Bachelor of Arts (BASS)

BASS Social Anthropology and Philosophy

Debate today's fundamental questions and how they relate to different cultures.
  • Duration: 3 or 4 years
  • Year of entry: 2025
  • UCAS course code: LV65 / Institution code: M20
  • Key features:
  • Study abroad
  • Industrial experience

Full entry requirementsHow to apply

Course description

The BA in Social Anthropology and Philosophy is one of the pathways within the BA Social Sciences degree.

It is ideal if you want to keep your options open or study specific topics such as race, class, crime or religion from different perspectives.

This flexible degree lets you study at least three subjects in Year 1, and then in Years 2 and 3 you deepen your understanding of the subjects you feel passionate about.

The six subject areas are:

  • Criminology - The study of the causes and consequences of crime.
  • Philosophy - The study of the nature of knowledge, truth and values. It also encourages greater consideration of our reasoning, judgement and ethics.
  • Politics - The study of human organisation, government and power. It examines and evaluates political systems and institutions.
  • Data Analytics - The study of data and analysis to understand the social world.
  • Social Anthropology - The study of societies and cultures across the globe in comparative perspective.
  • Sociology - The study of society. It examines such issues as social inequalities and forms of everyday life.

You are not tied to the course code you apply to through UCAS and have the option to change after Year 1.

Special features

Professional Experience Year Opportunity

You apply in year 1 to boost your employability through a paid Professional Experience Year.

If you meet the criteria, the Professional Experience Team and Careers Service will work with you to find a suitable placement in your 2nd year.

You will then complete your Professional Experience Year in 3rd year extending your degree to four years, before returning to University to finish your final year.

Your degree title will be extended to include 'with Professional Experience', giving you the added advantage of relevant work experience when entering the competitive graduate jobs market.

Paid placement opportunity

You can apply for a paid Q-Step internship between Years 2 and 3.

Study abroad

If you would like to broaden your horizons and your degree, you can apply to study overseas for a year at one of our partner universities. You apply in Year 2 to spend a year abroad in Year 3. If successful, you will put together a programme of study at the host university in consultation with your Academic Exchange Advisor, to complement your studies at Manchester. You will then come back to Manchester to study for a fourth year and graduate with a degree title including ‘with International Study'. See The University of Manchester Study Abroad pages for more information, including eligibility criteria, destinations, costs and funding.

Teaching and learning

Course units feature formal lectures supported by smaller tutorials or seminars, where you explore the contents of lectures and recommended reading in greater depth. 

Tutorials and seminars are key in improving your written and oral communication skills through group discussions, essay-writing, and presentations. 

You are assigned an Academic Advisor who takes a friendly interest in your progress, and can advise you on selecting course units and career opportunities.

Coursework and assessment

The way that you study and are assessed will depend on which course units you choose. Our methods are designed to promote in-depth learning and understanding, including: 

  • essays, coursework, and other mid-term evaluations; 
  • dissertations; 
  • presentations; 
  • group projects; 
  • exams.

Course content for year 1

Year 1 gives you a broad introduction to the social sciences, enabling you to make an informed choice of areas to specialise in for your second and third years.

Course units for year 1

The course unit details given below are subject to change, and are the latest example of the curriculum available on this course of study.

TitleCodeCredit ratingMandatory/optional
Critical Thinking PHIL10042 20 Mandatory
Key Ideas in Social Anthropology SOAN10321 10 Mandatory
Intro to Ethnographic Reading SOAN10322 10 Mandatory
Engaging With Social Research SOCS10111 20 Mandatory
Crime and Society CRIM10001 20 Optional
Criminological Research Methods CRIM10072 20 Optional
Foundations of Criminal Justice CRIM10421 20 Optional
Psychology, Crime and Criminal Justice CRIM10432 20 Optional
Foundations of Criminological Scholarship CRIM10441 20 Optional
An Introduction to Development Studies ECON10002 10 Optional
Microeconomics 1 ECON10221 10 Optional
Macroeconomics 1 ECON10252 10 Optional
Criminal Law (Humanities) LAWS10082 20 Optional
Introduction to Ethics PHIL10021 20 Optional
Studying Philosophy PHIL10031 20 Optional
History of Philosophy PHIL10402 20 Optional
Introduction to Metaphysics and Epistemology PHIL10622 20 Optional
Introduction to Philosophy of Mind PHIL10631 20 Optional
Introduction to Comparative Politics POLI10201 20 Optional
Introduction to Comparative Politics POLI10202 20 Optional
Making Sense of Politics POLI10302 20 Optional
British Politics: Power and the State POLI10401 20 Optional
Politics of the Global Economy POLI10502 20 Optional
Introduction to International Politics POLI10601 20 Optional
Introduction to Political Theory POLI10702 20 Optional
Power and Culture: Inequality in Everyday Life SOAN10301 10 Optional
Cultural Diversity in Global Perspective SOAN10312 10 Optional
Regional Studies of Culture: 1 SOAN10331 20 Optional
Regional Studies of Culture: 2 SOAN10352 20 Optional
Introduction to Business Anthropology: Consumers, Companies and Culture SOAN10361 20 Optional
Understanding Social Injustice SOCS10201 20 Optional
Current Issues of Social Injustice SOCS10302 20 Optional
Environment and Society SOCY10201 20 Optional
Inequalities in Contemporary British Society SOCY10402 20 Optional
Contested Foundations of Social Thought SOCY10421 20 Optional
Contemporary Social Thought SOCY10432 20 Optional
Media, Culture & Society SOCY10442 20 Optional
Global Social Challenges SOCY10461 20 Optional
Getting Personal: Intimacy and Connectedness in Everyday Life SOCY10471 20 Optional
Work, Organisations and Society SOCY10912 20 Optional
Understanding Social Media SOST10012 20 Optional
Measuring Inequalities (Unequal Societies) SOST10021 20 Optional
Applied Statistics for Social Scientists SOST10142 20 Optional
Displaying 10 of 43 course units for year 1

