Department of Anthropology and Sociology

MA Migration and Diaspora Studies and Intensive Language (2022 entry)

Select year of entry: 2022 2021

Overview

Overview and entry requirements

Our MA in Migration and Diaspora Studies is a broad-based degree for students who want to receive research training in migration and diaspora, as well as humanitarian and refugee studies. This two-year intensive language pathway is directed at students who wish to combine knowledge of migration and diaspora with expertise in a regional language. It prepares students to apply their knowledge in a specific region by achieving proficiency in a language.

Like the MA Migration and Diaspora Studies, this programme is engaged and practice oriented and offers the possibility of creative assignments along with conventional assessment forms. It is enthused by the belief that knowledge and practice produced by diaspora and migrants' grassroots organisations, activists, practitioners and artists should be intertwined with academic knowledge, and validated as part of a real decolonising effort.

Students enrolled in the MA programme have the unique chance to carry out internships while studying through the module 'From Theory to Practice and Back: Work-placements in Migration Research'. The internships aim to bridge theory and practice in the fields of migration, diaspora and humanitarian practice.

The course is available exclusively to students enrolled in the MA Migration and Diaspora Studies. The course is organised in the form of internships and independent study projects, along with some class seminars in collaboration with the organisations, with whom we partner. Students have the opportunity to work with a broad range of organisations operating in areas as varied as migrants' support and refugees’ legal protection, activist and political campaigns and networks, as well as galleries and art collectives promoting diaspora and BAME cultures, identities, and arts. You may also be interested in this degree if you come from other disciplines, such as Law or Politics, and now wish to incorporate an anthropological perspective on issues of migration and diaspora.

Combine Migration and Diaspora with Intensive Language

Intensive Language pathways: Arabic, Japanese, Korean, Persian, South East Asian Languages (Burmese, Indonesian, Thai, Vietnamese), Swahili, Turkish.

Why study MA Migration and Diaspora Studies and Intensive Language at SOAS

SOAS ranked 5th in the UK in the 2021 QS World University Rankings for Anthropology, and 16th worldwide
The MA Migration and Diaspora Studies programme has a first-rate graduate employability record
increase your knowledge of the transnational nature of the modern world
engage with critical theories to understand the management of mobility and the impact of humanitarian relief
understand the role of migration in the major political and cultural processes of the contemporary world
unique opportunity of internerships to bridge theory and practice

The MA Migration and Diaspora Studies and Intensive Language degree offers students a chance to pursue their specific areas of interest by selecting from optional modules:

a broad-based perspective enhancing your knowledge in light of continuing contemporary research
a specific area, allowing you to study diaspora and migration issues in depth in relation to a particular discipline or region.

The MA in Migration and Diaspora Studies is considerably enriched by the SOAS Centre for Migration and Diaspora Studies, which runs seminars, films and public lectures and also hosts a number of international scholars. The Centre is also a part of a migration research network of London colleges including LSE and UCL. Students on the programme therefore have unparalleled access to a critical body of scholars and scholarship on migration and diaspora related issues.

Prospective students are encouraged to contact the Programme Convenor, Dr Ruba Salih (ruba.salih@soas.ac.uk) at an early stage of their application to seek advice on the most appropriate options for study.

See Department of Anthropology and Sociology

Start of programme: September

Mode of Attendance: Full-time or Part-time

Entry requirements

We will consider all applications with 2:ii (or international equivalent) or higher. In addition to degree classification we take into account other elements of the application including supporting statement and references.

Featured events

duration:: 2 years full time, 4 years part time

Fees 2021/22

UK fees:

£11,520

Overseas fees:: £22,500

Fees for 2021/22 entrants. This is a Band 3 fee. The fees are per academic year. Please note that fees go up each year. Further details can be found in the Fees and Funding tab on this page or in the Registry's Postgraduate Tuition Fees page

Convenors

Professor Ruba Salih Convenor

Combinations

May be combined with:

MA Migration and Diaspora Studies can be combined with the following Intensive Language pathways:

Arabic
Japanese
Korean
Persian
South East Asian Languages: Burmese, Indonesian, Thai, Vietnamese
Swahili
Turkish

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.

Year 1: students on the two-year Intensive Language programmes take 60 credits of intensive language instruction and 60 credits in the discipline. During the summer, they participate in a Summer School abroad.
Year 2: students take another 30 language credits as well as 60 credits in the discipline; they also complete their dissertation in the discipline.

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

The structure of the programme can be adjusted for those who wish to take the programme part-time over a period of four years and/or for those who have a previous background in Anthropology. For more information email: anthsoc@soas.ac.uK

The Department of East Asian Languages and Cultures and the School of Languages, Cultures and Linguistics offer information on the Intensive Language part of the programme.

Programme

Year 1 (two years full time)

Discipline Component

Compulsory Modules

Module	Code	Credits	Term
African and Asian Diasporas in the Contemporary World: Cultures of Resistance and the Dissolution of Boundaries	15PANH085	15	Term 2
African and Asian Diasporas in the Contemporary World: Migration, Space, Identities	15PANH086	15	Term 1
Ethnographic Research Methods	15PANH002	15	Term 1

* NOTE: Students are required to audit the lectures for Ethnographic Research Methods, but it will not count towards the required 180 credits. Students who wish to take this module for credit may do so as part of their guided options.

AND

Guided Module(s) from any of the lists below, OR modules from the Postgraduate Open Options List, to the value of 30 credits.

AND

Language Component

Students take 60 credits in the selected language.

Summer Abroad

Students participate in a Summer School abroad for the selected language.

Year 2 (two years full time)

Discipline Component

Guided Module(s) from any of the lists below, OR modules from the Postgraduate Open Options List, to the value of 60 credits.

