Masters Degrees (Medical Sociology)

Research profile

This programme will enable you to join the key debates on contemporary medical anthropology, apply analytical tools drawn from social theory, select anthropological research methods for use in health-related settings and develop a research agenda.

Programme structure

You will follow taught courses, and receive hands-on training in social research skills. You will also complete an individually supervised project on a topic of your choice. Students often progress to a PhD in Social Anthropology, but the MSc can also be taken as a standalone degree.

The dissertation will constitute the main work in which you demonstrate your learning. It normally takes the form of an extended research proposal with the following components:

a literature review
an outline of the specific questions to be addressed
a statement of research design and methods to be employed
a discussion of the practical, political and ethical issues affecting the conduct of the research
a presentation of the schedule for the research, and its estimated budget

Where the programme is taken as a standalone degree, the dissertation normally includes a component of data collection and analysis, or selection of theoretical documents and analysis.

Career opportunities

This interdisciplinary MSc by Research is an opportunity to develop a specialisation in an area of medical sociology or anthropology.

On completion of the programme you will be able to articulate your own approach to theories and methodologies in medical sociology; think creatively about the social dynamics of health and healing in local and global perspectives; and think from both medical and social science perspectives.

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Who is this programme for?:

- Intercalating medical students, or students intending to pursue a medical degree.

- Students with a degree in the social sciences or humanities wishing to acquire a broad understanding of medical anthropology with reference to Asia or Africa, but also including other parts of the world

- People with professional experience in medical practice who have an interest in cross-cultural understandings of health and illness.

- Students with a degree in social anthropology wishing to pursue more specialist topics in the anthropology of medicine.

- Students without a previous degree in Anthropology looking for an MA conversion degree to serve as a qualification for pursuing a further research degree in anthropology

- The two-year intensive language pathway is directed at students who want to engage with a country in a professional as well as academic way, as the intensive language courses will enable them to reach a near proficient knowledge of the language.

As one might expect of study at SOAS, our programme is unique in that we take a cultural and phenomenological approach to the anthropology of medicine. That is, we stress a truly cross-cultural method, one which unites all medical systems in a unified comparative perspective. This allows students to grasp the underlying principles and questions common to all therapeutic systems. Given the diversity of the School’s courses, students may choose options which strengthen either the humanities or the development studies aspects of their interests.

It can also be taken with an intensive language pathway over two years, therefore making this programme unique in Europe.

The Japanese pathway is available for students who have an intermediate level of Japanese. Students will be required to take a placement exam in the week before classes begin in order to determine if their level is suitable. Please contact Professor Drew Gerstle ([email protected]) for further information.

The Korean pathway is designed for beginner learners of Korean. Students with prior knowledge of Korean are advised to contact the programme convenor, Dr Anders Karlsson ([email protected]). Students will take four course units in the Korean language, one of them at a Korean university during the summer after year 1.

The Arabic pathway is designed for beginner learners of Arabic. Students will take four units of Arabic, one of them at the Qasid Institute in Jordan or another partner institution during the summer after year 1. Programme convenor: Dr Mustafa Shah ([email protected])

Visit the website http://www.soas.ac.uk/anthropology/programmes/ma-medical-anthropology-and-intensive-language/

Structure

- Core course: Cultural Understandings of Health - 15PANC093 (1.0 unit).

- Dissertation in Anthropology and Sociology - 15PANC999 (1.0 unit). This is a 10,000 word dissertation on a topic agreed with the Programme Convenor of the MA Medical Anthropology and the candidate’s supervisor.

- In addition, all MA Anthropology students 'audit' the course Ethnographic Research Methods during term 1 - this will not count towards your 4 units.

- Students without previous experience of anthropology must take the foundation course, Theoretical Approaches to Social Anthropology - 15PANC008 (1.0 unit).

Option Courses - Group A and Group B:

Students then choose TWO 0.5 unit courses from the Group A and B lists.

- AT LEAST ONE of the two 0.5 unit courses normally must come from Group A
- Students not taking Theoretical Approaches to Social Anthropology may then select their fourth unit (either a single 1.0 unit course or two 0.5 unit courses) from the Option Courses list.
- Alternatively, one language course may be taken from the Faculty of Languages and Cultures
- In the two-year language pathway, students take 2 intensive language units and Cultural Understandings of Health (1 unit) in their first year. During the summer, they will participate in a summer school abroad (location dependant on language). Upon their return, they will take one intensive language unit in their second year and two optional anthropology units. In the intensive-language pathway, the same rules apply as for the usual MA.

Programme Specification

MA Medical Anthropology and Intensive Language Programme Specification (pdf; 230kb) - http://www.soas.ac.uk/anthropology/programmes/ma-medical-anthropology-and-intensive-language/file93566.pdf

Teaching & Learning

Aims and Outcomes:
- All students are introduced to the types of problem and areas of questioning which are fundamental to the anthropology of medicine.

- Students new to the discipline are given knowledge of the general principles of anthropological enquiry

- All students develop advanced knowledge and understanding of the theoretical approaches which help form an anthropological perspective.

