COURSE CURRICULUM

The BASS Politics and Social Anthropology degree provides a multidisciplinary approach to understanding political systems and social structures in diverse cultural contexts. In the first year, students develop foundational knowledge in social anthropology through key ideas and ethnographic reading, alongside core social research skills. Optional modules in criminology, development studies, and economics allow students to explore the societal and political factors shaping human behaviour and governance, fostering critical thinking and analytical skills. In the second year, the focus shifts to more specialised topics, including policing, crime and deviance, modelling and interpreting social data, and criminology in practice, while philosophy modules encourage reflection on ethical, moral, and logical dimensions of social issues. This combination of theoretical and practical learning equips students to examine political and social phenomena with a rigorous, evidence-based approach. In the third year, students engage with advanced topics in criminology, exploring comparative criminology, organised crime, mass violence, youth justice, and emerging areas such as crime mapping and criminal psychopathology. Independent research opportunities allow students to synthesise political and anthropological perspectives, applying their analytical and methodological skills to complex social problems. Graduates leave with a deep understanding of the interplay between politics, culture, and society, prepared for careers in research, policy, international development, and public service, or for further postgraduate study.