Archaeology and Social Anthropology

This programme examines the diversity of ancient and modern human social and material culture. Your undergraduate dissertation in Year 4 can be in either subject.

Archaeology is the study of the human past from our origins several million years ago to recent times. Archaeologists use physical remains to study the lives, societies and cultures of past peoples.

In contrast, social anthropology is the study of human behaviour in living societies. Understanding a living society and its members involves participant observation. This can involve spending months or even years living with, and sharing the experiences of, the people being studied.

Societies around the world vary enormously socially, culturally and politically. The study of these variations, and the common humanity that underlies them, is at the heart of social anthropology.

Together, these two subjects create a programme that studies past and present human behaviour.

Practical skills

We emphasise the importance of training in practical archaeological skills.

You will have an opportunity to gain hands-on experience of artefact identification and analysis in practical sessions using artefacts from our own Vere Gordon Childe collection.

Fieldwork

You will complete 3 weeks of archaeological fieldwork at the end of Year 1. In later years of study you will also have the option to complete:

* further fieldwork

* projects in heritage management and public engagement

* lab-based analysis of archaeological remains

If you choose to do a dissertation in social anthropology you can conduct your own research in the summer break between Years 3 and 4.