Anthropology and International Development (2014 entry)

BA, 3 years, UCAS: LL69
Typical A level offer: AAB-ABB

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Subject overview

Why anthropology?

Anthropologists study cultural and social diversity. Historically, they studied so-called ‘small-scale’ and ‘traditional’ societies. Today, anthropologists are concerned with towns and cities in a modern and changing world, as well as rural locations.

Anthropologists collect information through participant observation – living in the societies they are studying for lengthy periods of time and learning their languages. This attention to close, detailed accounts of particular cases (known as ethnography) enables anthropologists to analyse and explain aspects of social change that may not be visible at the larger, or macro, level.

Although anthropology depends on the detailed study of specific cases, the issues we investigate are much broader and are concerned with understanding humans both as being created by, and as the creators of, culture and society.  

Why anthropology at Sussex?

Anthropology at Sussex was ranked 4th (90 per cent) in the overall satisfaction category and scored 93 per cent in the teaching category of the 2012 National Student Survey (NSS).

Sussex is ranked among the top 10 universities in the UK for anthropology in The Times Good University Guide 2013 and The Complete University Guide 2014, and 16th in the UK in The Guardian University Guide 2014.

Rated 5th in the UK for research into social anthropology in the 2008 Research Assessment Exercise (RAE). 90 per cent of our research was rated as recognised internationally or higher, with over half rated as internationally excellent or higher, and one-quarter rated as world leading. 

By encouraging intellectual curiosity and cultural agility, the School of Global Studies, in which you will be based, enhances your employability (British Council and Think Global: Survey of Senior Business Leaders, 2011).

Sussex has one of the largest anthropology departments in the UK, covering anthropology across the globe, and attracts applicants from around the world.

Our research interests include religion and modernity; the impact of globalisation in Africa, Asia, Europe and Latin America; migration, development and social change; science and technology; and the politics of human rights. 

The Department of Anthropology is young and dynamic, and all members of faculty are research active. All teaching is research led and benefits from faculty’s ongoing research on contemporary issues in anthropology.

In your second year, there are opportunities to study overseas through our study abroad programme and the Erasmus exchange scheme, or to go on a professional placement.

For more information, visit the Department of Anthropology.

Why international development?

The study of international development has never been more popular or more important, with the world’s richest nations committed to halving world poverty by 2015, and many poor countries themselves experiencing rapid economic growth. A course in international development will train you to work in this burgeoning field, but also to understand the different visions of what ‘development’ can mean, and the many challenges to reducing poverty and inequality. 

The field of international development is concerned not only with economic growth, but also with social and cultural transformation and moral and religious values. It also increasingly interacts with environmental change: economic development is a major contributor to carbon emissions, yet some of the world’s poorest people are the most vulnerable to climate change.

Why international development at Sussex?

Our reputation: Sussex is one of the largest and longest-established centres of international development expertise in the world. Researchers from the Departments of Anthropology, Geography, International Relations, Economics, Sociology, and History all contribute to the courses. International development at Sussex was ranked 8th (88 per cent) for overall satisfaction in the 2012 National Student Survey (NSS). 

Excellent teaching: our teaching encourages critical thinking and analysis. Lectures and seminars are complemented by activities that reflect many of the challenges of working in international development.

Excellent research: in the 2008 Research Assessment Exercise (RAE), on average 95 per cent of the research by faculty contributing to our courses was rated as recognised internationally or higher.

Career opportunities: by encouraging intellectual curiosity and cultural agility, the School of Global Studies, in which you will be based, enhances your employability (British Council and Think Global: Survey of Senior Business Leaders, 2011).

A great learning environment: our students are very active, both within and beyond the classroom. We support student initiatives such as the Student Development Society, student-organised seminars, and both international and local voluntary work. Our global perspective is reflected in the fact that our students come from around the world.

Overseas opportunities: Sussex encourages time overseas as part of your course. We have links with universities in China, Singapore, Mexico and India, among others. The Nicola Anderson bursary, awarded competitively to international development students, provides financial support for overseas projects. Work placements and study abroad opportunities are offered in your second year of study.

Programme content

This degree provides you with an excellent understanding of contemporary anthropology and international development and the close (if at times tense) relationship between them. 

In Years 1 and 2, you take the core modules in both anthropology and international development. In Year 3, you choose options from both subjects.

We continue to develop and update our modules for 2014 entry to ensure you have the best student experience. In addition to the course structure below, you may find it helpful to refer to the 2012 modules tab.

Core content

Year 1

You are introduced to the unique ways through which anthropologists understand humans. How can we make sense of the diverse social and cultural practices across different contexts and time? You gain knowledge about the theory, methodology and applications of anthropology, as well as of key issues emerging from regional ethnographies 

Year 2 

You receive training in research methods, techniques and skills frequently used by anthropologists in the field. You learn about areas such as political anthropology, and find out about a central concept in the discipline: forms of power. In addition, you examine themes such as religion and ritual, and have the opportunity to spend part of this year on a placement or study abroad 

Final year

You expand your knowledge acquired in Years 1 and 2, and gain an understanding of advanced theory in anthropology. You have the opportunity to pursue intensive study of specialised fields in anthropology such as the anthropology of South Asia, Africa or Latin America • human rights • anthropology of development • medicine and culture • the anthropology of the body 

How will I learn?

We emphasise interactive forms of teaching such as seminars, workshops and tutorials, though there are also lectures. You will develop your ability to work independently and to communicate ideas through essays and other forms of presentation. Assessment includes exams and coursework, as well as end-of-module essays and dissertations.

For more information, visit Studying at Sussex.

What will I achieve?

