StudyQA — Master: Social Anthropology — University of St. Andrews

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Description Contents Requirements Funding

The MRes in Social Anthropology is a full-time taught postgraduate programme run by the Department of Social Anthropology within the School of Philosophical, Anthropological and Film Studies.

The programme provides a general introduction to social anthropology at the postgraduate level, which includes enhancing existing anthropological knowledge and developing knowledge in those coming to anthropology for the first time. The MRes includes various social science components, research and methodology training, and core social anthropology teaching.

Highlights

The programme combines opportunities for theoretical development and specialist interests with training in research methodologies.
Small class sizes ranging from two to ten students encourages student-led seminars and discussion as well as more contact with supervisors.
The course introduces cross-disciplinary connections and differences.

Over two semesters, students take two compulsory and two optional modules. Teaching methods include formal lectures combined with seminar style teaching and student-led group work. Lecture class sizes range from five to ten students and tutorial sizes range from two to six students. Modules are assessed through coursework which includes essays, independent research-led assignments and group assessed oral presentations.

Over the course of the year, with particular focus during the summer months, you will devise a research project culminating in a 15,000-word dissertation. Every taught postgraduate student is assigned an individual supervisor from among the Anthropology staff who works with them closely to develop a topic and direction for the end of degree dissertation.

The Department of Social Anthropology provides postgraduates access to a museum collection of ethnographic objects and a common room that includes a general anthropological class library, providing a space that is shared by both staff and postgraduates. The departmental libraries, along with the main library which holds a fine anthropology collection, include materials from all ethnographic regions of the world.

Compulsory modules

The Anthropology of Connections: Interdisciplinarity as Methodology: examines the relevance of other disciplines for social anthropology by working with methodologies and concepts drawn from history, social science, philosophy, language and the arts.
Research Methods in Social Anthropology: examines the methodology of anthropological research through close attention to the relationship between method and fieldwork experience.

Optional modules

Students choose two optional modules, taking one in each semester.

Being a Social Scientist: Skills, Processes and Outcomes: focuses on how to design and produce a research dissertation and addresses issues of professional development (e.g. ethics, careers, grant writing).
Philosophy and Methodology of the Social Sciences: introduces students to the basic theoretical approaches in the social sciences, covering the methodological and epistemological issues involved in conducting social scientific research.
Qualitative Methods in Social Research: offers both a theoretical and practical introduction to the collection, analysis and writing of qualitative social science research.
Quantitative Research in Social Science: an introduction to the fundamental concepts of quantitative analysis.
Anthropology, Art and Perception 1 or Anthropology, Art and Perception 2
Anthropology of the Pacific 1 or Anthropology of the Pacific 2
Amerindian History and Ethnography or Special Subject (Amerindian Studies)

Dissertation

Student dissertations will be supervised by members of the teaching staff who will advise on the choice of subject and provide guidance throughout the research process. The completed dissertation of not more than 15,000 words must be submitted by a date specified in August.

If students choose not to complete the dissertation requirement for the MRes, there are exit awards available that allow suitably qualified candidates to receive a Postgraduate Certificate or Postgraduate Diploma. By choosing an exit award, you will finish your degree at the end of the second semester of study and receive a PGCert or PGDip instead of an MRes.

Requirements

Postgraduate candidates will be expected to hold a Russian Bachelor’s degree - Diplom Bakalavra/ Bakalavr Diploma or a Specialist Degree issued by the Russian Federation - Specialist Diploma / Diplom Specialista. In either case, students should have completed their degree with an average mark (grade) of 4 or higher on the Russian 5-point marking scale. Students with higher level qualifications such as Magistr, the Kandidat Nauk, would also be considered for postgraduate study.
CV
Sample of academic work (2,000 words)
Letter of intent (300 to 500 words)
Two original signed academic references
Academic transcripts and degree certificates
IELTS 7.0