BSc in Social Anthropology
Programme Code: UBANS2
Department: Anthropology
For students starting this programme of study in 2022/23
Guidelines for interpreting programme regulations
Paper |
Course number, title (unit value) | |
---|---|---|
Year 1 |
| |
LSE100 |
LSE100 is a half unit taken by all students, running across Autumn and Winter Terms in the first year. The course provides one of the marks that is eligible to be included in the calculation of the First Year Average for purposes of classification. Students will choose ONE of the three half-unit options below: LSE100A The LSE Course: How can we transform our climate futures? (0.5) |
|
LSE100B The LSE Course: How can we control AI? (0.5) |
||
LSE100C The LSE Course: How can we create a fair society? (0.5) |
||
Paper 1 |
AN100 Being Human: Contemporary Themes in Social Anthropology (1.0) |
|
Paper 2 |
AN101 A History of Anthropological Theory (1.0) |
|
Paper 3 |
AN102 Anthropology through Mixed Media (1.0) |
|
Paper 4 |
| |
Courses to the value of 1.0 unit(s) from the following: Note that in addition to this list of courses offered in outside departments, any available language course run by the Language Centre will also be approved. | ||
| ||
| ||
Language Specialism |
||
Students wishing to graduate with a language specialism should refer to the requirements set out in the Language Specialism footnote. | ||
International History Specialism |
||
Students wishing to graduate with an International History specialism should refer to the requirements set out in the International History Specialism footnote. | ||
Politics Specialism |
||
Students wishing to graduate with a Politics specialism should refer to the requirements set out in the Politics Specialism footnote. | ||
Year 2 |
| |
Paper 5 |
AN200 The Anthropology of Kinship, Sex and Gender (1.0) (withdrawn 2025/26) |
|
Paper 6 |
AN226 Political and Legal Anthropology (1.0) (withdrawn 2025/26) |
|
Paper 7 |
AN256 Economic Anthropology (0.5) and AN298 Fieldwork in London: Learning Ethnographic Methods (0.5) (withdrawn 2025/26) | |
Paper 8 |
| |
Courses to the value of 1.0 unit(s) from the following: | ||
| ||
| ||
(OR)Courses to the value of 1.0 unit(s) from the following, if the pre-requisite first year courses have been taken. (see Note) | ||
| ||
| ||
| ||
Note: |
| |
Students are strongly encouraged to take ethnographic options to the value of at least one half unit under Papers 8 and 12. See relevant footnotes for details of the Language, International History and Politics specialism requirements. Language Specialism: Approved courses to the value of 1.0 unit can be selected from the Language Courses list. Language options may be chosen if they are a continuation of a language studied in Year 1, and must be above Level 1. International History Specialism: Approved International History options to the value of 1.0 unit may be chosen if HY113 or HY116 or HY118 was taken in Year 1 and subject to availability. Politics Specialism: Approved Government options to the value of 1.0 unit may be chosen if GV100 or GV101 was taken in Year 1. | ||
Year 3 |
| |
Paper 9 |
AN303 Advanced Theory of Social Anthropology (0.5) # and AN357 Economic Anthropology (2): Transformation and Globalisation (0.5) | |
Paper 10 |
|
|
Paper 11 |
AN397 Special Essay Paper in Social Anthropology (1.0) |
|
Paper 12 |
| |
Courses to the value of 1.0 unit(s) from the following: | ||
| ||
| ||
(OR)Courses to the value of 1.0 unit(s) from the following, if the pre-requisite first and second year courses have been taken. (see Note) | ||
| ||
| ||
| ||
| ||
| ||
Note: |
| |
Students are strongly encouraged to take ethnographic options to the value of at least one half unit under Papers 8 and 12. See footnotes for details of the Language , International History and Politics specialism requirements.Language Specialism: Approved courses to the value of 1.0 unit can be selected from the Language Courses list for students wishing to receive a language specialism attached to their degree certificate and transcript. Language options may be chosen if they are a continuation of a language studied in Years 1 and 2. Language options must be above Level 2.International History Specialism: Approved International History courses to the value of 1.0 unit can be selected, subject to availability, if HY113 or HY116 or HY118 was taken in Year 1 and HY courses to the value of 1.0 unit were taken in Year 2.Politics Specialism: Approved Government courses to the value of 1.0 unit can be selected if GV100 or GV101 was taken in Year 1 and GV courses to the value of 1.0 unit were taken in Year 2 |
Approved Outside Options (Year 1)
GV100 Introduction to Political Theory (1.0) | |
GV101 Introduction to Political Science (1.0) | |
GY100 Introduction to Geography (1.0) | |
GY121 Sustainable Development (1.0) | |
HY113 Empires and Resistance in Global History (1.0) | |
HY116 International Politics since 1914: Peace and War (1.0) | |
HY118 Faith, Power and Revolution: Europe and the Wider World, c.1500-c.1800 (1.0) | |
LN270 Society and Language: Linguistics for Social Scientists (1.0) | |
PB102 Social Psychology (1.0) (suspended 2025/26) | |
PH103 The Big Questions: An Introduction to Philosophy (1.0) | |
SO110 Power, Inequality, and Difference: Contemporary Themes in Sociology (1.0) |
Language Courses
LN104 Mandarin Language and Society Level 1 (Beginner) (1.0) # | |
LN142 Mandarin Language and Society 2 (Intermediate) (1.0) # | |
LN251 Comparative Literature and 20th Century Political History (1.0) # B | |
LN270 Society and Language: Linguistics for Social Scientists (1.0) F | |
LN340 Mandarin Language and Society 5 (Mastery) (1.0) # (suspended 2025/26) |
Footnote for Language Courses
A: LN250: LN250 Not available to 2nd and 3rd year students on the BA/BSc in Social Anthropology programmes.
