External summary

Social anthropology is the comparative study of human behaviour and ideas in their social contexts. Societies around the world vary enormously in their social, cultural, religious, and political forms, and their individual members also display a corresponding diversity of ideas and behaviour. The study of these variations, and the common humanity that underlies them and renders them intelligible to sympathetic outsiders lies at the heart of social anthropology. Much of this knowledge is gained through the distinctive method of ‘participant observation’, which often involves anthropologists living with the people they are researching and sharing their experiences for extended periods. While the subject matter overlaps with that of sociology, human geography, and development studies, social anthropology is also closely linked to history and philosophy. The MSc/Diploma in Social Anthropology offers an intensive introduction to social anthropology. It is primarily intended for graduates with little or no previous training in anthropology; these may be either students contemplating future doctoral research in social anthropology or students who wish to acquire anthropological expertise to supplement their existing range of professional skills.

Educational aims of programme

The Programme aims to:

• provide students with an advanced understanding of the distinctive nature of social anthropology and its contribution to a critical and informed understanding of the contemporary world

• provide students with an advanced understanding of theoretical and methodological debates within social anthropology as well as familiarize them with a number of important fieldwork studies

• equip students with high-quality skills in the analysis and presentation of complex material in a clear, sophisticated and engaging way

• enable students to undertake independent research and to develop specialist expertise in their own particular areas of interest within social anthropology

• provide a programme of study which, informed by a rich and active research culture, will enable students to engage reflexively with the particularities of their own cultural and social context as well as with the possibilities inherent in cross-cultural comparison

Programme outcomes: Knowledge and understanding

The individual courses within the MSc programme range from those which offer a general overview of theories and theorists within social anthropology, to those concerned with the examination of specific issues like kinship, gender or religion. As such it involves a combination of graduate-level seminar work with attendance in some undergraduate honours courses. In addition, the dissertation gives students the opportunity to engage with a topic of their own choice at much greater length.

By the end of the programme, all students would be expected to:

• know and understand core explanatory theories and concepts within the discipline of social anthropology

• be able to engage critically with core anthropological issues and debates as well as assess their implications for anthropological theory and methodological practice

• be able to analyse and evaluate competing theoretical paradigms as well as apply them to different theoretical problems

• show awareness and critical appreciation of the ways in which fieldwork studies can contribute to an understanding of broader issues in the study of human nature, society and culture

• be able to analyse different kinds of ethnography and relate them to different theoretical paradigms

Programme outcomes: Graduate attributes - Skills and abilities in research and enquiry

Graduates will be able to create new knowledge and opportunities for learning through research and enquiry, including the abilities to:

• collect, evaluate and synthesize large amounts of empirical and theoretical material from a variety of sources

• identify different theoretical approaches and assess the kinds of evidence adduced by each

• deploy and evaluate different explanatory models and complex concepts in an informed and critical way

• articulate, sustain and defend well-structured arguments

• exercise informed independent thought and critical judgment

• be able to apply concepts, theories and methods used in social anthropology in order to elucidate

Programme outcomes: Graduate attributes - Skills and abilities in personal and intellectual autonomy

Working in a way that is informed by openness, curiosity and a desire to meet new intellectual challenges, graduates will acquire the ability to:

• be independent learners who take responsibility for their own learning and are committed to

• continuous reflection, self-evaluation and self-improvement

• sustain intellectual interest by remaining receptive to both new and old ideas,

• methods, and ways of thinking

• make decisions on the basis of rigorous and independent thought, taking into account

• ethical and professional issues

• use collaboration and debate effectively to test, modify and strengthen their own

• views

• respond effectively to unfamiliar problems in unfamiliar contexts

Programme outcomes: Graduate attributes - Skills and abilities in communication

Graduates will recognise and value communication as the tool for negotiating and collaborating with others as well as furthering their own learning. They will be able to:

• seek and value open feedback in order to inform genuine self-awareness
• recognise the benefits of communicating with those beyond their immediate environments
• present and communicate information, both orally and in writing, in a clear way
• comprehend, assess and clearly articulate academic arguments
• develop effective presentation skills

Programme outcomes: Graduate attributes - Skills and abilities in personal effectiveness

Aiming to be responsive and sensitive to the environments in which they operate, graduates will be able to:

• undertake and manage independent research projects which are well-framed and focused

• work both independently and co-operate effectively with others

• manage their time and plan their workload

• be both adaptive and proactively responsive to changing social contexts

• have the confidence to make decisions based on their understandings and their intellectual autonomy

• transfer their knowledge, learning, skills and abilities from one context to another

Programme outcomes: Technical/practical skills

Graduates will be able to:

• access Web sites and utilize library resources in an effective way
• undertake advanced independent research
• fulfil the requirements of further relevant employment or academic study
• prepare and present reports and display other communication skills

Programme structure and features

Fees: All the students will be charged with standard taught MSc fees for School of Social and Political Science.

