Where To Study : ANTHROPOLOGY

Overview

Rather ambitiously, this broad subject sets out to investigate humankind and human society, from the physical evolution of the human body and brain, through to the political, cultural and linguistic practices of modern societies.

The UK’s University College London (UCL) sums up the diversity of the subject by describing anthropology as, “The most scientific of the humanities, the most humanistic of the sciences.”

In fact, anthropology is commonly classed as a social science, alongside subjects such as sociology and economics, which also seek to better understand individual and group behaviours through the application of scientific methods.

However, even the broadest sociology or economics degree is unlikely to come close to matching the range of topics and approaches that may be offered within an anthropology course.

What other type of course would allow you to explore subjects as diverse as forensic science, religious symbolism, language structure, and similarities between the human brain and those of other animals?

Specialization

While many universities offer very wide-ranging anthropology degree programs, others have a more specialized focus.

Possible fields of specialization include:

Social/cultural anthropology: focusing on the variations between different societies and cultural groups, including beliefs, customs and languages

Biological/physical anthropology: focusing on the physical development of humankind, including past evolution and current biological and behavioural diversity

Forensic anthropology: applying physical anthropology to analyse human remains, providing information about cause of death, and personal characteristics

Medical anthropology: studying a wide range of factors that impact on human health and well-being

Linguistic anthropology: focusing on language structure and usage, in relation to wider social contexts, beliefs and systems

Career Options

As you’d expect from such a wide-ranging subject, anthropology offers a broad selection of possible career paths. Roles in which the skills and knowledge gained from an anthropology degree would be useful include:

Social research
Policy development
Media and communications
Arts, culture and heritage
Education
Speech and language therapy
Community/social work

Others may follow an undergraduate anthropology degree with further education or training, perhaps as preparation for a career in law or teaching.

Meanwhile the strong analytical skills provided by an anthropology degree should also make it possible to pursue careers in sectors such as business, finance and marketing.