BSc in Anthropology (4 years full-time with placement)

at Brunel University London

Through a set of compulsory modules in your first year, you will gain a firm foundation in the central themes and debates in anthropology as you are introduced to the international work carried out by the teaching staff that explores the practicalities of undertaking anthropological fieldwork. 
Towards the end of your first year, you get to choose your degree pathway – either to remain on the general Anthropology route or to specialise in Anthropology (Childhood, Youth and Education), Anthropology (Development, War and Humanitarian Assistance), or Anthropology (Global Health).  
In years two and three, you will follow a pre-set group of compulsory modules according to your pathway choice, plus optional modules choices according to your interests.  Below is a list of the variety of modules typically taught within the subject. Details on modules studied by pathway can be found in the Programme Specification below the module lists. You can also see below a table with modules for each pathway.
Please see below for more information on modules offered throughout the course for each pathway.
Anthropology BSc pathway modules table
This course can be studied 3 years full-time or 4 years full-time with placement, starting in September.
Year 1
Compulsory

• SA1003 - Introduction to Anthropology: Themes
• An introduction to the field of social anthropology through reviews of some classic problems and topics. You will gain basic knowledge of the variety of human cultures as you discover the types of argument employed and forms of evidence characteristic of social anthropology.
• SA1600 - Fieldwork Encounters: Thinking Through Ethnography
• In this module you will be introduced to issues concerning ethnographic fieldwork, drawing on the regional experience and expertise of departmental staff. Lecturers will reflect on ethnographic debates in their regions (currently Africa, India, Indonesia, Papua New Guinea, Europe and Britain).
• SA1601 - Introduction to Anthropology: Beliefs and Ways of Thinking
• Learn about the ways anthropologists interpret and explain systems of knowledge and belief and their ability to detach themselves from taken-for-granted beliefs and values to help them to appreciate the logic of others systems.
• SA1602 - Research Methods in Anthropology
• This module will introduce you to the methods employed by anthropologists when undertaking ethnographic research in preparation for your own fieldwork placements and for the empirical research as part of your final year dissertation.
• SA1603 - Anthropology and Contemporary Debates
• This module applies anthropology to current moral and political debates, demonstrating how anthropological analysis can reveal new and distinctive perspectives. 
• SA1605 - Practising Anthropology 1
• In this two part module your learning will be based around three elements. In workshops, research methods will be introduced and practised with your peers, whilst seminar sessions will deepen your understanding of the methodological, political and ethical principles of action research. Later in the module, through extended workshop activity you will work in teams to plan a research project in response to a simulated social situation.
  Year 2
  Compulsory
• SA2601 - Ethnicity, Culture and Identity
• Learn about the range of key concepts, theories and controversies in the anthropology of ethnicity, culture, nationhood and identity. Drawing on case studies from within and beyond Britain, it will encourage you to consider how identities are created, deployed and contested. 
• SA2603 - Kinship, Sex and Gender
• An introduction to some of the key social anthropological literature on kinship, gender and sexuality including universalities and particularities in the construction of gender roles and different theoretical paradigms on gender and sexuality.
• SA2605 - Political and Economic Issues in Anthropology
• In this topic you will be introduced to some of the key research topics in modern social anthropology, including aspects of political economy, social organisation, cultural systems, historical change, and theoretical frames through which to view them.
• SA1606 - Practising Anthropology 2
• In this continuing module your learning will be based around three elements. In workshops, research methods will be introduced and practised with your peers, whilst seminar sessions will deepen your understanding of the methodological, political and ethical principles of action research. Later in the module, through extended workshop activity you will work in teams to plan a research project in response to a simulated social situation.
  Optional
• SA2602 - Ethnography of a Selected Region
• In this module you will grasp the interplay between ethnographic observations during fieldwork and theory building during the write up process. You will examine key cultural issues for the Mediterranean, Africa or South Asia, covering topics such as religion, nationalism, economics, and the interplay of politics and memory in the given area of study.
• SA2607 - Ethnography of a Selected Region 2
• In this module you will grasp the interplay between ethnographic observations during fieldwork and theory building during the write up process. You will examine key cultural issues for the Mediterranean, Africa or South Asia, covering topics such as religion, nationalism, economics, and the interplay of politics and memory in the given area of study.
• SA2700 - Medical Anthropology in Clinical and Community Settings
• Delve into the contemporary texts that have contributed to the development of medical anthropology as you consider its innovations and how the application of anthropological research in the subject can contribute to improving medical practices.
• SA2701 - Global Health in Anthropological Perspective
• In this subject you will explore the different ways in which anthropological research can contribute to public health policy and practice in contemporary societies including the different ways social, moral, political and economic issues influence conceptions of public health problems in the Western and non-Western world.
• SA2702 - Anthropology of Education and Learning
• Gain an appreciation of the key issues in the anthropology of education and learning and an understanding, ethnographically, of how culture shapes and informs the educational and learning process an and in turn impacts social and cultural practices.
• SA2703 - Understanding Childhood and Youth
• This module will introduce you to the study of childhood and youth as they are constructed and practised in different social, cultural and economic settings. The first section focuses on children, looking first at how ideas of childhood are constructed by adults, the second section is devoted to young people.
• SA2705 - Anthropological Perspectives on War and Humanitarianism
• In this subject you will analyse the social and economic consequences of contemporary warfare and the rebuilding war-torn societies from an anthropological perspective and by doing so, understand the different ways anthropological research can enhance the understanding of contemporary warfare.
• SA2704 - Critical Perspectives on International Development
• You will gain an theoretical and historical overview of the changing relationship between anthropology and international development as you learn to understand the multiple ways in which anthropological research can enhance our understanding of contemporary policies and practices in international development.
  Year 3
  Compulsory
• SA3601 - Contemporary Anthropological Theory
• This module offers a historical and critical perspective on the development of theories and methods in social anthropology from around 1980 to the present day, focussing on contemporary theoretical debates and how these have shaped the discipline of anthropology.
• SA3100 - Social Anthropology Dissertation (40 credits) Core: Block
• The opportunity to carry out a major research project in social anthropology based around your own fieldwork.
  Optional
• SA3001 - Anthropology of the Person
• Anthropological approaches to understanding ‘the person’ are discussed through the work of theorists such as Mauss and Hacking including contemporary approaches to the study of subjectivity, personhood and experience in formal and informal environments.
• SA3002 - Anthropology of the Body
• Explore key theories of ‘the body’ in anthropology and other cognate discipline through the work of scholars such as Pierre Bourdieu, Michel Foucault and Thomas Csordas. You will also be exposed to contemporary approaches to the study of subjectivity, personhood and experience across societies and cultures.
• SA3008 - Themes in Psychological and Psychiatric Anthropology
• Learn about the development of psychological and psychiatric anthropology including theories of emotion, psychoanalytic approaches, folk psychologies, culture and personality, mental health and cultural perspectives on 'madness'.
• SA2700 - Medical Anthropology in Clinical and Community Settings
• Delve into the contemporary texts that have contributed to the development of medical anthropology as you consider its innovations and how the application of anthropological research in the subject can contribute to improving medical practices.
• SA2702 - Anthropology of Education and Learning
• Gain an appreciation of the key issues in the anthropology of education and learning and an understanding, ethnographically, of how culture shapes and informs the educational and learning process an and in turn impacts social and cultural practices.
• SA2705 - Anthropological Perspectives on War and Humanitarianism
• In this subject you will analyse the social and economic consequences of contemporary warfare and the rebuilding war-torn societies from an anthropological perspective and by doing so, understand the different ways anthropological research can enhance the understanding of contemporary warfare.
• SA2704 - Critical Perspectives on International Development
• You will gain an theoretical and historical overview of the changing relationship between anthropology and international development as you learn to understand the multiple ways in which anthropological research can enhance our understanding of contemporary policies and practices in international development.
• SA2701 - Global Health in Anthropological Perspective
• In this subject you will explore the different ways in which anthropological research can contribute to public health policy and practice in contemporary societies including the different ways social, moral, political and economic issues influence conceptions of public health problems in the Western and non-Western world.
• SA2703 - Understanding Childhood and Youth
• This module will introduce you to the study of childhood and youth as they are constructed and practised in different social, cultural and economic settings. The first section focuses on children, looking first at how ideas of childhood are constructed by adults, the second section is devoted to young people.
• SA2602 - Ethnography of a Selected Region
• In this module you will grasp the interplay between ethnographic observations during fieldwork and theory building during the write up process. You will examine key cultural issues for the Mediterranean, Africa or South Asia, covering topics such as religion, nationalism, economics, and the interplay of politics and memory in the given area of study.
• SA3610 - Ethnography of a Selected Region 2
• In this module you will continue to grasp the interplay between ethnographic observations during fieldwork and theory building during the write up process. You will examine key cultural issues for the Mediterranean, Africa or South Asia, covering topics such as religion, nationalism, economics, and the interplay of politics and memory in the given area of study.