Degree Criteria: MSc full-time (12 months) or part-time (24 months) requires 120 credits from taught courses and 60 credits from the research dissertation. Diploma is full-time for two semesters, 120 credits from 6 taught courses. There is also the option of the Certificate which requires 60 credits from 3 taught courses.

Taught component: Candidates for both MSc and Diploma take: (i) two compulsory core courses; (ii) two core courses (from a list of six); and, (iii) two optional courses. With the approval of the Programme Director, candidates may substitute one optional course with an equivalent course from another MSc degree offered in the School of Social and Political Science. Most courses consist of ten two-hour classes; however, those optional courses that are also offered to undergraduates include a number of additional tutorials/seminars (usually one every two weeks). All students attend and complete the two compulsory core courses (40 credits), one in semester 1 and the other one in semester 2.

The programme is available on a full-time basis over one year or on a part-time basis over two years; alternatively, it can be taken as a diploma (120 credits, no dissertation). Masters students are expected to complete six courses (two core courses and four options) and an extended dissertation (around 15,000 words).

The two compulsory core courses are:

An Introduction to Anthropological Theory (PGSP11049) [20 credits]

The Ethnography seminar (PGSP11042) [20 credits]

The six core courses are:

Anthropological Theory (PGSP11172) [2o credits]

Ritual and Religion (PGSP11191) [20 credits]

Culture and Power (PGSP11178) [20 credits]

Belief, Thought and Language (PGSP11174) [20 credits]

Consumption, Exchange and Technology (PGSP11176) [20 credits]

Kinship: Structure and Process (PGSP11184) [20 credits]

Optional courses include*:

The anthropology of Violence (PGSP11374) [20 credits]

Ethnography of the USA (PGSP11378) [20 credits]

Humans and other species (PGSP11376) [20 credits]

East Central Africa (SCAN11009) [20 credits]

The Politics of Identity in South Asia (PGSP11050) [20 credits]

Anthropology of Health and Illness (PGSP11071) [20 credits]

Anthropology of International Health (PGSP11072) [20 credits]

The Arab World (PGSP11043) [20 credits]

South Asia: Culture, Politics and Economy (SCIL11017) [20 credits]

Cultures of Human Rights and Humanitarianism (PGSP11295) [20 credits]

Anthropology of Food (SCAN11012) [20 credits]

Himalayan Ethnography (PGSP11147) [20 credits]

Happiness: Cross Cultural Perspectives (PGSP11063) [20 credits]

Human Origins and the Genesis of Symbolic Thought (PGSP11037) [20 credits]

Interpreting Development: Institutions and Practices (PGSP11296) [20 credits]

Anthropology of Death (PGSP11047) [20 credits]

Magic, Science and Healing (PGSP11185) [20 credits]

Southeast Asia (PGSP11044) [20 credits]

The Invention of History (SCAN11008) [20 credits]

Indigenous Peoples of lowland South America (SCAN11010) [20 credits]

Indigenous Politics, Culture and Film in Canada (SCAN11018) [20 credits]

Anthropological Approaches to Shamanism and Spirit Possession (SCAN11015) [20 credits]

Contemporary Hunter-Gatherers (PGSP11026)

Dealing with Strangers (PGSP11180) [20 credits]

Keywords in South Asian Public Culture (PGSP11290) [20 credits]

Khoisan Southern Africa (PGSP11046) [20 credits]

The anthropology of Landscape (SCAN11011) [20 credits]

The politics of identity in South Asia (PGSP11050) [20 credits]

Enlightenment and the Noble Savage (PGSP11196) [20 credits]

Visual Anthropology (PGSP11260) [20 credits]

*The availability of courses is subject to change – an average of 13 options is usually available every year.