- All students gain an understanding of the practical methods by which this perspective is applied in field research.
All students will be provided with a near proficient ability in a language.

Knowledge:

- Students will be familiar with the foundational literature on the basis of which medical anthropology is linked to and emerges from broader disciplinary concerns.

- Students will have knowledge of the intersections linking medical anthropology to related fields, such as social studies of science, studies in bioethics, and critical approaches to public health

- Students will be familiar with the numerous ethnographic studies of health and illness.

Intellectual (thinking) skills:

- Students will learn to deploy an ethnographic kind of questioning – one directed toward teasing out of complex situations the sets of particular norms or principles which condition or shape them.

- As anthropologists, they will be trained to look for the specifically social in everything (even & especially in the “natural”)

- Students will learn how to form an anthropological problem – that is to distinguish an anthropological problem from a mere topic or area of interest.

Subject-based practical skills:

- Personal drive: Students are expected to take responsibility for their own learning

- Students will develop research skills: including location and adjustment to differing types of library collection, as well as locating organizations and people who hold significant information

- Listening & understanding: Students will be able to assimilate complex arguments quickly on the basis of listening – and to discuss or disagree constructively with points made by others.

- Planning and problem solving: students will be able to set targets and achieve them, and will be able to work well to deadlines.

- Working in a group: students will learn to lead by contributing to the development of consensus.

- In the two year intensive language pathway, to acquire/develop skills in a language to Effective Operational Proficiency level, i.e., being able to communicate in written and spoken medium in a contemporary language.

Transferable skills:

- Students will develop an ability to begin from a general question or issue and develop an appropriate research model and method.
- Ability to clearly represent a concise understanding of a project/problem and its solution.
- An ability to recognize and appreciate for what it is an unconventional approach or an unfamiliar idea
- An ability creatively to resolve conflict while working in a team; being able to see the other person’s point of view
- An ability to work and feel at ease in multicultural or cross cultural environments.

Find out how to apply here - http://www.soas.ac.uk/admissions/pg/howtoapply/

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The new MA in Medical History and Humanities is run jointly between the Departments of History and English. The curriculum is directly informed by cutting-edge international research and scholarship that spans the fields of medical history, literature, sociology, philosophy, health sciences and policy. Students will have the opportunity to explore historical, literary, social and cultural understandings of illness and health, general well-being, public health and the history of medicine, as well as the links between history, the humanities and policy.

The MA brings together students and colleagues working across different disciplines, periods and geographical regions to offer a distinctively international and inter-disciplinary perspective on medical history and humanities. It draws on existing expertise in both departments, including the Wellcome Trust-supported Centre for Global Health Histories, which is the WHO Collaborating Centre for Global Health Histories and is based in the Humanities Research Centre. This allows our students and post-doctoral scholars to benefit from established connections with the scholarly networks associated to the World Health Organization’s Global Health Histories Initiative, as well as medical history and humanities programmes worldwide, including countries such as Brazil, Portugal, Denmark, Switzerland, India, Sri Lanka, New Zealand, Singapore, France, Chile, South Africa and the USA.

Programme of Study

The programme consists of four taught modules (20 credits each) and a dissertation of up to 20,000 words (100 credits). For students registered for full-time study they are organised across the academic year as follows:

Autumn Term (October-December)
All students take the core module, ‘Critical Studies in History, Humanities & Wider Interdisciplinarity’. The module, taught by weekly seminar, introduces students to the key concepts, methods and debates in medical history and humanities. It is taught by a variety of different staff members to allow students to engage with these questions from different disciplinary perspectives. In addition, students select an option module from a long list of possible areas in medical history and humanities and beyond.
-Core Module: Critical Studies in History, Humanities & Wider Interdisciplinarity
-Option Module 1
-Research Training (taught content)

Spring Term (January-March)
Students choose two optional modules. They can choose from a long list of modules in the areas of medical history and humanities but they may also follow up other research interests.
-Option Module 2
-Option Module 3
-Research Training (independent writing of dissertation proposal

Summer Term and Summer Vacation (April-September)
During the Summer Term and over the Vacation, all students will write a research dissertation of up to 20,000 words on a subject of their own choosing and under the supervision of a member of staff, and submitted at the end of the academic year. Students receive advice about topics, research skills and instruction in bibliography, plus additional specialist advice and guidance from a supervisor.

Part-time Students
Students registered for part-time study over two years take the Medical History and Humanities core module in their first autumn term plus an option in the Spring Term of their first year. This is followed by two more option modules in their second Autumn and Spring Terms respectively, with the planning, research, and writing of their dissertation spread over the two years of their registration.

Internships

The MA programme provides unique insights into health and medical policy (the Centre for Global Health Histories at York is the WHO Collaborating Centre for Global Health Histories). Students will have the opportunity to better understand the links between health and social and economic development, as well as cross-cultural policy-making, in certain optional modules. If they wish, they can also develop applications with the help of the course convenors at the end of their MA studies to take up an internship that will support select World Health Organization departments based around the world (this is dependent on WHO requirements at the point of application).

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Who is this programme for?:

The degree is suitable for students with an intellectual interest in anthropological approaches to the study of health as well as for those who work in health care in Africa and Asia.

