Social Anthropology & Sociology

Social anthropology and sociology both ask fundamental questions about human life in society, but they approach those questions from different angles. Sociology examines the structures, institutions and processes that shape life in modern societies, from class and inequality to religion, media and the family. Social anthropology takes a comparative and often ethnographic approach, studying how people organise their lives, relationships and meanings across the full diversity of human cultures.

At the University of Manchester, studying both disciplines together gives you a richer set of tools for understanding social life than either alone would provide.

Over three years of full-time study, you will engage with both the theoretical traditions and the empirical methods that define these fields. You will read classic and contemporary sociological theory, engage with ethnographic accounts from across the world, and develop skills in qualitative and quantitative research methods. You will examine topics including race and ethnicity, gender, migration, globalisation, urban life, kinship and exchange, political economy and the anthropology of science, technology and development.

The programme encourages you to think comparatively and to question assumptions that might otherwise seem natural or inevitable.

The analytical and research skills developed in these disciplines are genuinely transferable, and graduates move into a wide range of careers. Many work in policy research, social research organisations, the civil service, international development, the third sector, journalism, public health and education. Others move into management, consulting or the creative industries, where the ability to understand people and organisations in depth is valued.

Postgraduate study in sociology, anthropology, development studies, social policy or related fields is also a common route, and academic careers in these disciplines often build on a strong undergraduate foundation.