Dissertation (PGSP11060) [60 credits]

Once students successfully complete the taught courses, they proceed to work on the dissertation. For the dissertation students will work under the supervision of an academic member of staff and they will be expected to investigate a topic of their choice in depth. MSc candidates will write up their work as a dissertation of 15,000 words, which is to be submitted by the end of August. A mark of 50% or more for the research dissertation is required for the award of the MSc. Students achieving a dissertation mark of 40-49% may be awarded a Diploma at the discretion of the Board of Examiners.

Teaching and learning methods and strategies

Knowledge and understanding will be cultivated through lectures, seminars, tutorials, individual and group oral presentations, short and long essays, the dissertation project (4,000 word proposal + 15,000 word dissertation), one-to-one meetings with Personal Tutors/Programme Directors and Supervisors, as well as the ‘Innovative Learning Week’.

With directed study of key source material, explicit guidelines for assessed coursework and formative feedback, teaching will be primarily seminar and lecture based. Learning will take place through individual reading and reflection, and through group discussion initiated by the lecture material but also student presentations, short research exercises and observations. Students will be expected to read extensively in preparation for all seminars and lectures, and to participate fully in the class discussions and/or presentations. From the outset, they must cultivate the study skills required for scholarship at an advanced level - using library sources fully, effective note taking, critical analysis and writing. Both compulsory and optional elements in the curriculum will ensure coverage of a wide diversity of cultural contexts, social institutions, processes and ideas. The content of courses will provide opportunities for critical engagement with a range of theoretical approaches and thematic areas in social and cultural anthropology. In lectures, course hand-outs, seminar programmes, class presentations/debates and web-based material will be the key channels for dissemination of knowledge and guidance to further reading/research.

Essays, presentation topics and tutorial discussions/debates will require independent reading – reading, that is, beyond that provided in the classroom. Written work will require evaluation and application of alternative perspectives on or explanations of social and cultural phenomena. Seminar assignments will encourage students to identify and evaluate a range of explanations and interpretations in social anthropology and the nature of evidence in such accounts. The dissertation proposal (articulated in and through the ‘Ethnography Seminar’) and execution of the dissertation project will encourage critical engagement with the nature of anthropological knowledge as well as the ethical and epistemological issues that characterize it. Meetings with Personal Tutors/Programme Director and dissertation Supervisors will give students the opportunity to seek and value open feedback which should inform genuine self-awareness.

Assessment methods and strategies

The assessment strategy will rely upon a combination of methods to meet the full range of aims and learning objectives and draw maximum advantage from the variety of teaching approaches employed. The assimilation of knowledge, capacity for critical scrutiny and reflexive engagement will be assessed by a diverse range of methods which will take the form of formative assessment which will provide students with on-going feedback as well as summative assessment of work submitted for credit. Depending on the particular course, these methods will include: oral presentations, short and long essays, notes and reflections on particular themes uploaded on ‘Learn’, small scale research excercises or observations, and the Research Proposal/Dissertation. Also, courses will employ group-based presentations evaluating substance as well as performance. Such presentations will be used to provide formative and summative feedback. Formative assessment will also be provided through verbal and/or written feedback on individual presentations, and via written comments on individual essays that will be returned with a formal report sheet completed by the marker. During the final four months of the Programme, independent learning will be assessed principally by a 15,000-word dissertation (worth 60 credits). In assessing the dissertation, examiners will look for similar analytical and presentational qualities to those expected in all coursework. However, they will expect the dissertation to explore a chosen topic in much greater depth, and to sustain a coherent analysis of considerably greater length. Above all, as the dissertation should be theoretically grounded through its critical engagement with a substantial body of literature, students will be required to demonstrate substantive critical reflection on a specified body of literature. The assessment method here, apart from the actual dissertation, will also centre on the submission of a research proposal of 4,000 words that relates a chosen topic to a summary of relevant literature (to be fully reviewed and assessed within the ‘Ethnography Seminar’) and incorporates an investigation of the main themes which will be used to structure the dissertation.

Career opportunities

First and foremost, giving students the opportunity ‘to switch’ to social anthropology, the programme provides a good basis for doctoral study at the University of Edinburgh or elsewhere. It also provides a suitable qualification for students seeking to strengthen their career prospects in consultancy, non-governmental organizations, the public sector or international development.

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