Belonging: Kin, Family, Friends (L6069)

15 credits, Level 4

Spring teaching

What makes us related? Human relatedness and kinship are key topics within the history of social anthropology. 

On this module, you’ll explore how societies imagine, organise and experience human relationships in different cultures. 

You’ll analyse:

• how anthropologists’ ideas about kinship have changed over time
• how these changing ideas demonstrate broader shifts in the field
• how structures of power, technologies and economic exchange characterise human relationships
• the experiential ways humans connect to place and each other through bodily experience and emotion.

Contact hours and workload

This module is approximately 150 hours of work. This breaks down into about 24 hours of contact time and about 126 hours of independent study. The University may make minor variations to the contact hours for operational reasons, including timetabling requirements.

We regularly review our modules to incorporate student feedback, staff expertise, as well as the latest research and teaching methodology. We’re planning to run these modules in the academic year 2026/27. However, there may be changes to these modules in response to feedback, staff availability, student demand or updates to our curriculum.

We’ll make sure to let you know of any material changes to modules at the earliest opportunity.

Courses

This module is offered on the following courses:

• Anthropology BA
• Anthropology with a Language BA