Bachelor of Arts in Archaeology with Year Abroad

at University of Southampton - Avenue Campus United Kingdom

Explore the evolution, biology and behaviour of humankind through the study of our Stone Age ancestors. With this specialist master’s in palaeoanthropology you’ll gain expertise in the analysis of stone tools and hominin skulls to understand our evolutionary journey. You’ll work closely with experts in our Centre for the Archaeology of Human Origins (CAHO) and benefit from opportunities to apply your learning in real-world settings.

We’re ranked Top 30 in the world for archaeology (QS World University Rankings, 2019).

Your specialist palaeoanthropology learning will cover:

• handling and interpreting stone tools
• the role of evolutionary models, experimental testing, primatological data and ethnographies in the study of human origins
• developing methods to interrogate meaning from collections of stone tools
• using SPSS statistical analysis software

Palaeolithic symbolism and language, migration and responses to environmental change
Beyond your specialist modules you can personalise this palaeonthropology MSc to your areas of interest.

We bring expertise together from across the University, including Medicine, Humanities, the National Oceanography Centre, Engineering and Winchester School of Art, to help you gain both scientific skills and cultural understanding through a range of optional modules.

This is a very practical degree, but you don’t need prior knowledge of biology or anthropology. You’ll be based in our dedicated John Wymer Laboratory, with its own specialist library and large collection of stone tools and hominin skulls. Staff, PhD students and MSc students work in the same space, creating a lively learning environment. As a student on this course you automatically become a member of the CAHO research group.

You’ll have the opportunity to apply your skills on a 4-week placement, where you’ll gain valuable real-world experience of the archaeology sector and heritage industry. Previous placements have included Historic England, Wessex Archaeology and The Nautical Archaeology Society.

This  Palaeoanthropology course offers a balance between vocational and research skills. During your dissertation you’ll be able to embed with one of our research groups to do original research on a topic of that you choose. There is the possibility that this work will be published.

Southampton is close to the World Heritage sites of Stonehenge and Avebury and we have research projects engaged with both sites, as well as a range of other archaeological projects across the Globe.

If you’d prefer a less specialised archaeology master’s degree, or you’d like to focus on a different specialism, you can choose from our 3 other Archaeology MSc pathways. When you join us you’ll have 2 weeks in which you can change pathway if you wish.

Enhance your skills with a master's in creative writing at the University of Southampton. This programme challenges you to cross boundaries and become an expert in 5 areas of contemporary writing:

• Fiction
• Scriptwriting
• Creative non-fiction
• Writing for young people
• Poetry

You’ll also be able to tap into the University’s rich resources in theatre, music, art, and the sciences. On completion of your degree, you’ll be ready for careers in publishing and arts administration.

Our Master of Arts in Creative Writing is a stimulating course which will prepare you to be a professional writer. You’ll have opportunities to publish and edit an anthology, take part in a literary festival, and pursue creative collaborations with everyone from scientists to visiting actors. Your fellow students will come from all over the world and bring with them a wide range of experiences and writing traditions.

You'll be taught by practicing writers, focusing on your own creative writing as well as studying contemporary work. Your lecturers will include four-time novelist Rebecca Smith, award-winning fiction writer and Washington Post freelancer Carole Burns, experimental poet Sarah Hayden, and the highly acclaimed non-fiction writer Philip Hoare.

You'll study with faculty staff and students from countries all over the world, including India, Columbia, Pakistan, Iceland, the USA, Nigeria, and of course the UK. This gives the programme an international focus, and will expose you to a wide range of experiences and writing traditions.

You can take part in a lively programme of literary events, including our own 'Writers in Conversation' reading series. We hold this event 3 times each semester, featuring authors such as Pulitzer Prize winner Jennifer Egan, American writer Gish Jen, and BBC scriptwriter Stephen M. Thompson. We'll also encourage you to take advantage of the University's rich arts environment, including the on-campus Turner Sims Concert Hall and affiliation with Southampton's John Hansard Gallery.

