Sustainability, Energy and Development L6K907

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Course details

The MSc in Sustainability, Energy and Development focuses on the global challenges of climate change and inequality, providing you with a wide understanding of the processes and practices that contribute to these acute issues and an insight into the depth of change that is required in order to tackle them and how that is achieved.

The course emphasises the need to understand the role that can be played by local and indigenous knowledge and community-focused action as well as the contribution made through the words and actions of local and national states, corporations, agencies and international organisations in their efforts to address these challenges.

You will be taught by an active, interdisciplinary team who are all involved in world-class research on energy, sustainability and development issues. Collaborations between the Department and the wider sector mean there are opportunities to get involved in a range of exciting programmes that aim to create a world of environmental and social sustainability. These include projects for empowering climate resilience in the Global South; inclusion and equality within European countries; the role of local authorities as agents of change with research in north east England; and projects to address the social and political aspects of new technology developments locally and globally.

The course is designed to develop critical, analytical, interpretative, integrative and presentation skills and is based on core modules that look at the challenges of making the transition to sustainability in a way that benefits disadvantaged areas of society and on culturally informed perspectives on newer themes such as resilience and energy justice.

Optional modules allow you to pursue your own interests while the dissertation enables you to carry out independent research under the supervision of a tutor with expertise in your chosen area.

Course structure

Year 1 modules

Core modules:

Anthropology and Development

builds the subject-specific knowledge which is central to development anthropology. This is a seminar-based module requiring you to read and evaluate the latest research material and then present your findings and conclusions.

Society, Energy, Environment and Resilience

introduces anthropological and other social science perspectives concerning the comparative and critical study of the relationships between humans, energy needs and uses and the environment.

Context and Challenges in Energy and Society

enables you to consider energy and society throughout history and to explore the implications of energy in the modern day from a variety of perspectives, including socially, politically and economically as well as the use of energy in global geo-politics.

The Field Study

provides you with an opportunity to examine the practicalities of making changes to the UK’s complex energy structure and enables you to research and analyse energy challenges, identify the key UK energy participants and to consider the realities of energy needs.

The Dissertation

is an opportunity to carry out independent research in a specialist area in which you are interested, and which has been agreed with a supervisor and your degree tutor. You will be expected to write a literature review, collect data by the means of fieldwork, laboratory work or from published sources, conduct data analysis and facilitate a discussion on your findings.

Optional modules:

In recent years optional modules have included:

Anthropology of Global Health
Society, Health and Wellbeing
Interrogating Ethnography
Thinking Anthropologically
Renewable Energy Law
Renewable Energy Technologies 4
Future Vehicles 4
Electrical Energy Conversion 4
Risk, Science and Communication
Innovation and Technology Management
Anthropology, Art, and Experience
Mediterranean Connections
Social Anthropology of Hormones
Anthropology of Sport
Anthropological Skills for Climate Change Survival
Capitalism in Ruins
Anthropology of Data and Quantification
Power and Governance
Violence and Memory
Food Security, Nutrition and Sustainable Livelihoods
Specialised Aspects in Social Anthropology
A language module offered by the Centre for Foreign Language Studies

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Fees and funding

Full Time Fees

Tuition fees
Home students	£13,500 per year
EU students	£28,500 per year
Island students	£13,500 per year
International students	£28,500 per year

Part Time Fees

Tuition fees
Home students	£7,500 per year
EU students	£15,700 per year
Island students	£7,500 per year
International students	£15,700 per year

The tuition fees shown are for one complete academic year of study and are set according to the academic year of entry. Fees will be subject to an annual inflationary increase and are expected to rise throughout the programme of study. The fee listed above is for the first year of the course only.

More information is available here: Tuition fees - how much are they - Durham University

Please also check costs for colleges and accommodation.

Scholarships and Bursaries

We are committed to supporting the best students irrespective of financial circumstances and are delighted to offer a range of funding opportunities.

Find out more about Scholarships and Bursaries

Department information

Anthropology

Our Department carries out game-changing research in the fields of social and evolutionary anthropology and the anthropology of health. We offer the opportunity to develop a real and robust understanding of humanity’s complex nature and the challenges faced by society through in-depth study supported by expert staff.

The Department of Anthropology is one of the largest among UK universities and one of only a handful covering Social Anthropology, Evolutionary Anthropology and Anthropology of Health.

This broad subject range is reflected in the flexibility of the Masters learning structure that makes it possible to choose advanced specialist courses to suit career or research aspirations. A research-led approach to teaching means that course content is as relevant and contemporary as it is informed by the latest developments in the subject area.

Learning is delivered by subject specialists who are world experts in their particular field, be it energy use, sustainable development, the evolution of cognition, aesthetics, global health and sleep.

At Durham, the essential skills and knowledge in anthropology that we nurture are also developed through practical learning. We offer you the opportunity to join an active research group and, supported by expert staff, undertake world-class research that will ultimately prepare you for your future career.

We are proud to say that we produce some of the most innovative research taking place in contemporary anthropology. We are equally proud of the inclusive and supportive community that you will join in the Department, offering a stimulating and rewarding environment in which to work.

For more information see our department pages.

Facilities

In keeping with our vision to offer research-led teaching, the Department provides a wide range of state-of-the-art facilities to support postgraduate research projects and programmes.

These include the Behavioural and Ecological Physiology Laboratory, the Physical Activity Laboratory and the South Africa Field Station as well as the award-winning Durham Infancy and Sleep Centre Laboratory.

We are the location for one of the country’s best collections for paleoanthropological and morphometric research in biological anthropology and have a material culture collection of over 2,000 objects from around the world.

The Department of Anthropology is housed in the Dawson Building, which is conveniently located next to the main library, and close to lots of other departments and university services.