  • a wide understanding of contemporary cultures and societies and an ability to understand processes of change in the modern world
  • the ability to relate anthropology to a broad range of practical context
  • an understanding of the nature of cultural and social differences and how to approach these differences in the contemporary world
  • competence and confidence in presenting your own ideas as well as those of others
  • analytical skills, useful in a wide range of contexts.

We continue to develop and update our modules for 2014 entry to ensure you have the best student experience. In addition to the course structure below, you may find it helpful to refer to the 2012 modules tab.

Core content

Year 1

You are introduced to a range of perspectives on development and to a constellation of development actors – from international organisations to local NGOs. You also learn about the significance of colonialism in understanding contemporary development policy and the contribution of key thinkers to our understanding of development. You consider some of the current issues and dilemmas in development and learn first-hand about your teachers’ experiences with these issues and dilemmas 

Year 2 

You explore social and economic dimensions of development in more depth and receive training in the techniques and skills used by development researchers in the field. You also choose from a range of options and have the opportunity to spend part of this year on a placement or study abroad

Year 3

You expand on what you have learnt in the first two years, and have the opportunity to pursue specialist options to deepen your theoretical and practical understanding of development in practice. Options cover a range of development issues and address the real-world concerns faced by those who work in development. You also have the opportunity for intensive study for your thesis

How will I learn?

Lectures and seminars are combined with workshops and tutorials. You will develop your ability to work independently and to communicate your ideas through essays and presentation. Faculty also make use of new technologies, making slides, video and audio resources available through dedicated e-learning module websites. Assessment includes exams and project and coursework, as well as end-of-module essays and, in the third year, dissertations.

For more information, visit Studying at Sussex.

What will I achieve?

  • knowledge and understanding of the key development challenges facing poor people and countries
  • familiarity with a range of disciplinary approaches to the major issues facing the ‘Global South’, including analytical skills from anthropology, history, geography, international relations and economics
  • ability to use research knowledge and understanding in the development of practical policy approaches to reduce poverty and inequality
  • confidence in presenting your own ideas as well as those of others
  • the ability to work collaboratively in a group setting, organise your time effectively and work under pressure.

Please note that these are the modules running in 2012.

Back to module list

Colonialism and After

15 credits
Autumn teaching, Year 1

This module is an introduction to a range of key historical problems and conceptual questions relating to the colonial and postcolonial experiences. Focusing on the characteristics of capitalism, imperialism, and modernity, the module examines the making of the modern world. It provides an introduction to European expansion, the slave economy, the development of wage labour, industrial growth, imperialism, creation of the modern state, genocide, the idea of development, anticolonialism, and the creation of the `third world'.

International Development: Ideas and Actors

15 credits
Autumn teaching, Year 1

This module offers an introduction to key ideas and actors in international development. It begins by considering what the term "development" means, exploring a range of different interpretations and the different kinds of practices that are associated with the idea of development. It goes on to look at trends in development thinking, and from there to identify a series of ideas and actors who have been influential in shaping international development thinking, policy and practice. By looking at the kinds of ideas about development associated with different kinds of actors, and at debates about aid, development and social change, the module will give you an overview of the field of international development and put in place some of the foundations for subsequent development modules.

Issues in Development

15 credits
Spring teaching, Year 1

The aim of the module is to provide you with an overview of international development using key topics to explore the different theoretical and conceptual perspectives that underpin understandings of development. The module is not a comprehensive review of all development-related issues but instead focuses on a smaller set of issues in development, covering amongst other matters, topics of poverty, international trade, growth, population, environment, aid and debt.

Key Concepts in Anthropology

15 credits
Autumn teaching, Year 1

This module provides an overview of the big questions that anthropologists have contributed to and the different theoretical paradigms and concepts that they have developed or adopted. The aim is to provide you with a rapid overview of the discipline. It begins with two weeks examining the concepts of Society and Culture and their varied conceptualisations, followed by weeks that take in turn the key characteristics and assumptions of

  • British structural functionalism
  • methodological individualism and agency
  • French structuralism
  • British structuralism
  • marxism, ideology and hegemony
  • poststructuralism
  • discourse and power/knowledge
  • poststructuralism
  • 'practice' and phenomenology.

Key Thinkers in Development

15 credits
Spring teaching, Year 1

This module provides an introduction to some of the most important thinkers in international development. It provides a broad historical overview of the evolution of development thinking by starting with key debates initiated in the 18th and 19th centuries and moving to contemporary thinkers from diverse geographical regions. Each week, you will read an original text from the key thinker discussed, as well as an additional supporting/critical text. Above all else the module aims to provide you with a broad understanding of different approaches to development thinking, why they arose and their current applicability in the age of globalisation.

The Anthropological Imagination

15 credits
Autumn teaching, Year 1

The module aims to convey a sense of anthropology as an exciting, 'living' subject, alive to the concerns of different communities and
populations living across the globe, and as cutting edge in terms of the research conducted by anthropologists at Sussex as they
actively engage with issues of social, cultural and global transformation. This is accomplished through a module structure which
revolves around 5 core themes considered central to the subject which capture anthropological thinking on the subjects of culture,
identity and representation:

  • kinship, self and body
  • economy as culture
  • religion and politics
  • and work on the global-local interface.

The Anthropology of Exchange, Money and Markets

15 credits
Spring teaching, Year 1

The purpose of this module is to introduce you to how anthropologists have conceptualised, researched, and generated new understandings of the human activities that comprise economic life. Studying economic life from an anthropological view requires us to rethink such concepts as work and leisure, poverty and wealth, gifts and commodities, money and markets, and the term 'economy' itself. Therefore, economic anthropology enables us to critique some of the universalisms of mainstream economics through which capitalism has become naturalised. Traditionally, economic anthropology has been concerned with systems of exchange, non-industrial economies, and livelihood systems. In addition to covering these topics, we will examine issues of contemporary concern such as class, money, debt, shopping, factories, fair trade, globalisation, bioeconomies, and new strategies and practices of resistance.