Our Centre for Modern and Contemporary Writing also hosts regular events, readings, and conferences. Recent visitors to the centre include Caroline Bergvall, Lavinia Greenlaw and Amitav Ghosh.

We’ll provide you with a supportive environment in which to learn, grow and develop your writing skills, and help you think deeply and critically about your work. You can specialise in topics that interest you, and choose from a wide variety of optional modules offered by the School of Humanities.

Explore people's changing relationships with the world’s oceans and seas on this science-focused maritime archaeology master's degree at the University of Southampton. You’ll study the technologies of seafaring, histories of environmental change, and underwater landscapes. This subject incorporates elements of traditional archaeology, ethnography, maritime history and marine science.

This MSc version offers the same course content as our MA Maritime Archaeology degree but you’ll take a more science-based approach through your module choices and dissertation topic.

The course draws on the world-leading expertise of the Centre for Maritime Archaeology to offer an unparalleled breadth and depth of content.

The course is designed to allow rapid development of the diverse academic knowledge and practical skills required to work in this field, including:

• The latest methods for data acquisition and integration
• Academic research and dissemination
• Archaeological fieldwork

This means you’ll cover all aspects of maritime archaeology, from those who wish to focus on field-based activities, both above and under water, through to laboratory or library-based research.

Learn French - a major international language with some 300 million speakers worldwide - while increasing your knowledge of politics. You’ll study abroad for a year to get complete proficiency in French and also take modules on political systems and French history.

On this BA Politics and French degree, you’ll start French at a level that matches your spoken and written ability, which helps ensure rapid progress. You’ll also have excellent resources to support you. The Centre for Language Study at Southampton has everything you need.

A special module in year 2 will make sure you’re ready for working and studying abroad in year 3.

You could spend your year abroad working in:

• France
• Switzerland
• Belgium
• Canada
• Guadeloupe
• Martinique
• La Réunion

We have partner universities in the Erasmus exchange programme across France and Switzerland.

In your final year you can specialise in an area of politics or French that suits your interests and combines well with what you’ve studied so far.

Learn the history and theory of film and gain a global perspective on cinema on this MA Film Studies master's degree at the University of Southampton. On this course you’ll develop in-depth knowledge of the most influential theories and approaches to understanding film. You’ll also find out about the latest debates and concerns around the industry.

This MA in film studies will give you the chance to examine the evolution of cinema and develop your own analytical skills.

You’ll gain valuable insights into the movie industry, looking at everything from film theory to current issues in film distribution.

You'll also benefit from:

• Being taught by expert academics with an international reputation  
• Regular talks from industry professionals and acclaimed film scholars
• A flexible approach that allows you to pursue your own areas of interest

With the practical and theoretical skills you learn, you’ll be in a great position to move into a career in the arts or media.

Southampton is ranked 3rd in the UK for film in the Guardian University Guide 2020.

Explore 20th century and contemporary English literature with a master’s degree at the University of Southampton.

Our course gives you the chance to specialise in contemporary culture and history, covering topics such as:

• Science and climate change
• Politics and globalisation
• The relationship between literary and visual cultures
• Sexuality, gender, race and disability

On completion of the course, you’ll be ready for a career in teaching, publishing, librarianship or cultural heritage.

You’ll get the chance to carry out advanced-level research and independent critical thinking, and to make effective use of archives, manuscripts, and research libraries.

This pathway is linked to the Southampton Centre for Modern and Contemporary Writing. This group brings together academics, writers and research students with interests in the relations between writing and contemporary culture. The centre also hosts events including guest lectures, seminars and research study days.

We offer a flexible module structure which is designed to give you an advanced understanding of cultural analysis, textual interpretation and theoretical method.

You’ll explore the interrelations of text, theory and culture across the field of English literary and cultural studies. We’ll work with you to:

• develop your knowledge of critical and research methods
• raise your awareness of the historical and critical reception of literature in various periods
• explore the role of literature in a contested cultural framework

Explore the development of historical debates and ways of imagining the past. You'll study topics ranging from ancient history to the war on terror. In your third year, you’ll study history abroad at a partner university to expand your knowledge and experience. You’ll graduate with transferable skills that are relevant for a variety of careers.

