BASS Social Anthropology and Sociology

As the new space age grows into a one trillion-dollar industry by 2040, its impact on society will grow stronger. Extra-terrestrial anthropology examines how the extra-terrestrial (that which originates, exists or relates to things outside of the Earth and its atmosphere) informs how people make social worlds. Students will examine how the extra-terrestrial informs notions of self, religion, ecology, the body, race, gender, the future, colonisation and more. Examining case studies in scholarship ranging from ethnographies of space agencies and other planets to studies of the role of space in religious practice, shamanism and in our understanding of place, they will gain a good understanding of the field of social studies of outer space. They will develop a critical mindset to help analyse developments in science, technology and narratives of the future. Students will be encouraged to think about how they might construct an anthropological study by thinking through outer space. 
 

To understand the emergent field of the social study of outer space with a survey of current work and emerging trends.

To use extra-terrestrial anthropology to reflect critically on the traditional concepts of anthropological inquiry, such as the body, territory or religion, and how they might be rethought through thinking extra-terrestrial.

To develop the ability to apply analytical frames analysed in this course to new areas of study via the extra-terrestrial.

To outline how anthropology can usefully and critically contribute to debates on space and earth futures.

• The course will run 10 x 2-hour lectures supported by one tutorial of 1(UG)/2(PG) hr per week;
• The course will be reading-based. 3xCore readings with around five hours of reading expected per tutorial;
• One of the week's lectures will be replaced by a field trip to a local site of space science. Students will be encouraged to take an ethnographic approach to the site. They will produce a non assessed field report;
• All lectures will be posted on blackboard/canvas;
• The assessment will be a 3000-word essay;

• Understand the various debates and theoretical trends that have shaped the social study of outer space;
• Advance their analysis of key texts and concepts in the social study of outer space;

• Critically discuss the political, social, and ethical issues of the social studies of outer space;
• Connect the social study of outer space with  anthropological analyses;
• Connect the social study of outer space with key issues in the industrial space sector;

• Write well-structured, clearly argued, and analytical essays assessing the social studies of outer space;
• Experience an active ethnographic field site and analyse the site critically analyse an industry sector that dominates news and current affairs;

• Communicate complex ideas clearly to others;
• Take initiative in presenting evaluations of selected critical scholarship;

• Formative assessment - 1000 word essay - development of essay plan for the final essay;
• Summative assessment - 3000 word essay (worth 100%);

Tuition fees for home students commencing their studies in September 2027 will be £10,050 per annum. Tuition fees for international students will be £29,200 per annum.

For general information please see the undergraduate finance pages.

All students should normally be able to complete their programme of study without incurring additional study costs over and above the tuition fee for that programme. Any unavoidable additional compulsory costs totalling more than 1% of the annual home undergraduate fee per annum, regardless of whether the programme in question is undergraduate or postgraduate taught, will be made clear to you at the point of application. Further information can be found in the University's Policy on additional costs incurred by students on undergraduate and postgraduate taught programmes (PDF document, 91KB).

Scholarships and bursaries, including the Manchester Bursary , are available to eligible home/EU students.

Some undergraduate UK students will receive bursaries of up to £2,000 per year, in addition to the government package of maintenance grants.

You can get information and advice on student finance to help you manage your money.