MA Social Anthropology of Development at SOAS

MA Social Anthropology of Development

Duration: One calendar year (full-time) Two or three years (part-time, daytime only) 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.

Overview

Featured events

10 Jun Postgraduate Open Evening

Dr Emma Crewe

Convenor

John R Campbell

Convenor

Minimum Entry Requirements: Minimum upper second class honours degree (or equivalent)

Start of programme: September intake only

Mode of Attendance: Full Time or Part Time

This MA provides an understanding of the ways in which anthropological approaches and debates inform the study of meanings and concepts in development, its priorities, policies and practice. It attracts students with diverse backgrounds and study/work experiences which makes for a lively and challenging atmosphere.

The degree is designed to acquaint students with anthropology, development issues, research methods and either an ethnographic region (and/or language) and/or thematic interest in health/gender/food/ media. Advice will be given to match the choice of optional components to the requirements, interests, and qualifications of individual students whose background may be in general social science, regional, language or other studies. While the focus of the degree is on development issues and practice, its disciplinary orientation remains anthropological.

Students explore the contribution of anthropology to contemporary development debates, for example, on poverty, scientific and ‘indigenous’ knowledge, human rights, violence and complex emergencies, and the ‘market’ as a core metaphor of globalised development. Anthropological studies provide the basis for understanding issues of state and governance in development, as well as the meaning of community development, popular ‘participation’ and ‘empowerment’.

We also look at technology and development, environmental policy and natural resources management. The significance of local institutions, ‘social capital’ and NGOs are examined. Throughout the programme, the role of, and opportunities for, anthropologists as professionals in development are discussed.

Note: Students wishing to apply for ESRC funding to undertake a subsequent research degree must take the MA Anthropological Research Methods instead.

The programme consists of four elements: three assessed course units and a dissertation of 10,000 words.

The degree’s core course – ‘Anthropology of Development’ – provides an up-to-date and in-depth understanding of anthropological perspectives on policy and practice in contemporary international development, and gives a theoretical overview of the relationship between development and anthropology. The course examines the politics of aid, shifting aid frameworks, and concrete intervention programmes, bridging the disparate worlds of planners and beneficiaries. This involves close reading of anthropological studies throwing light on the nature of policy-making, bureaucracy and programmes in a variety of sectors – health, agriculture, water and others – paying attention to the specific cultural contexts of intervention.

Structure

The programme consists of four units in total: three units of examined taught courses and a one unit dissertation of 10,000 words.

Core Courses:

Anthropology of Development - 15PANC090 (1.0 unit).
Theoretical Approaches to Social Anthropology - 15PANC008 (1.0 unit). This is compulsory only for students without a previous anthropology degree.
Dissertation in Anthropology and Sociology - 15PANC999 (1.0 unit). This is a 10,000 word dissertation on a topic agreed with the Programme Convenor of the MA Social Anthropology of Development and the candidate’s supervisor.
Research Methods and Report Writing - this course is audited by all MA Anthropology students in term 1.

Option Courses:

The remaining unit(s) of your programme can be selected from the Option Courses list below.
A total of either 1 unit of option courses (if taking Theoretical Approaches to Social Anthropology) or 2 units (if exempted from Theoretical Approaches to Social Anthropology), may be selected.
Your 1 or 2 total units may be made up of any combination of 0.5 or 1 unit option courses.
However, courses without a "15PANxxxx" course code are taught outside of the Anthropology Department. No more than 1 unit in total of these courses may be selected.
Alternatively, one language course may be taken from the Faculty of Languages and Cultures.