International Relations and Anthropology

International relations and anthropology is a combination that produces unusually well-rounded graduates, because each discipline corrects tendencies in the other. International relations is concerned with states, power, institutions, conflict, diplomacy and global governance, but it can sometimes treat people and cultures as abstractions. Anthropology is grounded in close attention to how human beings actually live, think and organise their societies, providing the granular, ethnographic understanding that makes sense of why the world looks the way it does.

Together they give you both the structural analysis of global affairs and the cultural depth to understand what those structures mean to the people living within them.

At Sussex, you will study within the School of Global Studies, where international relations and anthropology are taught in genuine dialogue. The programme includes a foundation year, a sandwich year, a year abroad and a work placement, making it one of the richer combinations of academic and professional experience available at undergraduate level. The foundation year prepares you thoroughly for degree-level work, and the structured time in industry and abroad adds practical and international dimensions that strengthen your profile considerably.

You will engage with the conditions that drive social change, explore how societies differ and what they share, and develop the research skills to investigate these questions rigorously.

Graduates work in international development, diplomacy, humanitarian organisations, the civil service, journalism, public affairs, research and the voluntary sector. The ability to combine analytical and ethnographic thinking is particularly valued by international organisations and NGOs. Postgraduate study in international relations, development studies, anthropology or global affairs is a natural progression.