Masters Degrees (Race Relations)

This MSc provides a detailed and systematic understanding of the international relations of the Americas, with regard both to inter-American relations and relations with the world beyond. The programme’s graduates have established careers in research, journalism, teaching and policy formulation and implementation in both government agencies and NGOs.

Degree information

This programme, which is unique in the UK, introduces students to skills essential for the analytical study of the international relations of the Americas and assessment of the hemispherical and global issues currently facing foreign policymakers in the nation states of the Americas.

Students undertake modules to the value of 180 credits.

The programme consists of three core module (45 credits), three optional modules (45 credits) and a dissertation (90 credits). Please note: all option modules are subject to availability.

Core modules
-International Politics of Latin America
-Post-Cold War US Foreign Policy
-Either Researching the Americas: Latin America and the Caribbean
OR
-Researching the Americas: The United States

Optional modules - students choose three option modules from a selection that includes the following:
-Politics of US Foreign Policy
-The Politics of Human Rights in Latin America
-US Presidents and the Presidency
-The Making of Modern Latin America: History, Politics and Society
-Latin American Economics: Beyond Neoliberalism
-The Culture Wars: Arenas and Issues in Contemporary US Political Conflict
-Confronting the Colossus: US Anti-Imperialism, 1945-present
-Money and Politics in Latin America
-Latin American Political Economy
-Histories of Exclusion: Race and Ethnicity in Latin America
-Key Economic Thinkers of Latin America
-Democratization in Latin America
-Social and Economic Development of Contemporary Brazil
-Race and US Foreign Policy

Students may choose elective modules up to a maximum of 30 credits from other UCL departments or University of London colleges, subject to the Programme Director's approval.

Dissertation/report
All students undertake an independent research project which culminates in a dissertation of 15,000 words (90 credits).

Teaching and learning
The programme is delivered through a combination of seminars, lectures, presentations, independent reading and research. Assessment is through written assignments including essays and primary source analysis, and a dissertation.

Fieldwork
Many of our Master's students undertake fieldwork in order to carry out research for their dissertation projects. There may be travel costs associated with fieldwork. The institute has limited funds available to students to help towards the costs of fieldwork. These funds are awarded on a competitive basis on the criteria of academic performance to date, the quality of the research proposal and the importance of fieldwork for completing the research.

Careers

Graduates of this programme are well placed to use their skills and knowledge to find employment in government, business, journalism, finance and international NGOs, teaching, or for further research in this field.

Employability
This MSc enhances employability for those interested in careers in the diplomatic service, think tanks, journalism, and business with Americas markets.

Why study this degree at UCL?

The UCL Institute of the Americas occupies a unique position at the core of academic study of the region in the UK, promoting, co-ordinating and providing a focus for research and postgraduate teaching on the Americas - Canada, the Caribbean, Latin America and the United States.

The institute actively maintains and builds ties with cultural, diplomatic and business organisations with interests in the Americas, and provides resources to the wider academic community, serving and strengthening national networks of North Americanist, Latin Americanist and Caribbeanist scholars.

Students benefit from tuition by world-leading scholars in an academic environment at the cutting-edge of research in the humanities and social sciences.

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The MA Program in Cultural Diplomacy and International Sport is offered by the University of the West of Scotland in partnership with the Academy for Cultural Diplomacy.
.

Credits - 90 ECTS Credits

Length - 2 Trimesters (plus Dissertation)

Location - Paisley, Scotland and Berlin, Germany

Tuition - €9,000

Sport has come to occupy a central role in the economic, physical, psychological and socio-cultural fabric of nation states. Historical and cultural identity cannot be reflected, understood or critiqued without recourse to the place and influence of sport. Importantly, and despite the rhetoric of politicians and governing bodies, sport is a powerful political vehicle. As a driver of economic wealth, tourist attraction, business development and urban regeneration sport is a major plinth in the policy process. Moreover, in a techno-cultural age of digital and social immediacy, sport has become a key media and experiential spectacular, constantly deployed across the geo-political stage. Modern sport is now a global power player intrinsic to the perpetuation of the spectacle of consumer capitalism, which solidifies its status as a primary vehicle of cultural diplomacy.
Sport, sport events and the media are, more than ever, intrinsically linked. The trajectory of such a union is traced through the rise of the hallmark, major and mega events (e.g. Olympics and World Cup), which see the mediatisation of experience subtly mixed with the pride and prestige with identity politics and ideological power (Getz, 2014). Whether the propaganda of Nazi Germany, race relations of Mexico Olympics, terrorism of Munich Olympics, 1980s Cold War boycotts, favela clearances of 2016 Rio World Cup to human rights and FIFA allegations of 2022 Qatar World Cup sport is embedded in the arena of political contestation. The role of sport as a vehicle for peace and development are increasingly promoted by governing bodies of sport and ambassadors for developing nations. Again cultural diplomacy comes to the forefront with sport as we see governing bodies of sporting events, policy institutions and transnational corporations assert counter-discourses that see sport claimed as a supranational values vehicle for peace, human rights and equality. Whether in the bidding phase, lead up, mediatised event or post-event legacy and leverage claims sporting events bring geopolitical differences to the fore. This MA blends expertise in sport with that of cultural diplomacy to ensure the sporting leaders or diplomats of the future are prepared to deal with the global sporting arena and its potential political, social and cultural outcomes.
The program provides students with expertise in the field of International Sport and Cultural Diplomacy, a new and attractive field of studies, which is currently offered as an academic field only through the Center for Cultural Diplomacy Studies of the Institute for Cultural Diplomacy. This particular emphasis on Cultural Diplomacy and its historical and contemporary application in the public sector, private sector and civil society, provides students with expertise in three distinct academic fields, thus with an academic and practical advantage in the European and Global Arena.

