Anthropology

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Do you know why Anthropology is one of the most popular first year arts units?  Because: 

• Anthropology is relevant to your everyday life.
• Anthropology provides you with valuable skills for living and working in a multicultural society. 
• Anthropology is a highly compatible elective for any major, including professions such as law, medicine, social work and teaching. 
• Anthropology gives you a fresh perspective on humankind. 
• Anthropology units feature fascinating films.
• Anthropology encourages you to question your taken-for-granted beliefs. 
• Anthropology provides you with a take on the global scene.

Anthropology is the study of humanity and is the only discipline that offers a conceptual scheme for the whole context of human experiences. It provides a broad framework into which many other subjects can be fitted.

SOCIAL ANTHROPOLOGY is the comparative study of the institutions, social behaviours, and systems of meaning of all human societies. It is concerned with describing how any given society organises its relations to the environment, its economy, social interaction and groupings, structures of political authority, gender roles, religion, and all other aspects of its culture. As social scientists, Anthropologists formulate general theories about human social behaviour in its contemporary, historical and evolutionary diversity.

SOCIOLOGY, which has much in common with Social Anthropology, is the systematic study of human social relationships, with an emphasis on group behaviour and social structure, especially in industrial societies.

Course Outline

Anthropology & Sociology may be studied as a major within a Bachelor of Arts or Bachelor of Science degree. You may be able to study individual Anthropology units within other degrees.
 
Anthropology & Sociology at UWA offers a variety of courses focusing on the following geographical areas: South East Asia, especially Indonesia and the Philippines, Australian society, including Aboriginal Australia.

Level 1
There are two level one units in Anthropology. You can study only one of the units if you wish, however to complete a major in Anthropology, you will need to study both level one units. In semester one you examine what it means to be human and cover areas such as culture, identity and social life. The second semester unit explores global change and local responses from anthropological and sociological perspectives.

Level 2 and 3
Upper level units include the study of applied anthropology, ethnographic film, religion, legal anthropology, sex and aggression across the lifespan, medical anthropology and sociology, and migration, culture and identity.

Duration

Bachelor of Arts:   3 years full time, up to 10 years part time
Bachelor of Science: 3 years full time, up to 10 years part time

Career Opportunities

Anthropology is refreshingly broad in its orientation so it can help to prepare you for careers in a number of fields. Positions in government agencies concerned with social welfare, legal matters, drug abuse, physical and mental health, environmental impact, housing, education, foreign aid and agricultural development are all facilitated by training in Anthropology. Anthropologists are also employed to advise on indigenous issues in Australia and overseas by mining industries, legal services and a variety of community organisations.

Anthropology's breadth as a discipline also enhances skills used in business studies, strategic planning, decision-making, industrial relations, organisational management, all increasingly important elements of work in the corporate world. The exposure to contrasting systems of values found among the world's cultures enhances understanding of diversity and provides the background necessary for effective performance in multicultural planning and counselling, intercultural communication, social science consulting, and international business.