The MA Medical Anthropology comprises two pathways catering for candidates with or without anthropological training. Students come to the course from all over the world, following BA study, work and travel experience or after long careers in other fields. This combination of diverse experience and skills makes for an intellectually exciting atmosphere for both teachers and students.

The course is distinctive in its focus on medical and health issues pertaining to Africa, Asia and Latin America. It covers anthropological theory, cultural understandings of health, and various options. These include combinations of anthropology and food, gender, shamanism and therapy, psychoanalysis, religion and healing in South Asia, China and in Africa, and study of the language and ethnography of a particular region.

The programme consists of four elements, three examined courses and a dissertation of 10,000 words. The degree is suitable for students with an intellectual interest in anthropological approaches to the study of health as well as for those who work in health care in Africa and Asia. The aim of the degree is to provide:

- A phenomenological understanding of the body, which implies also subjective attitudes to notions of health, sickness, disease, recovery and personal vulnerability
- an understanding of these experiences within regional, political, economic and cultural contexts

Visit the website http://www.soas.ac.uk/anthropology/programmes/mamedanth/

Structure

Programme Overview
The programme consists of four units in total: three units of taught examined courses and a one unit dissertation of 10,000 words.

Core Courses:
- Cultural Understandings of Health - 15PANC093 (1.0 unit).
- Dissertation in Anthropology and Sociology - 15PANC999 (1.0 unit). This is a 10,000 word dissertation on a topic agreed with the Programme Convenor of the MA Medical Anthropology and the candidate’s supervisor.
- Additionally all MA Anthropology students 'audit' the course Ethnographic Research Methods during term 1 - this will not count towards your 4 units.

Foundation Course:
- Theoretical Approaches to Social Anthropology - 15PANC008 (1.0 unit). This is compulsory only for students without a previous anthropology degree.

Option Courses - Group A and Group B:
- Students then choose TWO 0.5 unit courses from the Group A and B lists below.
- AT LEAST ONE of the two 0.5 unit courses must come from Group A.

Option Courses:
- Students not taking Theoretical Approaches to Social Anthropology may then select their fourth unit (either a single 1.0 unit course or two 0.5 unit courses) from the Option Courses list.
- Alternatively, one language course may be taken from the Faculty of Languages and Cultures.

Programme Specification

Programme Specification 2012/2013 (pdf; 209kb) - http://www.soas.ac.uk/anthropology/programmes/mamedanth/file49466.pdf

Employment

A Masters in Medical Anthropology at SOAS develops students’ understanding of the world, other peoples’ ways of life and how society is organised. This programme will also develop a specialist understanding of social processes and cultural representations of health, illness and the nursing/care practices associated with these. Over the years the SOAS department has trained numerous leading anthropologists who have gone on to occupy lectureships and professorships throughout the world. Equally, students gain skills during their degree that transfer well to areas such as information and technology, government service, the media and tourism.

Postgraduate students leave SOAS with a portfolio of widely transferable skills which employers seek, including analytical and critical skills; ability to gather, assess and interpret data; high level of cultural awareness; and problem-solving. A postgraduate degree is a valuable experience that provides students with a body of work and a diverse range of skills that they can use to market themselves with when they graduate.

For more information about Graduate Destinations from this department, please visit the Careers Service website (http://www.soas.ac.uk/careers/graduate-destinations/).

Find out how to apply here - http://www.soas.ac.uk/admissions/pg/howtoapply/

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This inter-university master’s degree with Universitat de Barcelona is the continuation of the URV-specific degree in Anthropology of Medicine (1994-2000), and the Master's Degree in Medical Anthropology and Global Health (2006-2014). It is considered the best master’s degree, taught in Spanish language, in Europe and Latin America because of the quality of its professors and the research done.

Its aim is to provide students with a solid foundation in the theories, techniques and methodologies of medical anthropology. On graduating they should be able to translate social problems into anthropological research questions and transform the research into practical policies, thus contributing to social innovation and new health care models.

Student Profiles

Aimed at students and professionals from the field of health (medical sciences, nursing, physiotherapy and social work), who work or are interested in international health organizations in the field of environment, social education or mediation and who want to receive training in the social sciences to give answer to a better and more efficient social intervention. It is also aimed at those who want to able to develop research in the socio-health field. Students with training in the field of social and cultural anthropology and other social science careers, such as sociology, who are interested in specialising in the field of health.

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Belfast is a modern vibrant city offering a great base from which to study a Master in Public Health. On this MPH programme there is an emphasis on global aspects of public health and emerging threats and challenges and the course attracts students from all over the World. The course equips students with the knowledge and skills base to pursue a career in public health or other health-related leadership roles

One of our strengths is the small class size (typically less than 20 students per year) which enables very close liaison between students and the world class research staff who will be teaching and mentoring students. The emphasis is on learning and transferable skills rather than teaching.

The course is divided into two taught semesters and one research-based component. In the first semester students will be taught by experts in the fields of demography, epidemiology, health economics, medical sociology, health services research, medical statistics and qualitative methods, needs assessment and health impact assessment. There will be an emphasis on critical thinking and of the application of new knowledge.

