BSc (Hons) Anthropology

Bachelor's degree

In Bournemouth

£ 9,250 + VAT

Description

  • Type

    Bachelor's degree

  • Location

    Bournemouth

This thrilling and cutting-edge course blends the study of natural and social sciences with humanities to provide a well-rounded and fascinating insight into anthropology. By covering anthropology from a range of perspectives, you'll be in a unique position to evaluate and understand human society like never before.
The study of anthropology offers a unique perspective on what it means to be human. While humans from all corners of the globe share the same basic biology, our cultures are remarkably diverse. Many of the practices that we think of as ‘natural’ or biologically given are in fact thought about and performed very differently in different cultures across the world today and in the past. How and why have humans evolved this uniquely ‘bio-cultural’ nature? How have humans and our societies been shaped by our social and ecological relationships with one another and with our environments, and how will this continue in the future? Anthropology has never been more relevant than in today’s multicultural, interconnected and fast-changing world.
93% of our final year students said that our staff made the subject interesting - why not come and meet us to find out more?
All statistics shown are taken from Unistats, Destination of Leavers from Higher Education (DLHE), BU institutional data and Ipsos MORI (National Student Survey) unless otherwise stated.

Facilities

Location

Start date

Bournemouth (Dorset)
Fern Barrow, Talbot Campus, BH12 5BB

Start date

On request

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Subjects

  • Interpretation
  • Staff
  • Sociology
  • Statistics
  • Archaeology
  • Teaching
  • Ecology
  • Materials
  • Health and Social Care
  • International
  • Global
  • Project
  • Learning Teaching

