Teesside academic helps set the standard for Anthropology

A new higher education benchmark quality statement for the subject of Anthropology has been developed by a panel of experts chaired by a senior Teesside University academic.

Professor Tim Thompson, Dean in the School of Health & Life Sciences and Professor of Applied Biological Anthropology, led the project to develop the latest Quality Assurance Agency for Higher Education (QAA) Subject Benchmark Statement for Anthropology.

Subject Benchmark Statements are used as standard reference points by higher education providers for the design, development, and delivery of courses for specific disciplines in the UK.

They are formulated by panels of academic experts in their subject areas, with inputs from key stakeholders, including industry organisations and professional bodies.

The new Subject Benchmark Statement for Anthropology addresses the development of the discipline's perspectives and approaches in relation to fast-moving contemporary contexts alongside its robust adherence to its core principles.

Professor Thompson said: ‘I was really excited by the opportunity to engage with our discipline on a national level.

‘Anthropology tries to explore the experience of being human, and we're now in such a dynamic and challenging time – with new technologies, conflicts, and global crises – that's what makes this such an interesting point at which to look at our discipline again.

‘I'm really interested in how we teach Anthropology because that's central to the discipline.

‘So, we needed to discuss how we teach the subject and what we think a graduate should look like. It's about getting it right for our students – about ensuring that they can expect a certain value, quality, and standard in their studies.

‘A Subject Benchmark statement is like drawing a line in the sand to show that this is what can be expected of the discipline by our colleagues and our peers.’

---