The Anthropology of Kinship and Relatedness (L6069)

15 credits, Level 4

Spring teaching

On this module, you’ll explore how societies conceptualise, organise and experience human relationships across different cultures. You’ll investigate what makes us related and examine how kinship has been a central topic in the history of social anthropology.

The module tracks changes in anthropological thought about kinship over time, demonstrating broader shifts in the discipline. You’ll analyse how human relationships are shaped by structures of power, technologies and economic exchange. Additionally, you’ll examine the experiential ways humans are connected 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 2025/26. 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.