Embark on an incredible journey with a course that focuses on studying the biology, behaviour and conservation of primates. You will gain the skills required to carry out theoretical and field research in primatology, to advance your career or further study.
Primatology is a discipline that has its roots in anatomy, biology, anthropology and psychology. This course covers a comprehensive range of topics within primatology and combines theoretical investigation with fieldwork and laboratory sessions. It also offers intensive training in research methods and statistics.
Recent examples of topics covered include social behaviour, cognition, endocrinology, ranging and habitat use, social networks, human-wildlife conflict, morphology and brain size evolution.
The University of Roehampton has established networks with leading institutions and field sites including the Zoological Society of London , German Primate Centre, Gashaka Primate Project (Nigeria), Trentham Monkey Forest (UK), and Berenty Reserve (Madagascar).
You will be taught by leading experts in the field who carry out their own world-leading research.
You will begin the year by studying an in-depth a range of topics in primatology, as well as learning the theory and practice of primatological research. After your first semester, the emphasis will be on independent study, where you will be undertaking a substantial piece of original research. You will develop your intellectual, practical and analytical skills to devise a viable project proposal. You will carry out your project and produce both a dissertation and a paper suitable for submission to a peer-reviewed scientific journal. Many of our graduates have subsequently published their work in international journals such as Biology Letters, American Journal of Primatology, International Journal of Primatology, Animal Behaviour and Biological Conservation.
Students’ field work lasts for three months, usually from March to May. You will have the support of your supervisor in arranging data collection for your research project. In the laboratory, students have used geographic information systems to explore ranging behaviour, analysed parasites from wild primates and performed non-invasive hormone analysis.
Modules
Careers in conservation projects, research institutions, animal welfare groups or agencies, zoos, parks, environmental and animal charities; in roles such as researcher, conservation biologist and ecologist.
An opportunity to explore this cutting-edge field, where philosophy, psychology, neuroscience, linguistics, computer science and anthropology come together to discover how the mind works.
You’ll be based in the Department of Philosophy but you’re free to take any MA module in the departments of Archaeology, Human Communication Sciences, Linguistics and Psychology.
Lectures and seminars. Fortnightly supervision for guided reading.
You’ll write a long essay for each module and a dissertation.
If you’re going on to a PhD you may choose to write a PhD proposal.
The MSc Attachment Studies course provides students with a specific qualification in the assessment of child and adult attachment, parenting and family functioning. Designed for health and social care professionals, our aim is to prepare you to be at the forefront of the next generation of attachment scholars and practitioners.
This course is best suited for professionals who are interested in broadening their skills in assessing attachment, improving the outcome of interventions with their clients and conducting small or large scale research projects. Central to the programme is the Patricia Crittenden’s Dynamic Maturational Model of attachment combined with a culturally sensitive approach uniquely applicable to alleviate the suffering of distressed and traumatised people.
A unique feature of this programme is the opportunity to learn how to apply and conduct a wide range of assessments and procedures for forensic, clinical or research purposes. All students are required to learn to code at least one procedure where you will be able to achieve clinical or research levels of reliability in analysing the results. You can also learn to give and to analyse bio-physiological measures such as cortisol levels, EEG and heart rate variability.
Although this course does not offer therapeutic training, you will be taught by experts in the field to gain the necessary knowledge to formulate intervention plans and select therapeutic approaches that will benefit your clients.
You will gain a comprehensive understanding of attachment theory including the latest developments in the neuroscience of attachment relationships and parenting. Our systemic approach broadens the study of attachment from mothers and infants to the attachment of older children, adults, family systems and the wider social and community networks.
The interdisciplinary focus on both practice and research is invaluable for students interested in a research career in the field of attachment studies. Examples of recent and current PhD students’ research include the development of the Meaning of the Child to the Parent Interview, the physiology of developmental trauma (PTSD) in children, the effectiveness of play therapy with traumatised children, and attachment in chimpanzees reared by humans.
In this course, you will gain a variety of skillsets and knowledge through a substantial coverage of the underpinning attachment theory and research. This includes an understanding of the latest development in the neuroscience of attachment and trauma. You will study core concepts of attachment and Dynamic Maturational Model theory, family systems and object relations theory and primatology.
You will also gain a comprehensive knowledge in learning how to administer a wide range of validated attachment and family assessments applicable for use with adults and children of all ages. Examples of these procedures are:
This programme offers innovative modules such as the infant mental health module, research methods and the formulation of intervention plans. The infant mental health module is designed to deepen your knowledge of early years development and includes an introduction to the Infant CARE-Index. You will also observe a young child in a natural setting. Besides observing a traditional mother-child relationship, this assessment module also includes observations of older children, adults, family and wider systems.
The research methods module prepares you to design and carry out single case study or small sample empirical research. You will also be able to learn how to administer and analyse bio-physical assessments such as heart rate variability, cortisol and EGG and eye tracking.
The formulation module teaches you to interpret the results of attachment assessments and select the intervention most likely to succeed with a particular client or family. We also offer a forensic model of assessment designed for use with courts and other decision-making forums.
Modules
Here are examples of the modules:
Postgraduate Certificate
Designed for busy social care professionals, the Certificate in DMM Attachment based family assessment and intervention enables you to build upon your skills at a pace that suits you.