Course content for year 2

In Year 2, you begin to specialise. If you specialise in one subject, you take 60 to 80 credits in it.

If you specialise in two subjects, you take 40 credits in each.

Course units for year 2

The course unit details given below are subject to change, and are the latest example of the curriculum available on this course of study.

TitleCodeCredit ratingMandatory/optional
Policing and the Police CRIM20051 20 Optional
Explaining Crime and Deviance CRIM20412 20 Optional
Making Sense of Criminological Data CRIM20441 20 Optional
Modelling Criminological Data CRIM20452 20 Optional
Understanding Punishment CRIM20692 20 Optional
Criminology and Criminal Justice in Action CRIM20701 20 Optional
Philosophy of Religion PHIL20021 20 Optional
Philosophy of Race PHIL20042 20 Optional
Formal Logic PHIL20141 20 Optional
British Empiricism PHIL20211 20 Optional
Ethics PHIL20232 20 Optional
20th Century Analytical Philosophy PHIL20242 20 Optional
Philosophy of Science PHIL20261 20 Optional
Philosophy of Mind PHIL20272 20 Optional
Existentialism PHIL23001 20 Optional
Hegel and Marx PHIL23022 20 Optional
Politics by Numbers POLI20311 20 Optional
Security Studies POLI20332 20 Optional
Questions About International Politics POLI20521 20 Optional
Politics & Society in Britain Since 1940: From Blitz to Brexit POLI20531 20 Optional
Arguing About Politics: Political Theory in the World POLI20602 20 Optional
The Politics of Globalisation POLI20711 20 Optional
The Politics of Development POLI20722 20 Optional
Gender and Politics in Comparative Perspective POLI20742 20 Optional
The Politics of Policy Making POLI20802 20 Optional
Ideals of Social Justice POLI20881 20 Optional
How to Conduct Politics Research POLI20902 20 Optional
Injustice and Resistance POLI20961 20 Optional
Environmental Politics POLI20982 20 Optional
Comparative West European Politics POLI21001 20 Optional
Southern European Politics POLI21012 20 Optional
Asia-Pacific Security POLI21041 20 Optional
Anthropology of Kinship, Gender and Sex SOAN20802 20 Optional
Anthropology of Religion SOAN20812 20 Optional
Political and Economic Anthropology SOAN20821 20 Optional
The Ethnographer's Craft SOAN20841 20 Optional
Materiality and Representation SOAN20852 20 Optional
The Human and the Digital SOAN20871 20 Optional
Understanding Violence and Social Disorder SOCS22111 20 Optional
Current Issues of Violence and Social Disorder SOCS23112 20 Optional
Work, Economy and Society SOCY20032 20 Optional
Social Network Analysis SOCY20042 20 Optional
Education and Society SOCY20052 20 Optional
Qualitative Research Design & Methods SOCY20091 20 Optional
Sustainability, Consumption & Global Responsibilities SOCY20231 20 Optional
Global Migration SOCY20272 20 Optional
Social Change in China SOCY20281 20 Optional
Decolonising Sociology SOCY20302 20 Optional
Youth, Politics & Activism in Contemporary Europe SOCY20411 20 Optional
Social Class and Inequality in Britain SOCY20601 20 Optional
Families, Relationships and Everyday Life SOCY20702 20 Optional
Gender, Sexuality and Culture SOCY20892 20 Optional
Racism and Ethnicity in the UK SOCY20961 20 Optional
The Survey Method in Social Research SOST20012 20 Optional
Essentials of survey design and analysis SOST20022 20 Optional
Market Research SOST20042 10 Optional
Global Market Research SOST20051 20 Optional
Applied Statistics for Social Scientists SOST20142 20 Optional
Introduction to Population Development & Social Change SOST20151 20 Optional
Displaying 10 of 59 course units for year 2

Course content for year 3

In Year 3, you pick your final areas of specialisation. If you specialise in one subject, you take 60 to 80 credits in it. If you specialise in two subjects, you take 40 credits in each.

Course units for year 3

The course unit details given below are subject to change, and are the latest example of the curriculum available on this course of study.