English language requirements

• IELTS: 6.5 (min 5.5 in all areas)
• Pearson: 59 (59 in all subscores)
• BrunELT: 63% (min 55% in all areas)
• TOEFL: 90 (min R18, L17, S20, W17)  

2022/23 entry
UK
£9,250 full-time
£1,385 placement year
International
£16,825 full-time
£1,385 placement year
Fees quoted are per year and may be subject to an annual increase. Home undergraduate student fees are regulated and are currently capped at £9,250 per year; any changes will be subject to changes in government policy. International fees will increase annually, by no more than 5% or RPI (Retail Price Index), whichever is the greater.
Fees for EU applicants – For entry in 2022/23 academic year, eligible EU applicants will have the same tuition fees as UK students to continue our support during this transition period. These fees will be applied for the duration of the course.

As a graduate of a three year anthropology degree, your research and fieldwork experience, which forms such a major part of our degree course, will help to set you apart from other graduates. 
These placements build up fantastic experience and can connect you with organisations and people who will be invaluable when it comes to progressing your career.
Brunel anthropology graduates have gone on to work at the World Bank, UNICEF, the NHS, NGOs and charities such as Oxfam and Save the Children, as well as local government, legal sectors and the media. 
Graduates have also gone on to work as teachers, journalists and research officers in the health and social sectors, and in other professions requiring knowledge of social and cultural processes.