BA in Anthropology
Queen's University Belfast
Key Information
Campus location
Belfast, United Kingdom
Languages
English
Study format
On-Campus
Duration
3 years
Pace
Full time
Tuition fees
GBP 18,800 / per year **
Application deadline
Request info *
Earliest start date
Request info
* subject to the availability of places
** international fee
Introduction
Anthropology is the study of human diversity around the world. In studying anthropology, you will learn how different societies live together and think about such topics as family, sex, religion, art, and economics and gain skills increasingly in demand in a globalized and automated world.
The BA in Anthropology at Queen’s will allow you to examine some of the deepest and most pressing questions about human beings. Issues addressed in our modules include:
- Does globalisation mean the end of cultural difference?
- Can a post-conflict society heal?
- How do ritual traditions, musical performances, and art shape cultural identities?
- How do some people become willing to die for a group?
Through classroom modules, optional placements, performance ensembles and your own anthropological fieldwork, you will also gain valuable skills in critical thinking, cross-cultural understanding, researching, interviewing, writing, and presenting.
Anthropology Degree Highlights
In the Guardian University Guide 2020, Anthropology was ranked 9th in the UK for Course satisfaction.
Global Opportunities
- As part of their dissertation study in years 2 and 3, students have carried out ethnographic field research around the world, including on orphanages in Kenya, AIDS in southern Africa, education in Ghana, dance in India, NGOs in Guatemala, music in China, marriage in Japan, backpacking in Europe, and whale-watching in Hawaii.
- Students have the opportunity to use practice-based research skills during eight weeks of ethnographic fieldwork in areas of their specialisation, which can entail working with organisations around the globe.
World Class Facilities
- Anthropology at Queen's provides students access to world class facilities including; The Ethnomusicology Performance Room which includes a variety of musical instruments from around the world, a collection that has grown since the 1970s when Ethnomusicology was first established as an International Centre at Queen’s by the late Prof John Blacking. These instruments, together with the sprung performance room floor, facilitate music and dance ensembles, enabling our unit to remain one of the leading departments in Ethnomusicology.
Internationally Renowned Experts
- Anthropology at Queen’s is international renowned in the following areas: Ethnomusicology and performance; Conflict and borders; Religion; Cognition and culture; Migration and diasporas; Irish studies; Material culture and art; Human-animal relations and The cross-cultural study of emotions.
- Students can also work with world class institutions including; Senator George J. Mitchell Institute for Global Peace, Security and Justice: The Institute of Cognition and Culture; The Institute of Irish Studies ; Two International Summer schools including the Irish Studies Summer School; and the Conflict Transformation and Social Justice Summer School.
Student Experience
- Anthropology combines an understanding of cultural diversity through human behaviour and expression, with a hands-on method of study that focuses on lived experience.
- Queen's offers the only anthropology course in the UK that combines the study of expressivity (through art and music) with thematic strands on conflict, religion, cognition, and business anthropology
- Anthropology at Queen’s offers the opportunity to learn about human and cultural diversity through field research funded by the university.
- There is a focus on creativity, performance, religion, the study of conflict, and business anthropology, that sets Queen's apart from other UK universities.
- In the Guardian University Guide 2020, Anthropology was ranked 4th in the UK for student:staff ratios.
- Our National Student Survey results have returned 100% student satisfaction with the course consistently since 2019.
Admissions
Scholarships and Funding
How do I fund my study?
There are different tuition fees and student financial support arrangements for students from Northern Ireland, England, Scotland, and Wales (Great Britain), and those from the rest of the European Union.
Scholarships
Each year, we offer a range of scholarships and prizes for new students.
International Scholarships
Curriculum
Course Structure
Introduction
The BA in Anthropology is constructed around four innovative, engaged themes:
- What Makes Us Human?
- Modules may include: Being Human: Evolution, Culture and Society; World on the Move; How Society Works.
- Conflict, Peacebuilding and Identity
- Modules may include: Us & Them: Why We Have Ingroups and Outgroups; Why Are Humans Violent? Understanding Violence, Conflict, and Trauma; Migration, Mobilities and Borders.
- Arts, Creativity and Music
- Modules may include: Being Creative: Music, Media and the Arts; Radical Musics: Understanding Sounds of Defiance across Disciplines.
- Morality, Religion and Cognition
- Modules may include: Apocalypse!: The End of the World; In Gods We Trust: The New Science of Religion; Human Morality; Love, Hate, and Beyond.
Stage 1
- Being Human: Evolution, Culture and Society
- A World on the Move: Anthropological and Historical Approaches to Globalisation
- Us and Them: Why Do We Have In-groups and Outgroups?
