Anthropology

Year 2

Compulsory modules

• Human Evolution

  In this module, you’ll dive into human evolution. You’ll explore how the biological stages of human evolution link to changes in society and behaviour. You’ll gain specialist knowledge of the palaeoenvironmental (environment of a past age) and palaeogeographical (geographical features of a past age) context of human evolution.

• Social Anthropology Theory

  In this module you’ll explore theoretical developments in social anthropology. ‘Theory’ may seem opaque and intimidating, but through creative teaching and embodied learning you will gain a strong knowledge of how social theory helps us to understand the world.

  From social structures and forms of transformation, to gender, sexuality, race, ethnicity, and identity, you will consider fascinating debates and approaches.

  You will be challenged to explore concepts such as:

  • functionalism
  • symbolic anthropology
  • structuralism
  • post-structuralism
  • postcolonialism
  • marxism.

  You will also explore emerging ideas grounded in materiality, embodiment, ontology, critical race theory and decolonising theory.

• Anthropology in Practice

  This module will provide you with the core methodological skills you need to take your research interests in exciting directions. You'll have the support to gain the skills you'll need for your disseration and other work, including:

  • planning
  • research
  • analytical techniques 

  From ethnographic fieldwork to surveying and data analysis, the module provides a great platform from which to launch into your own projects.  

  This module links to ‘Anthropology in Action’, where your focus is on the applications of anthropology. This ensures you will be able to take the practice based approaches developed in this module and put them ‘into action’ as you progress.

• Anthropology in Action

  In this module you’ll start to cultivate your career skills by exploring practical and applicable outputs that have potential for 'real-world' impact. You'll gain insight into the applications of anthropology beyond academia and have the opportunity to put knowledge gained in the parallel module, 'Anthropology in Practice', into action.

  You will also find out about the wide range of career options open to Anthropology graduates. Using the skills you’ve gained in your degree, you’ll learn how anthropology contributes to areas such as:

  • international development
  • business
  • conservation
  • human health  
  • urban planning.
  • activism
  • social and political change.

   

Optional modules

• Understanding India: Society Culture and Economy

  In this module, you’ll get to grips with the diversity of India as a nation. You will explore politics, society, economy and culture. You will consider the fascinating history of India, shifting imaginaries of the country over time, and its changing relationship with the global context today. You will use a strong engagement with ethnographic material to understand the everyday lives of India’s citizens and wider diaspora through explorations of work, labour, migration, religion, politics and sociality.

  At the interpersonal level, you will gain a deep understanding surrounding questions of:

  • intimacy
  • gender
  • sexuality
  • ethnicity
  • caste
  • class
  • identity.

  At a structural level, you will tackle issues of social, cultural and economic transformation in the context of:

  • cultural practices
  • religious influences
  • capitalist development
  • political change
  • neoliberalism
  • postcolonialism
  • forms of protest or conflict.

   

• Ritual and Society

  What are rituals, and why do we perform them? In this module, you’ll explore the key role of rituals in society. You’ll look at various human communities as you consider the origins of ritual, and its different definitions. You’ll gain valuable critical skills as you explore key anthropological concepts, including:

  • rites of passage
  • liminality
  • anti-structure
  • communities.

• Anthropology Work Placement

  On this module, you will build skills that are attractive to employers. You will gain an understanding and awareness of work and your future employability.

  You will be supported to participate in work, community and extra curricular settings. You will develop and engage with self-directed learning and structure reflection. Learning from your experience and personal advancement, you will gain insight and direction for possible future professional roles.

• Health, Culture, and Ecology

  The module covers two main areas in the study of interactions between humans and their biological and social environments, past and present. 
  
  Throughout the module your focus will be to build a deep understanding of the principles of human ecology, with a particular focus on the relationship between human health and environmental sustainability.
   

• Gender and Society

  In this module, you’ll look at gender and its central role in society. You’ll explore the social processes that affect the lives and roles of people in society. You’ll consider the centrality of gender in everyday life, and how society reflects and reproduces gender relations.

