Why study Social Anthropology?

Social Anthropology is a constantly evolving, well-established discipline that asks the fundamental question of ‘what it is to be human?’. It seeks to answer this by examining the diverse ways in which human beings establish and live social lives.

Today, anthropologists are as likely to study in a Western urban context as they are to work amongst Inuit or on the Amazon. Wherever they undertake research, by being sensitive to different social and cultural contexts, anthropologists seek to gain insights into the different ways of being human.

Anthropologists try to understand how humans live and think by looking at all aspects of their experience. There are specialists in economic, political and cognitive anthropology as well as theorists who are concerned with kinship, art and aesthetics, cosmological notions or ideas of individual consciousness.

St Andrews has a distinctive humanities-based focus and worldwide regional expertise along with four internationally recognised research centres. The Department attaches great value to ethnographic fieldwork as one of the primary methods of deepening our knowledge about the world and its various inhabitants.

The subject matter intersects with a broad range of fields, including philosophy, history, classics, theology, languages, literature, economics, international relations, human geography and psychology. Recognising these exciting interdisciplinary continuities, the Department offers flexibility in which students can combine Social Anthropology with one of these other disciplines. Some of these are available with an integrated year abroad.

For further information about the degree skills and where Social Anthropology graduates go, see the University’s Careers Centre.

To find out more about anthropology, you can come to a University visiting day or attend the London Anthropology Day.

Course programmes aim to enable students to think anthropologically about the world by helping them develop the following:
- an understanding of social anthropology as the comparative study of human societies and cultures
- an appreciation of the importance of ethnographic fieldwork as the primary method of gathering data and as a basis for the generation of anthropological theory
- a detailed knowledge of specific themes in social anthropology and the intellectual debates concerning them, such as gender, religion, kinship, politics, economic life or material culture
- a realisation that knowledge is contested and that anthropology by its nature is dynamic and constantly generating new priorities and theories
- understanding that the peoples with whom anthropologists work may have studies of themselves from which we can also learn
- an informed awareness of, and sensitivity to, human diversity, an appreciation of its scope and complexity, and recognition of the richness of experience and potential that it provides
- self-reflection regarding the role of anthropologists in the collection and presentation of data.
Course programmes are designed to enable students to achieve the following:
- an understanding of the theory and history of anthropology
- an ability to recognise, assess and use different theoretical approaches within the discipline, and an awareness of links to cognate bodies of theory, such as philosophy, history, linguistics and feminist theory
- a detailed knowledge of anthropological work on particular areas of the world presented as regional courses (such as South America and the Caribbean, Europe, Central Asia, the Pacific and Africa)
- a familiarity with a range of anthropological methods of representing data, including primary and secondary texts, film and other visual media, and oral sources
- an awareness of ethical issues concerned with the study and representation of others
- an awareness of the ways in which anthropological knowledge can be applied (and misapplied) in a range of practical situations
- an awareness of social and historical change, and knowledge of some paradigms and modes (including indigenous ones) for explaining it
- an ability to recognise and analyse contexts in which relations of power, subordination and resistance affect the forms taken by human communities
- an appreciation of the interconnections between various aspects of social and cultural life, global and local forces, individual behaviour and the physical environment.
Depending upon the proportion of social anthropology within their degree programme, students will be able to demonstrate the following:
- an ability to understand how human beings interact with their social, cultural and physical environments, and an appreciation of their social and cultural diversity
- an ability to engage with cultures, populations and groups different from their own, without forgoing a sense of personal judgement
- an awareness of cultural assumptions, including their own, and the ways in which these impact on an interpretation of others
- a recognition of the politics of language, indirect forms of communication, forms of power, theoretical statements and claims of authority, and an ability to analyse them
- an ability to apply anthropological knowledge to a variety of practical situations, personal and professional
- an ability to plan, undertake and present scholarly work that demonstrates an understanding of anthropological aims, methods and theoretical considerations
- an ability to understand their strengths and weaknesses in learning and study skills and to take action to improve their capacity to learn
- a capacity to express their own ideas in writing and in oral presentations, to summarise the arguments of others, and to distinguish between the two
- independence of thought and analytical, critical and synoptic skills
- skills in analysing primary and secondary sources of information
- scholarly skills, such as the ability to make a structured argument, reference the works of others, and assess evidence
- time planning and management skills
- the ability to engage, where appropriate, in constructive discussion in group situations and group-work skills.

"What is Anthropology?" - a film made by St Andrews students and staff

Why study Social Anthropology?

Thinking anthropologically

Anthropological theory

Anthropology skills