The Anthropology of Kinship and Relatedness

15 credits
Spring teaching, Year 1

The study of human relatedness and kinship has been central to the history of British social anthropology. This module introduces you to classic and new debates in kinship studies drawing upon material from a wide range of ethnographic contexts to examine the ways in which societies organise and conceptualise human relationships. It is concerned with the transformation of social structures and processes as well as the connections between kin organisations and power in developing and post-industrial societies. The module considers both accepted and more novel ways in thinking about human kinship: how we become related through 'substance', emotion, place and technology, for example. It covers both historical ground as well as the contemporary debates in the study of human relatedness.

Economic Perspectives on Development

15 credits
Autumn teaching, Year 2

This module introduces you to how economics can be used to understand contemporary international development issues. You will obtain a basic understanding of tools that economics uses to analyse and evaluate development questions. The emphasis is on analysing a topic and the nature of the problem, and policy responses, from both an economic and critical perspective. The module begins with a non-technical introduction to economics and then covers a set of topics, such as determinants of economic growth and the connection between growth, inequality and poverty, trade and trade policy, poverty reduction policies, the roles of corruption, legal and political institutions in economic development, agriculture, land and credit markets, the determinants and consequences of violent conflict and environment and development.

Ethnographic Methods

15 credits
Autumn & spring teaching, Year 2

This module introduces you to practical, theoretical and ethical issues surrounding ethnographic research in anthropology and the social sciences more generally. Methodological concerns around research design and implementation will be explored through a series of workshops on epistemology, methodology, and ethics.

It introduces you to a range of qualitative research methods, including the research interview, participant-observation and various participatory research methods. The module also introduces you to the analysis of qualitative data and to key issues of writing and representation. It is assessed by a group research project that you conduct by yourself. This project will give you the opportunity to design and conduct an independent piece of ethnographic research around a key anthropological theme, while allowing you to reflect on and apply the theoretical and practical insights gained over the course of the module.

Social Change, Culture and Development

15 credits
Autumn teaching, Year 2

This module starts from the observation that development is more than economic change and involves important social and cultural aspects. It begins with an interrogation of the way development practices and ideas are embedded in cultural contexts, and specifically how the development industry is historically and culturally entangled in Western conceptions of progress, rationality, and the individual. Against a view of culture as 'tradition' and an impediment to development we will examine different cultural conceptions of progress. This involves both alternate visions of future development as well as the negative impacts that development policies and interventions have on local people, communities and cultures. Questions of power and cultural relativism inevitably arise: what happens when different interests and commitments collide, and who or what determines the module development interventions take?

Anthropology Fieldtrips

15 credits
Spring teaching, Year 2

This module introduces you to anthropological research in the field through a series of short UK and European based fieldtrips. Each topic is first introduced through a preparatory seminar during which relevant theoretical literature and approaches are discussed. You then meet with tutors at the chosen field-sites in order to conduct your own ethnographic observations and research. Topics may include:

  • a consideration of human rights at the International Criminal Courts at the Hague
  • a study of urban regeneration and gentrification in East London
  • the ethnography of non-place and consumption in a shopping centre.

Culture and Performance

15 credits
Spring teaching, Year 2

The module focuses on the anthropological master trope of "culture" and on the political dimensions of representing culture or "cultures". We consider how anthropological understandings of "culture", as well as anthropologists' modes of analysing and representing it in anthropological work, developed over the 20th century, partially in conversation with other disciplines. We also examine how "culture" operates as a key idea in the public domain, used by politicians, community and human rights activists, artists, scientists, museum curators and others in relation to a wide range of issues and debates when distinctions between "ourselves" and "others" are at stake. Finally, we look at some activities within the cultural domain (such as music, dance, theatre, verbal artistry) which have a performative dimension, and consider how anthropologists have approached these activities to address questions about structure and agency, embodiment, experience, art and aesthetics, creativity, power and protest.

Development and the State

15 credits
Spring teaching, Year 2

This module is concerned with the role of the state in development. It considers this subject matter  theoretically - that is, by exploring debates in state theory, and on the relationship between the state and development - empirically, by investigating a range of historical and contemporary state forms and the impacts of these state forms on processes of development, and normatively, by posing questions about what the nature and role of the state should ideally be.

The module examines the main theoretical approaches to the state and historical state forms and their attendant development experiences, in the north and in the post-colonial south. Finally, the module moves to development since the 1980s, exploring the impacts of state failure, neo-liberalism, democratisation and global governance on state forms and patterns of development.

Environmental Perspectives on Development

15 credits
Spring teaching, Year 2

The module explores development with an explicit focus on environmental issues. You will look at the relationships between development and the environment: the consequences of development on the environment, environmental constraints to development, and problems of development in marginal environments. You will examine how the environment and issues around sustainability have been considered (or ignored) in relation to development and how this has changed over time. The module includes historical perspectives on environment and development, illustrating continuities and changes in policies related to environment and development. It also explores core issues around environmental management and development in relation to key resources, such as wildlife, forests and water.

Finance for Development

15 credits
Spring teaching, Year 2

This module discusses and analyses the major challenges and current initiatives in the creation of finance industries appropriate to and effective in developing countries. The module focuses on the private financial sector and issues relating to access to finance. After a general overview, the module begins by examining the forms of finance available for larger firms in developing countries, mainly the banking sector and the stock market. Subsequently, it covers the evidence on the effects of financial development on economic growth and the role of institutional factors, such as corporate governance, in financial development. It then moves on to examine the access to finance for smaller firms and households and the implications of a lack of access. Finally, the module touches upon private international sources of finance, namely private capital flows, FDI and remittances to developing countries.

