academic advisers and support co-ordinators to specialist subject librarians and other learning support staff, we want to ensure that you get the best out of your studies.
Personal support services
We want your time at Brookes to be as enjoyable and successful as possible. That's why we provide all the facilities you need to be relaxed, happy and healthy throughout your studies.
Accommodation
At Brookes we understand that when you live away from home it's important to be somewhere that you feel comfortable and safe.
After graduation
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Career prospects
Anthropology gives you a broad intellectual foundation and discipline for many careers that involve numeracy, literacy, communication, problem-solving and a comparative perspective. The interdisciplinary approach gives you flexibility and a wider view of the world which often proves attractive to employers.
Our graduates have succeeded in a variety of careers, for example in the fields of medicine, environmental maintenance, urban planning, personnel management, tourism, education, and development aid. A number of our students choose to continue their studies at master's level and beyond.