The second semester focuses on the more applied aspects of public health and this part of the course includes the theory and practice of health promotion; protection of health through control of communicable diseases and environmental hazards and emergency preparedness. The funding, organisation and assessment of health and care systems across the world will also be addressed.

The dissertation makes up the final third of the course. Here students will have an opportunity to undertake substantive research in a public health area of choice and to write and present these findings in a standard format. Students who do not complete the dissertation are eligible for a Diploma in Public Health.

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Research profile

Sociology at Edinburgh is one of the premier research units in the UK, as indicated by our excellent rating in the latest Research Assessment Exercise.

We have a long-standing commitment to original empirical and theoretical work on society, and to the production of cultural and scientific knowledge.

We work closely with other colleagues in the School and supervise many cross-disciplinary projects. Applications are particularly welcome from students wishing to specialise in:

refugee and migration studies
auto/biography and narrative studies
comparative sociology
South Asian studies
Southern Africa
family and intimate relations
innovation in genomics
medical sociology
political sociology
nationalism studies
constitutional change and governance
social studies of finance and markets
social, cultural and feminist theory
gender, inequality and social stratification
work, consumption and organisations
Scottish society and politics
science and technology studies
sociology of emotions

Training and support

You will work with a supervisor on an original research dissertation and participate in advanced sociology research-training workshops, work-in-progress seminars and a writing workshop.

The Graduate School provides a suite of ESRC-recognised research training courses for social science students across the University. We are developing an exciting package of flexible, web-based training courses in line with the increased emphasis on ongoing training throughout your doctoral studies.

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Our MA Health and Organisational Research is one of two programmes we offer that can either be taken simply as Masters-level programmes, or alternatively can be used as the Masters element of our ESRC-accredited pathways for our Doctoral Training Centre.

As part of our ESRC-funded doctoral training pathway, your course content, aims and outcomes are closely allied to the ESRC ‘7 Global Research Challenges’ criteria. This means that our course is focussed on developing areas of scholarship in issues of Health, Well-being and Psychosocial Issues, Understanding Individual Behaviour and Global Economic Performance, Policy and Management.

Our course should be of interest if you wish to pursue a career in health services and health research. It is taught across our School and Essex Business School, drawing upon both substantive and methodological expertise from within these schools.

On our course, you gain:
-Knowledge of the core areas of social science, organisational studies and health, including health policy, public health, epidemiology and medical sociology
-An understanding of the debates surrounding research in the organisation and provision of healthcare
-Advanced training in researching psychosocial aspects of health and wellbeing

This is a unique opportunity for you to study within an interdisciplinary environment.

Please note that this course can also be studied via modular, credit accumulation.

Our expert staff

Our staff are multi-professional, including clinically-qualified lecturers, sociologists and social policy and management specialists, so they have clinical and academic credibility.

Specialist facilities

As a student on this course you will not only have access to Health and Human Sciences but also have access to our business school. Our landmark new Essex Business School building is the first zero-carbon business school in the UK. Set around a lush winter garden, the Eden-style dome will give the building its own micro-climate.

Our new building is a beautifully crafted environment for students, offering:
-Study pods and innovation booths for group-working
-A light and spacious lecture theatre, with seating for 250 students
-A café with adjacent sun terrace
-A virtual trading floor with Bloomberg Terminals offering direct use of Bloomberg data, information and analytics
-A rainwater pond that recycles water to cool the building

Your future

We currently have graduates working in both clinical and management positions in local trusts, hospitals and care organisations, as well as in local and county councils.

This course also lends itself to progression onto our PhD Health Research, or our PhD Health and Organisational Research.

A postgraduate qualification is a major achievement and greatly valued by employers. For some jobs a postgraduate qualification may be essential, for others it offers a competitive edge. Our graduates go into a variety of jobs, where the key employability skills and knowledge they have gained through postgraduate study are put to good use.

Example structure

-Qualitative Health Research
-Research Evaluation Projects
-Statistical Analysis
-Theory and Method in Health Research
-Dissertation (optional)
-Management and Organisational Behaviour
-Leadership in Health and Social Care (optional)
-Legal and Ethical Issues (optional)
-Management Psychology (optional)
-Managing for Ethics and Sustainability (optional)
-Philosophy of Management and Accounting (optional)

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This course offers an introduction to the key methodological and theoretical aspects of health-related research from a social scientific perspective. You combine perspectives from the areas of sociological research methods, and the specific application of these research methods, to the burgeoning health context of an ageing population and increased need for health care.

This programme should be of interest if you wish to pursue a career in health-related research, or employment in health related governmental and non-governmental organisations, or to pursue further postgraduate study to doctoral level.

On our course, you gain:
-Knowledge of the core areas of social science, organisational studies and health, including health policy, public health, epidemiology and medical sociology
-An understanding of the qualitative and quantitative approaches to researching issues of health and healthcare
-Advanced training in researching psychosocial aspects of health and wellbeing

Our MA Health Research is one of two programmes we offer that can either be taken simply as Masters-level programmes or alternatively can be used as the Masters element of our ESRC-accredited pathways for our Doctoral Training Centre.

