Year 1

Compulsory modules

• Becoming an Anthropologist 1

Develop your key academic skills through a consideration of social and biological anthropology. You will engage with:

 literature
 undertake deductive reasoning
 explore critical thinking
 and understand different approaches to writing.

You will carry the skills you've gained to address issues that are central to the discipline.

You will also have the opportunity of fieldwork trips to local museums. And a two-night collective trip to a site of significant interest. You will explore the importance and relevance of Anthropology as an academic discipline.

• Becoming Human

How did humans emerge as a species? Why do human societies vary across time and space? How can we understand the diversity of human experience today? In this module you'll address these questions by exploring anthropology as a discipline.

You’ll take an integrated approach, covering social and biological anthropology. You will also study other living primates and archaeology. You will also engage with key research, helping you build your anthropological skills.

You'll examine how anthropological approaches offer solutions to issues facing humanity today. Through an exploration of anthropology and its application to contemporary life.

• Being Human

What does it mean to be human? How do humans interact with each other and with the world around them? In this module you'll tackle these questions. You'll consider how anthropology provides an important understanding of the relationships humans have with their past, present and future.

Your studies will include social and biological anthropology. You will also study other living primates and archaeology. You will develop a keen analytical knowledge of the range of anthropological research.

You'll explore how we can use anthropology to understand what it means to ‘be human’. You’ll consider how anthropological approaches can address issues across the span of humanity as well as challenges in the contemporary context.

• Family, Kinship, and Society

How do people in different societies conceptualize, organize and negotiate social relationships? In this module, you’ll examine human relatedness and kinship. You’ll draw on studies from a range of historical and contemporary contexts to explore households and kinship networks. Your studies will reveal the often complex, ambiguous, and unequal relationships between men, women and children. As this module progresses, you’ll examine the impact that wider economic and political transformations have on shaping personal lives and the relationship between these intimate social relations across the contemporary world.

• Primate Societies

What’s the difference between humans, and the 600 other species of primates? In this module, you’ll explore humans through the diverse social behaviour of other primates. You’ll observe how primate societies interact and compromise to survive, looking at primate populations through time.You’ll gain the key analytical skills to succeed in your Anthropology degree, as you identify patterns of social interaction in primates in terms of:

 ecology
 energetic
 demography
 tradition
 phylogeny (the evolution of genetically related groups).

• Becoming an Anthropologist 2

You will build on your knowledge from Becoming an Anthropologist 1. In this module you will advance your academic abilities.

You'll have a chance to engage with creative methods and ways of presenting anthropological material from:

 theatre
 art
 photography
 conservation techniques
 3d printing
 virtual reality.

We'll support you to progress your 'outside the box' thinking to illustrate that there are many ways of working within anthropology beyond the standard approach.

You will build a creative foundation of knowledge that you'll be able to use on other modules, including your higher level studies.

Optional modules

Introduction to Japanese Society and Culture

In this module, you'll use anthropological perspectives to make an in-depth investigation of contemporary life in Japan. You'll cover factors and topics that affect Japanese everyday life such as:

 child rearing
 education and early socialization
 households, marriage and kinship
 work and employment
 gender and sexuality
 religion and ritual
 immigration and diversity
 Japanese popular culture
 and the globalization of Japanese culture.

This will give you a good base of knowledge for taking more advanced modules on the anthropology of Japan in years 2 and 3.

Introduction to Physical Geography

In this module, you’ll be introduced to selective themes and topics in physical geography. Using climate change science as a disciplinary grounding, you’ll explore recent and future developments, as well as other areas that are inherently linked with climate change in physical geography (including environmental processes, systems and management).

Contemporary Societies: Structure and Change

What’s the relationship between the economy, the state, and society? How have labour markets and welfare states changed over time? In this module, you’ll examine the issues that are shaping social and political developments in contemporary society. You’ll explore questions relating to power and politics, and will look at other topics such as international immigration patterns, the formation of ethnic minorities, the role of religion in modern society and the challenges posed by global environmental change.

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 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.

• 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:

 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.

• Anthropology in Action

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.

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 '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.

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.


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
 the EU.

Human Ecology

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.

Personhood, Gender and the Body in Contemporary Japan

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.

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.

Year 3 (optional year abroad)

Optional modules

Optional Year Abroad

This module provides you with the opportunity to apply and test your subject knowledge, skills and competencies in a new context.

The opportunity can be approached in 2 different ways:

Study Abroad

Attend a non-UK higher education institution for a full academic year. You can choose modules in your own subject or in a subject you consider would benefit your overall course of study. You may choose to deepen your knowledge of your degree subject, or enhance it by developing complementary skills.

Work-based Learning

Undertake a work placement or work-related project based on your interests and existing skills. You will produce a Study Abroad Plan that shows clearly how your proposed placement or project links with your academic and/or professional aims.

Choosing this module will allow you to exhibit the development of self-management and working or studying in unfamiliar contexts, alongside practising cross-cultural communication and interpersonal skills.

Year 4 ( or year 3 if no year abroad)

Compulsory modules

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

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.

Optional modules

Anthropology 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:

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

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.

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

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 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. 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.

Minorities and Marginality in Contemporary Japan

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.

Palaeopathology

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.

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.

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, 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.

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.