The program addresses contemporary international issues, with classroom seminars and lectures, as well as online resources including vodcasts, recorded lecturers and presentations. Additionally, educational & cultural events, conferences, professional trainings, tours, visits and meetings with foreign officials, are further incorporated into the curriculum. Students will meet with leading experts working in international organizations, embassies, and academic institutions, and will engage with specialists in the areas of International Events, Sport, Sport Media, Sport Policy, Culture, Communication, Politics, Human Rights, Culture, Peace Building, Multilateral Diplomacy, Conflict Resolution, and Development.

The program provides students with practical experience for both academic and professional development, preparing students for careers in diverse fields, such as international sport events, sports policy, sport governing bodies, international relations, conferences and events, the humanities, politics, and culture, foreign policy and international policy. On a practical level, the international environment of the Center for Cultural Diplomacy Studies offers students a unique opportunity to interact with leading experts and academics at a wide variety of international organizations and research centers. This exceptional learning environment leads to original research and independent study opportunities. It allows students to create a solid professional network and form a concrete base for future academic and professional career choices, preparing students for engagement in the international arena, civil society, politics, governmental organizations and international economic organizations, as well as the private sector.

Program Structure
The program consists of 90 ECTS credits in total and has duration of two trimesters, and a Thesis to be submitted towards the completion of the program. The first trimester of the program is hosted by the University of the West of Scotland in Paisley and the second trimester is hosted by the Institute for Cultural Diplomacy in Berlin.

The program follows the conventional university structure of a one year academic program divided into two trimesters, where Students are offered elective courses to accompany mandatory courses, a professional development experience and the final thesis.

Enrolments to the Program are possible towards the Fall, Winter and Spring semesters’ start each year.

For start Winter 2017 (February 8th, 2017)

Deadline for late admissions: December 31st, 2016

Next start:

Spring Semester 2017- April 11th, 2017 , Deadline for admissions: January 15th, 2017

For more information please visit: http://www.ccds-berlin.de and .http://www.ccds-berlin.de/index.php?en_uws_macd-is

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Urban Sociology and Environmental psychology are interdisciplinary fields focused on the sociological study of life and human interaction in metropolitan areas and the interplay between individuals and their surroundings as well as the role of cities in the development of the society as whole.This module introduces the students to the major theoretical formulations and models in the area of environmental psychology related to people and places, such as privacy, personal space, place attachment and environmental restoration such as place identity, place attachment, environmental consciousness, behavior settings and others. Also the course explores new urban theory, as well as the evolution of cities including suburbanization, race relations, gentrification, street life, sustainability (economic, social and environmental), redevelopment, urban politics, and key international comparisons. Readings in the course focus on theory, specific cities, and environmental concerns. Course will also address issues such as effects of the economic crisis on housing markets, democracy on public policy, and questions of social status, gender, lifestyles, and culture on urban development. Relationships between the physical environment, natural and human-made, and the behavior of human beings will be studied in-depth; focus is on perceptual, cognitive, and motivational aspects of the human-environmental interaction. Specific physical settings will be studied from the behavioral aspects in relation to issues of spatial determinism.

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The MA Postcolonial Studies Programme offers a focus on the historical relationships of power, domination and practices of imperialism and colonialism in the modern period (late nineteenth-century to the present) through the study of literature and culture.

The core module will introduce a variety of theoretical and methodological approaches to the literature, film and media of these areas. A range of literary, filmic and theoretical texts from Africa, Asia, the Caribbean and the Near and Middle East will normally be included in the reading list. These will address representations of colonialism and decolonisation, neo-colonialism, nationalism in postcolonial societies and diasporic experiences, allowing us to explore the heterogeneous meanings, intersections and strategies of analysis that have emerged with reference to postcolonial studies.

Attention will be paid to colonial and postcolonial constructs such as: the Oriental, the Global, the Cosmopolitan, the Third World and the multicultural. The core module of the programme introduces and analyses interdisciplinary theories and ideological practices around a set of historical and current issues from various regions of Asia and Africa. The range of minors offers students more opportunities to explore interdisciplinarity and regional specificities.

Why this programme is special at SOAS

Postcolonial MA Programmes offered in London and other UK institutions are located within the field of English Studies or the Social Sciences. The Centre for Cultural, Literary and Postcolonial Studies (CCLPS) is uniquely positioned to offer an inter-disciplinary Postcolonial Studies MA programme which gives students an opportunity to understand and negotiate the field of postcolonial studies with recourse to interdisciplinarity and to theoretical explications from the regions of Asia, Africa and the Middle East. SOAS offers a unique range of regional expertise available amongst the CCLPS’s faculty membership. The Programme also offers a timely intervention at a time when there is a national and international crisis in the understanding of multiculturalism, race relations and religious and national affiliations.