As part of our ESRC-funded doctoral training pathway, your course content, aims and outcomes are closely allied to the ESRC ‘7 Global Research Challenges’ criteria. This currently means that we focus on developing areas of scholarship in terms of the issues of health, well-being and psychosocial issues, understanding individual behaviour and global economic performance, policy and management.

Please note that this course can also be studied via modular, credit accumulation.

Our expert staff

Our staff are multi-professional, including clinically-qualified lecturers, sociologists and social policy and management specialists, so they have clinical and academic credibility.

Your future

We currently have graduates working in both clinical and management positions in local trusts, hospitals and care organisations, as well as in local and county councils.

This course also lends itself to progression onto our PhD Health Research, or our PhD Health and Organisational Research.

A postgraduate qualification is a major achievement and greatly valued by employers. For some jobs a postgraduate qualification may be essential, for others it offers a competitive edge. Our graduates go into a variety of jobs, where the key employability skills and knowledge they have gained through postgraduate study are put to good use.

Example structure

-Dissertation
-Introduction to Quantitative Analysis
-Panel Data Methods
-Qualitative Health Research
-Theory and Method in Health Research
-Introduction to Survey Design and Management
-Legal and Ethical Issues (optional)
-Leadership in Health and Social Care (optional)
-Research Design and Critical Appraisal (optional)
-Applied Sampling (optional)

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Health humanities seeks novel ways of understanding health and illness in society, and how methods from the humanities and social studies may be brought to bear on biomedicine, clinical practice, and the politics of healthcare. Experiences and portrayals of health and illness in literature, film and contemporary culture are also studied.

Degree information

The programme enables students to approach issues relating to health and illness from both a historical and contemporary perspective and from a variety of a disciplines, including anthropology, history, philosophy, sociology, science and technology studies, global health, literature and film studies. Students will also learn to work in an interdisciplinary manner.

Students undertake modules to the value of 180 credits.

The programme consists of two core modules (60 credits), elective modules of 15 or 30 credits each (up to a total of 60 credits) and a research dissertation (60 credits). A Postgraduate Diploma (120 credits), two core modules (60 credits) and two electives (60 credits) is also offered. A Postgraduate Certificate (60 credits), two core modules is also offered.

Core modules
-Illness
-Madness

Optional modules - students may choose from the list of recommended modules below, or other relevant modules in UCL, with the approval of the convenors.
-Anthropology and Psychiatry
-Classical Chinese Medicine
-Clinically Applied Cultural Psychiatry
-Conflict, Humanitarianism and Health
-Cultural Memory
-Death, Dying and Consequences
-Disease in History
-German Literature and Psychology
-Global Health and Development: Emerging Policy Debates
-Global Justice and Health
-Health Inequalities Over the Lifecourse
-Health Policy and Reform
-Medical Anthropology
-Medieval Science and Medicine in Global Perspective
-Science, Technology, and Identity
-Social Value and Public Policy, Health and the Environment
-From Imperial Medicine to Global Health, 1860s to present
-Medicine on Screen

Dissertation/report
All students undertake an independent research project which culminates in a dissertation of 10,000-12,000 words.

Teaching and learning
The programme is delivered through a combination of lectures and seminars. Assessment is through essays and a dissertation. There is no unseen examination.

Careers

This MA provides an exceptional foundation for those hoping to undertake PhD research and pursue an academic career, ranging from interdisciplinary work in the health humanities to a broad spectrum of more specialised disciplines, such as medicine, the philosophy of medicine, history of medicine, medical sociology or medical anthropology, among others. It is also a suitable preparation for a range of careers including science and medical journalism, bioethics, healthcare policy, NGOs and museum and heritage.

Employability
The programme gives students the opportunities to work in an interdisciplinary manner, and to engage in debate and develop their presentation skills. Students will gain experience of writing essays and training in conducting original research and applying the appropriate methodology. There are many additional activities available, both within the UCl Health Humanities Centre and the Institute of Advanced Studies, and the wider UCL community, to help students develop employability skills.

Why study this degree at UCL?

Health Humanities MA is based in UCL's new Health Humanities Centre which draws together world-leading researchers from different disciplines including medicine and health in history, philosophy, sociology, anthropology, and cultural and film studies.

Leading clinicians at UCL's acclaimed Medical School and Division of Psychiatry, who are engaged in humanities and social science research, are also actively involved with the centre. The centre was formed through the merger of the Centre for Philosophy, Justice and Health and the Centre for the History of Psychological Disciplines.

UCL Health Humanities Centre forms part of the new UCL Institute of Advanced Studies, which showcases and fosters multidisciplinary research within the humanities and the social sciences, with an active programme of events and visiting international scholars.

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Learn about concepts of health and illness, including:
-An introduction to the social determinants of health.
-Poverty and Health.
-Explanations for the Social Patterning of Health.
-Tackling Health Inequalities.
-Gender and Health.
-Ethnicity and Health.
-Disability and Health.
-‘New’ Public Health.

