BA in Social Anthropology
Programme Code: UBANA2
Department: Anthropology
For students starting this programme of study in 2023/24
Guidelines for interpreting programme regulations
Three-year classification scheme for BA/BSc degrees for all students from the 2018/19 academic year
Students on this programme have the opportunity to receive a language, International History, or Politics specialism attached to their degree certificate and transcript. See the details at the bottom of this page for more information.
Please note that places are limited on some optional courses. Admission onto any particular course is not guaranteed and may be subject to timetabling constraints and/or students meeting specific prerequisite requirements.
Paper |
Course number, title (unit value) | |
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) | ||
Year 1 | ||
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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 Ethnography through Mixed Media (1.0) | |
Paper 4 |
Courses to the value of 1.0 unit(s) from the following: | |
Language Specialism |
Students wishing to graduate with a language specialism should refer to the requirements set out in the Language Specialism footnote. G | |
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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. H | |
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Politics Specialism |
Students wishing to graduate with a Politics specialism should refer to the requirements set out in the Politics Specialism footnote. I | |
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Year 2 | ||
Paper 5 |
AN200 The Anthropology of Kinship, Sex and Gender (1.0) | |
Paper 6 |
AN226 Political and Legal Anthropology (1.0) | |
Paper 7 |
AN256 Economic Anthropology (1): Production and Exchange (0.5) and AN298 Fieldwork in London: Learning Ethnographic Methods (0.5) | |
Paper 8 |
Courses to the value of 1.0 unit(s) from the following: | |
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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. | |
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Year 3 | ||
Paper 9 |
AN303 Advanced Theory of Social Anthropology (0.5) # and AN357 Economic Anthropology (2): Transformation and Globalisation (0.5) | |
Paper 10 |
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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: | |
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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 Paper 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 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. | |
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Anthropology Selection List A
AN221 The Anthropology of Christianity (0.5) # (not available 2024/25) | |
AN237 The Anthropology of Development (0.5) | |
AN243 Children and Youth in Contemporary Ethnography (0.5) # (not available 2024/25) | |
AN245 Borders and Boundaries: Ethnographic Approaches (0.5) (withdrawn 2024/25) | |
AN275 The Anthropology of Revolution (0.5) # (not available 2024/25) | |
AN276 Anthropology and the Anthropocene (0.5) | |
AN281 Health and Welfare: Anthropological Perspectives (0.5) (not available 2024/25) | |
AN283 Anthropology, Art, and Poetics (0.5) (not available 2024/25) | |
AN284 Anthropological Approaches to Race, Racism, and Decolonisation (0.5) | |
AN393 Language, Signs, World, Action! Introduction to Linguistic Anthropology (0.5) # (not available 2024/25) | |
AN395 Digital Anthropology (0.5) | |
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) (not available 2024/25) | |
PH103 The Big Questions: An Introduction to Philosophy (1.0) # | |
SO110 Power, Inequality, and Difference: Contemporary Themes in Sociology (1.0) | |
Ethnographic options
Courses to the value of 0.5 unit(s) from the following: | |
AN205 The Anthropology of Melanesia (0.5) | |
AN223 The Anthropology of Southeast Asia (0.5) (not available 2024/25) | |
AN240 Investigating the Philippines - New Approaches and Ethnographic Contexts (0.5) (withdrawn 2024/25) | |
AN277 Topics in the Anthropology of sub-Saharan Africa (0.5) # (not available 2024/25) | |
AN282 Bangladesh and Beyond: Anthropological Perspectives (0.5) # (withdrawn 2024/25) | |
AN292 Anthropological Entanglements in the Middle East (0.5) (not available 2024/25) | |
Government List A
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) # | |
GV267 Global Political Thought (1.0) # (not available 2024/25) | |
Government List B
GV302 Key Themes in the History of Political Thought (1.0) # (not available 2024/25) | |
GV307 Conflict and Cooperation: A Few Provocative Debates (0.5) J (not available 2024/25) | |
GV309 Politics of Money and Finance in Comparative Perspective (0.5) # | |
GV314 Empirical Research in Government (1.0) | |
GV315 Voting and Elections in Developing Democracies (0.5) # (not available 2024/25) | |
GV318 Building Democracies from Conflict? Violence, Power-Sharing and Institutional Design (0.5) # | |
GV319 Experimental Politics (0.5) # * K (not available 2024/25) | |
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) # | |
GV328 Middle East Politics in Transnational Perspective (0.5) | |
GV330 Data Science Applications to Politics Research (0.5) # | |
GV334 Comparative Perspectives on Inequality and Politics: Global North, Global South (0.5) | |
GV335 African Political Economy (0.5) | |
GV336 Latin America: Democracy and Development (0.5) | |
GV337 Politics, Crime, and Criminal Justice in Comparative Perspective (0.5) # | |
GV338 Politics and Political Economy of India (0.5) (not available 2024/25) | |
GV362 Advanced Topics in Government: Executive Politics (0.5) # | |
GV366 Political Economy of the Developing World (1.0) # (not available 2024/25) | |
GV398 Inside the Mind of a Voter: Research in Electoral Psychology (1.0) 2 | |
GV3L1 Analytical Approaches to British Politics (0.5) # (not available 2024/25) | |
GV3L2 The Politics and Policy of Climate Change and Sustainability (0.5) # | |
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) | |
HY242 The Soviet Union: Domestic, International and Intellectual History (1.0) | |
HY243 Islamic Empires, 1400 - 1800 (1.0) | |
HY245 The United States and the World since 1776 (1.0) | |
HY246 The Global Caribbean: Colonialism, Race and Revolutions 1780s-1980s (1.0) (not available 2024/25) | |
HY247 The History of Modern Turkey, 1789 to the Present (1.0) (not available 2024/25) | |
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) | |
LN251 Comparative Literature and 20th Century Political History (1.0) # | |
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) (not available 2024/25) | |
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) (not available 2024/25) | |
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) (not available 2024/25) | |
HY335 History of Foreign Relations of the Peopleâs 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) (not available 2024/25) | |
HY344 Muslim-Jewish Relations: History and Memory in the Middle East and Europe (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) # (not available 2024/25) | |
Prerequisite Requirements and Mutually Exclusive Options
* means available with permission
# means there may be prerequisites for this course. Please view the course guide for more information.
1 : GV390 can not be taken with GV398
2 : GV398 can not be taken with GV390
Footnotes
A : LN250 Not available to 2nd and 3rd year students on the BA/BSc in Social Anthropology programmes.
B : LN251 Not available to 2nd and 3rd year students on the BA/BSc in Social Anthropology programmes.
C : LN252 Not available to 2nd and 3rd year students on the BA/BSc in Social Anthropology programmes.
D : LN253 Not available to 2nd and 3rd year students on the BA/BSc in Social Anthropology programmes.
E : LN254 Not available to 2nd and 3rd year students on the BA/BSc in Social Anthropology programmes.
F : LN270 Not available to 2nd and 3rd year students on the BA/BSc in Social Anthropology programmes.
G : 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: BA in Social Anthropology (with French).
H : 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).
I : 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).
J : GV307: Not available for students on the BA/BSc Social Anthropology programmes
K : GV319 can be taken in Year 3 only.
L : 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.
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.