For a long time, I was really stuck on what I wanted to do after my A-Levels – I knew I wanted to go to uni, but I had no idea what I wanted to study. I studied psychology at A-Level and enjoyed it except for the science, so I wanted to find something that was more of the social side which led me to Anthropology and Sociology!
Joint Honours
My course is a joint honours, meaning I study an equal amount of anthropology and sociology. It also means I get a lot more choice in the topics I want to study since I can take modules in either of the subjects! There weren’t many unis that offered my combination, so I chose Durham because the course description appealed to me most (and for the field trip abroad in the third year!)
I’m always getting asked “So what is your course actually about?” – at Durham, it involves looking at human behaviour in both a smaller, individual-cultural context as well as in a societal context. I study human behaviours, thinking, group patterns, and attitudes, often through theories and real-world case studies of cultures.
Doing this course meant I also got one extra ‘free’ module, where I could choose to study something from almost any area. I chose a course in Arabic – I come from an Arab background, and I saw Durham offered this course, which contributed to my decision to study here.
A day in my life
Today was Tuesday, one of my busier days in terms of contact hours (hours that I’m being taught in person rather than independent study). I usually have around 10 contact hours a week, and this consists of both lectures and seminars!
I started with a 2-hour seminar on Arabic. All my Arabic hours are seminars, which are basically like your usual classroom environments – smaller sizes (roughly 10 -15 people) and open discussion.
Lectures
I then had an Anthropology lecture (massive classes where the lecturer presents to you), but I also have quite a few seminars for all my modules that encourage discussion. This lecture was the module ‘Being Human’, which looks at different approaches to describing what it means to exist as a human in our world. This term has focussed on the social side, with today’s lecture being about how we think and the way it’s expressed in different cultures.
Next, I had another Anthropology lecture on the module ‘People and Cultures’, which is about studies of social groups and their attitudes, norms, and behaviours. Today’s lecture was on climate change and the environment and how different groups view and value (or disvalue!) it.
Time for lunch
I was then done for the day, so my friend and I went to get pancakes for lunch! After that, I went to the library to start planning out my formative essay (basically a marked assessment, but one that won’t go towards my final grade for the year). I like to do independent study outside of my room to help balance my work and social life.
Research module
Finally, for my Anthropological Research module, I had to carry out a group observation of any location. My group chose Durham Cathedral, so we went to a choral evensong that included all the college choirs and took some observation notes! Every fortnight, I have a practical for this module, which is essentially a workshop to develop hands-on skills.
My evenings
Aside from my studies, I’ve also joined a lot of social things! My flatmates at John Snow usually do something in the evenings, like movie nights (our last one was Wicked) or group dinners for birthdays and other celebrations. I’ve also joined societies, like my college theatre production company, book club, and Arab society!
Women where I was in charge of lighting!
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