Anthropology

The Anthropology Training Pathway, consisting of Durham University and Queen’s University Belfast, has an interdisciplinary vision of anthropology. We use methods, theories and analysis from biological and social anthropology to understand the human condition in our rapidly-changing world and provide research for public benefit. From work concerned with development, health, peace and justice to cultural evolution, cognition, human/animal relations and ethnomusicology, we strive to ensure our research can have positive effects in the wider world.

At Durham the strategic foci for staff and postgraduate students are evolutionary anthropology, anthropology of health and social anthropology. This includes collaboration with Institutes and Centres including: Wolfson Research Institute for Health & Wellbeing; Durham Global Security Institute, Institute of Hazard, Risk and Resilience, Centre for Coevolution of Biology & Culture, Institute of Advanced Study. Staff also co-supervise interdisciplinary PhDs with Archaeology, Geography, Medicine Pharmacy & Health, Sociology, Psychology, and Theology. Likewise, at Queen’s staff research interests involve Ethnomusicology; the Mitchell Institute for Global Peace, Security and Justice; the Institute of Irish Studies (IIS); and the Institute of Cognition and Culture (ICC). Anthropology staff co-supervise with colleagues in the Centre for Secure Information Technologies, Sociology, Geography, Law, Politics and the Creative Arts.

The joint pathway is thus uniquely placed to train a new generation of future world leading researchers who may secure the ESRC’s delivery goals such as “influencing behaviour and informing interventions” and a “vibrant and fair society”.

Students who do not have a Masters will take the full Masters in Research Methods Masters (MARM) prior to beginning their PhD studies. Applicants who have a non-ESRC accredited Masters qualification will take the 60 credit PG Cert in Research Methods.

At Durham there are several different MARM courses to choose from each differing in the subject-specific specialist training including socio-cultural, medical, development, political anthropology or cultural evolution. At Queens the MARM programme includes possibilities to take a variety of specialist training in addition to the core methods training.

If you would like further information, please feel free to contact departments directly.