Anthropology

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.

In this module, you’ll explore the rise of social anthropology as a science. You’ll dig into the main developments in social anthropology. You’ll look at nineteenth century social evolutionism - the belief that all societies start off as simple and primitive, and evolve to more complex states. You’ll also look at post-structuralism (the idea that if we’re to understand an object, we need to understand the environment that produced it), and feminism.

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:

• planning
• research
• analytical techniques 

needed for your dissertation and other work.  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. Your learning means you will be able to take the practice based approaches developed in this module and put them ‘into action’ as you progress.

In this module you’ll explore theoretical developments in social anthropology. Through creative teaching to help you progress your key thinking and learning skills. You'll gain a deep knowledge of how social theory helps us to understand the world. From the social structures and forms of transformation, to:

• gender
• sexuality
• race
• ethnicity 
• and identity.

You will consider fascinating debates and approaches. You'll have the support to meet the academic challenge of exploring concepts such as:

• functionalism
• symbolic anthropology
• structuralism
• post-structuralism
• post colonialism
• Marxism.

Also including emerging ideas grounded in:

• materiality
• embodiment
• ontology
• critical race theory 
• and decolonising theory.

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 'll consider the fascinating history of India. The moving perceptions of India over time, and its changing relationship with the global context today.  You will engage with ethnographic material. To gain understanding of the everyday lives of India’s citizens and wider diaspora through explorations of:

• work
• labour
• migration
• religion
• politics and sociality.  

As you learn about:

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

on an interpersonal level, you will gain a deeper understanding of these issues.  
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
• post colonialism
• and forms of protest or conflict.

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.

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.

In this module, you’ll investigate European societies. You’ll apply classic concepts in studying societies as you look at European villages and urban neighbourhoods. You’ll then explore broader contemporary issues, including:

• identity
• nationalism
• racism
• how we use history
• ceremonial issues
• tourism
• the EU.

How do humans interact with their environments, past and present? In this module, you’ll explore two key themes - nutrition and disease - and what these can tell us about humans and their biological and social surroundings. You’ll gain a strong grounding in the principles of human ecology. And you’ll gain key critical skills as you explore humans and their evolution.

How do people define themselves as human beings in contemporary Japan? How do they view gender and the body? In this module, you’ll apply anthropological thinking to Japanese culture. You’ll also explore how the role of health and medicine in Japan, including:

• medical systems in Japan
• beliefs around reproductive technologies, end of life, and organ donation.

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.

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.

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.

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

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:

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

In this module, you’ll explore the changing relationship between anthropology, and international development (the idea that different countries have different levels of development). You’ll gain a strong grounding in 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
• environmental issues
• 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. And you disrupt the lines we draw between North and South, developed and underdeveloped, or advanced and emerging economies and societies.

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. You’ll enjoy access to the research in our internationally acclaimed department, the current work of staff.

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 also draw on:

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

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.

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.

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. We’ll discuss what anthropology can tell us about global impoverishment. And we’ll discuss how men and women navigate fragile livelihoods in shaky economies. 

What does it mean to be Japanese? We often assume that the Japanese are “one people”, but in this module, you’ll meet Japan’s ethnic minorities and marginalised groups. You’ll learn about their experiences - both historically and today. You’ll gain key analytical skills as you relate minorities and marginalisation in Japan to broader concerns with:

• ethnic and cultural identity
• class structure
• marginalisation and precarity in the workforce experienced by younger people
• national identity
• hybridity in cultures
• migration and post-colonialism
• Indigenous rights.

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 palaeopathology can help us understand different populations.

As humans, we’ve lived closely with other animals since the dawn of time. 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.

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, including 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.

In this module you will explore the relationship between material change, forms of social transformation and shifts in individual/communal subjectivities of people themselves. In exploring these intersections you will have the opportunity to think about, for example, the role of industrial capitalism, urbanization, neoliberalism, migration and shifting understanding of time and temporality.