- Being Creative: Music, Media and the Arts
- Understanding Northern Ireland
(Plus two optional courses from other subject areas)
Stage 2
- How Society Works: Key Debates in Anthropology
- Skills in the Field: Dissertation Preparation
- Hanging out on Street Corners: Public and Applied Anthropology
- Business Anthropology in the Digital Age
- Why Are Humans Violent? Understanding Violence, Conflict, and Trauma
- Human Morality
- Radical Musics: Understanding Sounds of Defiance across Disciplines
- Apocalypse! The History and Anthropology of the End of the World
Stage 3
- Dissertation in Social Anthropology: Writing-Up
- The Politics of Performance: From Negotiation to Display
- Human-Animal Relations
- In Gods We Trust: The New Science of Religion
- Love, Hate and Beyond: Emotions, Culture, Practice
- Music and Identity in the Mediterranean
- Ireland and Britain: People, Identity, Nations
- Remembering the Future: Violent Pasts, Loss, and the Politics of Hope
Note that this is not an exclusive list and these options are subject to staff availability.
Learning and Teaching
Examples of the opportunities provided for learning on this course are:
E-Learning technologies
- Information associated with lectures and assignments is often communicated via the University's own Virtual Learning Environment (VLE). A range of e-learning experiences are also embedded in the degree programme through the use of, for example, interactive support materials, podcasts, video-conferencing with researchers, practitioners and universities abroad and web-based learning activities.
Fieldwork
- Single-honours anthropology students have the opportunity to study research methods and carry out anthropological fieldwork for an 8-week period. This crucial period of skill-formation and research forms the basis of a dissertation they write up in the first semester of their third year.
Lectures
- Lectures introduce foundation information about new topics as a starting point for further self-directed private study/reading. Lectures, which are normally delivered in medium-size groups to all year-group peers, also provide opportunities to ask questions and seek clarification on key issues as well as gain feedback and advice on assessments.
Self-directed study
- This is an essential part of life as a Queen’s student. It is during self-directed study when a student completes important private reading, engages with e-learning resources, reflects on feedback, and completes assignment research and preparation.
Seminars/tutorials
- A significant amount of teaching is carried out in small groups (typically 10-12 students). These sessions are designed to explore in more depth the information that has been presented in the lectures. They provide students with the opportunity to engage closely with academic staff, to ask questions of them and to assess their own progress and understanding with the support of their peers. During these classes, students will be expected to present their work to academic staff and their peers.
Program Tuition Fee
Career Opportunities
Studying for an Anthropology degree at Queen‘s will assist you in developing the core skills and employment-related experiences that are increasingly valued by employers, professional organisations and academic institutions. Through classroom modules, optional placements and your own anthropological fieldwork, you will gain valuable skills in critical thinking, cross-cultural understanding, researching, interviewing, writing, and presenting.
Employment after the Course
Our graduates have followed careers in a wide variety of areas.
Career pathways typically lead to employment in:
- User Experience
- Consultancy
- Civil Service
- Development, NGO work, International Policy, Public Sector
- Journalism, Human Rights, Conflict Resolution, Community Work
- Arts Administration, Creative Industries, Media, Performance, Heritage, Museums, Tourism
- Market Research
- Public and Private Sector related to: Religious Negotiation, Multiculturalism/Diversity
- Teaching in schools
- Academic Teaching and Research
- Human Rights, Conflict Resolution, Community Work, Journalism
Employment Links
Internships will match dissertation students with organisations and institutions relevant to their career paths by building on local and international staff networks and professional connections.
Current placement partners include
- Operation Wallacea, which works with teams of ecologists, scientists and academics on a variety of bio-geographical projects around the globe.
- Belfast Migration Centre offers students of the module ‘Migration, Displacement and Diasporas’ internship opportunities in their ‘Belonging Project’.
Professional Opportunities
International Travel
As part of undergraduate training, students have the opportunity to use practice-based research skills during eight weeks of ethnographic fieldwork in areas of their specialisation, which can entail working with organisations around the globe.
Additional Awards Gained
Students in the Single Honours are required to take the Anthropology Dissertation module. This will involve undertaking fieldwork in the summer vacation period between years 2 and 3. The cost will vary depending on the location of the fieldwork, usually ranging from £100-£500. The School will provide financial support up to a maximum of £300.
Degree plus award for extra-curricular skills
In addition to your degree programme, at Queen's you can have the opportunity to gain wider life, academic and employability skills. For example, placements, voluntary work, clubs, societies, sports and lots more. So not only do you graduate with a degree recognised by a world-leading university, you'll have practical national and international experience plus a wider exposure to life overall. We call this Degree Plus. It's what makes studying at Queen's University Belfast special.
Student Testimonials
English Language Requirements
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