Latin and Social Anthropology

Latin and social anthropology is a pairing that brings together the language and culture of ancient Rome with the scientific study of human social life and cultural diversity in the present. Knowledge of Latin is the key both to an enormously rich body of literature and to an in-depth understanding of a complex and influential culture whose effects on Western law, religion, language, and political thought continue to be felt. The MA (Hons) in Latin develops your Latin language skills and your literary and cultural analysis skills, which are important not only for engaging with ancient texts but also for understanding complex arguments and problems in contemporary culture.

Social anthropology examines how human communities around the world organise themselves, create meaning, and relate to each other, developing methods of sustained field observation and comparative cultural analysis that are distinctive in the social sciences.

At the University of St Andrews, this four-year full-time programme develops both classical Latin reading ability and social anthropological understanding across the extended Scottish honours degree. You will develop your Latin progressively through texts of increasing complexity, engaging with the cultural, political, social, and religious world of Rome, while also studying anthropological theory, ethnographic method, and the comparative study of human societies across time and space. A year abroad is part of the programme, giving you the opportunity to engage with Latin studies or anthropological fieldwork in another educational and cultural context.

With a typical entry tariff of 184 UCAS points, this is a competitive programme at one of the UK's most prestigious universities. Graduates pursue careers in education, academic research, international development, NGOs, journalism, the civil service, heritage, publishing, and the many roles where close reading, cultural intelligence, and the ability to engage comparatively with diverse human communities are professionally valued. Many graduates continue to postgraduate study in classics, anthropology, development studies, or area studies.