MA Anthropological Research Methods and Nepali (not running 2019/20) (2018 Entry)

Overview:

Who is this programme for?

Students who wish to conduct doctoral-level research in Nepal, or in preparation for professional employment in e.g. a government agency or international NGO. Please note that that this degree will NOT be running in 2019/20

This is the only Masters-level programme offered anywhere in the world that provides students who intend to proceed to conduct anthropological research (broadly defined) in Nepal with the necessary skills (disciplinary, linguistic, methodological).

What will this programme give the student an opportunity to achieve?

• The ability to read, write, speak and understand Nepali to a level suitable for field research in Nepal
• A grounding in the scholarly literature on Nepali history, society and culture

• Expertise in anthropological theory and practice that will provide a basis for research in a Nepali context

• Overview duration - 2 years

• Fees 2019/20 UK/EU fees -

Interested Students.

Structure:

Year 1

Students take a Nepali language course (either Nepali Language 1 or Nepali Language 2); Culture and Conflict in the Himalaya; Theoretical Approaches in Social Anthropology (or other anthropology options, chosen in consultation with programme convenor, for students with equivalent anthropology training); Media Production Skills; and anthropology options.

Summer break between years 1 and 2

Two weeks of intensive Nepali language tuition at SOAS after the June exams, followed by two months in Kathmandu, attached to the Nepā School of Social Sciences and Humanities and the Bishwo Bhasa Campus of Tribhuvan University. At the end of the summer students will be required to submit a 5000-word preliminary fieldwork report and research proposal, accompanied by a 500-word abstract written in Nepali.

Year 2

Students take the following courses: Nepali for researchers; Anthropological Research Methods (Ethnographic Research Methods in term 1 and Introduction to Quantitative Methods in Social Research in term 2). They also attend the compulsory weekly MPhil Research Training Seminar in anthropology and write a 15,000 word MA Dissertation. Language courses will be assessed though a mixture of written papers and oral examinations. Non-language courses will be assessed on the basis of coursework essays and written papers.

Year 1

Taught Component

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.