Visit the website http://www.soas.ac.uk/cclps/degrees/mapostcolstud/

Programme Specification

MA Postcolonial Studies Programme Specifications 2012-13 (pdf; 39kb) - http://www.soas.ac.uk/cclps/degrees/mapostcolstud/file68679.pdf

Employment

MA Post Colonial Studies graduates gain competency in intercultural awareness and understanding. Familiarity with the subject wiill be developed through the study of literature, film and media of these areas. Graduates leave SOAS with a portfolio of widely transferable skills which employers seek in many professional and management careers, both in business and in the public sector. These include:written and oral communication skills; attention to detail; analytical and problem-solving skills; and the ability to research, amass and order information from a variety of sources. 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/).

Faculty of Languages and Cultures

Six of the academic departments are devoted to teaching and research in the languages, literatures and cultures of Africa, China and Inner Asia, Japan and Korea, the Near and Middle East, South Asia, and South East Asia, with the seventh teaching and conducting research in Linguistics. The Language Centre caters to the needs of non-degree students and governmental and non-governmental organisations. It maintains a huge portfolio of courses, including year-long diploma programmes, weekly evening classes in about 40 different African and Asian languages, and tailored intensive one-to-one courses. The Language Centre also offers courses in French, Portuguese and Spanish.

Their teaching is in three main areas:
- language competence acquisition;
- textual and cultural studies - both comparative and language-specific, and covering not only 'literature' in a strict sense but also visual media, performance, folklore, translation etc.;
- language studies with linguistics at its core - including the prestigious Hans Rausing Endangered Languages Project.

The Faculty is also home to the Centre for Cultural, Literary and Postcolonial Studies (CCLPS) (http://www.soas.ac.uk/cclps/).

While SOAS as a whole represents the most substantial concentration in the Western world of expertise dedicated to African, Middle Eastern and Asian studies, the Faculty of Languages and Cultures is heavily committed to teaching and research grounded in a knowledge of the principal languages and cultures of two thirds of humankind.

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

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Development and expansion in undergraduate studies in religion and belief, together with the expansion of national and international ‘faith awareness’ initiatives, has resulted in a high demand for postgraduate studies within this discipline.

The programme explores the impact and influence religion and belief has on social structures, community, politics, economics, policy (education), citizenship, culture & identity, sexuality, pluralism, spirituality, and national & international relationships. The MA also introduces critical analysis of ethics, systems of belief, human rights and social justice issues and the application of these concepts within lived environments from diverse religious perspectives.

The programme is of interest to both graduates and practitioners who wish to specialise further in Religion, Culture & Society. Graduates may wish to extend their knowledge to prepare for academic and professional careers in the private or public sector.

INDUSTRY LINKS

The RCS team at UCLan have a wide variety of links with local, national and international faith and intercultural forums, faith schools and academic institutions, all of which provide valuable contacts for students wishing to enter professions related to Teaching, Ministry, inter-faith and inter-cultural dialogue and relations. RCS also work with charity organisations both home and abroad and global outreach programmes. Further details and contacts are available from members of the RCS teaching team.

LEARNING ENVIRONMENT AND ASSESSMENT

Students may study the MA full time over one year or part time over two or three years. In either case students will be required to successfully complete six MA modules and one MA dissertation (the dissertation is equivalent to 3 x modules). Each module requires an estimated 2 hours class contact per week plus extensive reading and dedicated personal study.

We strive to give our students key employability and transferable skills which will serve them in the world of work. Our assessment practices illustrate a move away from exams and essays per se and incorporate a move towards a more inclusive assessment which benefits our diverse student body. Assessment strategies include coursework, individual and group presentations, individual and/or group projects, reviews and ICT interaction.

OPPORTUNITIES

Religion, Culture & Society (RCS) also includes field trips to national and international places of interest such as; Rome, Istanbul, Auschwitz, Liverpool Cathedrals, Ladywelle Pilgrimage and Shrine, the Hindu Temple etc. Although these trips are optional to MA students, they aim to draw attention to shared values, beliefs and practices, and supports students in achieving a mutual appreciation of different faiths and traditions. The international trips in particular aim to develop an experienced awareness of cultural heritage, traditions and practices of different faiths, and widen students’ appreciation of how those faiths and belief systems interact within lived environments, communities and in different social settings. Thus enhancing not only MA provision but also the learning experience and the environment where that learning experience takes place.

The programme is of interest to both graduates and practitioners who wish to specialise further in Religion, Culture and Society. Graduates may wish to extend their knowledge to prepare for academic and professional careers in the private or public sector, including local government, race relations officers, ministry, equality/diversity training officers, social services, social welfare, community development, youth work, research, education and communication support workers, lecturing in further or higher education. Practitioners may wish to update their knowledge or gain a higher qualification for personal or professional development. The programme will also appeal to working individuals who are interested in the range of topics offered and do not wish to specialise in a rigidly defined Theology based MA programme. In addition, many students are currently seeking Masters’ programmes as a way of weathering the economic recession.