Language Component

Students take 30 credits in the selected language.

Dissertation

All students are required to take the compulsory dissertation module worth 60 credits.

Module	Code	Credits	Term
Dissertation in Anthropology and Sociology	15PANC999	60	Full Year

List of Modules (subject to availability)

Anthropology and Sociology

Module	Code	Credits	Term
Anthropology of Sustainability: Global Challenges and Alternative Futures	15PANH083	15	Term 1
Anthropology of Development and Sustainability: Knowledge, Power and Inequality	15PANH084	15	Term 1
Anthropology of Food: Diet, Society and Environment	15PANH090	15	Term 2
Anthropology of Food: Politics, Place and Mobility	15PANH087	15	Term 1
Body politics: the anthropology of "race", gender and desire	15PANH082	15	Term 2
Culture and Society of East Africa	15PANH063	15	Term 2
Culture and Society of Near and Middle East	15PANH067	15	Term 1
Ethnographic Research Methods	15PANH002	15	Term 1
From Theory to Practice and Back. Work Placements in Migration Research	15PGNH010	15	Term 2
Issues in Anthropology and Climate Change	15PANH070	15	Term 2
Issues in Mind, Culture and Psychiatry	15PANH032	15	Term 1
Medical Anthropology: Bodies and Cultures	15PANH088	15	Term 2
Medical Anthropology: Global Perspectives	15PANH089	15	Term 1
Culture and Society of China	15PANH062	15	Term 2
Culture and Society of Japan	15PANH065	15	Term 1
How to Change Things	15PANH093	15	Term 2
Theoretical Approaches to Social Anthropology	15PANC008	30	Full Year

Law*

* These courses are open only to students with previous Law background or work-related knowledge. Pre-approval from module convenor required.

Module	Code	Credits	Term
International Refugee Law	15PLAH069	15	Term 1
International Migration Law	15PLAH068	15	Term 2

Modules in Other Department

Module	Code	Credits	Term
Borders and Development	15PDSH023	15	Term 1
Civil society, social movements and the development process	15PDSH001	15	Term 1
Queering Migrations and Diasporas	15PGNH002	15	Term 2
Indian Cinema: Its History and Social Context	15PSAH001	15	Term 1
Indian Cinema: Key Issues	15PSAH002	15	Term 2
International migration and diaspora politics	15PPOH012	15	Term 2
Issues in Forced Migration	15PDSH015	15	Term 2
Migration and Development	15PDSC006	30	Full Year
Migration and Policy	15PDSH029	15	Term 1
Postcolonial Theory and Practice	15PCSC003	30	Full Year
Race and Caste	15PPOH070	15	Term 2
Transnational Communities and Diasporic Media:Networking, Connectivity, Identity	15PMSH004	15	Term 2
Labour, Activism and Global Development	15PDSH032	15	Term 2
Law and Postcolonial Theory	15PLAH050	15	Term 2
Political Theory, Race and Empire	15PPOH045	15	Term 1
Labour, Activism and Global Development	15PDSH032	15	Term 2

Programme Specification

MA Migration and Diaspora Studies and Intensive Language Programme Specification (pdf; 536kb)

Important notice

The information on the programme page reflects the intended programme structure against the given academic session. If you are a current student you can find structure information on the previous year link at the top of the page or through your Department. Please read the important notice regarding changes to programmes and modules.

Teaching and Learning

Teaching & Learning

SOAS has a large range of options on migration and diaspora related issues across the school. Teaching methods and assessment vary across these options, and their availability will depend on appropriate staff being available in the relevant academic year.

In addition, students are required to attend the weekly seminars held by the Centre for Migration and Diaspora Studies, where they will hear international scholars give papers on a variety of migration and diaspora related topics. The seminars provide an invaluable backdrop for the transdisciplinary approach of the programme overall. Students are also encouraged to apply to the London in Motion workshop:

The student learning experience is also be enhanced by the public lectures, films and workshops the Centre organises.

Contact hours

During the academic year, modules are delivered through a combination of lectures, tutorials and/or seminars. Students can expect an average of two hours of classroom time per week for each module. Outside of the classroom, students explore topics of the module through independent study and through personal exchanges with teachers and fellow students. In some cases, modules are taught by several teachers within the department to provide students with an array of perpsectives on the subject. All modules involve the active participation of students in the discussion of ideas, viewpoints and readings.

Dissertation

The MA Migration and Diaspora culminates in a 10,000-word dissertation, based on original research on a topic of the student's own choosing and developed in discussion with a supervisor.

Year abroad

All students participate in a Summer School abroad for the selected language.

Aims and outcomes

introduce students to important areas of contemporary social theory which deal with issues of migration, globalisation, the postcolonial world, and cultural transformations
ground students in the historical basis of these issues
encourage transdisciplinary thinking on issues of migration
enable students to translate theoretical perspectives for practical application in the material world
provide students with a near proficient ability in a language

SOAS Library

SOAS Library is one of the world's most important academic libraries for the study of Africa, Asia and the Middle East, attracting scholars from all over the world. The Library houses over 1.2 million volumes, together with significant archival holdings, special collections and a growing network of electronic resources.

Fees and funding

Tuition fees

Fees for 2021/22 entrants, per academic year (Band 3 tuition fee)

Full-time
UK Students	Overseas Students
£11,520	£22,500

Please note that fees go up each year. Two-year full-time programmes have 2 years of full-time fees; the fee in the second year will be higher than the fee for the first year (the full time fee above is for the first year only).

For full details of undergraduate tuition fees, see our Registry's undergraduate tuition fees page.

Scholarships

Felix Non- Indian Scholarship

Application Deadline: 2021-01-29 00:00