Archaeology and Social Anthropology Master of Arts (with Honours) - MA (Hons)

The archaeology and social anthropology degree examines the diversity of ancient and modern human social and material culture.

Archaeology is the study of our human past through the discovery, recovery and analysis of material remains.

Archaeologists are uniquely positioned to provide deep-time perspectives on contemporary global challenges such as climate change, migration, identity and heritage.

While historians are primarily concerned with oral, written and transcribed accounts of the past, archaeologists use artefacts, ecofacts (such as plant and animal remains), buildings, sites, and human remains to study the lives and societies of past peoples.

In contrast, social anthropology is the study of human behaviour in living societies. Understanding a living society and its members involves participant observation. This can involve spending months or even years living with, and sharing the experiences of, the people being studied.

Societies around the world vary enormously socially, culturally and politically. The study of these variations, and the common humanity that underlies them, is at the heart of social anthropology.

Together, archaeology and social anthropology create a programme that studies past and present human behaviour. Your undergraduate dissertation in Year 4 can be in either subject.

Practical skills

We emphasise the importance of training in practical archaeological skills.

Fieldwork, practical skills, and lab-based learning are core elements of the programme, and there is the option to focus on these areas in later years of study.

You will have an opportunity to gain hands-on experience in artefact identification and analysis in practical sessions using artefacts from our own Vere Gordon Childe collection.

Fieldwork

You will complete three weeks of archaeological fieldwork at the end of Year 1. In later years of study, you will also have the option to do:

* further fieldwork

* projects in heritage management and public engagement

* lab-based analysis of archaeological remains

If you choose to do a dissertation in social anthropology, you can conduct your own research in the summer break between Years 3 and 4.

Programme benefits

* Combine the study of human behaviour with the practice of archaeology.

* Complete a dissertation in either archaeology or social anthropology.

* Take part in archaeological fieldwork in the UK or abroad.

* Gain hands-on experience with our artefacts, and human and animal collections, developing skills in the identification and analysis of archaeological remains.

* Visit the National Museum of Scotland for classes and field trips.