Options

-Available as a core option on MSc in Health Research; or on Masters in Public Health
-Not sure an MSc is for you? Take this module as a Postgraduate Award. Contact us for more information: [email protected]

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Oxford Brookes University is the home of the Centre for Medical Humanities, which is renowned nationally and internationally for its innovative and cutting-edge scholarship.

The MA History (History of Medicine) is a distinctive strand within our MA History. The strands offers you the unique chance to focus specifically on the social, scientific and cultural history of medicine, as well as the relationship between medicine and the humanities (history, philosophy, sociology, literature and art) through a course of research training. It also gives you the flexibility to pursue taught modules in other aspects of history if you wish.

See the website http://www.brookes.ac.uk/courses/postgraduate/history-of-medicine/

Why choose this course?

- You will benefit from being taught by a team of nationally and internationally recognised scholars. We are all active researchers and we include all aspects of our own research on the course, teaching specialist modules in our areas of expertise and supervising dissertations in our specialist subjects.

- The knowledge and expertise you gain is grounded in the latest scholarship within the field.

- You will have the opportunity to conduct advanced research on a dissertation subject of your choice.

- The course provides an excellent preparation for students intending to continue with PhD research. It will also be of interest to health care professionals and to graduates in history or the social sciences seeking further personal development.

- All classes are held in the evening. There are no exams - assessment is by written work only.

We welcome further enquiries – please contact the MA Subject Co-ordinator, Dr Viviane Quirke, or the History Programme Administrator, Poppy Hoole, email: [email protected]

Teaching and learning

The MA course is taught through small-group seminars, workshops and individual tutorials. Assessment is entirely by written work. There are no examinations.

Specialist facilities

Oxford Brookes is home to the Centre for Medical Humanities (CMH). The Centre was established in early 2015. It marks an exciting expansion and diversification of the work previously conducted through the Centre for Health, Medicine and Society which over the past 15 years has been the beneficiary of substantial support from both Oxford Brookes University and the Wellcome Trust. The CMH is building on this track record of outstanding research and grant successes, innovative teaching, career development and public outreach. Engaging with the expanding field of medical humanities, the CMH brings historians of medicine together with scholars from History, History of Art, Philosophy, Social and Life Sciences as well as Anthropology and Religion. It thus aims to foster genuine interdisciplinary collaboration amongst staff and students through a range of new research and teaching initiatives, which reflect the new concerns with the relationship between medicine and the humanities in the twentieth first century.

Students have access to Oxford Brookes University’s special Welfare collection, as well as numerous local medical archive resources. They also have access to the world famous Bodleian Library, a copyright library, which houses all books published in the United Kingdom and Ireland. In addition to the Bodleian and its unparalleled collection of books and rare historical manuscripts, there are affiliated libraries such as Rhodes House, home to the Bodleian Library of Commonwealth and African Studies, and the Vere Harmsworth Library of the Rothermere American Institute, where students will find one of the finest collections of publications on the Political, Economic and Social History of the United States from colonial times to the present.

Oxford is a lively centre for events, exhibitions, seminars and open lectures in various specialist areas of history, which staff and students at Brookes regularly attend.

It is also an easy bus or train ride to London for convenient access to a wider resource of historical materials. These include various seminars and lecture series offered by the University of London and the Institute of Historical Research. In addition, The National Archives at Kew, The British Library and other specialised libraries will be of particular interest to students.

Oxford is also within easy reach of other archival collections in Birmingham, Cambridge, Reading and Bristol.

Careers

Students who have completed an MA have developed a variety of careers. A significant number have gone on to undertake PhD study and secondary school history teaching. Others have taken up careers in archive management; law; accountancy; local government and the civil service as well as GCHQ - all jobs which require excellent research and analysis skills.

Free language courses for students - the Open Module

Free language courses are available to full-time undergraduate and postgraduate students on many of our courses, and can be taken as a credit on some courses.

Please note that the free language courses are not available if you are:
- studying at a Brookes partner college
- studying on any of our teacher education courses or postgraduate education courses.

Research highlights

The department boasts a wealth of research expertise and is home to two important research centres:

- Centre for Medical Humanities (CMH)
The centre seeks to promote the study of medical humanities. , It is one of the leading research groups of its kind in the UK and has research links with a wide network of associates, both national and international. The centre also provides associate status opportunities to researchers from outside the University who wish to advance their studies and gain experience in the field.

- Centre for the History of Welfare
The centre provides a base for collaboration between all those with an interest in the history of welfare both within Oxford Brookes and across the wider academic and professional communities. It acts as a focus for research in this field. It aims to support and disseminate research which makes connections between historical research and current welfare policy, and thereby fosters links between historians of welfare and policy makers.

Research areas and clusters

Our thriving research and postgraduate culture will provide you with the ideal environment in which to undertake a research degree on a broad range of topics from 16th century to the present day, and to engage in interdisciplinary research. Research skills are developed in preparation for your dissertation and provide a potential pathway to PhD study.

You will have the opportunity to work alongside scholars of international standing as well as receiving comprehensive training in research methods. Principal research areas in which our teaching staff specialise include:
- History of fascism
- History of race
- Social history
- History of crime, deviance and the law
- History of religion from the Reformation onwards

As well as meeting to discuss and analyse central texts in the field, each group undertakes a number of activities. This includes organising work-in-progress seminars, and offering support and feedback for external grant applications.