You’ll look at the different ways historians have approached the human past, and study specific areas in history.

Your course will combine lectures with small group seminars. You’ll learn how to structure an argument, interrogate and contextualise evidence and evaluate historical controversies. In year 2, there’s a chance to work with others students on a group project.

Leading researchers will teach you about topics like the buildings of the Roman Empire and concepts of peace and peacefulness in twentieth-century China.

You'll spend your third year studying at one of our partner institutions abroad. University locations include Croatia, Poland, Norway and France.

As part of this degree you’ll:

• choose from over 100 modules
• access document collections, including the Wellington, Palmerston and Mountbatten papers, and the Parkes archive, one of the largest Jewish documentation centres in Europe
• attend our visiting lecture and seminar programme

With this French and Spanish Linguistics degree, you’ll develop strong language skills and a comprehensive understanding of both cultures. You'll explore how language works through the study of linguistics. By spending a year living and working abroad, you’ll improve your fluency, cultural understanding and employability.

You’ll have the freedom to tailor your degree to areas that interest you. You could, for instance, start a third language, choose modules from other subject areas, or increase your focus on linguistics.

Using our language development system, we’ll make sure you start at a level that matches your ability in French and Spanish. This means, if you’re a strong student, you can start one of these languages from scratch - and make rapid progress in both.

In your year abroad you can choose to:

• Work as an English assistant in a school
• Study at a university
• Take a work placement

You could choose to go to Spain, France, Switzerland or Latin America - we have links in Chile, Colombia and Mexico. Through our innovative scheme in Mexico, developed in partnership with the Mexican Education Ministry, you could work as a Language Resources Assistant in a university.

This course has a strong focus on employability. You’ll have the option to take practical modules looking at teaching, you could take advantage of our vacation work placement schemes and you’ll develop a wide range of transferable skills.

Learn 2 major, international languages and study abroad for a year to become highly skilled. You’ll complement your language learning with modules on history, modern society and linguistics on this French and German degree.

You’ll start at a level that matches your ability in spoken and written French and German. This will help you progress quickly. You’ll also have excellent resources to support you. The Centre for Language Study at Southampton has everything you need.

A special module in year 2 will make sure you’re ready for working and studying abroad. You can spend the year in countries such as:

• Germany
• France
• Austria
• Switzerland
• Belgium
• Canada
• Guadeloupe
• Martinique
• La Réunion

We have partner universities in the Erasmus exchange programme across France, Germany and Switzerland.

In your final year you can specialise in an area that suits your interests and combines well with what you’ve studied so far.

You can also prepare a final year dissertation with guidance from a supervisor.

Discover how the world works on our BA Philosophy Politics and Economics degree. Explore past and current socio-economic orders. You'll learn quantitative tools, historical data, and the technical knowledge to carefully analyse them. Through our philosophy modules, we'll teach you to critique the present order with logic and ethics. You'll graduate with the skills for a range of careers linked to politics, philosophy and arts.

On this broad, combined honours course, you’ll get a balanced education in all 3 Philosophy, Politics and Economics (PPE) subjects.

The degree helps you properly frame the questions that unite the subject of the PPE degree, and answer them in a rigorous but free-spirited way. These include questions on:

• Inequality
• Democracy
• Justice
• Globalisation
• Happiness
• Work
• Money

Compulsory modules provide a strong grounding in key areas of study. Optional modules will let you pursue your own interests in topics as varied as:

• Logic
• International security
• Chinese politics

As part of this course, you can:

• Study topics that are unique to either philosophy, economics, or politics
• Gain professional skills in economics that will be useful in your future careers
• Learn how to conduct and present research
• Take part in other Philosophy events held by the Lifelonglearning team, where you can discuss philosophy in a relaxed atmosphere