Gender and Development: Theory, Concepts and Issues

15 credits
Spring teaching, Year 2

This module considers development processes in the light of how they are shaped by and impact upon gender discourses and relations. The module introduces you to key concepts in the analysis of social relations between women and men in different cultural, economic and political contexts. This includes examining the nature of gender inequality and of the household as a social construct, and reviewing concepts of power and empowerment. While concerned with providing a theoretical and conceptual grounding by reviewing debates on the household and the gender division of labour, the module is organised around substantive and policy topics related to poverty, labour markets, women’s employment, migration, and globalisation.

Health, Poverty and Inequality

15 credits
Spring teaching, Year 2

This second year interdisciplinary module is concerned with issues of culture, power and knowledge in the study of health and development. It draws on perspectives from medical anthropology, medical sociology, public health, cultural psychology, feminist and activist politics and development studies to focus on the relationship between poverty, social marginality and illness in a variety of historical and contemporary contexts. Apart from a focus on emerging infectious diseases such as HIV and Aids, we also consider the implications of homelessness, mental health and organ donation for individual health and well-being. The scrutiny of health planning and policies, such as in the domain of maternal and child health, as well as the impact of an increasing intervention of medical technologies in healthcare delivery, are further important aspects of the module.

Politics and Power

15 credits
Autumn teaching, Year 2

This module draws on political anthropology and social theory to explore what is for many anthropologists the central concept in the discipline: forms of power. In Western societies the term 'politics' tends to connote a quite narrow range of activities and institutions, typically those focused around parties, government and the state. We shall be using the term 'political' in a much wider sense, and linking it to the operations of power. Power is not a thing, but an aspect of a vast range of relationships from the most local to the global. There can be no neat boundaries around this field of study. Instead our intention is to explore the way the analysis of power has widened and deepened over the last fifty years, and to suggest continuity with economic and cultural processes that you are studying in other modules.

Race, Ethnicity and Nationalism

15 credits
Spring teaching, Year 2

This module is an introduction to various themes and conceptual issues in the study of culture, ethnicity and nationalism as seen from a range of disciplinary perspectives. The module is comprised of three sections and is designed to provide you with an understanding of the interaction between power and cultural meanings, particularly as they relate to the construction of boundaries and the creation of difference between social groups. After considering such key concepts as race, culture, ethnicity, and nationalism, there will be an emphasis on ethnic and religious mobilisation and we shall consider the extent to which similar and different processes are at work in South Africa, the Caribbean, and the Indian sub-continent. These cases are included to give students a contextualised understanding of the complex historical and cultural dimensions of modern political struggles.

Religion and Ritual

15 credits
Autumn teaching, Year 2

This module is concerned with the explanation of religious and ritual phenomena. It explores the key theoretical issues by examining ethnographic material that deals with - among other things - initiation, myth, witchcraft, symbolism and religious experience. There is also some treatment of more 'secular' rituals such as carnival and Christmas. The focus is as much on how people believe as on what they believe; on why they perform rituals as much as what these rituals look like. It explores both classic texts and more recent accounts, to give you a sense of where particular arguments have come from and where they are going.

Visual Anthropology

15 credits
Spring teaching, Year 2

This module will familiarise you with theories and applications of visual anthropology. You will have the opportunity to study complex legacies of visual representation in anthropology as well as contemporary, activist visual work. Crossovers between anthropological and other relevant visual epistemologies in the social sciences will be explored. You will also undertake visual research projects.

Work Placement (Anthropology)

60 credits
Autumn & spring teaching, Year 2

This module is designed to allow students to gain practical work experience in an area of relevance to their degree programme, as well as carrying out a supervised project that builds on research or practical skills learned in the first three terms of the degree. It takes the form of a 12-week international work placement, to be undertaken during the second teaching block of the second year and replacing modules offered at the University. A limited number of placements will be available, in development and other international organisations, NGOs and businesses, and students will be selected for them on a competitive basis.

For each placement, a detailed work-plan will be agreed with the placement provider which allows the student to contextualise their learning, develop and apply new skills and foster personal development. It is anticipated that placements may also generate the opportunity of subsequent employment either during the summer vacation, or after the degree programme is completed.

Work Placement (International Development)

60 credits
Autumn & spring teaching, Year 2

This module is designed to allow you to gain practical work experience in an area of relevance to your degree programme, as well as carrying out a supervised project that builds on research or practical skills learned in the first three terms of the degree. It takes the form of a 12-week international work placement, to be undertaken during the second teaching block of the second year. A limited number of placements will be available, in development and other international organisations, NGOs and businesses, and students will be selected for them on a competitive basis.

Anthropology of Fertility, Reproduction and Health

30 credits
Spring teaching, Year 3

The module uses social and cultural perspectives to examine academic and policy work in the area of reproduction, sexuality and health. It draws on the insights of medical anthropology, especially in relation to the body, gender and power, to critically reflect on reproduction, sexuality and health issues across the global North and South. A particular concern is with the existence and experience of sexual and reproductive inequalities in diverse social and cultural settings. Contrary to popular belief, reproduction is a process which is as much about men as it is about women, and is studied in the context of, for example, male fertility/infertility, masculinity, fatherhood and male sexual health. The module builds upon the theoretical perspectives introduced in the second year on kinship, procreation, social reproduction, sexuality, personhood, reproductive technologies, human rights and applied anthropology.

Anthropology of the Body

30 credits
Spring teaching, Year 3

This module explores the body from an anthropological perspective, and considers how different societies and cultures conceptualise and experience the human body. In recent years, anthropologists and other academics have become increasingly interested in the body, including authors such as Foucault and Bourdieu. Some draw upon Merleau-Ponty's phenomenological approach with its emphasis on the senses, while others attempted to resolve the tensions between experience and agency. The module asks how the body represents a challenge for anthropological research, and explores recent ethnographic contributions to this field. We consider the body as a site on which social and cultural processes are inscribed, where power relations converge and are articulated, and as a site where agency is performed. Materials are drawn from both non-Western and Western societies.

