QUB will hold a referendum on anthropology course closure, after pressure from students

After a month of campaigning – made up of protest and general upset across QUB – the society of History and Anthropology and their allies have forced Queen’s to hold a referendum on the fate of Anthropology. This will allow students to decide whether or not the Single Honours Anthropology degree should be kept or scrapped in favour of a joint honours only degree.

The campaigners – headed by the SU and including support from other schools including Geography, English and Film – managed to acquire over 750 student signatures in just a few days. The vote will take place on QOL on the 12th of May and will be open to all QUB students.

The acceptance of the appeal for a referendum is a drastic change in QUB upper management’s previous plan, who had agreed to enact the so-called “Size and Shape” review, which would have led to the termination of the Anthropology single honours degree, after this years round of freshers have graduated.

The review became a talking point among many studying humanities subjects at Queen’s as students felt that their course may be in danger as a pattern of divesting from the arts and moving funds to the sciences was observed to be taking place.

An online petition on Change.org also amassed nearly 2,000 signatures.

Head of the society for History and Anthropology Sean McFarlane said: “The student body will now speak with one voice, and this university needs to hear that voice and consider the welfare of its students.”