Anthropology and Archaeology LF64

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Typical offers

Typical offers
A Level	AAB
BTEC	DDD
International Baccalaureate	36

Course details

The extensive overlap between Anthropology and Archaeology makes them ideal subjects for a Joint Honours degree. The degree combines modules from the BA/BSc Anthropology degrees and BA Archaeology, providing a comprehensive understanding of humanity both past and present.

As a joint honours student you will receive a thorough grounding in the theory and practice of both anthropology and archaeology, as well as exploring the relationships between the disciplines.

In the second year, you will develop a deeper understanding of methods and theory in anthropology and archaeology, and pursue your growing interests through optional modules offered by both departments. You will also take an integrated module exploring the relationships between the two subjects.

In the final year, you will design and carry out your own research project for your dissertation. You may also choose to go on a residential field course.

As a student in the Anthropology and Archaeology Departments, you will be welcomed into both academic communities and can attend an extensive programme of research seminars, which may provide inspiration for your dissertation topic and even future study or employment.

Course Structure

Year 1

Core modules:

Being Human: An Introduction to the History and Practice of Anthropology provides an overview of the history of anthropology, including the major theoretical developments and debates, and how these affect the practice of anthropology today.

Doing Anthropological Research provides hands-on training in anthropological research methods, both quantitative and qualitative. This module will prepare you for future research projects including fieldwork and your dissertation, and allow you to develop highly transferable research skills.

Discovering World Prehistory introduces world prehistory from the emergence of humankind to the rise of early states.

Introduction to Archaeological Methods and Scientific Methods in Archaeology provide a grounding in a range of methods and techniques used in archaeology today, and will help you develop a critical awareness of the potential and limitations of each.

In recent years, optional modules have included:

Peoples and Cultures
Human Evolution and Diversity
Health, Illness and Society
Ancient Civilisations of the East
Archaeology in Britain
Cities in Antiquity
Medieval to Modern: An Introduction to the Archaeology of Medieval to Post Medieval World.

Year 2

Core modules:

Debating Anthropology and Archaeology will show how archaeology and anthropology provide overlapping yet distinct perspectives on key aspects of social, cultural and biological aspects of human life, and will explore how common theories, concepts and approaches have moved between these disciplines.

Research Project Design builds upon previous methods training by providing the skills necessary to develop independent dissertation projects.

In recent years, optional modules have included:

Reading the Skeleton
Palaeoanthropology: The Story of Human Evolution
Primate Societies
Anthropology of the Body
Environment, Climate and the Anthropocene
Prehistoric Europe: From Foragers to State Formation
Ancient Mediterranean Civilisations: East and West
Becoming Roman: From Iron Age to Empire in Italy and the West.

Year 3 (Year 4 if undertaking a placement year or year abroad)

In your final year, you will design and carry out your own Dissertation on a topic of your choice, which will develop your independent research and project management skills. You can choose to do a dissertation based in either Anthropology, Archaeology, or an interdisciplinary approach combining insights from both fields.

In addition, you will study advanced topics in Anthropology and Archaeology and both departments offer opportunities to gain experience of carrying out fieldwork through either the Anthropology Field Course and/or Advanced Professional Training.

In recent years, optional modules have included:

Anthropology, Art, and Experience
Exhibiting Anthropology
Technological Primates
Anthropological Skills for Climate Change Survival
Violence and Memory
Human Reproductive Ecology
Primates in Peril
Forensic Anthropology
Palaeoanthropology and Palaeoecology
Food Security, Nutrition, and Sustainable Livelihoods
Specialised Aspects of Archaeology
Interpreting Heritage
Museum Representation
Archaeology and Global Sustainable Development.

Additional pathways

Students on the Anthropology and Archaeology BA can apply to be transferred onto either the ‘with Year Abroad’ or ‘with Placement’ pathway during the second year. Places on these pathways are in high demand and if you are chosen your studies will extend from three years to four.

Placement

You may be able to take a work placement. Find out more.

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Career opportunities

Anthropology

With a degree in Anthropology, you will be equipped with a diverse and practical knowledge base, including highly transferable skills in research and communication. Employers worldwide value this skill set, particularly where creativity, curiosity and the ability to understand human diversity are at a premium.

Our graduates apply their knowledge directly in fields as diverse as health, community work, conservation, education, international development, culture, and heritage. Many progress into careers that require a broad understanding of human society and behaviour as well as the interpersonal, organisational, problem solving and independent thinking skills that come with the discipline. Such careers include advertising, publishing, journalism, teaching, human resource management, law, consultancy and marketing.

A significant number of graduates progress onto higher level study with many pursuing further research in anthropology or other fields.

Of those students who graduated in 2020-21:

93% are in paid employment or further study 15 months after graduation across all our programmes

Of those in employment:

78% are in high skilled employment
With an average salary of £25,000.

(Source: HESA Graduate Outcomes Survey. The survey asks leavers from higher education what they are doing 15 months after graduation. Further information about the Graduate Outcomes survey can be found here www.graduateoutcomes.ac.uk)

Archaeology

Our close links with industry specialists coupled with in-house archaeological facilities give you a taste of the industry from the beginning of the course. This experience helps develop a broad range of subject-specific skills from osteology, geochemistry and the conservation of archaeological objects, to survey and remote sensing techniques and applications for Geographic Information Systems.

