THE UNIVERSITY of EDINBURGH

DEGREE REGULATIONS & PROGRAMMES OF STUDY 2026/2027

Timetable information in the Course Catalogue may be subject to change.
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Degree Programme Table: Sustainable Development (Social Anthropology) MA (Hons) - 4 years (Full-Time) (UTMAHSDVSA1F)

Jump to: Year 3, Year 4

Year 3 Academic year: 2026/27, Starting in: August

Notes:
Students who are planning on spending their third year studying abroad must successfully progress to honours before they can proceed on their Junior Year Abroad (JYA).
JYA students must take Imagining Anthropological Research in Year 3 as an audit to access course materials and prepare a proposal to submit to be assigned a dissertation supervisor.

Compulsory courses

You must take these courses
Cases in Sustainable Development
SSPS10014 20 credits
Sustainability Challenges: Critical Debates
SCIL10099 20 credits
Imagining Anthropological Research
SCAN10104 20 credits

Course options

Group A

Select exactly 20 credits in this group.

Social Anthropology Honours Electives - Level 10

Select exactly 20 credits of the following courses
Contemporary Issues in International Development
AFRI10004 20 credits
A World of Borders
AFRI10006 20 credits
African Studies: Topics & Themes
AFRI10007 20 credits
Artificial Intelligence and Global Development
AFRI10008 20 credits
South Asia: Culture, Politics and the Economy
SAST10001 20 credits
Kinship: Structure and Process
SCAN10021 20 credits
Anthropological Theory
SCAN10022 20 credits
Ritual and Religion
SCAN10023 20 credits
Culture and Power
SCAN10030 20 credits
Consumption, Exchange, Technology
SCAN10031 20 credits
Social Development
SCAN10044 20 credits
Anthropology of Health and Healing
SCAN10062 20 credits
Anthropology and Environment
SCAN10066 20 credits
Anthropology of Sex and Reproduction
SCAN10068 20 credits
The Anthropology of Language
SCAN10076 20 credits
Anthropology of Displacement and Migration
SCAN10077 20 credits
Anthropology of East Asia
SCAN10087 20 credits
Anthropologists Read the News
SCAN10091 20 credits
Digital Global Development
SCAN10092 20 credits
Anthropology of Race and Racism
SCAN10097 20 credits
Anthropology of the Far-Right
SCAN10100 20 credits
Health, Environment and Society
SCAN10101 20 credits
Anthropological encounters with clothing, textiles, and fashion
SCAN10103 20 credits
Energy Policy and Sustainability
STIS10008 20 credits
Sociology of Medicine
STIS10013 20 credits
Introduction to Internet, AI and Society
STIS10020 20 credits
AND

Group B

Select exactly 40 credits in this group.

Sustainable Development (MA Hons) - Recommended Electives

Select between 0 and 40 credits of the following courses
Contemporary Issues in International Development
AFRI10004 20 credits
African Studies: Topics & Themes
AFRI10007 20 credits
Catchment Water Resources
GEGR10023 20 credits
Development and Decolonization in Latin America
GEGR10114 20 credits
Environmental Justice
GEGR10123 20 credits
Capital, Land and Power
GEGR10127 20 credits
The Blue Humanities: Studying the Sea
GEGR10128 20 credits
The Geography of Health
GEGR10138 20 credits
Geographies of Food
GEGR10140 20 credits
Queer Geographies: Spatialising Sexuality and Gender
GEGR10141 20 credits
Problematising Environment and Society
GEGR10142 20 credits
Black Geographies
GEGR10147 20 credits
Theory and Practice of Law and Development
LAWS10237 20 credits
Politics of Oil
PLIT10123 20 credits
Environmental Politics
PLIT10136 20 credits
Global and Transnational Feminisms
PLIT10159 20 credits
Utopia
PLIT10161 20 credits
Politics and communication of environmental risks
PLIT10175 20 credits
Thinking Like an Environmentalist
PLIT10191 20 credits
Social Development
SCAN10044 20 credits
Anthropology and Environment
SCAN10066 20 credits
Anthropology of Sex and Reproduction
SCAN10068 20 credits
Anthropology of Displacement and Migration
SCAN10077 20 credits
Digital Global Development
SCAN10092 20 credits
Health, Environment and Society
SCAN10101 20 credits
Globalization
SCIL10067 20 credits
Migration: social origins and social consequences
SCIL10068 20 credits
The social life of food
SCIL10081 20 credits
Contemporary Feminist Debates
SSPS10001 20 credits
Energy Policy and Sustainability
STIS10008 20 credits
Controversies in Medicine, Technology and the Environment
STIS10009 20 credits
Knowledge, Expertise and Policy
STIS10010 20 credits
Care and Sustainability
STIS10019 20 credits
AND

Level 9 and 10 courses in Schedules A to R, T and W

Select between 0 and 40 credits from Level 9 and 10 courses in Schedules A to R, T and W
Notes:
40 credits of courses from any subject area, provided that the pre-requisites for that course have been met.