RCS offers progression routes onto PGCE courses for graduates wishing to develop a career in teaching. There are also opportunities to further study for PhD or professional doctorate.

FURTHER INFORMATION

The MA in Religion, Culture & Society brings together disciplines of Theology, Philosophy, Sociology and International Relations – a very innovative, exciting and challenging post-graduate degree award.

The whole philosophy of the Religion, Culture and Society MA is to promote inclusively, encourage reflection on interfaith dialogue and highlight the important contribution religion and belief can make to community cohesion and the combating of religious prejudice and discrimination (QCA & DfES, 2004). The MA evaluates how and why the role of religion and culture has changed within society, and explores the impact and influence of religion and belief within economical, political and social constructs. Religion and faith is critically analysed within the framework of theistic and atheistic approaches to sexuality, spirituality, human rights, territory and space and cultural relationships. The application of classical and contemporary theological and philosophical concepts and theories of faith are examined in relation to lived environments.

The MA in Religion, Culture and Society embodies and supports the objectives outlined in the AHSS 2007-2012 strategy, is aligned to Theology and Religious Studies benchmarks, HEQ (2008) descriptors and is situated specifically within a social science framework. The course supports a pluralistic perspective on and within religion and belief traditions, and engages with a range of methods of study, explores a number of interesting and challenging modules and includes and a diversified range of assessment practices.

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The United States is the most influential nation in the world. However, a number of challenges in recent years have called into question the sustainability of American leadership abroad and prosperity at home. These include, but are not limited to, the notion of American decline in relation to rising powers such as China: a political system that appears to have entered an extended period of dysfunction; recurring problems in race relations; and rising economic inequality. This MA degree programme, which is the first of its kind in Europe or North America, allows students to explore in depth the foreign policy and political challenges facing the United States. Drawing upon the disciplines of history and political science, it explores a wide variety of topics such as the origins of American exceptionalism, the importance placed upon individual liberty, the emergence of the US as a world power, the Cold War, transatlantic relations, presidential and congressional election, race and gender, partisanship and more. Modules in this programme are taught by resident UCD faculty and by visiting lecturers, who will consider theoretical and practical perspectives. The programme will interest those seeking a career in government, media, in the non-profit sector, in business and those hoping to undertake advanced study in these areas.

“Having spent years working in news I’d always wanted to get behind the headlines. This masters offers a fascinating insight into the policies, ideologies and people that have shaped the US and thus our world order”. – Niamh

CURRICULUM

This is a 90 credit programme, of which 60 credits come from taught modules and 30 from a dissertation. 50 credits are from core modules and the remaining 10 from a list of options available through other Schools.
Type of modules you could expect to take but is subject to change each year include:
American Political Tradition
Foundations of US Foreign Policy
American Politics Today
Challenges in Contemporary US Foreign Policy

Eligibility

Applicants for the MA should hold one of the following qualifications:
• A first class or second class, grade 1 degree
• A US or Canadian degree with a GPA of 3.0
• If an applicant doesn’t meet the normal entry requirement of a Level 8 degree, in exceptional circumstances they would normally • • present another qualification or award along with extensive work experience in order to be considered.

To Apply

– http://www.ucd.ie/apply

Queries can be directed to, Catherine Carey, Manager

[email protected]
http://www.ucdclinton.ie

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On the MA International Politics, you will learn from world-leading academics who are pushing the boundaries of the discipline to develop fresh perspectives and ideas. The MA in International Politics consolidates International Relations and Security Studies in masters programme. The core themes covered in this programme are:
• International Relations
• Global politics
• Security studies
• Sociological IR
• Critical non-western and feminist perspectives

As well as deepening your understanding of mainstream approaches, you will be exposed to important new analytical insights such as sociological understandings of international relations, critical security studies, non-Western international relations, and intersectionality.

You will critically engage with the discipline to consider both the formal and informal power relationships within world politics, an awareness of the importance of cultural and social practices, and an ability to question some of the assumptions that have traditionally defined the discipline to the exclusion of important issues such as gender, race and class. As well as focusing on critical theoretical debates, students on the MA in International Politics will also explore the real world in all its complexity, and you will be able to choose from innovative modules that examine the most urgent issues in world politics.

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Our social world is changing all the time and there is a growing demand by employers for expert social researchers. This course is designed to give you the extra edge needed in a competitive job market.

UEL offers you a unique chance to study sociology at a university based at the heart of an area experiencing the quickest rate of social change in Europe. You will benefit from being taught by academic staff at the cutting edge of research who have excellent links to the communities developing around the campus.

We will introduce you to a variety of research methods and topics of study and give you advanced training in key sociological theories to enhance your understanding of the changes and crises associated with the modern era.

The course uniquely encourages students to consider contemporary debates through an attention to the local area and includes opportunities to carry out research in collaboration with organisations and research partners.

WHAT YOU WILL STUDY

During this one-year course (or two years part-time) you will receive advanced training in social research and sociological theory as well as furthering your understanding of key substantive areas of research such as urban change, class, gender, race, terrorism, nationalism and social policy.

