You must be able to read and understand specialist literature in English in order to pursue your studies. However, you will not be required to provide separate proof of your language proficiency.

You should have a profound interest in culturally different lifeworlds and be willing to acknowledge and challenge your own culturally shaped assumptions and self-evident truths. You will scrutinize social problems in a global context critically in order to understand them and develop solutions.

Interest in learning a non-European language is not only desirable, but recommended.

You will study this subject as part of a two-subject bachelor’s degree program. The degree program always consists of an academic major and minor, which can be combined according to your interests or professional goals.

If you choose the subject as a minor, you will generally complete only a portion of the modules and classes taught to students of the major subject. As a result, you will focus on a selection from the content listed below.

Course sequence

• Introduction to the field of social and cultural anthropology (globalization, migration, ecology, politics, media, and art) and its central issues
• History and theories of social and cultural anthropology
• Anthropological and field research methods (with field research exercise)
• Linking systematic issues with regional contexts
• Analysis of transcultural processes and their dynamics
• Reflection on the positionality of knowledge and knowledge production
• Foreign language skills as a key competence

Students can choose to specialize in ethnomusicology, migration studies, economic anthropology, political anthropology, kinship anthropology or religious anthropology.

Most of our faculty members focus on the African region and its diaspora. However, courses on other regional contexts are available. With the exception of regional seminars, courses always cover topics beyond Africa and its diaspora.

Stays abroad

Would you like to live abroad for a semester or a year? Do you want to learn another language and get to know a new culture? Or gain a different perspective on your particular subject? A stay abroad provides you with the perfect opportunity to achieve this and is possible with every degree program – either self-organized or by taking advantage of one of the popular exchange programs. This is made possible by various cooperation agreements and partnerships with foreign universities.

For more information on this topic, please visit our websites on studying abroad. Visit our student exchange platform for an overview of cooperating universities in your field.

This program of study does not require you to spend time abroad, but you nevertheless have the opportunity to do so.

The third and possibly the fourth semester are ideal for studying abroad. However, you are afforded some flexibility in planning this.

Internships

As part of your anthropology studies, you will complete a professional internship or attend a project-based course (e.g., exhibition project, media project) totaling 180 hours.

Voluntary internships are another good opportunity to obtain more in-depth insight into a professional field.

An internship allows you to discover whether everyday life in a particular occupation suits your career expectations and interests. You can gain qualifications for a professional field and acquire important professional and personal skills to start a career. An internship helps you both shape your career path, and mold the remainder of your course sequence – in particular by selecting specializations that suit your practical experience.

You can find further information and relevant internships on the Career Service website.

As an anthropologist you will

• have acquired (inter)cultural competence and have learned how to act professionally and competently in foreign social and cultural contexts
• be able to understand and interpret different ways of living and thinking
• be able to engage with foreign social practices and ways of thinking without judging or condemning them
• possess the abilities to effectively represent content in presentations, texts, films, audio clips, and exhibitions
• analyze situations of social inequality
• be aware of how to use anti-racist and anti-colonial language
• apply qualitative, social research methods like interviews, participatory observation, case studies, etc.
• be informed with regard to anti-racist and anti-colonial perspectives, language and conduct.

Typical professional fields include:

• Academic career in research and education
• Associations and educational institutions such as museums, collections, and libraries
• Development cooperation
• Intercultural mediation and conflict management
• Cultural management
• Media: press agencies, television, new media, and publishing houses
• Non-governmental organizations (NGOs) as well as national and international organizations
• Organizational development and advising (e.g., in municipal institutions)
• Tourism
• Management

Not sure what to do after graduation? Don’t worry!

A university degree generally does not prepare you for a single profession but qualifies you for a wide range of career paths – for example, in research, in a typical profession related to your field of study, or in one of many other academic fields.

This is why career orientation is also part of your studies. Gaining practical experience is key, and you can do so through internships, working student positions, part-time jobs or voluntary work, for example.

JGU’s Career Service will support you throughout the entire process with information, advice, workshops and numerous events – from career orientation and working on your profile and skills to finding your dream job and successfully applying for it.