Anthropology

Anthropology is the study of human beings in all their diversity, examining how different societies organise themselves, how culture shapes thought and practice, and what it means to be human across the extraordinary variation of contexts in which people live. It is a discipline that takes seriously the idea that the way we do things is not the only way, and that understanding other ways of life is essential to understanding our own. It draws on fieldwork, ethnography and theory to investigate everything from kinship and religion to economics, politics, health and the environment, and it asks its practitioners to engage seriously with people whose lives and worlds may be very different from their own.

At Bristol, this three-year full-time programme includes a foundation year, giving you an extended route into the degree. Bristol's anthropology programme is research-oriented and focuses on applying anthropological theory and method to the major contemporary challenges facing humanity, including the impacts of climate change, technological innovation and health inequality. You will develop skills in ethnographic fieldwork and qualitative research, in theoretical analysis and in communicating complex ideas about human societies to different audiences.

The foundation year provides the academic grounding and critical thinking skills needed to engage fully with degree-level anthropological study.

Graduates of anthropology programmes are highly valued in organisations that need people with genuine cultural intelligence and strong qualitative research skills. International development, humanitarian work, public health, policy research, journalism, education, the voluntary sector, corporate research and social enterprise are all destinations where anthropologists work. Many graduates continue to postgraduate study in anthropology, development studies, public health or social research.