You will also have the opportunity to carry out an original piece of research under the close supervision of one of our faculty members.

The course is designed to give you the opportunity to:
• Acquire postgraduate training in sociology and allied social sciences, particularly in relation to social research methods and theory development;
• Gain an understanding of how debates in sociology relate to local and global social contexts, as well as historical and contemporary events;
• Acquire the skills and training necessary for a wide range of employment opportunities in social research and analysis;
• Gain the knowledge and credentials necessary to conduct doctoral study in sociology and other social science disciplines.
You will complete one optional module and core modules on Theorising Modernity, Understanding Crises, Framing Questions, Locating Research and Themes and Issues in Sociology as well as writing a master’s dissertation.

YOUR FUTURE CAREER

Graduates with social science master’s degrees are in high demand. According to recent data, social science graduates are more likely to be in paid employment than arts or science graduates, and more likely to be in managerial roles.

This new course provides graduates with the research skills and expertise needed to respond to a wide range of employment opportunities in diverse sectors.

This includes helping local and national governments seeking to understand the impact of policy decisions, working with NGOs who are looking to inform the public about neglected aspects of society or advising corporations on how to market their products effectively.

Our academic team are involved in groundbreaking research in key areas of sociology, including culture, nationalism, race, ethnicity, gender, class and social change.

They have excellent contacts, too, which will enable you to learn practical skills in the heart of east London. We have embedded our learning and research practice in the rapid changes and complex relations of this urban laboratory.

This is a unique opportunity to develop and refine your skills of research, analysis and collaboration in an environment that reflects some of the most pressing social questions of our time. You will be well prepared for your new role and future career.

MODULES

Theorising Modernity, Understanding Crises (core)
Framing Questions, Locating Research (core)
Themes and Issues in Sociology (core)
Critical Theories of International Relations (optional)
Global Environmental Politics (optional)
Introduction to Forced Migration (optional)
Current Issues in Forced Migration (optional)
Landscapes of power and rights (optional)
Masters Dissertation (core)

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The Social Justice and Education MA will help students to identify, examine and understand key sociological and philosophical perspectives on social justice, including issues of race, class, gender and sexuality and education. Participants will explore the personal and political dimensions of social justice concerns and develop their professional, practical and research skills in this area.

Degree information

This programme provides students with the opportunity to address, in a unique way, the complex links between social justice and education, focusing on key current policy and political debates about the role of education. They will also be able to develop, extend and reflect on their own professional interests, concerns and practice and how to address pressing issues of social justice in their everyday profesional and personal lives. Through their engagmeent with cutting edge research in this area they will learn tools for fighting for social justice and transformation in the educational areas relevant for them.

Students undertake modules to the value of 180 credits.

The programme consists of two core modules (60 credits), two optional modules (60 credits) and a dissertation (60 credits), or a report (30 credits) and a third optional module (30 credits).

Core modules
-Sociology of Education
-Understanding Education Research

Optional modules
-Gender, Sexuality and Education
-Rights and Education
-Understanding Educational Policy
-Sociology of 'Race' and Education
-Theoretical Foundations of Educational Ideas
-Gender, Education and Development
-Values, Aims and Society
-Students can also choose from a wide range of Master's-level optional modules across the UCL Institute of Education offering.

Dissertation/report
All students undertake an independent research project which culminates in a dissertation of 20,000 words or a report of 10,000 words.

Teaching and learning
The programme is delivered through a mixed mode, including face-to-face evening sessions and interactive online learning in a combination of teaching and learning styles. Sometimes a conventional lecture-based approach is taken, with the aim of providing an overview of the field. Lectures are usually followed by open discussion or group work. At other times a seminar format is adopted involving, for example, group discussion of set reading, a video or an introductory presentation. Assessment is through coursework essay assignments, plus submission of a report or dissertation.

Careers

Graduates of this programme are currently working across a broad range of areas. Some are leaders, managers, teachers and practitioners in the compulsory education sector across international contexts. Many are working as professionals in NGO organisations specialising in social justice across many countries such as Chille, Japan, Canada and the UK. Graduates can also be found working as civil servants and goverment officials. In addition, many find places in the higher education sector including across a range of professional roles, as researchers, and as university lecturers worldwide.

Employability
Students develop the capacity to:
-Reflect critically on debates concerning education and social justice across diverse contexts.
-Understand the ways in which knowledge forms, and is formed by, education politics, policy, practice and research .
-Consider the implications of theory, research and analyses about social justice in education and how it can impact their own future practice and professional development.
-Use oral and written communication skills in order to make arguments, examine evidence and creatively advance social justice and education.
-Understand processes entailed in social science and philosophical research and conduct their own unique research in the area of social justice and education.

Why study this degree at UCL?

The Department of Education, Practice and Society at UCL Institute of Education (IOE) is home to an interdisciplinary grouping bringing together high-quality teaching and research in the sociology, philosophy and history of education, international development, post-compulsory and vocational education and higher education.

The Social Justice and Education MA is taught by world-leading sociologists and philosophers within the department who have expertise in theory, research methods, policy analysis and impacting social change. They are experts in issues such as equality and human rights, gender, 'race', sexuality, youth, disability and social class. Those teaching are active researchers and will introduce the latest research and developments in their fields.