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This stream provides a sound understanding of the theoretical and empirical basis of health promotion, equipping students with the conceptual and practical skills to design and evaluate health promotion interventions and programmes. Health promotion draws on ideas from sociology, psychology, anthropology, education, epidemiology and other disciplines to understand how the health of populations can be maintained and strengthened.

- Full programme specification (pdf) (http://www.lshtm.ac.uk/edu/qualityassurance/ph_hp_progspec.pdf)

This course is accredited by the Agency for Accreditation of Public Health Education in the European Region (APHEA) which is the accreditation body of the Association of Schools of Public Health in the European Region (ASPHER). - See more at: http://www.lshtm.ac.uk/study/masters/msphhp.html#first

Visit the website http://www.lshtm.ac.uk/study/masters/msphhp.html

An additional requirement for the MSc Public Health (all streams) is some evidence of ability in mathematics, post-16 year education. Preference will also be given to applicants with relevant work experience.

Any student who does not meet the minimum entry requirement above but who has relevant professional experience may still be eligible for admission. Qualifications and experience will be assessed from the application.

Objectives

By the end of this stream, students should be able to demonstrate ability to apply knowledge of the core disciplines of public health, consisting of: statistics; epidemiology; health economics; and social research, to real health problems. In addition, they should be able to:

- demonstrate knowledge and understanding of the principal theories, methods and interventions used in health promotion

- understand the development of the discipline of health promotion in the UK and internationally

- assess the appropriate use of population-wide versus targeted health promotion interventions

- formulate health promotion policy and practice that is relevant to varying needs in diverse contexts

- be able to appraise and communicate research evidence

- apply the knowledge and analytical skills gained to inform health promotion policy-making, programme planning, implementation and evaluation

Structure

Term 1:
Students complete the Public Health common core, consisting of four compulsory modules:

Basic Statistics for Public Health & Policy
Basic Epidemiology
Introduction for Health Economics
Principles of Social Research

In addition, students intending to follow this stream must take Health Promotion Theory. The remaining module can be selected from:

Environment, Health & Sustainable Development
Health Policy, Process & Power
Health Services
Issues in Public Health

Terms 2 and 3:
Students take a total of five study modules, one from each timetable slot (Slot 1, Slot 2 etc.). The list below shows recommended modules. There are other modules which may be taken only after consultation with the Course Directors.

*Recommended modules

- Slot 1:
Health Promotion Approaches and Methods (compulsory)

- Slot 2:
Conflict and Health*
Design & Analysis of Epidemiological Studies*
Family Planning Programmes*
History & Health*
Population, Poverty and Environment*
Qualitative Methodologies*
Statistical Methods in Epidemiology*
Health Systems

- Slot 3:
Applied Communicable Disease Control*
Current Issues in Safe Motherhood and Perinatal Health*
Epidemiology of Non-Communicable Diseases*
Medical Anthropology and Public Health*

- Slot 4:
Environmental Epidemiology*
Epidemiology & Control of Communicable Diseases*
Ethics, Public Health & Human Rights*
Evaluation of Public Health Interventions*
Globalisation & Health*
Reviewing the Literature*
Sexual Health*
Analytical Models for Decision Making

- Slot 5:
Integrating Module: Health Promotion (compulsory)

By arrangement, students may be able to substitute specified Distance Learning modules for up to two modules in certain timetable slots. Any such substitutions will need to be discussed with the Course Directors. Full details are contained in the MSc Course Handbook.

Further details for the course modules - http://www.lshtm.ac.uk/study/currentstudents/studentinformation/msc_module_handbook/section2_coursedescriptions/tphe_3.html

Project Report:
Students prepare a project report during the summer months (July - August), for submission by early September.

Intercalating this course

Undergraduate medical students can take a year out either to pursue related studies or work. The School welcomes applications from medical students wishing to intercalate after their third year of study from any recognised university in the world.

Why intercalate with us?:
Reputation: The School has an outstanding international reputation in public health & tropical medicine and is at the forefront of global health research. It is highly rated in a number of world rankings including:

- World’s leading research-focused graduate school (Times Higher Education World Rankings, 2013)
- Third in the world for social science and public health (US News Best Global Universities Ranking, 2014)
- Second in UK for research impact (Research Exercise Framework 2014)
- Top in Europe for impact (Leiden Ranking, 2015)

Highly recognised qualification: possessing a Master's from the School will give you a focused understanding of health and disease, broaden your career prospects and allow you to be immersed in research in a field of your choice.

Valuable skills: you will undertake an independent research project (summer project) in your chosen topic, equipping you with research skills that will distinguish you in a clinical environment. While your medical qualification will give you a breadth of knowledge; undertaking an intercalated degree will allow you to explore your main area of interest in greater depth.

Alumni network: the School has a strong international and diverse alumni community, with more than 20,000 alumni in over 180 countries.

