This course is designed for students with an undergraduate degree in a subject other than anthropology who would like to prepare for research in socio-cultural anthropology or for a career requiring expertise in anthropology.
High profile social anthropologist researchers at Durham, with experience of conducting fieldwork all around the world, introduce you to both classical and contemporary writing and research in the discipline. There is equal emphasis on theoretical and methodological questions, and plenty of opportunities to apply this new knowledge to issues of pressing social concern.
The full-time course consists of two terms of teaching, during which you are introduced to the range of research questions and methods used in social or cultural anthropology, and a dissertation, involving the design, development, and implementation of an independent research project. You will work closely with academic staff from our highly respected Social Anthropology Research Group receiving enhanced levels of support as part of the ‘conversion’ to anthropology, including fortnightly small group meetings with the course tutor, and have the opportunity to become involved in active research projects.
The course is delivered through a mixture of interactive lectures, seminars, and workshops, in addition to one-to-one dissertation supervision. Typically, lectures deliver key information on progressively more advanced themes and topics. Seminars provide an opportunity to reflect in more depth upon material delivered in lectures and gathered from independent study outside the course's formal contact hours. They give you an opportunity to engage with academic issues at the cutting-edge of research in Anthropology, in a learning environment focused on discussion and debate of current issues.
Full-time students have on average 6-8 hours of formal teaching and learning contact per week, you are also expected to attend weekly departmental and Social Anthropology Research Group research seminars, often given by prominent visiting speakers. Outside timetabled contact hours, you are also expected to devote significant amounts of time to reading, discussing and preparing for classes, assignments and project work.
Throughout the course, you will meet fortnightly with your degree tutor, who provides academic support and guidance. Furthermore, all members of the teaching staff have weekly office hours when they are available to meet you on a ‘drop-in’ basis. You will work closely with leading academics to develop an original piece of research for your dissertation, guidance on your dissertation is also provided by the dissertation leader. Before the academic year starts, we provide information on preparing for the course. On arrival, we have induction sessions, including a field trip, and social events, headed by the Director of Postgraduate Studies and the degree tutor for the MA in Sociocultural Anthropology. You will also attend an “Introduction to Research Groups in Anthropology”, including the Social Anthropology Research Group.
Entry requirements
A minimum 2:1 Honours degree from a UK institution (or the overseas equivalent) in a relevant subject.
References play an important part in the admissions process.
The tuition fees shown are for one complete academic year of study, are set according to the academic year of entry, and remain the same throughout the duration of the programme for that cohort (unless otherwise stated).
Students with a postgraduate qualification in Anthropology pursue a diverse array of careers in areas such as conservation, tourism, public health, health research and management, captive primate care and zoological research management, local government research and management, education (secondary, further and higher), social care, social research, in addition to academia.
For further information on career options and employability, student and employer testimonials and details of work experience and study abroad opportunities, please visit our employability pages.
Department information
Anthropology
Anthropology at Durham is now one of the largest integrated anthropology departments in the UK, carrying out cutting-edge research across social and evolutionary anthropology, and the anthropology of health.
45% of our research was rated as world-leading (REF 2021)
Facilities
The Department of Anthropology hosts a range of state-of-the-art research facilities that are used and run by academic members of staff and their postgraduate students. Given our commitment to research-led teaching, undergraduates and taught postgraduates frequently conduct research projects using these facilities.
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