Program Overview

How do cultural boundaries affect human rights? What are the challenges for human rights practitioners when dealing with radically different cultures? This course combines an anthropological approach to the study of society and social interaction whilst considering human rights issues in local contexts. You explore how human rights are applied across multiple cultures and the ways in which local communities can promote and protect human rights

Grow your understanding of both social anthropology and human rights, developing a wide array of practical research skills and exploring the broadest questions about our society. You investigate the many different social tensions, interactions and networks that make up everyday life, as well as the definition, development, and abuse of rights around the globe. You study a wide range of topics including:

• Multiculturalism and human rights
• The politics of indigeneity and indigenous human rights
• Anthropological approaches to gender and ethnicity
• How to analyse human rights in an international context
• Anthropological research methods 

Placement year

On a placement year you gain relevant work experience within an external business, giving you a competitive edge in the graduate job market and providing you with key contacts within the industry. You’ll be responsible for finding your placement, but with support and guidance provided by both your department and our Employability and Careers Centre.

A Placement-Linked Project module is also available as an alternative to the dissertation module in your third year. You attend shorter placements (a minimum of 150 hours in total), and use your learning on placement to inform a research project; fantastic work experience for your CV.

If you complete a placement year you'll only pay 20% of your usual tuition fee to Essex for that year.