• ‘Race’, Ethnicity and Inequality

  Why do we exclude some ethnic groups from society? In this module, you’ll explore race, ethnicity and racism through:

  • employment
  • education
  • housing
  • migration
  • policing
  • the impact of anti-discrimination legislation.

  You’ll engage with pressing debates on race, ethnicity and racism. You’ll explore the experiences of minority ethnic groups and you’ll explore the factors which exclude them from mainstream society. You’ll focus on the UK, but also consider ethnic minorities in other cultures. You'll highlight the complexities of social constructions of race and other social inequalities.

• Primate Adaptation and Evolution

  Are humans any different from other primates? In this module, you’ll dig into the relationship between humans and other primates. You’ll investigate:

  • structure
  • physiology
  • molecular biology
  • evolutionary history.

  You’ll discover what marks us as human against other species. You’ll gain a detailed knowledge of other species as you trace our inheritance and explore the reasons for our unique characteristics.

• Conservation and Heritage Management

  In this module, you’ll explore heritage landscapes and their identity as places of cultural or community value. You’ll study some of the world’s most magnificent heritage as you consider how heritage landscapes have evolved over time. You’ll look at their conservation and management, and the physical and human impact upon them. You’ll get to grips with the core concepts and themes of environmental conservation, heritage management and sustainable development. You’ll understand the rules and regulations, as well as the roles of advisors, in how we protect sites. You’ll also build up knowledge of different ecosystems, their origins and how human interactions impact their development.

• Quaternary Environmental Change

  Sea levels are rising; glaciers are melting; Arctic sea ice is thinning and weather events are becoming more extreme. We are in the grip of global warming. But how do these changes compare with the environmental changes that have occurred in the past? What does the past teach us about how natural and human factors may interact to change our climate and environment in the future? 

  In this module you’ll examine changes to the physical environment throughout the Quaternary: the last 2.6 million years of geological history and time during which humans have evolved and spread across the earth. You’ll examine the causes of climatic and environmental change over different timescales and the complex interactions between human impacts and natural processes, gaining perspective on current environmental and climatic concerns.

   

• Independent Study

  This module gives you the chance to do research on a question or issue that fascinates you. You can home in on any topic in social or biological anthropology, with the support of expert tutors. You’ll enhance the key skills needed for a research project, gaining vital experience for the world of work. This will include:

  • planning
  • explaining a problem in depth
  • carrying out primary research
  • collecting and analysing data
  • structuring and presenting a major piece of work.

Optional Year Abroad

Optional modules

• Year Abroad

  This module offers the opportunity to study abroad, experience a new culture, and apply your skills in different contexts to enhance your employability. It will help you develop self-management, cross-cultural communication, and interpersonal skills.

  You’ll receive support to secure a place at a partner institution abroad, where you can choose modules related to your degree or explore new areas that complement your studies.

  Studying at an international university will help you enhance your interpersonal skills through cross-cultural communication with students and tutors, allowing you to build lasting relationships. You'll also improve your study skills by focusing on your chosen areas of interest, gaining valuable international experience that will strengthen your CV.

  This year abroad module lasts for one academic year and is taken after the conclusion of your second year of study, once you’ve completed all your level 5 studies. Your year abroad is not credit-bearing.

Final Year

Compulsory modules

• Anthropology Dissertation (compulsory for single honours, optional for joint honours)

  This module gives you the chance to do research on a topic that fascinates you. You’ll have the support of expert tutors, and it is an opportunity for you to showcase your passions, expertise and advanced learning in Anthropology.

Optional modules

• Culture, Capitalism and Global Transformation

  By studying this module, you will develop a detailed understanding of theoretical and ethnographic approaches to culture, capitalism and global transformation. 
  
  Your study will focus on ethnographic material that engages with the everyday lives of people and communities from around the world. Through this focus, you will gain insight into the complex relationships between cultural practice and capitalist development, and you will build your understanding of the world around you.
   