Conflict, Violence and Peace: Critical perspectives

30 credits
Spring teaching, Year 3

In recent years, there has been increased focus on conflict, violence and peace-building in the media, popular literature and aid programmes raising important questions about how these processes are understood and represented and what implications this has for the local and international response and in turn the transformation of conflict and violence. This module will offer critical perspectives on mainstream approaches to the study of conflict, violence and peace drawing on both anthropology and development studies.

Conflict, Violence and Peace: Critical perspectives

30 credits
Autumn teaching, Year 3

In recent years, there has been increased focus on conflict, violence and peace-building in the media, popular literature and aid programmes raising important questions about how these processes are understood and represented and what implications this has for the local and international response and in turn the transformation of conflict and violence. This module will offer critical perspectives on mainstream approaches to the study of conflict, violence and peace drawing on both anthropology and development studies.

Contemporary Issues in the Global Political Economy

30 credits
Autumn teaching, Year 3

The central theme running through this module is how the architecture of existing capitalism has to be adjusted or brought into balance with the needs of expanding markets. We begin by looking at attempts by global governance institutions like the WTO (World Trade Organisation) to create a largely deregulated world market. We then examine how financial systems are expanding and how the stock market has become a key institution of modern capitalism. We discuss then the changing nature of multinational corporations and the state as they reorient themselves towards a global market. We examine empirically the post-Cold War expansion of capitalism into Eastern Europe, Central Asia and the Middle East. Finally, we analyse the most recent developments in world affairs from a political economy perspective, looking at the increasing military bias of foreign policy of major capitalist states, as well as at the changing nature of anti-capitalist protest in the wake of 9/11.

Contemporary Issues in the Global Political Economy: in-depth Analysis

30 credits
Spring teaching, Year 3

The central theme running through this module is how the architecture of existing capitalism has to be adjusted or brought into balance with the needs of expanding markets. We begin by looking at attempts by global governance institutions like the WTO to create a largely deregulated world market. We then examine how financial systems are expanding and how the stock market has become a key institution of modern capitalism. We discuss then the changing nature of multinational corporations and the state as they reorient themselves towards a global market. We examine empirically the post-Cold War expansion of capitalism into Eastern Europe, Central Asia and the Middle East. Finally, we analyse the most recent developments in world affairs from a political economy perspective, looking at the increasing military bias of foreign policy of major capitalist states, as well as at the changing nature of anti-capitalist protest in the wake of 9/11.

Current Themes in the Anthropology of Latin America

30 credits
Spring teaching, Year 3

The aim of this module is to provide a framework for understanding current anthropological issues in the Latin American region, as well as how Latin American anthropology (both anthropology on Latin America and anthropology by Latin Americans) has contributed to the development of the wider anthropological discipline. Some of the themes covered will engage with anthropological understandings of indigeneity, race, gender, colonialism, nation states and environmentalism. The module will be mostly focused on the Amazonian and Andean regions but will also link to other parts of Latin America. Each week will be centred on ethnographic pieces that offer interesting reflections for contemporary issues as well as anthropological theory.

Development Tools and Skills

30 credits
Autumn teaching, Year 3

The aim of the module is to introduce you to a range of key tools, approaches and skills used in the development world to identify, design, and evaluate development interventions. The module will take a 'hands on' approach and will allow you to develop skills which are useful not only in development but also in many other types of work in the public policy, private and voluntary sectors. In addition to the specific skills and tools covered in this module - such as problem analysis, stakeholder analysis, risk analysis, cost-benefit analysis and logical frameworks - you will also gain experience in working in teams, in presenting clear and convincing arguments, and in advocacy and negotiating skills.

Development, Business and Corporate Social Responsibility

30 credits
Spring teaching, Year 3

This module explores the role of business in development and the rise of the corporate social responsibility (CSR) movement. In recent years, the private sector, and transnational corporations (TNCs) in particular, have become increasingly important players in the development process. The business and development movement has emerged as part of the dramatic rise of CSR over the past decade - providing a new vision for the role of business in society as 'corporate citizen'. Development institutions, such as DFID and the UN, as well as global NGOs, have become increasingly interested in mobilising business, not only as donors, but as partners in development. At the same time, ethical trading initiatives, the fairtrade movement and pro-poor enterprise models offer opportunities, in different ways, for harnessing the power of the market in the service of development. This module will explore a number of key questions concerning the role of business in development and the rise of the CSR movement, from the perspective of both its proponents and opponents.

Development, Business and Corporate Social Responsibility

30 credits
Autumn teaching, Year 3

This module explores the role of business in development and the rise of the corporate social responsibility (CSR) movement. In recent years, the private sector, and transnational corporations (TNCs) in particular, have become increasingly important players in the development process. The business and development movement has emerged as part of the dramatic rise of CSR over the past decade, providing a new vision for the role of business in society as 'corporate citizen'. Development institutions, such as DFID and the UN, as well as global NGOs, have become increasingly interested in mobilising business, not only as donors, but as partners in development. At the same time, ethical trading initiatives, the fairtrade movement and pro-poor enterprise models offer opportunities, in different ways, for harnessing the power of the market in the service of development. This module will explore a number of key questions concerning the role of business in development and the rise of the CSR movement, from the perspective of both its proponents and opponents.

Environment, Ecology and Development

30 credits
Spring teaching, Year 3

This module examines the impact of social and economic transformations, trade and technological development on people, environment and ecology in the tropics. The analysis includes a historical perspective, present-day impacts and future scenarios. Topics include problems of water and energy supply and their health and environmental consequences; indigenous environmental knowledge; intellectual property rights and biotechnology; local and national perspectives on wildlife, ecotourism and environmental protection.