Year 4 Academic year: 2026/27, Starting in: August

Compulsory courses

You must take these courses
Dissertation (MA Social Anthropology)
SCAN10036 40 credits

Course options

Social Anthropology Honours Electives - Level 10

Select exactly 40 credits of the following courses
Contemporary Issues in International Development
AFRI10004 20 credits
A World of Borders
AFRI10006 20 credits
African Studies: Topics & Themes
AFRI10007 20 credits
Artificial Intelligence and Global Development
AFRI10008 20 credits
South Asia: Culture, Politics and the Economy
SAST10001 20 credits
Kinship: Structure and Process
SCAN10021 20 credits
Anthropological Theory
SCAN10022 20 credits
Ritual and Religion
SCAN10023 20 credits
Culture and Power
SCAN10030 20 credits
Consumption, Exchange, Technology
SCAN10031 20 credits
Social Development
SCAN10044 20 credits
Anthropology of Health and Healing
SCAN10062 20 credits
Anthropology and Environment
SCAN10066 20 credits
Anthropology of Sex and Reproduction
SCAN10068 20 credits
The Anthropology of Language
SCAN10076 20 credits
Anthropology of Displacement and Migration
SCAN10077 20 credits
Anthropology of East Asia
SCAN10087 20 credits
Anthropologists Read the News
SCAN10091 20 credits
Digital Global Development
SCAN10092 20 credits
Anthropology of Race and Racism
SCAN10097 20 credits
Anthropology of the Far-Right
SCAN10100 20 credits
Health, Environment and Society
SCAN10101 20 credits
Anthropological encounters with clothing, textiles, and fashion
SCAN10103 20 credits
Energy Policy and Sustainability
STIS10008 20 credits
Sociology of Medicine
STIS10013 20 credits
Introduction to Internet, AI and Society
STIS10020 20 credits
AND

Group A

Select exactly 40 credits in this group.

Sustainable Development (MA Hons) - Recommended Electives

Select between 0 and 40 credits of the following courses
Contemporary Issues in International Development
AFRI10004 20 credits
African Studies: Topics & Themes
AFRI10007 20 credits
Catchment Water Resources
GEGR10023 20 credits
Development and Decolonization in Latin America
GEGR10114 20 credits
Environmental Justice
GEGR10123 20 credits
Capital, Land and Power
GEGR10127 20 credits
The Blue Humanities: Studying the Sea
GEGR10128 20 credits
The Geography of Health
GEGR10138 20 credits
Geographies of Food
GEGR10140 20 credits
Queer Geographies: Spatialising Sexuality and Gender
GEGR10141 20 credits
Problematising Environment and Society
GEGR10142 20 credits
Black Geographies
GEGR10147 20 credits
Theory and Practice of Law and Development
LAWS10237 20 credits
Politics of Oil
PLIT10123 20 credits
Environmental Politics
PLIT10136 20 credits
Global and Transnational Feminisms
PLIT10159 20 credits
Utopia
PLIT10161 20 credits
Politics and communication of environmental risks
PLIT10175 20 credits
Thinking Like an Environmentalist
PLIT10191 20 credits
Social Development
SCAN10044 20 credits
Anthropology and Environment
SCAN10066 20 credits
Anthropology of Sex and Reproduction
SCAN10068 20 credits
Anthropology of Displacement and Migration
SCAN10077 20 credits
Digital Global Development
SCAN10092 20 credits
Health, Environment and Society
SCAN10101 20 credits
Globalization
SCIL10067 20 credits
Migration: social origins and social consequences
SCIL10068 20 credits
The social life of food
SCIL10081 20 credits
Contemporary Feminist Debates
SSPS10001 20 credits
Energy Policy and Sustainability
STIS10008 20 credits
Controversies in Medicine, Technology and the Environment
STIS10009 20 credits
Knowledge, Expertise and Policy
STIS10010 20 credits
Care and Sustainability
STIS10019 20 credits
AND

Level 9 and 10 courses in Schedules A to R, T and W

Select between 0 and 40 credits from Level 9 and 10 courses in Schedules A to R, T and W
Notes:
Courses must be relevant for Sustainable Development.

Students can choose an additional Sustainable Development course in fourth year, in place of a Pathway course, if relevant for their dissertation or for other special reason. To do so, they need to contact the Degree Programme Director for permission.
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