Social Anthropology

Research Methods in Social Anthropology

In this module, you’ll gain fantastic research skills for your dissertation and other independent projects. You’ll develop a strong knowledge of the research methods that social anthropologists use. You’ll work in a small team on an independent research project, and discover the best research methods for your own dissertation.

Social Anthropology Theory

In this module, you’ll gain a strong knowledge of social anthropology theory. You’ll engage with abstract theories, and learn how to apply them to different contexts. You’ll use ethnography (the study of people and their cultures), and real life examples to understand how ideas in social anthropology apply to everyday life. You’ll look at the time and place in which key theories are produced. You’ll gain core analytical skills as you grasp how social anthropology theory is shaped by everyday experiences, and their historical and geographical contexts.

Reading Contemporary Ethnography

In this module, you’ll get to grips with reading and writing ethnographic monographs. These are written accounts of a society or culture. You’ll explore ethnography: the method that social anthropologists use to analyse cultures, and the style and concepts behind it. You’ll:

• explore how authors connect arguments and evidence 
• debate the ethical issues of writing about other cultures
• the effectiveness of different aesthetic styles. 

You’ll also explore the range of styles in ethnography today that addresses current topics of concern. 

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 explore key anthropological concepts, including:

• rites of passage
• liminality
• anti-structure
• Communitas 

We often stereotype rituals as exotic, and about religion. However, you’ll enrich your perspective as you explore ritual in non-religious contexts. You’ll look at the role rituals can play in:

• politics and power relations
• expressing social identities
• enabling political resistance

Anthropology in Action

In this module, you’ll kick-start your career, as you explore the wide range of career options open to Anthropology graduates. You’ll put anthropology into practice, using the skills you’ve gained in your degree to explore how anthropology contributes to: 

• business
• conservation and development
• human health and wellbeing
• forensic investigations.

European Societies

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 

Understanding India: Society Culture and Economy

In this module, you’ll get to grips with India, and its cultural customs and habits. You’ll dive into key economic and political issues in India. You’ll look at how Indian and non-Indian anthropologists seek to understand the diversity of the country. And you’ll follow India’s social, political and economic change - from colonialism to postcolonialism, and then to free-market capitalism. And you’ll gain key insight into how India has been represented and imagined over time.

Personhood, Gender and the Body in Contemporary Japan

From tattooed gangsters and drag queens to salarymen and hostesses, how does gender and the body affect Japanese society? In this module, you’ll question your assumptions about femininity and masculinity, and gain core critical skills as you explore topics such as: 

• LGBTQ+ rights
• the ethics of organ donation
• abortion
• end of life care
• martial arts
• religious practice.

You’ll explore the topics that fascinate you in greater depth, through:

• student-led seminars
• group work
• a research essay 

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 men and women in society. We’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, we’ll explore race, ethnicity and racism through:

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

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. We’ll focus on the UK, but also consider ethnic minorities in other cultures. We’ll highlight the complexities of social constructions of race and other social inequalities.

Work-based Learning

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.

Social Anthropology Dissertation

This module gives you the chance to do research on a topic that fascinates you. You’ll have the support of expert tutors. Whether you’re exploring contemporary dance in Kampala or Neolithic development in Southwest Asia, your dissertation is an opportunity for you to showcase your passions, expertise and advanced learning in Social Anthropology.

Development and Humanitarianism

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. 
 

Minorities and Marginality in Contemporary Japan

We often assume that only the Japanese live in Japan. In this module, you’ll meet Japan’s ethnic minorities and marginalised groups. You’ll understand their experiences - both historically and today. You’ll gain key analytical skills as you relate minorities in Japan to broader concerns with:

• ethnic and cultural identity and conflict
• class structure 
• nationality 
• hybridity in cultures
• diaspora (people living outside their original homeland).

People and Other Animals

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. 

Africa: Social and Economic Transformations

In this module, you’ll explore key themes in African cultures - from the colonial era to today. You’ll explore how anthropology can shed light on experiences of social and economic transformation across the continent. You’ll dig into detailed 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.

Culture and Care

Why is care so fundamental to human survival and adaptation? In this module, you’ll focus on care as an alternative to anthropological accounts of conflict, competition, and violence.

You will begin by debating 

• the evolutionary basis for care
• the evidence of care in prehistoric times
• notions of empathy, sympathy, and altruism. 

You’ll also examine how different cultures care for children, the disabled and the elderly. You’ll look critically at whether current social institutions deliver care, as well as cure. You will look at how we care for non-human life and the planet. And you’ll gain core research skills for your future career, as you investigate care in the world around you through fieldwork assignments and contribute to the class blog to share your work with the world.

Anthropology Independent Study

This module gives you the chance to do independent study on a topic that fascinates you. You’ll dive into any anthropological topic you choose, with the support of expert tutors. We offer great flexibility in how you present your research. This could include:

• an essay
• annotated bibliography 
• ethnographic fieldwork journal
• video / film.

Subjectivities and Social Transformation

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.

Racialised Identities in Super-Diverse Societies

What shapes our racial identities? How do they play out in everyday life, alongside gender, class and age?

In this module, you’ll gain a strong understanding of identities and differences in current western societies. You’ll explore postcolonial theories of Self and Otherness. And you’ll gain key analytical skills, as you investigate the relevance of these theories to diverse societies today.