Environment, Ecology and Development

30 credits
Autumn teaching, Year 3

This module examines the impact of social and economic transformations, trade and technological development on people, environment and ecology in the tropics. The analysis includes a historical perspective, present-day impacts and future scenarios. Topics include problems of water and energy supply and their health and environmental consequences; indigenous environmental knowledge; intellectual property rights and biotechnology; local and national perspectives on wildlife, ecotourism and environmental protection.

Environmental Anthropology

30 credits
Spring teaching, Year 3

This module considers the cross-cultural study of relations between people and their environment. Like the focus of many environmental movements, much recent work in ecological anthropology has been crisis-driven. Whilst covering this literature, the focus of this module will be broader, taking a wider perspective, including the context in which the research itself is being done. Current work on the human dimensions of deforestation, or global climate change, for example, can be informed and strengthened by an understanding of the century-old intellectual lineage of the underlying issues.

The module will therefore cover the evolution of environmental anthropology, using ethnographic exemplars that relate to contemporary environmental issues, whilst at the same time probing debates such as:

  • the Nature-Culture trap, and beyond
  • Ecology and Social Organisation
  • the Politics of Natural Resources and the Environment (including environmental anthropological contributions to mining, resource conflict etc.)
  • knowing (and the limits to knowing) and researching the environment

Ethnographies of Aid

30 credits
Autumn teaching, Year 3

This module considers what could be called the 'ethnographic turn' in development studies, which brings ethnographic methods and perspectives to bear on aid institutions, policies, and actors. These include particular methodological approaches, such as participant observation within aid organisations or 'expert' communities, attention to neglected dimensions such as the material culture of aid, and the role of the body in development work. In addition to the ethnography of policy making, we will also investigate the role of non-official materials such as aid worker blogs, memoirs, and 'development blockbusters'.

Human Rights

30 credits
Autumn teaching, Year 3

This module focuses less on human rights rules and laws than on the assumptions of human rights, the historical context and issues around their operation and implementation. It draws from a new and growing literature on the sociology and anthropology of human rights which seeks to move beyond the assumptions of legal positivism (rights as being `read off¿ from lists of human rights covenants) in order to develop the `legal realist¿ argument which focuses upon the living law of the operation of courts, the police, and the everyday understandings which citizens give to notions such as truth, justice, and morality.

Human Rights

30 credits
Spring teaching, Year 3

This module focuses less on human rights rules and laws than on the assumptions of human rights, the historical context and issues around their operation and implementation. It draws from a new and growing literature on the sociology and anthropology of human rights which seeks to move beyond the assumptions of legal positivism (rights as being 'read off' from lists of human rights covenants) in order to develop the legal realist argument which focuses upon the living law of the operation of courts, the police, and the everyday understandings which citizens give to notions such as truth, justice, and morality.


 

International Development Thesis

30 credits
Autumn & spring teaching, Year 3

The International Development Undergraduate Thesis provides you with an opportunity to integrate what they have learnt in the module of your studies into a single, sustained piece of writing that will explore a topic in depth. The module will involve the design, planning and execution of the thesis, with the support of a supervisor, and may include the collection of empirical data or the use of secondary source material. You choose your own topics, and develop your own approaches to investigating the topic, drawing on earlier skills-based modules and on interests developed through the module of the degree programme.

Medicine and Culture

30 credits
Spring teaching, Year 3

Drawing from ethnographic and cross-cultural research, the module will explore the relationships between medicine, culture, and society. After an introduction to some of the classical social anthropological approaches to affliction and healing, we will read a series of medical anthropology ethnographies selected for their different theoretical and analytical approaches to understanding medicine and culture. We will consider interpretative, symbolic, psychoanalytic, 'ethnopsychiatric', and cultural phenomenological approaches for understanding such phenomena as sorcery, possession, exorcism, shamanism, and charismatic healing. We conclude by examining recent approaches to medicine that can be characterised as cultural criticism.

Medicines, Health and Development

30 credits
Autumn teaching, Year 3

This module examines the relationship between health and development paying particular attention to the international role of the pharmaceutical industry, the globalisation of its operations and how medical drugs are assessed for safety and efficacy. It examines the degree to which the pharmaceutical industry represents a positive (or negative) force for health in the developing world and the role of organisations such as WHO.

Medicines, Health and Development

30 credits
Spring teaching, Year 3

This module examines the relationship between health and development paying particular attention to the international role of the pharmaceutical industry, the globalisation of its operations and how medical drugs are assessed for safety and efficacy. It examines the degree to which the pharmaceutical industry represents a positive or negative force for health in the developing world, and the role of organisations such as WHO.

Population and Development

30 credits
Autumn teaching, Year 3

This module examines the relationship between population issues and economic, social and environmental aspects of development. It introduces theoretical frameworks for analysing population change and assesses the consequences of population growth for food supplies and the environment at both global and local levels. It goes on to examine factors affecting the components of population change including fertility and mortality decline, changing sex ratios, the growth of megacities and international migration. Policies on health, family planning and migration are also discussed.

Population and Development

30 credits
Spring teaching, Year 3

This module examines the relationship between population issues and economic, social and environmental aspects of development. It introduces theoretical frameworks for analysing population change and assesses the consequences of population growth for food supplies and the environment at both global and local levels. It goes on to examine factors affecting the components of population change including fertility and mortality decline, changing sex ratios, the growth of megacities and international migration. Policies on health, family planning and migration are also discussed.

