Course summary

By exploring people and society in the past as well as the present, you will engage with archaeological and ethnographic studies of cultures around the world and explore themes such as human evolution, art, gender, death and war. The archaeological side of the programme gives you an understanding of the human experience through the study of physical evidence and how such evidence is gathered, analysed and interpreted. Introductory modules will quickly bring you up to speed with the key topics and principles that underpin all archaeological research. You will also spend at least four weeks working on an excavation, field work or related practical work in the UK or overseas. The physical anthropology aspect of the programme is taught in the Archaeology department, with focus on human remains and the means by which we understand our evolution, health, mortality and mortuary practices. Modules focusing on social and cultural anthropology are taught within the Sociology, Philosophy and Anthropology department. You will learn fundamental questions about society and culture, while investigating the diversity of human life across the globe. You will learn about important anthropological ideas concerning ritual, kinship, witchcraft and ethnicity, and how anthropology contributes to current debates including health, war and violence, science and technology, consumption and the environment.