Introducing anthropology: key concepts and debates

The course offers a general introduction to social anthropology, focusing on the social and cultural dimensions of human life and behaviour, exploring this from a cross-cultural perspective. Specifically, the course introduces students to the key principles of anthropology, the methods that anthropologists use to investigate culture and society, as well as some of the key ideas and theories that anthropologists have applied whilst seeking to understand the role that society and culture play in shaping how we think, act and understand our world. To this end, the course also introduces you to some key debates in anthropology, including: is there such a thing a human nature? Is our behaviour a product of nature or culture? Can we study culture and society objectively and in an ethical manner? Should anthropologists make moral judgements about other people’s beliefs and customs?