Race, Ethnicity and Identity

30 credits
Spring teaching, Year 3

This module focuses on theories of race, ethnicity and identity. It applies diverse theoretical approaches to race, ethnicity and identity to historical and contemporary ethnographic contexts. As well as examining the way in which racial and ethnic identities have been constructed across time and space, the module interrogates these constructions with specific reference to:

  • the development of anthropology
  • slavery and colonialialism
  • scientific racism
  • postcolonial political regimes
  • postcolonial feminism
  • conflict and genocide
  • identity-based mass violence
  • diaspora, transnationalism and the Black Atlantic
  • contemporary understandings of race and racism in its myriad forms
  • multicultural lives and hybridity.

Rural Livelihoods in the Global South

30 credits
Autumn teaching, Year 3

This module considers the varied nature of rural livelihood systems in developing countries. You consider changes in livelihoods through livelihood diversification and migration, and the interconnectedness of the global and the local in causing change in rural societies. The module explores the impact of different agents of change on livelihoods. This will include the role of non-governmental organisations, the impact of modern biotechnology and the effects of trade on livelihoods, amongst other important examples. The module draws primarily (though by no means exclusively) on evidence from Sub-Saharan Africa and India.

Rural Livelihoods in the Global South

30 credits
Spring teaching, Year 3

This module considers the varied nature of rural livelihood systems in developing countries. You consider changes in livelihoods through livelihood diversification and migration, and the interconnectedness of the global and the local in causing change in rural societies. The module explores the impact of different agents of change on livelihoods. This will include the role of non-governmental organisations, the impact of modern biotechnology and the effects of trade on livelihoods, amongst other important examples. The module draws primarily (though by no means exclusively) on evidence from Sub-Saharan Africa and India.

The Anthropology of Africa

30 credits
Spring teaching, Year 3

This module introduces you to contemporary anthropological approaches in culture and society in Africa. The guiding thread is an exploration of the relationship between macro and micro levels of analysis in understanding of African society through a selection of thematic lenses (economy, politics, religion, health, gender, conflict, power etc.).

Back to module list

Entry requirements

Sussex welcomes applications from students of all ages who show evidence of the academic maturity and broad educational background that suggests readiness to study at degree level. For most students, this will mean formal public examinations; details of some of the most common qualifications we accept are shown below. If you are an overseas student, refer to Applicants from outside the UK.

All teaching at Sussex is in the English language. If your first language is not English, you will also need to demonstrate that you meet our English language requirements.

A level

Typical offer: AAB-ABB

International Baccalaureate

Typical offer: 34 points overall

For more information refer to International Baccalaureate.

Access to HE Diploma

Typical offer: Pass the Access to HE Diploma with at least 45 credits at Level 3, of which 30 credits must be at Distinction and 15 credits at Merit or higher.

Specific entry requirements: The Access to HE Diploma should be in the humanities or social sciences.

For more information refer to Access to HE Diploma.

Advanced Diploma

Typical offer: Pass with at least grade B in the Diploma and A in the Additional and Specialist Learning.

Specific entry requirements: The Additional and Specialist Learning must be an A-level (ideally in a humanities or social science subject).

For more information refer to Advanced Diploma.

BTEC Level 3 Extended Diploma

Typical offer: DDD-DDM

For more information refer to BTEC Level 3 Extended Diploma.

European Baccalaureate

Typical offer: Overall result of at least 77%

For more information refer to European Baccalaureate.

Finnish Ylioppilastutkinto

Typical offer: Overall average result in the final matriculation examinations of at least 6.0

French Baccalauréat

Typical offer: Overall final result of at least 13/20

German Abitur

Typical offer: Overall result of 1.8 or better

Irish Leaving Certificate (Higher level)

Typical offer: AAAABB-AABBBB

Italian Diploma di Maturità or Diploma Pass di Esame di Stato

Typical offer: Final Diploma mark of at least 90/100

Scottish Highers and Advanced Highers

Typical offer: AAABB-AABBB

For more information refer to Scottish Highers and Advanced Highers.

Spanish Titulo de Bachillerato (LOGSE)

Typical offer: Overall average result of at least 8.0

Welsh Baccalaureate Advanced Diploma

Typical offer: Pass the Core plus AB in two A-levels

For more information refer to Welsh Baccalaureate.

English language requirements

IELTS 6.5 overall, with not less than 6.0 in each section. Internet-based TOEFL with 88 overall, with at least 20 in Listening, 19 in Reading, 21 in Speaking and 23 in Writing.

For more information, refer to alternative English language requirements.

For more information about the admissions process at Sussex:

Undergraduate Admissions,
Sussex House,
University of Sussex, Falmer,
Brighton BN1 9RH, UK
T +44 (0)1273 678416
F +44 (0)1273 678545
E ug.enquiries@sussex.ac.uk

Fees and funding

Fees

Home/EU students: £9,0001
Channel Island and Isle of Man students: £9,0002
Overseas students: £13,0003

1 The fee shown is for the academic year 2013.
2 The fee shown is for the academic year 2013.
3 The fee shown is for the academic year 2013.

To find out about your fee status, living expenses and other costs, visit further financial information.

Funding

The funding sources listed below are for the subject area you are viewing and may not apply to all degrees listed within it. Please check the description of the individual funding source to make sure it is relevant to your chosen degree.

To find out more about funding and part-time work, visit further financial information.

Care Leavers Award (2014)

Region: UK
Level: UG
Application deadline: 31 July 2015

For students have been in council care before starting at Sussex.

First-Generation Scholars Scheme (2014)

Region: UK
Level: UG
Application deadline: 12 June 2015

The scheme is targeted to help students from relatively low income families – ie those whose family income is up to £42,622.

First-Generation Scholars Scheme EU Student Award (2014)

Region: Europe (Non UK)
Level: UG
Application deadline: 12 June 2015

£3,000 fee waiver for UG Non-UK EU students whose family income is below £25,000

Leverhulme Trade Charities Trust for Undergraduate Study (2014)

Region: UK
Level: UG
Application deadline: 1 March 2014

The Leverhulme Trade Charities Trust are offering bursaries to Undergraduate students following an undergraduate degree courses in any subject.