The Certificate is available for students who would like to apply directly to the University of Roehampton, or it can be delivered by your workplace for employees with a minimum of ten students.
Careers in psychology and social work.
Learn about primate behaviour, welfare and conservation on this masters course delivered by Liverpool John Moores University. You will be taught by world-leading experts and have access to excellent facilities in the UK and research sites overseas.
* The air fare, site accommodation and site costs are paid by Liverpool John Moores University. You will be required to meet other potential costs, such as field clothing, visas and immunisations if required.
What you will study on this degree
* Includes an overseas field trip to Tanzania, which is included in your course fees. This is a fantastic opportunity to observe primates in the wild. You will practice and develop advanced skills in behavioural observation, non-invasive sampling of health and welfare indicators and conservation monitoring. The field trip air fare, site accommodation and site costs are paid by Liverpool John Moores University. You will be required to meet other potential costs, such as field clothing, visas and immunisations if required.
Further guidance on modules
The information listed in the section entitled ‘What you will study’ is an overview of the academic content of the programme that will take the form of either core or option modules. Modules are designated as core or option in accordance with professional body requirements and internal Academic Framework review, so may be subject to change. Students will be required to undertake modules that the University designates as core and will have a choice of designated option modules. Additionally, option modules may be offered subject to meeting minimum student numbers.
Please email [email protected] if you require further guidance or clarification.
This programme is a pathways-based research degree, with a strong emphasis on the development of skills and specialism in Palaeoanthropology.
Palaeoanthropology (combining Palaeolithic archaeology, biological anthropology and genetics) is one of the fastest-changing disciplines. Beyond the headlines of “the earliest” and “the most advanced” lies a huge range of evidence to explore and master, focusing on how our early ancestors and their relatives lived their lives and responded to opportunities and setbacks. Here at Southampton we have particular strengths in social and technological responses of hominins (the species directly ancestral to our own) to changing environments and landscapes, and have been shaping the debates on these key aspects for several decades.
Palaeoanthropology is a pathway within the MSc degree, and it aims to give you a diverse and in-depth experience of the discipline’s key themes. There is a strong emphasis on the development of practical skills in the study of ancient material culture, in visiting some key Palaeolithic sites, and in reconstructing the environments and lifeways of our hominin ancestors. From seven million years ago, and Sahelanthropus tchadensis, to the molecular biology of Neanderthals and anatomically modern humans, and through to collections of beautiful American Palaeo-Indian Clovis points, this pathway master’s will prepare you for future research in human origins, or give you an in-depth understanding of our amazing evolutionary journey, depending on what you want out of your MSc.
You will acquire an expertise in looking at hominin material culture which will include a mixture of traditional techniques, as well as some of the ways of analysing artefacts that Southampton is pioneering. Students will also learn the latest theoretical issues in human evolution and engage with some of the most up to date arguments surrounding our ancient ancestors from staff actively shaping those debates. Students with an interest in general Prehistory will find many of the modules and topics available on the Palaeoanthropology Pathway of interest and relevance.
You will be based in the John Wymer Laboratory, which is CAHO’s (Centre for the Archaeology of Human Origins) nerve centre. Here you will have daily access to our extensive teaching collections of replica and real stone tools, our hominin skull collection, and a large library of original and rare offprints and books focused on our most ancient ancestors and their world as well as on modern-day primates. The Wymer is a lively research and teaching space where you will be in the company of other MSc students, as well as our Ph.D researchers. We also have an experimental knapping and ancient technology area, where you can use our equipment to test key questions. You will automatically be a member of CAHO, and can participate in all its various activities. You will also have the opportunity of taking modules in related subjects such as skeletal anatomy or evolutionary and molecular biology to broaden your knowledge base.
Through CAHO you will be linked to a huge network of Human Origins teachers and researchers who are at the forefront of their disciplines. We aim to provide an enjoyable but challenging experience and convince you that the interdisciplinary study of hominin ‘deep history’, understanding who and what we are, and how behaviours developed, is one of our greatest intellectual journeys.
You will engage with hands-on, real-world archaeological materials and situations, including opportunities to collaborate with a range of stakeholders and partners in the archaeological sector through a professional placement. By these means you will acquire skills for vocational employment or subsequent PhD research. Your programme will be embedded within Southampton Archaeology’s distinctive research culture, with world-class expertise, diverse practice, and contacts with the commercial environment and the heritage sector.
The specialism in Palaeoanthropology includes elements that familiarise you with human evolution; primatology; early tool manufacture and use; cognitive and anthropological approaches to the human past; and key debates in British and European prehistory from our earliest ancestors onwards.
Important aspects of the programme are available across all specialisms. These include the compulsory dissertation module, which should focus on an area of your specialism, if you have chosen one. Furthermore, modules from each pathway are open to you as options, regardless of your chosen specialism. By these means you will be able to build a personalised and flexible programme tailored to your needs.
This programme includes opportunities for credit-bearing placements within organisations involved in commercial archaeology, heritage management, fieldwork projects and/or museums. The placements are typically organised by the University, and may be available to students following all specialisms, or crossing between them.
View the programme specification document for this course