TitleCodeCredit ratingMandatory/optional
Drugs and Society CRIM30601 20 Optional
Comparative Criminology CRIM30641 20 Optional
Criminology and Mass Violence CRIM31051 20 Optional
Youth, Crime and Justice CRIM31101 20 Optional
White-Collar and Corporate Crime CRIM31142 20 Optional
Crime Mapping: an introduction to GIS and spatial analysis CRIM31152 20 Optional
The Criminal Psychopath CRIM31172 20 Optional
Dissertation Semester 1 PHIL30001 20 Optional
Dissertation Semester 2 PHIL30002 20 Optional
Dissertation (40 credit) PHIL30030 40 Optional
Special Author:Wittgenstein PHIL30252 20 Optional
Founding Mothers: Women Philosophers and their Role in The Development of Analytic Philosophy PHIL30351 20 Optional
Philosophy of Psychology PHIL30361 20 Optional
Environmental Philosophy PHIL30432 20 Optional
Special Author: Kant PHIL30442 20 Optional
Philosophy of Action PHIL30552 20 Optional
Advanced Topics in Aesthetics PHIL30621 20 Optional
Philosophy of Mathematics PHIL30721 20 Optional
The Politics of the European Union POLI30032 20 Optional
Morality and Markets POLI30112 20 Optional
The Politics and Philosophy of Nationalism POLI30191 20 Optional
Gender, Sex and Politics POLI30231 20 Optional
Elections and Voters in Britain POLI30241 20 Optional
Dimensions of Peace and Conflict: Disciplinary and Regional Approaches POLI30262 20 Optional
Political Morality and Dirty Hands POLI30272 20 Optional
Chinese Politics POLI30282 20 Optional
Public Policy Problems POLI30292 20 Optional
Using Nudge to Change Lives POLI30331 20 Optional
Introduction to International Political Economy POLI30721 20 Optional
Gender, War & Militarism POLI30791 20 Optional
Africa & Global Politics POLI30862 20 Optional
War Memories and Reconciliation in East Asia POLI31011 20 Optional
Understanding Political Choice in Britain POLI31042 20 Optional
American Politics: Why Do They Do That? POLI31061 20 Optional
Knowledge Production in Peace-building: Practices and Processes POLI31081 20 Optional
Global Capitalism, Crisis and Revolt POLI31091 20 Optional
Contemporary Parliamentary Studies and the British Political Tradition POLI32041 20 Optional
Postcolonial Politics POLI32062 20 Optional
Between War and Peace POLI32071 20 Optional
The International Political Economy of Trade POLI32082 20 Optional
Race, Ethnicity, Migration POLI32161 20 Optional
Ukraine Rises: Democracy, Protest, Identity and War in Comparative Perspective POLI32172 20 Optional
Capitalism and Sexuality POLI32182 20 Optional
Indian Politics in Comparative Perspective POLI32192 20 Optional
Decolonising Human Rights POLI32212 20 Optional
Feminist Policymaking in Global Politics POLI32221 20 Optional
Anthropology of Development and Humanitarianism SOAN30111 20 Optional
The Anthropology of Health and Wellbeing SOAN30251 20 Optional
Anthropology of Human Learning: Childhood and Education SOAN30372 20 Optional
Ethnographies and Adventures in Manchester SOAN30382 20 Optional
Anthropology of Displacement and Migration SOAN30452 20 Optional
Dissertation B - 20 credit dissertation SOAN30600 20 Optional
Dissertation A SOAN30610 40 Optional
Screening Culture SOAN30791 20 Optional
Anthropology of Vision, Senses and Memory SOAN30811 20 Optional
Food and Eating: The Cultural Body SOAN30882 20 Optional
Sociology of Human Animal Relations SOCY30042 20 Optional
Cities and Urban Life SOCY30061 20 Optional
Racism and Resistance in Education SOCY30102 20 Optional
Identity, Power & Modernity SOCY30171 20 Optional
Material Culture: The Social Life of Things SOCY30192 20 Optional
A Sense of Inequality SOCY30242 20 Optional
Sociology of Mental Health & Illness SOCY30261 20 Optional
Connections matter: Sociological Applications of Social Networks SOCY30292 20 Optional
Security, Radical Uncertainty and Global Pandemics SOCY30352 20 Optional
Power and Protest SOCY30462 20 Optional
Social Thought from the Global South SOCY30501 20 Optional
Visualising Society & Social Life: Photography in focus SOCY30521 20 Optional
Art and Society SOCY30731 20 Optional
Theory & Method in Demography SOST30012 20 Optional
Network Analysis SOST30022 20 Optional
Answering Social Research Questions with Statistical Models SOST30031 20 Optional
Data Science Modelling SOST30062 20 Optional
Causal Inference for Policies, Interventions and Experiments SOST30172 20 Optional
Displaying 10 of 74 course units for year 3

Course content for year 4

If completing a year professional placement, you will take the Year 3 course content in Year 4.

If completing a year abroad, you will take the Year 3 course content in Year 4.

Disability support

Practical support and advice for current students and applicants is available from the Disability Advisory and Support Service. Email: dass@manchester.ac.uk