Anthropology and International Relations

Anthropology and international relations is a combination that addresses complementary questions from different angles. International relations asks how states, international organisations, and other actors interact at the global level, why conflicts arise, how cooperation is achieved, and what drives foreign policy. Anthropology asks what it means to be human in a particular place and time, how cultures differ and why, and how people make sense of their social worlds.

Together they develop a graduate who can engage with global dynamics at both the macro level of states and institutions and the micro level of lived human experience.

At the University of Aberdeen, this four-year full-time programme explores what it means to be human within the context of understanding how organisations, states, and governments interact in an ever-changing global and economic context. You will develop the unique insights, perspectives, and skills needed to understand the issues, challenges, and opportunities of the contemporary world. The programme includes a year abroad, giving you the chance to study or engage with another culture and political environment directly, which is particularly valuable in disciplines concerned with cross-cultural understanding and international affairs.

A typical entry tariff of 168 points applies.

You will develop skills in ethnographic research, qualitative and quantitative analysis, theoretical argumentation, and the ability to engage with complex cultural and political questions from multiple disciplinary perspectives. Both anthropology and international relations develop the capacity to take seriously perspectives that differ from your own, which is an important foundation for many careers.

Graduates go on to careers in international organisations, diplomacy, the civil service, NGOs, journalism, international development, humanitarian work, think tanks, cultural institutions, and academia. Postgraduate study in anthropology, international relations, development studies, or related fields supports those who wish to specialise or pursue research careers.