Human, Social and Political Sciences What would I study and how do courses differ? Human, Social, and Political Sciences is a degree taught at Cambridge which includes politics and international relations, social anthropology and sociology. You can specialise in one or two of these, but the flexibility of the course also enables exploration of a variety of subjects in the first year. The course comprises three core disciplines: •
Politics and International Relations explores politics within and between countries, covering issues from human rights and democracy, to financial crises and international conflict.
•
Social anthropologists address ‘what it is to be human’ by studying social and cultural diversity – how people live, think and relate to each other around the world.
•
Sociology focuses on the nature of modern societies and the processes that shape social life, by examining social institutions and topics such as power and inequality.
The course can be tailored from the start. It is suited both to those with specific subject interests and to those looking for a multidisciplinary degree. Depending on what choices are made, there may be options to take individual papers in the other HSPS subjects or from other courses as well. In the first year, a student takes four subjects. At least three must be from the core subject areas: Politics, International Relations, Sociology, Social anthropology. A fourth paper can either be another from the core subjects or chosen from the following additional subjects: Archaeology, Biological Anthropology, Psychology. In your second and third years, you can choose one of the following three singlesubject tracks: Politics and International Relations, Sociology, Social Anthropology Alternatively, you can take one of four two-subject tracks: Politics and Sociology, Social Anthropology and Politics, Sociology and Criminology, Sociology and Social Anthropology Whilst the exact course (L000) is not on offer at other universities. It is possible to combine a Cambridge HSPS application, with applying to other universities (not Oxford) for Social Sciences or Sociology or Politics and International Relations.
36
