Anthropology is the study of human beings. At Lampeter we focus mainly on social and cultural anthropology, that is, the study of contemporary human societies. Social anthropology wants to understand the ways in which different societies work - how people think, what they believe, the principles which underpin values and attitudes and the forms of social organisation which make a group of individuals into a social unit. Social Anthropologists also consider the historical, political and economic circumstances that play part in forming a particular society.
Cultural anthropology is 'close relative' of social anthropology.
It tends to have a stronger emphasis on studies of art and material culture, and on their symbolic meaning, and it incorporates specialised subjects, such as film or museum studies. We also offer some biological anthropology, which, for example, considers how humans adapt physically to different environments, and how blood groups and genetics may be used to consider the long-term relationships between different populations.