This programme explores sociological and philosophical perspectives on social justice and equalities and also explores processes of social transformation and change. Key issues debated include understanding and responding to social and educational disparities in international contexts. The programme equips students with essential theoretical and methodological research skills for critically engaging with social justice issues including understanding power relations from various perspectives. The MA attracts a diversity of both home and international students thus providing excellent educational and professional networking opportunities.

Students gain invaluable opportunities to study with leading scholars and a cohort of internationally diverse students across the IOE MA cluster in sociology, social justice and policy studies in education.

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Taught in the critical tradition of Kent Law School, this programme examines the theory and practice of human rights law, international criminal law, humanitarian law, transitional justice, migration law and other fields in the context of different policy areas and various academic disciplines.

It is particularly suited to those who currently work in, or hope to work in, international organisations, non-governmental organisations, international law firms and foreign affairs departments.

The programme is delivered at our Brussels School of International Studies (BSIS) in conjunction with our law school.

- Extended programme

The extended programme allows students the opportunity to study their subject in greater detail, choosing a wider range of modules, and also provides the opportunity to spend one term at the Canterbury campus. The extended programme is ideal for students who require extra credits, or would like to have more time to pursue an internship.

Visit the website https://www.kent.ac.uk/courses/postgraduate/772/human-rights-law

Course structure

We are committed to offering flexible study options at the School and enable you to tailor your degree to meet your needs by offering start dates in September and January; full- and part-time study; split-site options, and allowing students to combine two fields of study leading to a degree that reflects both disciplines.

Specialisations

The LLM in Human Rights Law allows students to choose secondary areas of specialisation from the range of programmes offered at BSIS. Thus, a focused programme of study can be constructed by studying Human Rights Law in the context of International Relations; International Conflict and Security; International Migration, and other subject areas we cover.

This leads to the award of an LLM degree in, for example, 'Human Rights Law with International Migration'.

Standard and extended versions

The LLM is offered in both a standard version (90 ECTS credits) and an extended version (120 ECTS credits) and in each case students may take the programme with or without a secondary specialisation. Those on the extended version will take more modules to gain extra credit.

Research areas

- European and Comparative Law

European and Comparative Law is being conducted both at an individual level as well as at the Kent Centre for European and Comparative Law, which was established in 2004 with a view to providing a framework for the further development of the Law School’s research and teaching activities in this area. Research and teaching reaches from general areas of comparative and European public and private law to more specialised areas and specific projects.

- Governance and Regulation

Legal research involves studying processes of regulation and governance. This research cluster focuses on the character of regulation and governance to critically understand the different modes through which governing takes place such as the conditions, relations of power and effects of governance and regulation. Work within this area is methodologically diverse.

Intellectually, it draws on a range of areas including socio-legal studies; Foucauldian perspectives on power and governmentality; Actor Network Theory; feminist political theory and political economy; postcolonial studies; continental political philosophy; and cultural and utopian studies.

- International Law

The starting point for research in international law at Kent Law School is that international law is not apolitical and that its political ideology reflects the interests of powerful states and transnational economic actors. In both research and teaching, staff situate international law in the context of histories of colonialism to analyse critically its development, doctrines and ramifications.

Critical International Law at KLS engages with theories of political economy, international relations and gender and sexuality to contribute to scholarly and policy debates across the spectrum of international law, which includes public, economic, human rights, criminal and commercial law. Scholars at the Centre for Critical International Law engage in the practical application of international law through litigation, training, research and consultancies for international organisations, NGOs and states.

- Law and Political Economy & Law and Development

Law and its relation to political economy are addressed from a variety of angles, including the exploration of the micro- and macrolevel of economic regulations as well as theoretical aspects of law and political economy.

- Legal Theories and Philosophy

Identifying the fact that several academics do work in cultural theory and political theory (including on normative concepts, religion and the state). While feminist and critical legal theories are focal points at Kent Law School, the departmental expertise also covers more essential aspects such as classical jurisprudence and the application of philosophy to law.

Other research areas within KLS include:

- human rights
- labour law
- law and culture
- law, science and technology
- legal methods and epistemology
- public law
- race, religion and the law.

Careers

Employability is a key focus throughout the University and at Kent Law School you have the support of a dedicated Employability and Career Development Officer together with a broad choice of work placement opportunities, employability events and careers talks. Details of graduate internship schemes with NGOs, charities and other professional organisations are made available to postgraduate students via the School’s Employability Blog.

Many students at our Brussels centre who undertake internships are offered contracts in Brussels immediately after graduation. Others have joined their home country’s diplomatic service, entered international organisations, or have chosen to undertake a ‘stage’ at the European Commission, or another EU institution.

Law graduates have gone on to careers in finance, international commerce, government and law or have joined, or started, an NGO or charity.

Kent has an excellent record for postgraduate employment: over 94% of our postgraduate students who graduated in 2013 found a job or further study opportunity within six months.

Find out how to apply here - https://www.kent.ac.uk/courses/postgraduate/apply/

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This multidisciplinary MA comprises a broad range of specialist modules in the humanities and social sciences, bringing together the academic expertise of the institute with United States specialists from other UCL departments and University of London colleges. The programme's graduates have established careers in research, journalism, teaching and policy formulation and implementation in both government agencies and NGOs.