Course programme

Course details On this course you will usually be taught by a range of staff with relevant expertise and knowledge appropriate to the content of the unit. This will include senior academic staff, qualified professional practitioners, demonstrators, technicians and research students. You will also benefit from regular guest lectures from industry. This course is one of just a handful at UK universities to offer an exciting blend of both social and biological anthropology, covering topics such as anthropological theory and fieldwork, cultural ecology and human-environment interaction, material culture and technology, human evolution and hands-on laboratory work in biological anthropology, all delivered by leading practitioners in their fields from across BU. As well as developing a comprehensive understanding of human diversity and cultural richness, you will also gain the unique combination of highly transferable analytical, communication and presentation skills that make anthropology graduates highly attractive to a wide range of employers. The course leaders are based in the Department of Archaeology, Anthropology & Forensic Science. Experts in anthropology in the Faculty of Health & Social Sciences will provide subject-specific skills and hands-on, practical instruction in the field and laboratories. Some units are shared with our BSc (Hons) Archaeology & Anthropology course. Year 1 Core units AAFS Study Skills: You will learn the fundamental skills needed for any scientist to work with a range of field and lab data. This unit will provide you with the knowledge to perform statistical analysis, create charts, graphs & maps, and write clear and concise reports using appropriate software packages. Ancient Peoples & Places: You will be introduced to the key thematic studies in archaeology concerning the evolution and development of ancient humans, changing technologies and material culture, and the organisation and development of past societies. You will be introduced to a range of archaeological, fossil, genetic and ethnographic evidence and develop core skills of analysis, interpretation, and reasoning using archaeological data. Human Anatomy & Physiology: This unit will give you an overview of the structure and function of the human body, and you will be introduced to the principal concepts underlying pathophysiological processes that disturb health. Key biological and physiological practical techniques relevant to measuring human health and disease are covered, together with the skills you will need for the analysis and presentation of the resulting data. Introduction to Social Anthropology: During this unit student-centred activities such as discussions and short presentations will enable you to demonstrate your growing knowledge of the historical emergence and development of anthropology and some of the key theoretical and empirical debates within social anthropology. You will also be able to gain insights into social anthropological perspectives and have the knowledge and confidence to debate contemporary world problems and issues. Introduction to Social Theory: During this unit, you will be introduced to key social theory that informs classical and contemporary sociology and anthropology. Such theories are embedded in the historical and philosophical context of the analysis of Western society and its social forms. You will discuss the concept of ‘structuration’ and how it may give rise to societal and personal level explanations of social processes and social behavior and the contribution of theories arising out of the competing theoretical perspectives and what they may say about various themes and issues, such as what they say about deviance or poverty Studying Ancient Materials: You will learn to handle a range of artefacts and other archaeological materials including ceramics, textiles, foodstuffs, glass, metals and building materials. You will be able to observe and record their characteristics and their importance to the interpretation of people and societies. Year 2 Core units Becoming Human: What makes us (as humans) unique? Where did our species come from? Starting from the divergence of the human lineage from that of other apes, this unit will demonstrate how a wide variety of different lines of evidence can inform the way in which we became human. You will learn how archaeologists and anthropologists interpret the fossil and archaeological evidence to understand the ways in which our ancestors and related species lived and how this changed over time. A key focus throughout will be on the relationship between the biological and social environments for evolution, and how the interaction between them influenced the evolution not only of our distinctive biological life histories, subsistence and foraging patterns but also our social life and culture, in the form of technology, material culture, language and symbolism. Bonobos, Bones & Bottlenecks: Lectures and lab work will introduce you to the basic principles of modern human variation, adaptation and the evolutionary forces that have influenced them. You will study the core concepts of heredity, adaptation and variation applied to humans and other primates. Attention is also given to all living primates and to the primate fossil record. Themes in Archaeology & Anthropology: If there is such a thing as ‘human nature’, then why are cultures across the world so different? Many things and practices that we think of as ‘natural’ or biologically given – for example, bodies, eating, shelter and the environment – are in fact thought about or performed in very different ways in different cultures across the globe today and in the past. How and why have cultural differences come about, and why might they change? This unit will introduce you to the diversity of contemporary and past human cultures around the world and to some of the methods anthropologists and archaeologists use to study these differences. Option units Semester 1 (choose 2): Controversial Cultures: You will explore how concepts of ‘culture’ and ‘society’ are theorized within sociology, anthropology and related disciplines. Drawing on selected key texts from these academic areas, the unit will examine the historical development and critique of the concepts of culture and society. In particular, you will explore how these ideas were developed by some of the classic theorists of social science disciplines. Following this, we will explore the continuing significance of classic thinkers to contemporary debates on issues such as class, poverty, gender, race and nation, as well as the nature of modernity. Environmental & Societal Challenges: This unit will consider the relationships between humanity and the environment and is relevant to any student wanting to further their knowledge of science policy and application. You will be introduced to some of the big challenges faced by society today that stem from the impact of humanity on the earth system and you will gain a critical awareness of your own role and the role of NGOs. Interpreting History: Historical interpretation can be complex, ambiguous and often conflicted. In this unit you will explore a range of historical viewpoints and interpretations emerging from the different approaches and methods to the study and purpose of history. You will be introduced to family history, women’s history, gender history, black history and history from below. It will raise your critical awareness of the discipline and hone your analytical skills leading to independent research in preparation for your final year dissertation. Semester 2 (choose 1): Community Histories: You will be put in touch with local history and community groups, and use portable recording equipment to carry out your own oral history interviews. The oral history component introduces the broader questions of memory and memento such as purpose, subjectivity and rigour - how and why has material been gathered? How is it contextualised? How is it interpreted and evidenced? You will need to understand local history and ‘people’s history’, focusing on the ways in which individuals have uncovered and recorded the history of the locality or community in which they have lived and worked. Globalisation & Marginalisation: Viewing the concept of globalisation from a number of alternative perspectives, you will consider the relationships between global processes, social policies and health and social care professions by examining the complex ways in which welfare structures, social policies and the everyday work of health and social care professionals are embedded within transnational relationships and developments. You will also consider a range of forms of marginalisation and inequality that are the outcome of global processes, the ways in which these are addressed or ignored by social welfare policies, and the challenges they present to those working in health