Anthropology

Anthropology is the broadest of the human sciences, concerned with the extraordinary diversity of human cultures, societies and ways of being in the world. It asks fundamental questions about what makes us human, how different societies organise themselves, how meaning is created and communicated, and how people around the globe experience and respond to contemporary challenges such as climate change, health inequality, racial discrimination, gender-based violence and human rights. By taking cultural difference seriously and approaching it with intellectual humility and rigour, anthropology develops a capacity for cross-cultural understanding that is rare and consistently valuable.

At the University of Sussex, this full-time three-year programme includes an optional foundation year, a sandwich placement year, a year abroad and work placement opportunities, giving you a richly structured set of academic and professional experiences. You will study the diversity of cultural contexts across the world, developing both theoretical frameworks for understanding human social life and the ethnographic and research methods that are central to anthropological inquiry. The year abroad and placement experiences bring your academic learning into direct dialogue with professional and cultural realities beyond the UK.

Anthropology graduates go on to careers in international development, human rights, humanitarian work, public health, social services, education, media, policy research, corporate anthropology, museums, heritage and academic research. The ability to understand and work respectfully across cultural difference is valued in virtually any organisation that operates internationally or works with diverse communities. Many graduates go on to postgraduate study in anthropology, international development, social work or related fields, and the degree provides an excellent foundation for doctoral research in the social sciences and humanities.