Degree information

Students will develop analytical and critical perspectives in multidisciplinary aspects of US history, politics, cultural studies and international relations, depending on their chosen areas of specialisation. They will gain key research skills, enhance their capacity for oral and written presentation, and develop their knowledge of up-to-date scholarship and theoretical/conceptual debates in United States studies.

Students undertake modules to the value of 180 credits. The programme consists of one core module (15 credits), five optional modules (75 credits), and the research dissertation (90 credits). Please note: All optional modules are subject to availability.

Core module
-Researching the Americas: The USA

Optional modules - students choose five optional modules from a selection that includes the following:
-Confronting the Colossus: US Anti-imperialism, 1945-present
-The Culture Wars: Arenas and Issues in Contemporary US Political Conflict
-From Emancipation to Massive Resistance: Race, Racism and the African American Freedom Struggle 1865-1960
-From Skid Row to Obamacare: The Politics of Social Welfare in the United States Since 1900
-From the Civil Rights Revolution to Obama: Race, Racism and the African American Freedom Struggle in Modern America
-Politics of US Foreign Policy
-Post-Cold War US Foreign Policy
-US Presidents and the Presidency
-Race and US Foreign Policy
-From the New South to the Modern South: The (Re)Making of an American Region

Of the 75 optional module credits, students can choose a maximum of 30 credits from other departments or from other University of London colleges, subject to the Programme Director's approval.

Dissertation/report
All students write a dissertation of 15,000 words (90 credits) on a research topic of their choice linked to the subject area of one of their taught modules.

Teaching and learning
The programme is delivered through a combination of seminars, lectures, presentations, research skills training, independent reading and research. Assessment is through written assignments (which may include essays, term papers and analytical exercises, depending on selected options), group and seminar presentations, and the dissertation.

Fieldwork
Many of our Master's students undertake fieldwork in order to carry out research for their dissertation projects. There may be travel costs associated with fieldwork. The institute has limited funds available to students to help towards the costs of fieldwork. These funds are awarded on a competitive basis on the criteria of academic performance to date, the quality of the research proposal and the importance of fieldwork for completing the research.

Careers

Graduates of this programme will be well placed to use their skills and knowledge to find employment in government, business, journalism, finance and international NGOs, and teaching, or to engage in doctoral research in this field.

Top career destinations for this degree:
-Junior Research Executive, UKTV
-Justice Committee Support Assistant, House of Commons
-Administration Manager, University College London (UCL)
-Interpreter and Translator, National Register of Public Service Interpreters (NRPSI)
-PhD US History, University College London (UCL)

Employability
Our graduates enter wide-ranging occupations, the most subject-specific becoming university lecturers in the UK and US. Students have drawn on broader skills of communication, research, and presentation developed through the programme to obtain posts in the civil service (mainly Foreign Commonwealth Office), other public services, think tanks (such as the Henry Jackson Society), university administration, secondary school teaching, and management positions in the private sector. Those interested in careers in national government, and think tanks have particular opportunities to interact and develop networks with representative members of these communities who participate in our rich US events programme.

Why study this degree at UCL?

The Institute of the Americas occupies a unique position at the core of academic study of the region in the UK, promoting, co-ordinating and providing a focus for research and postgraduate teaching on the Americas, including Canada, the Caribbean, Latin America and the United States.

The institute actively maintains and builds ties with cultural, diplomatic and business organisations with interests in the Americas, and provides resources to the wider academic community, serving and strengthening national networks of North Americanist, Latin Americanist and Caribbeanist scholars.

Students benefit from tuition by world-leading scholars in an academic environment at the cutting edge of research in the humanities and social sciences.

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This interdisciplinary Master’s programme provides an opportunity for you to deconstruct the American experience at an advanced level.

It interrogates, challenges and moves beyond the Exceptionalist rhetoric and nation-states ideology of traditional American Studies to consider the USA, and its neighbours, in an insightful, challenging and relevant way.

You develop specialist knowledge and research skills in a range of disciplines by navigating complex historical, cultural, geo-political and environmental issues. A sophisticated awareness of the reach (and the limitations) of US hegemony, as well as issues of cultural collision, media penetration, region and identity, give our graduates an intellectual grounding well-suited to many careers, in addition to a solid foundation for graduate work at MPhil or PhD level.

About the Centre for American Studies

American Studies at Kent dates back to 1973 and, over the last few decades, has developed a strong research culture; this matches the commitment of the University to interdisciplinary study as well as the mandate of American Studies to explore the American experience in ground-breaking ways.

Our team of scholars maintains close links with a number of North and South American research institutions and archives, and the University’s Templeman Library houses impressive collections on slavery, Native American culture, and photography/visual materials.

We treat the American experience in a critical and reflective manner, and offer an extremely good base for postgraduate study. While able to supervise a wide range of American topics, the Centre currently operates three specialist research clusters of particular interest to candidates:

- The American West
- The Study of US Environmental Issues
- The Study of Race, Ethnicity and Borders.