 

Careers and profiles

Anthropology tends to attract students with creative minds. Given this, and the central interests of anthropologists in cultural diversity in a changing world, this course leads to a wide range of career opportunities. These include:

  • development work in agencies such as the Department for International Development (DFID) or UN organisations, international non-governmental organisations (NGOs) such as Oxfam or Amnesty International, and charities 
  • civil service, including local government, the Foreign & Commonwealth Office and the Environment Agency 
  • community development work in the UK and overseas 
  • British Council, journalism and the world of business 
  • further study to gain professional or postgraduate qualifications. 

Our recent graduates have taken up a wide range of posts including: junior publicist at Franklin Rose • project administrator at AD-Action • motivational speaker at Free the Children • runner at Deep Blue Sea • welfare officer at the University of Sussex • contracts co-ordinator at Pearson Education • researcher at Institute of Children’s Health, University College London • intern at Oxfam • associate tutor in education at the University of Sussex • intern at Peace Child India • project consultant at ICP search • sales executive at William Reid Business Media • consultant at Corendon Airlines.

Specific employer destinations listed are taken from recent Destinations of Leavers from Higher Education surveys, which are produced annually by the Higher Education Statistics Agency.

Our graduates have gone on to have careers both in the UK and overseas, and in the public and private sectors:

  • Many work for development organisations such as the United Nations agencies and big international charities like Oxfam.
  • Several Sussex alumni have set up non-governmental organisations (NGOs) as a result of their experiences while at Sussex, and others have been active in campaigning and lobbying work.
  • Our graduates also go on to work for local and national government, particularly in the fields of social and economic regeneration and multiculturalism.
  • Some work in the private sector or in commerce, where an understanding of global social issues is important, especially as companies become more interested in corporate social responsibility.
  • Every year, several of our graduates go on to further study and training in a range of vocational and academic disciplines.

Careers and employability

For employers, it’s not so much what you know, but what you can do with your knowledge that counts. The experience and skills you’ll acquire during and beyond your studies will make you an attractive prospect. Initiatives such as SussexPlus, delivered by the Careers and Employability Centre, help you turn your skills to your career advantage. It’s good to know that 94 per cent of our graduates are in work or further study (Which? University).

For more information on the full range of initiatives that make up our career and employability plan for students, visit Careers and alumni.

Luke's perspective

Luke Heslop

‘Studying Anthropology and International Development at Sussex means getting involved! You get to explore questions asked by the learned experts here, and you are offered a range of choices, from economics and gender, to health and social change.

‘Having the opportunity to sit in on guest lectures at IDS (the Institute of Development Studies) on campus has been a highlight of my time at Sussex. The chance to engage with practitioners of development, from the UN, NGOs and the private sector, helps bridge the gap between theory and practice.

‘Opportunities like these are a defining asset of an education in anthropology and international development at Sussex, providing a lens through which you can view the career possibilities opened up by your degree.’

Luke Heslop
BA in Anthropology and International Development

Contact our School

School of Global Studies

The School of Global Studies aims to provide one of the UK's premier venues for understanding how the world is changing. It offers a broad range of perspectives on global issues, and staff and students are actively engaged with a wide range of international and local partners, contributing a distinctive perspective on global affairs.

How do I find out more?

For more information, contact the admissions tutor:
Anthropology, 
University of Sussex, Falmer,
Brighton BN1 9SJ, UK
E anthoffice@sussex.ac.uk
T +44 (0)1273 877185
F +44 (0)1273 623572
Department of Anthropology

School of Global Studies

The School of Global Studies aims to provide one of the UK's premier venues for understanding how the world is changing. It offers a broad range of perspectives on global issues, and staff and students are actively engaged with a wide range of international and local partners, contributing a distinctive perspective on global affairs.

How do I find out more?

For more information, contact the subject coordinator:
International Development, Arts C168,
University of Sussex, Falmer,
Brighton BN1 9SJ, UK
E intdevoffice@sussex.ac.uk
T +44 (0)1273 873520
F +44 (0)1273 673563
International development

Visit us

Sussex Open Day
Saturday 5 October 2013

Open Days offer you the chance to speak one to one with our world-leading academic staff, find out more about our courses, tour specialist facilities, explore campus, visit student accommodation, and much more. Booking is required. Go to Visit us and Open Days to book onto one of our tours.

Campus tours

Not able to attend one of our Open Days? Then book on to one of our weekly guided campus tours.

Mature-student information session

If you are 21 or over, and thinking about starting an undergraduate degree at Sussex, you may want to attend one of our mature student information sessions. Running between October and December, they include guidance on how to approach your application, finance and welfare advice, plus a guided campus tour with one of our current mature students.

Self-guided visits

If you are unable to make any of the visit opportunities listed, drop in Monday to Friday year round and collect a self-guided tour pack from Sussex House reception.

Jonathan's staff perspective

Jonathan Bridges

‘Sussex provides world-leading teaching and excellent academic facilities, with a vibrant student life in a fantastic location. All of this meant that I left Sussex with a unique set of experiences and a degree that has prepared me for my future.

‘Joining Student Recruitment Services at the University has enabled me to share my experiences of Sussex with others. Coming to an Open Day gives you the opportunity to meet our research-active academics and our current students, while exploring our beautiful campus. But don’t worry if you can’t make an Open Day, there’s plenty of other opportunities to visit Sussex. Check out our Visit us and Open Days pages or our Facebook page to find out more.

‘I’ve loved every moment of my time at Sussex – these have been the best years of my life.’

Jonathan Bridges
Graduate Intern, Student Recruitment Services

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