Anthropology and Archaeology

This mutually enriching Joint Honours programme equips students in identifying historical and contemporary patterns of social organisation, human-environment relationships, ethnic and cultural divisions, varieties of inequality, and patterns of change over time across diverse societies.

Anthropology is the study of human diversity around the world, and studying Anthropology together with Archaeology allows you to develop an understanding of how this diversity has changed over long periods. In studying Anthropology and Archaeology, you will learn how different societies live and have lived together, and think about such topics as family, sex, religion, art, and economics, as well as gaining skills increasingly in demand in a globalised and automated world.

The BA in Anthropology and Archaeology at Queen’s will allow you to examine some of the deepest and most pressing questions about human beings. Issues addressed in our modules include:

- What are the roots of social inequality?

- Does globalisation mean the end of cultural difference?

- Can a post-conflict society heal?

- How do societies and their environment shape each other?

- How do ritual traditions, musical performances, and art shape cultural identities?

- How do some people become willing to die for a group?

Studying Anthropology and Archaeology at Queen’s progressively develops general and specific knowledge and skills, through fieldwork, classroom modules, optional placements, overseas fieldtrips, performance ensembles, laboratory and practical work. A wide range of career options are available to our graduates, drawing on the valuable skills they develop in this course, including critical thinking, cross-cultural understanding, researching, interviewing, writing, and presenting.