Transferable skills include problem-solving, metadata analysis and information technology, as well as teamwork, presentation, project planning and management. These skills are valued across many industries.

Our graduates work for organisations all over the world, from national and international heritage organisations, museums, environmental agencies, and commercial archaeological services to law and publishing, forensic science, teaching, tourism, and local and national government.

Of those students who graduated in 2020-21:

82% are in paid employment or further study 15 months after graduation across all our programmes

Of those in employment:

88% are in high skilled employment
With an average salary of £25,700

Department information

Anthropology

Studying Anthropology at Durham allows you to gain a deep understanding of humanity in all its rich diversity and complexity, helping to navigate the biggest challenges our societies face today.

Join a dynamic and welcoming Department that takes a distinctly broad-based approach to the study of humanity. We are among the largest Anthropology departments in the UK with around 120 students in each year group, and one of the few to combine social, biological and medical aspects of anthropology. You can choose from one of three single-honours programmes or combine Anthropology with Sociology, Psychology or Archaeology as a joint-honours degree. This gives you the chance to explore humanity from multiple perspectives, covering our species' evolution over millions of years up to the present day diversity of human societies.

Our lecturers are passionate, dedicated teachers and researchers, and our modules cover numerous areas that overlap with other subjects, including culture, environmental issues, evolution, genetics, forensics, literature, health, music, politics, primate behaviour, religion, reproduction, skeletal anatomy and many others still. And with a research-led approach, our teaching is constantly evolving to incorporate the latest findings into the curriculum.

Our flexible courses offer the opportunity both to explore the breadth of Anthropology and to specialise in one of our sub-disciplinary areas. We offer a residential field course to all our undergraduate students (as well as a virtual alternative), providing hands-on experience of varied anthropological methods in practice.

For more information see our department pages.

Rankings

23rd in the QS World University Subject Rankings 2023
6th in The Guardian University Guide 2024
8th in The Complete University Guide 2024
Top 10 in The Times and Sunday Times Good University Guide 2024.

Staff

For a current list of staff, please see the Anthropology pages.

Research Excellence Framework

45% of our research was rated as world-leading (REF 2021)

Facilities

We are based in the Dawson Building, conveniently located next to the main library, and close to lots of other departments and university services. We have a common room which students are welcome to use for studying and socialising.

The Department’s research facilities include skeletal, fossil cast and material culture collections available for students to use as part of their learning activities and research projects.

We also house a number of research centres and laboratories including an Infancy and Sleep Centre, a Physical Activity Lab and an Ecology and Endocrinology Laboratory which is equipped to analyse human samples.

Archaeology

Gain an understanding of the present by unlocking the past. Combine academic theory with lab and fieldwork and the examination of historic objects when you study in this world-leading Department at the heart of a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Archaeology at Durham is an exciting and diverse discipline that delves into the past to inform our understanding of the modern world. Covering a wide range of topics from early human development and ancient civilisations to colonialism and slavery in the early modern world, this broad-based discipline can take you into many different careers.

We are an inclusive and vibrant international teaching and research community that offers plenty of opportunities for you to get involved, from research seminars and reading groups to field-based projects. Our research-led approach to learning means you will be taught by subject specialists whose wide-ranging interests span World, European and British archaeology from the last ice age to the post-medieval period.

Combining practical work with traditional academic study, you will explore archaeological sites and historic buildings, study scientific methods, archaeological theories and computer techniques. Fieldwork takes you around the world, with previous projects ranging from Africa to the Lebanon. Closer to home you will learn about the rich and varied heritage of the UK. Our location in Durham is ideal for the study of archaeology with UNESCO World Heritage Site, such as Durham Cathedral and Hadrian's Wall on our doorstep.

We offer a range of single and joint honours BA and BSc degrees with flexible pathways to suit your interests and career goals, and most courses include the possibility of a work placement or year abroad.

For more information see our department pages.

Rankings

10th in the QS World University Subject Rankings for Archaeology 2023
1st in The Times and Sunday Times Good University Guide 2024
3rd in The Complete University Guide 2024

6th in The Guardian University Guide 2024

Staff

For a current list of staff, please see our Archaeology pages.

Research Excellence Framework

97% of our research outputs graded world-leading or internationally excellent (REF 2021)

Facilities

We are based in the Dawson Building at the heart of the Durham city campus. We are one of the most comprehensively equipped archaeology departments in the UK with research laboratories in DNA, conservation, isotope analysis, environmental archaeology, luminescence dating, paleopathology and bone chemistry.

The Department is also home to a leading commercial archaeological fieldwork unit. This enables us to provide expert training in excavation and fieldwork techniques from working archaeologists. In addition, we have a number of dedicated library collections and a gallery which hosts our extensive collection of archaeological artefacts.

Fieldtrips are an important part of the student experience at Durham. First year students undertake a two-week placement, with most working on our internationally significant excavations at Auckland Castle. Second- and third-year undergraduates join us on digs around the world to gain international experience, with recent projects in France, Spain, Kuwait, Nepal and Egypt.