MA Social Anthropology Programme with Intensive Language (2019 Entry)

Overview:

Our MA Social Anthropology programme is designed on a modular basis offering different pathways to suit three categories of students:

• Students with a degree in social anthropology wishing to pursue more specialist topics and/or more regional and language-based study
• Students with little or no previous knowledge of social anthropology wishing to acquire a broad knowledge of the discipline
• Students with little or no previous knowledge of social anthropology wishing to take the degree as a conversion course before proceeding to a research degree in anthropology

This two-year intensive language pathway is directed at students who wish to combine knowledge of the anthropology of development, with expertise in a regional language. It prepares students to apply their anthropological knowledge in a developing country context by achieving proficiency in a language.

Why study MA Social Anthropology at SOAS:

• Our Anthropology Department is ranked 6 in the UK and 16 in the world in the 2019 QS World University Rankings
• We draw on the exceptional regional expertise of our academics in Asian, African, and Middle Eastern languages and politics, many of whom have joined us with a practical working knowledge of their disciplines
• You will be joining our thriving community of alumni and academics who have an impact on the world outside of academia
• You will be able to flexibly structure your programme using our optional modules and/or the optional modules from other departments, including the opportunity to learn a regional language
• We are specialists in the delivery of languages. Your command of a language at SOAS will set you apart from graduates of other universities

This programme has a first-rate graduate employability record, with graduates moving on to find employment in lectureships and professorships throughout the world in areas such as information and technology, government service, the media and tourism.

Overview duration: Two years full-time or four years part-time. We recommend that part-time students have between two and a half and three days free in the week to pursue their course of study. The expectation in the UK is of continuous study across the year, with break periods used to read and to prepare coursework.

Fees 2019/20:

• UK/EU fees:

Interested Students.

Structure:

Students must take 315 credits in total, comprised of 255 taught credits (45 of which are taught abroad as part of a Summer School) and a 60-credit dissertation as outlined below.

In their first year, students on this two-year Intensive Language programme take 60 credits of intensive language instruction and 60 credits in the discipline. During the summer, they participate in a Summer School abroad. In the second year, they take another 30 language credits as well as 30 credits in the discipline; they also complete their dissertation in the discipline.

Students are also required to audit 15PANH002 Ethnographic Research Methods , i.e. to attend lectures for this module (without attending seminars or submitting any assessments). The module does not count towards the total of 315 credits.

There are two different pathways for the Social Anthropology component of this programme: one for students without a background in Anthropology, and one for students with previous knowledge of the subject.

Our mission is to inspire the next generation to develop ideas for a fairer and more sustainable world. We welcome the brightest minds from over 130 different countries, creating a community that is diverse, vibrant and multinational. From day one at our central London campus, our students are encouraged to challenge conventional views and think globally – and that’s one of the reasons why they develop careers that make a real difference. A SOAS student is typically passionate about their subject, opts to learn a second language, loves to learn, to travel, to be surprised; and is interested and engaged with the world around them.