Greek and Social Anthropology

Greek and social anthropology is a combination that brings together two disciplines with a deep and longstanding connection. Social anthropology emerged partly from engagement with classical scholarship on ancient Greek and other early societies, and the questions it asks about kinship, ritual, politics, economy and cosmology are in many ways continuous with the questions that classical Greek texts themselves raise. Studying ancient Greek alongside social anthropology allows you to engage with the primary sources of one of the most studied societies in history while also developing the theoretical and ethnographic tools to understand human social life in all its variety.

At the University of St Andrews, this four-year full-time MA programme develops your ancient Greek language skills alongside your engagement with the major traditions of social anthropological theory and methodology. In Greek, you will engage with literary, historical and philosophical texts in the original language, developing the interpretive and analytical capacities that classical scholarship requires. In social anthropology, you will explore ethnographic method, comparative analysis and the major theoretical debates about how human societies work.

A year abroad extends your academic formation and gives you the opportunity to encounter different social and academic environments, deepening the comparative perspective that both disciplines encourage.

Graduates of this combination move into careers that value analytical depth, cultural intelligence and the ability to engage rigorously with difficult texts and complex social phenomena. Academic research in classical studies, anthropology or adjacent humanities is a natural direction for those who wish to pursue their interests at a higher level. Teaching, journalism, heritage, museum work, the civil service, law, development work and roles in international organisations are also common destinations.

Postgraduate study in social anthropology, classics, ancient history or comparative religion provides further opportunities for specialisation.