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Anthropology
| Key facts | |
|---|---|
| Start year: | 2013 |
| Location: | Canterbury |
| Award/s: | BSc (Hons) |
| Type: | Full-time |
| Options: | Year abroad |
Anthropology addresses the big question - what makes us human? It is the study of human beings: how we evolved, why we live in different sorts of societies around the world, and how we interact with one another and the environment. An exciting and varied subject, anthropology covers a huge number of topics including human evolution, primatology, genetics, reproduction, nutrition, religion, kinship, politics and development.
At Kent, we offer a BSc degree in Anthropology that integrates the biological and social sides of the discipline; one of the very few departments in the UK to do so. Ours is a broad-ranging degree, both flexible and modular – you get to shape your own course through your choice of modules - but designed to ensure that whatever your choices, you receive a top quality education and the skills you need to succeed in the workplace.
This is an ideal degree whether you have an arts, humanities or science background. Anthropology draws on each of these and, by the end of your degree, you will have a thorough understanding of your own species.
Degree programmes
Did you know?
Kent was ranked 6th in the UK for Anthropology graduate employment prospects in The Guardian University Guide 2012 and 8th for student satisfaction in TheTimes Good University Guide 2012.
See individual programmes for entry requirements and other information
Modules
Stage 1
Core modules- Animals, People and Plants
- Foundations of Human Culture
- Introduction to Social Anthropology
- Skills for Anthropology and Conservation
- Thinkers and Theories: An Introduction to the History and Development of Anthropology
- Fundamental Human Biology
- Human Physiology and Disease
Plus a wild module of your choice.
Stage 2/3
Core modules- Advanced Social Anthropology 1
- Advanced Social Anthropology 2
- Biological Anthropology: Comparative Perspectives
- Biological Anthropology: The Human Animal
- Methodology in Anthropological Science
- Project in Anthropological Science
- Options
Your optional modules are drawn from both biological and social anthropology. You are required to take the indicated number of modules from each list, and are free to choose your remaining options from all the modules across both lists.
Biological Anthropology (Three required):- Current Issues in Evolutionary Anthropology
- The Evolution of Hominin Behaviour
- Evolution of Human Diversity
- History of Evolutionary Thought
- Human Osteology
- Paleopathology
- Primate Behaviour and Ecology
- Sex, Evolution, and Human Nature.
- Social/Medical Anthropology
- African Societies
- Anthropology and Development
- Anthropology and Language
- The Anthropology of Amazonia
- The Anthropology of Business
- The Anthropology of Central Asia
- The Anthropology of Eating
- The Anthropology of Gender
- The Anthropology of Health, Illness and Medicine
- The Anthropology of Law
- Culture and Cognition
- Ethnicity and Nationalism
- The Ethnography of Central Asia
- Human Ecology
- Medicinal Plants, Traditional Healing and Drug Discovery
- North Mediterranean Societies
- Pacific Societies
- Social Computing
- South-east Asian Societies
- Southern Mediterranean Societies
- Project in Visual Anthropology
- Visual Anthropology Theory.
Year abroad
You spend a year between Stages 2 and 3 taking courses in anthropology at a university in France, Germany, Italy or Spain (where the courses are taught in the language of that country); or the Netherlands, Japan, Finland or Denmark (where the courses are taught in English).
Teaching and assessment
On average, you have four hours of lectures and six hours of seminars and/or lab sessions each week. For the Project in Anthropological Science, you receive regular one-to-one supervision.
The School of Anthropology and Conservation has a specialist teaching lab that provides equipment and specimens for teaching and research use. This lab has a completely integrated audiovisual system, providing cutting-edge lectures, and is primarily used by BSc students. You have access to an excellent fossil cast collection with more than 50 casts of extant and extinct primates and hominins, including an entire Homo erectus skeleton.
We are associated with the nearby Quex Museum, which has one of the largest collections of primate skeletal remains in the world, as well as an extensive collection of cultural artefacts to which undergraduates have access. We have dedicated computing facilities within the School, in addition to the general University IT provision, a darkroom, and an ethnobiology lab for studying human-related plant material.
Many of the core modules have an end-of-year examination which counts for 50% to 100% of your final mark for that module. The remaining percentage comes from practical or coursework marks. However, others, such as the Project in Anthropological Science are assessed entirely on coursework. Both Stage 2 and 3 marks and, where appropriate, the marks from your year abroad, count towards your final degree result.
Entry requirements
Passing the Kent IFP with an overall average of 60%, including passing all components and achieving a mark of 60% in the mathematics and quantitative methods, and academic skills modules, guarantees you entry onto the first year of the L601 degree programme
Not sure? How about...
Offer levels
L601: AAB at A level, IB Diploma 33 points or 17 points at HL, inc 4 in Mathematics (5 in Mathematic Studies) and 4 in a science subject.
L603: Same as above however for French, German, Italian or Spanish variants you will need to including the relevant language at A level grade B.
L604: AAB at A level including A level science (Biology preferred), or Psychology at B, IB Diploma 33 points or 17 points at HL, inc 4 in Mathematics (5 in Mathematic Studies) and 5 in HL science or 6 in SL science.
Required subjects
L601, L603, L604: GCSE English Language (IB equivalent) and Mathematics grade C, GCSE single or double science grade B.
QL86: Grade B in A level in Classical Studies, Classical Civilisation, or Archaeology, where taken.
We also consider students with alternative qualifications.
Careers
Studying anthropology gives you an exciting range of career opportunities. We work with you to help direct your module choices to the career paths you are considering. Through your studies, you learn how to work independently, to analyse complex data and to present your work with clarity and flair.
Our graduates have gone on to careers in advertising; education; social work; town and country planning; housing and personnel management; journalism, film production, or research for radio and television programmes; consultancy in overseas development and relief agencies; science journalism; museum work; forensic science; business and the Civil Service.
For more information on the services Kent provides to improve your employment prospects, visit www.kent.ac.uk/employability
Further information
School:Enquiries:
T: +44 (0)1227 827272