MSc vs. BSc: undertaking an MSc is an excellent opportunity to develop in-depth specialist knowledge in your chosen topic and enhance your skills in scientific research. Postgraduate qualifications are increasingly sought after by clinicians and possessing a Masters qualification can assist you in your future career progression.

Find out how to apply here - http://www.lshtm.ac.uk/study/masters/msphhp.html#sixth

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Who is the course for?

Our students have included graduates from a range of disciplines who have an interest in health. This includes:
-Biology
-Organisation science
-Behavioural science
-Social sciences
-Education
-Medical and health sciences

We also have health professionals on the course who have an interest in undertaking research as part of their professional practice.

Course structure

The programme consists of two parts: formal teaching and an individual research dissertation.

For the MSc you will complete three core modules, at least two core option modules from the list below, and up to 1 optional module from the list below. Your dissertation will consist of an independent piece of research on a health topic of your choice, supported by an experienced dissertation supervisor.

The dissertation can help you prepare to undertake a PhD or, if you are a health professional, enable you to initiate research within the healthcare context where you work.

Core modules

-Epidemiology and Statistics
-Understanding Research and Critical Appraisal in Health Care
-Qualitative Research Methods in Health

Core Option modules

-Design, Analysis and Interpretation of Epidemiological Research
-Mixed Methods for Health Research
-Introduction to Health Economics (for the Non-Economist)

Optional modules

A range of optional modules is available subject to approval by the Course Director. Students will be expected to check the timetabling of these modules to ensure dates do not clash with other module commitments. Please note, not all of the modules listed below are necessarily on offer in any one academic year. Students should ensure optional modules are chosen to achieve an appropriate number of CATS points. Advice can be provided by the Course Director and co-ordinator.
-Sociology of Health, Health Policy, and Social Determinants of Health
-International Health Policy
-The Concepts of the Digital
-Complexity in the Social Sciences
-Digital Objects, Digital Methods
-Sociology of the Body
-Critical Issues in National and International Food Policy
-Gender, Imperialism and International Development
-Gender, Analysis and Development Practice
-Psychological Subjects: Identity, Health and Culture in Twentieth Century Britain
-Themes and Methods in Medical History
-Migration, health and Ethnicity in Modern History

Other optional modules available within the WMS taught postgraduate/CPD framework may be taken, subject to entry requirements and approval by the Course Director.

Candidates for the Postgraduate Diploma are required to successfully complete three core modules, at least two specialist option modules and up to one optional module

Candidates for the Postgraduate Certificate are required to successfully complete three core modules.

Duration

MSc - full-time 1 year, part time 3 years
PGDip - part-time 2 years
PGCert - part-time 1 year

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About the course

The course is designed to provide you with the research, evaluation and analytical skills you need to understand and undertake a wide range of public health activities, in a national and international context.

Our modules set public health in an international context, so the course attracts students from all over the world.

Your career

We can help you develop the skills and knowledge you need to understand and improve health services: analytical skills, critical thinking and in-depth knowledge of your discipline. We offer postgraduate courses for health and social care professionals, managers and anyone planning a career in health services research.

Our graduates work in public health, the private sector, health services management, and health and social care, all over the world. They also go on to further public health training or academic research.

An international academic community

As one of the largest multi-disciplinary schools of public health and health services research in the UK, ScHARR is a rich academic community. You will be taught by world-leading experts in health economics, public health sciences, the sociology of health, health psychology, decision analysis, management sciences, epidemiology, medical statistics and information science. They include members of The Academy of Medical Sciences, the Royal Pharmaceutical Society and the Royal Society of Public Health. The 2014 Research Excellence Framework (REF) rates us fourth in the UK for research power.

Our staff and students come from all over the world and offer international perspectives to all our courses.

Flexible study routes

We offer both traditional campus-based and online courses. Our high quality online courses are taught by the same expert academic staff who teach our courses in Sheffield and offer an alternative to coming to the UK. Guided by our staff, you can study at a pace that suits your personal circumstances. This can be an effective route for those who need to continue to work while they study. Postgraduate certificates and diplomas are also available.
You can also study individual modules as Continuing Professional Development (CPD). See the ScHARR web pages for details of available modules. For LBR and CPD information, visit: http://www.sheffield.ac.uk/hsccpd

Facilities

You’ll have 24/7 access to library and computing facilities. We provide specialist information and library services in our information resources section.

Core modules

Epidemiology; Key Issues in Global Public Health; Introduction to Research Methods; Introduction to Statistics and Critical Appraisal; Health Needs Assessment, Planning and Evaluation; Dissertation.

Examples of optional modules

Choices include: Health Promotion; Leading and Managing Health Services; Communicable Disease; Disaster and Emergency Management; Using Policy to Strengthen Health Systems; Health Care Financing and Economic Evaluation; Sociology of Health and Illness; Further Statistics for Health Science Researchers; Social Determinants of Health Inequalities; Systematic Reviews and Critical Appraisal Techniques; Promoting Evidence-Based Health Care; Public Health Informatics; Contemporary Health Psychology and Behaviour Change.

Teaching and assessment

There are lectures, seminars, tutorials and independent study. You’re assessed on coursework, examinations and a dissertation.

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