B: LN251: LN251 Not available to 2nd and 3rd year students on the BA/BSc in Social Anthropology programmes.
C: LN252: LN252 Not available to 2nd and 3rd year students on the BA/BSc in Social Anthropology programmes.
D: LN253: LN253 Not available to 2nd and 3rd year students on the BA/BSc in Social Anthropology programmes.
E: LN254: LN254 Not available to 2nd and 3rd year students on the BA/BSc in Social Anthropology programmes.
F: LN270: LN270 Not available to 2nd and 3rd year students on the BA/BSc in Social Anthropology programmes.
Anthropology Selection List A
Ethnographic options
AN205 The Anthropology of Melanesia (0.5) (withdrawn 2025/26) | |
AN223 The Anthropology of Southeast Asia (0.5) (withdrawn 2025/26) | |
AN240 Investigating the Philippines - New Approaches and Ethnographic Contexts (0.5) (withdrawn 2024/25) | |
AN250 The Anthropology of South Asia (0.5) # (withdrawn 2025/26) | |
AN269 The Anthropology of Amazonia (0.5) # (withdrawn 2025/26) | |
AN277 Topics in the Anthropology of sub-Saharan Africa (0.5) # (withdrawn 2025/26) | |
AN282 Bangladesh and Beyond: Anthropological Perspectives (0.5) # (withdrawn 2024/25) | |
AN292 Anthropological Entanglements in the Middle East (0.5) (withdrawn 2025/26) |
Government List A
GV245 Democracy and Democratisation (1.0) | |
GV248 Power and Politics in the Modern World: Comparative Perspectives (1.0) # | |
GV249 Research Design in Political Science (1.0) | |
GV251 Government, Politics and Public Policy in the European Union (1.0) | |
GV252 Politics and Policy of Data Science (0.5) | |
GV263 Public Policy Analysis (1.0) | |
GV264 Politics and Institutions in Europe (1.0) | |
History List A
HY200 The Rights of Man: the History of Human Rights Discourse from the Antigone to Amnesty International (1.0) | |
HY206 The International History of the Cold War, 1945-1989 (1.0) | |
HY221 The History of the Russian Empire, 1676-1825 (1.0) | |
HY226 The Greater War c. 1912-1923 (1.0) | |
HY235 Modernity and the State in East Asia: China, Japan and Korea since 1840 (1.0) | |
HY239 People, Power and Protest in Latin America, c.1895 to the present day (1.0) | |
HY240 From Empire to Commonwealth: war, race and imperialism in British History, 1780 to the present day (1.0) | |
HY241 What is History? Methods and Debates (1.0) (suspended 2025/26) | |
HY242 The Soviet Union: Domestic, International and Intellectual History (1.0) | |
HY243 Islamic Empires, 1400 - 1800 (1.0) (suspended 2025/26) | |
HY245 The United States and the World since 1776 (1.0) | |
HY246 The Global Caribbean: Colonialism, Race and Revolutions 1780s-1980s (1.0) (suspended 2025/26) | |
HY247 The History of Modern Turkey, 1789 to the Present (1.0) | |
HY248 Britain in the World: British Foreign Policy in the Twentieth Century (1.0) | |
HY249 War, Social Conflict and Nation Building: The History of Eastern and Southeastern Europe in the Twentieth Century (1.0) (suspended 2025/26) | |
HY250 Britain, Brussels, Bruges & Brexit: Reassessing Four Decades of UK EC/EU Membership (1.0) | |
LN251 Comparative Literature and 20th Century Political History (1.0) # |
Government List B
GV302 Key Themes in Political Thought (1.0) | |
GV307 Conflict and Cooperation: A Few Provocative Debates (0.5) A (suspended 2025/26) | |
GV309 Politics of Money and Finance in Comparative Perspective (0.5) # | |
GV311 British Government (1.0) | |
GV314 Empirical Research in Government (1.0) | |
GV315 Voting and Elections in Developing Democracies (0.5) # | |
GV318 Building Democracies from Conflict? Violence, Power-Sharing and Institutional Design (0.5) # | |
GV320 Populism (0.5) | |
GV321 Concepts and Controversies in Political Theory (0.5) # | |
GV324 Applied Quantitative Methods for Political Science (0.5) | |
GV326 Conflict, War and Revolution - Approaches to Political Theory (1.0) (suspended 2025/26) | |
GV328 Middle East Politics in Transnational Perspective (0.5) (suspended 2025/26) | |
GV330 Data Science Applications to Politics Research (0.5) # | |
GV333 Politics of Public Lands (0.5) | |
GV335 African Political Economy (0.5) | |
GV336 Latin America: Democracy and Development (0.5) (suspended 2025/26) | |
GV337 Politics, Crime, and Criminal Justice in Comparative Perspective (0.5) # | |
GV338 Politics and Political Economy of India (0.5) | |
GV339 Global Change, Regional Responses: The Political Economy of National Development in the Global South (0.5) | |
GV362 Advanced Topics in Government: Executive Politics (0.5) | |
GV366 Political Economy of the Developing World (1.0) (suspended 2025/26) | |
GV398 Inside the Mind of a Voter: Research in Electoral Psychology (1.0) (suspended 2025/26) | |
GV3L2 The Politics and Policy of Climate Change and Sustainability (0.5) # | |
Footnote for Government List B
A: GV307: Not available for students on the BA/BSc Social Anthropology programmes
B: GV319: Can be taken in Year 3 only.