and social care professions. Growing up & Growing old: This unit explores sociological and anthropological perspectives and theories of childhood, youth and aging. It examines the variety and change in which the different categories of the life course, as well as how the transition from one stage to the next have been imagined, marked and constructed in different cultures and throughout history. It explores what impact such constructions have on people’s experiences of growing up and growing old. Drawing particularly on ethnographic studies from different parts of the world, the unit will explore the diverse experiences of children, young and old people in relation to, for example, economic or social circumstances including class, education and employment. Rome & Barbarian Europe: You will develop an understanding of the history, archaeological impact, key sites, monuments, belief-systems, artistic expression, political complexity, fashions and environment of the Roman Empire, from the 1st to the 7th Century AD in European, African and Asian contexts. The interrelationship between the classical world and that of so-called ‘barbarian’ (Celtic/Germanic/Scandinavian/Slavic) people of north and eastern Europe will be studied. Societies of prehistoric Europe: Keynote lectures are supported by discussion sessions to provide you with an introduction to the study of early farming societies in Temperate Europe and the northern Mediterranean (c.6000-800 BC). They will bring together evidence of settlement patterns to provide a sound understanding of how these societies inhabited and manipulated their environment. You will be required to undertake a considerable amount of supportive research in this unit. Please note that option units require minimum numbers in order to run and may only be available on a semester by semester basis. They may also change from year to year. Year 3 You may choose to complete an optional 30-week minimum work placement which can be carried out anywhere in the world. The placement year offers a chance to gain experience and make contacts for the future. Alternatively you can complete a short 5 week placement and complete your course in three years. Year 3/4 (Final year) Core units Cultural Ecology: Humans share their habitats with a multitude of other organisms and have to adapt to a variety of existing or changing circumstances of the natural environment. However, humans themselves change these basic conditions by using techniques, agreements, rules and modes of organisation in order to facilitate long-term settlement in their habitat. They form and manipulate their environment as part of adaptation strategies within the framework of their personal interests and collective goals. Adaptations of human populations to their respective habitats thus always embrace cultural strategies and their biological conditions and consequences. By considering an ecosystems approach, this unit will give an overview and discuss of the diversity and correspondence of biocultural solutions, which human populations have developed to co-ordinate these two sides of their life support system. Independent Research Project: The Independent Research Project provides you with an opportunity to gain experience of research in a topic of your choice relevant to your degree and to demonstrate your ability to report that research. Such experience is considered essential for those students interested in pursuing academic and/or professional research at a higher level of responsibility and achievement. Option units Semester 1 (choose one): Anthropology of International Policy: This unit aims to familiarise you with critical anthropological debates on international intervention policies and practices. By introducing you to existing, multi-sited ethnographic research into international and local organisations and actors, their experiences, practices, norms and perceptions as well as into the transformations of ‘Western’ intervention paradigms on the ground, the unit will provide the basis for scholarly criticism of real-life international policy transfer in global asymmetric relations of power. It will foster critical and creative thinking for improving professional, ethically-aware future practices in the applications of anthropological, sociological and policy expertise. Science of Human Remains: Practical lab sessions will allow you to examine skeletal material of modern humans in archaeological and forensic contexts. You will examine the ways in which disease can inform health status in past societies and how disease, trauma and skeletal pathology can identify individuals in a forensic context. Seekers, Believers & Iconoclasts - Sociology of Thought: This unit explores the concept of science as a sociological phenomenon contextualised within a cultural and social analysis, as well as a philosophical and historical one. Science is considered as a social organisation dedicated to the production of knowledge that is accepted within a corpus of knowledge as conforming to that governing scientific epistemology. This position is contrasted with bodies of knowledge that lie beyond these rules and governance. Semester 2 (choose one): Animals & Society: This unit aims to provide you with a detailed critical understanding of human interactions with animals in Britain from the Palaeolithic through to the early Post-medieval period. These interactions include the exploitation of animals for meat and other products and how animals were incorporated into burial practices and other rituals. Food, Culture & Travel: This unit will enable you to understand the issues surrounding food and its role within particular cultures and tourism destinations. You will analyse the socio-cultural, environmental, health, economic, ethical and political issues impacting upon food in a variety of geographical contexts. Case studies will be used to demonstrate how particular food commodities, social networking and behaviours affect commercial tourism and hospitality as well as social and domestic cultures. Primate Behavioural Ecology: This unit will provide you with an understanding of how primate behaviour can be interpreted from an evolutionary viewpoint and how human and non-human primates’ behavioural strategies are adapted to the environment (social and ecological) in which they live. The unit will stimulate discussion and the critical analysis of theories by a combination of lectures, directed reading and discussion sessions which will involve the analysis of scientific articles. Please note that option units require minimum numbers in order to run and may only be available on a semester by semester basis. They may also change from year to year. Scheduled learning and teaching activities Contact hours The hours below give an indication of how you can expect to spend your time during each year of this course. You will learn through a combination of lectures, seminars, tutorials, workshops and practical sessions. Your independent learning could include reading books and journal articles, working on group projects, preparing presentations, conducting library research and writing your assignments. Year 1 – 19% of your time will be spent in timetabled learning & teaching activities Learning and teaching: 252 hours Independent learning: 948 hours Year 2 – 37% of your time will be spent in timetabled learning & teaching activities Learning and teaching: 444 hours Independent learning: 756 hours Year 3 - 17% of your time will be spent in timetabled learning & teaching activities Learning and teaching: 204 hours Independent learning: 996 hours 56% of the course is assessed by coursework Year 1: 67% Year 2: 32% Year 3: 70% Throughout the course you will be assessed by coursework culminating in your final year research project, but you will also undertake group work and written exams. Programme specification Programme specifications provide definitive records of the University's taught degrees in line with Quality Assurance Agency requirements. Every taught course leading to a BU Award has a programme specification which describes its aims, structure, content and learning outcomes, plus the teaching, learning and assessment methods used. Download the programme specification for BSc (Hons) Anthropology. Whilst every effort is made to ensure the accuracy of the programme specification, the information is liable to change to take advantage of exciting new approaches to teaching and learning as well as developments in industry. If you have been unable to locate the programme specification for the course you are interested in, it will be available as soon as the latest version is ready. Alternatively please contact us for assistance. All statistics shown are taken from Unistats, Destination of Leavers from Higher Education (DLHE), BU institutional data and Ipsos MORI (National Student Survey) unless otherwise stated.

BSc (Hons) Anthropology

£ 9,250 + VAT