Sociology and Social Anthropology

Sociology and social anthropology both seek to understand human social life, but they approach it from complementary directions. Sociology tends to focus on social structures, institutions and inequalities within modern societies, asking how class, race, gender and power shape the lives people lead. Social anthropology takes a broader, more comparative view, studying diverse cultures and ways of life across the world, often through intensive fieldwork, and asking what it means to be human in different social contexts.

Together, they produce a rich and questioning approach to the study of society.

At the University of Edinburgh, this four-year full-time programme draws on the strengths of both disciplines. You will study sociological theory, research methods, ethnographic practice and comparative cultural analysis, developing your ability to examine social phenomena with rigour and sensitivity. The programme includes a year abroad, which gives you the opportunity to study at a partner institution overseas, deepening your international perspective and, for many students, providing the kind of cross-cultural experience that lies at the heart of anthropological thinking.

You will engage with topics ranging from kinship, religion and ritual to inequality, migration and urban life, building both theoretical knowledge and practical research skills.

Graduates move into an unusually wide range of careers. International development organisations, NGOs, policy research institutes, government departments, journalism, education, healthcare, social work and the cultural sector all regularly recruit people with this kind of training. The combination of qualitative research skills, cultural sensitivity and social analysis that the degree develops is highly valued in any field that involves working with diverse communities or understanding complex social dynamics.

Postgraduate study in sociology, social anthropology, international development, public policy or law is a well-travelled route for those who wish to deepen their expertise.