C: GV390: Only Available to students on the BSc in Philosophy, Politics and Economics as an option on Government List B. Students on other programmes may only select this course under Paper 12 of their programme regulations.
History List B
HY311 Limited War During the Cold War Era: The US in Korea (1950-53) and Vietnam (1954-75) (1.0) | |
HY315 The European Enlightenment, c.1680-1799 (1.0) | |
HY319 Napoleon and Europe (1.0) | |
HY320 The Cold War Endgame (1.0) | |
HY322 Nazi Germany's War: Violence and Occupation in Europe, 1939-1945 (1.0) | |
HY323 Travel, Pleasure and Politics: The European Grand Tour, 1670-1825 (1.0) | |
HY327 The Anglo-American Special Relationship, 1939-89 (1.0) (suspended 2025/26) | |
HY328 The Arab-Israeli Conflict: Nationalism, Territory, Religion (1.0) | |
HY330 From Tea to Opium: China and the Global Market in the Long Eighteenth Century (1.0) | |
HY331 Henry Kissinger and the Global 1970s (1.0) | |
HY332 Interwar worlds: the cultural consequences of the First World War (1.0) | |
HY333 People and Power in West African History, c. 1450 - 1850 (1.0) | |
HY334 Communication Revolutions in Latin America, c.1539 to the Present (1.0) | |
HY335 History of Foreign Relations of the People's Republic of China, 1949-2008 (1.0) | |
HY336 The United States and nuclear weapons from the Manhattan project to the end of the Cold War (1.0) (suspended 2025/26) | |
HY337 Sources for the Subcontinent: The Culture and Politics of South Asia (1.0) | |
HY344 Muslim-Jewish Relations: History and Memory in the Middle East and Europe (1.0) (suspended 2025/26) |
Footnotes
# means there may be prerequisites for this course. Please view the course guide for more information.
A: Language Specialism: Language Specialism: Students who have taken and passed one language course in each year of their degree (i.e. 25% of their overall programme of study) will receive a language specialism attached to their degree certificate and transcript. Students must take all courses in the same language (French, Spanish, German, Mandarin or Russian) in order to qualify for the specialism. The three courses must also be consecutively harder in level, for example: beginner, intermediate and advanced. Students who choose language courses in each year according to these rules will receive a language specialism. Degree certificates which include a language specialism will state the language in the title, for example: BSc in Social Anthropology (with French).
B: International History Specialism: International History Specialism: Students who have taken and passed at least one course from the Department of International History in each year of their degree (ie, 25 per cent of their overall programme of study) will be offered the opportunity to receive an International History specialism attached to their degree certificate and transcript. In order to qualify for the specialism, students must take HY113, HY116 or HY118 in their first year, courses to the value of one unit from International History List A in the second year, and courses to the value of one unit from International History List A or International History List B in the third year. Students who choose to take International History courses are not obligated to receive a specialism, but have the option if they wish. Degree certificates which include an International History specialism will state this in the title, i.e.: BA in Social Anthropology (with International History).
C: Politics Specialism: Politics Specialism: Students who have taken and passed at least one course from the Department of Government in each year of their degree (ie, 25 per cent of their overall programme of study) will be offered the opportunity to receive a Politics specialism attached to their degree certificate and transcript. In order to qualify for the specialism, students must take GV100 or GV101 in their first year, courses to the value of one unit from Government List A in the second year, and courses to the value of one unit from Government List A or Government List B in the third year. Students who choose to take Government courses are not obligated to receive a specialism, but have the option if they wish. Degree certificates which include a Politics specialism will state this in the title, i.e.: BA in Social Anthropology (with Politics).
Level 1 courses are not permitted as part of this degree programme in Years 2 and 3.
Note for prospective students:
For changes to undergraduate course and programme information for the next academic session, please see the undergraduate summary page for prospective students. Changes to course and programme information for future academic sessions can be found on the undergraduate summary page for future students.