• Development and Humanitarianism

  In this module, you’ll gain a strong grounding in international development (the idea that different countries have different levels of development). You'll explore the changing relationship between anthropology and international development. You’ll gain key analytical skills as you dive into debates on the relationship between anthropology and development. You’ll explore key issues for anthropologists working in international development, including:

  • gender relations
  • environment
  • health
  • youth
  • religion.

  You’ll compare ideas and practices in international development. You’ll look at approaches to social policy, inequality and well-being in the UK. You'll also disrupt the lines we draw between North and South, developed and underdeveloped, or advanced and emerging economies and societies.

• Cognitive Evolution

  In this module, you’ll dive into human intelligence and its evolution. You’ll gain fantastic research skills as you evaluate the evidence for the development of cognitive traits such as:

  • language
  • culture
  • tool use
  • symbolism.

  You’ll uncover fossil and archeological records for evidence of human intelligence and its development. You'll also draw on:

  • evolutionary psychology
  • cognitive science
  • philosophy
  • linguistics
  • primatology (the study of intelligent mammals).

• Culture and Care

  How do our brains make us care for children, the elderly and the vulnerable? How do different cultures encourage people to nurture others? In this module, you’ll look at the evolutionary and ecological reasons for care, nurturance and social support. You’ll dive into the care practices of other cultures, as you look at how they approach:

  • religion
  • healing
  • child care
  • elder care.

  You’ll also look at how we care for non-human living things and the planet as a whole. You’ll gain key analytical knowledge as you apply what you learn to yourself, your community and pressing social issues.

• Dawn of Civilisation

  How did humans change from nomadic hunter-gatherers to the pioneers of enormous changes in technology, subsistence and organisation? In this module, you’ll look at human history from 10,000 until 1,000 BC that led to an avalanche of development. You’ll gain key critical skills as you review:

  • archeological data
  • geography
  • the environmental record
  • mythology from the world’s first civilisations.

• Africa: Social and Economic Transformations

  In this module, you’ll explore key themes in African cultures - from the colonial era to today. You’ll reflect on core economic arguments, asking how far theories of modernisation can shed light on African social and economic transformation. You’ll dig into detailed, ethnographic (the study of people and their cultures) accounts of people’s everyday lives, reflecting on:

  • the shifting nature of kinship
  • gender issues
  • intergenerational tensions
  • economic morality.

  Through these intimate stories, you’ll explore broader issues of vulnerability and marginalisation. You’ll discuss what anthropology can tell us about global impoverishment, as well as how men and women navigate fragile livelihoods in shaky economies.

• Political geographies of borders: past, present and future

  This module closely examines the complex history, contested present and potential futures of one of the most important and consequential geographic devices in today’s world: borders. You'll trace the historical development of territorial and sovereign practices that have led to the concept of borders as we know them today. You'll address debates about the continuing relevance of borders in today’s world, and you'll look ahead to the future of borders as they intersect with pressing concerns such as climate change, migration and identitarian movements.

• Forensic Anthropology

  In this module, you’ll analyse human bones from archaeological sites. You’ll get to know the ancient diseases that we can understand through human and animal bones. You’ll gain key practical skills through lab-based sessions and through researching primary material. You’ll also learn how forensic anthropology can help us understand different populations.

• People and Other Animals

  As humans, we’ve lived closely with other animals since the dawn of time and we have a long history of interacting with each other. In this module, you’ll examine the complex and contradictory elements in people-animal relations, including:

  • animals as food
  • companion animals
  • animals as nature.

• Primate Conservation

  From forest loss to climate change, living primates (including humans) are facing huge threats to their environment and conservation. In this module, you’ll get to know the impact of humans on non-human primates, from hunting for trade to the issues of co-existence. You’ll discover why our non-human primate relatives are at greater risk of extinction now than ever before. You’ll understand the major challenges facing primates, how international legislation protects them, and how we can help the world’s most threatened species.

• Independent Study

  In this module, you’ll develop fantastic transferable skills for work, and gain the research skills to succeed in your degree. You’ll develop the knowledge and expertise to become an independent researcher. Within our internationally acclaimed department, you’ll enjoy access to the current research our staff are working on.