Course structure

You take a compulsory 30 credit module ‘Transnational American Studies: Research and Approaches’. This is a year-long module designed to introduce key modes of analysis in transnational and interdisciplinary study as well as consider different methodologies, themes and intellectual debates. Assessment includes an extended essay, seminar presentation and a critical review of an academic research paper.

You also select 90 credits from a range of optional modules, spread across at least two disciplines. Optional modules vary year to year and below is a selection of recent modules on offer:

- American Cold War Propaganda

- Geiger Counter at Ground Zero: Explorations of Nuclear America

- From Wounded Knee to the Little Bighorn Casino: The Vietnam War in American History

- American Narrative in the Age of Postmodernism

- American Modernism

- Boundary Busting and Border Crossing

- Myth, Image, Fashion and Propaganda in the Cuban Revolutionary Era

- History and Memory

- American Foreign Policy

The remaining 60 credits are made up with a Dissertation. Written over the summer term, this 12,000 word extended study allows students to work on their own research project based on primary research. You have the opportunity to present your ideas as part of workshop sessions on researching American Studies in the core course and receive supervision from an academic specialist.

Modules

The following modules are indicative of those offered on this programme. This list is based on the current curriculum and may change year to year in response to new curriculum developments and innovation. Most programmes will require you to study a combination of compulsory and optional modules. You may also have the option to take modules from other programmes so that you may customise your programme and explore other subject areas that interest you.

Assessment

Assessment for this course includes an extended essay, seminar presentation and a critical review of an academic research paper.

Programme aims

This programme aims to:

- provide you with a thorough grounding in the techniques and approaches necessary for advanced research in American Studies.

- promote interdisciplinarity as a conceptual mode of theory and analysis (encourage you to ‘operate across disciplines, learning how to integrate a variety of approaches in formulating and solving problems, and using diverse materials and information sources.’

- encourage critical reflection and engagement with public debates relating to aspects of American society.

- consolidate the strengths of our long-running undergraduate programmes whilst interrogating, challenging, and moving outside the exceptionalist rhetoric and nation-state ideology of conventional American Studies (develop a ‘synthesising impulse…which can work across, as well as interrogate traditional discipline boundaries in innovative ways’.

- promote a curriculum supported by scholarship, staff development and a research culture that provides breadth and depth of intellectual inquiry and debate.

- assist you to develop cognitive and transferable skills relevant to their vocational and personal development.

Research areas

Staff interests broadly fit within the parameters of American literature, American history, American film and American politics, although we actively welcome interdisciplinary projects that investigate several areas of study. Current strengths in American Studies at Kent are: Native American literature and culture; African-American history; slavery and the Atlantic world; the American West; US environmental issues; US visual culture; Disney and recreation; American realist fiction; modern American poetry; US immigration politics; American science fiction; Hollywood; US foreign policy.

The American West
Kent is the only UK institution to operate a research cluster on the American West, with five members of the Centre specialising in trans-Mississippi studies. The research cluster engages in pioneering work on Native American literature, Western films and video games, female frontiering and several other elements of the Western experience.

The Study of US Environmental Issues
US environmental history is a relatively new field of study, but of increasing importance. Our two environmental specialists work on wildlife management, animal studies, nuclear protest and concepts of ecological doomsday.

The Study of Race, Ethnicity and Borders
The Centre has a long history of studying race and ethnicity. Currently, six members of the team cover a range of topics that include African-American political, cultural and social history, Native American literature, Latin American relations and immigration writing and politics.

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Whether you’re interested in the making of the modern world or witchcraft through the ages, at Essex we give you the freedom to explore the history that excites you. Our geographic spread, topic diversity and social reach give you an unrivalled opportunity to pursue your historical passions and discover new ones.

Our MA History is rigorous, flexible and wide-ranging, so that you can to choose the modules and thesis topic which best suit your interests.

Alongside four optional modules which enable you to explore the latest in historical research in our specialist areas, you also study a practical module in research techniques, and write a 20,000-word dissertation on a topic of your choice.

Historical research at Essex concentrates on the period from 1500 to the present, and covers a wide geographical area that includes British and European history, as well as Latin America, the USA, China, Russia and Africa.

Our Department of History has developed a strong research and teaching profile, with the majority of our research rated as ‘world leading’ or ‘internationally excellent’ (REF 2014). We provide you with opportunities to explore local history, and have strong links with the Essex Record Office, one of the best county record offices in the UK.

Alternatively you can focus your study on a more specific area by following one of the following pathways:

Public History Pathway
Further your understanding of, and expertise in, a variety of public history contexts, ranging from museums and documentary films to conflict resolution and computer games.

This pathway makes the most of our status as an institution at the cutting edge of communicating history to the general public, and will involve classes led by scholars who are currently involved in documentary, heritage, oral history and school curriculum projects.

You will be given the opportunity to create, participate in, and/or critique a current piece of public history as part of your coursework assessment on the Public History Workshop module, and your dissertation will demonstrate an engagement with the methods and/or theories of public history, analyse an example of public history, or be an example of public history.

Cultural and Social History Pathway

Explore the varied ways in which understandings of the relationship between evidence and interpretation, language and the material world, economies and identities, have been challenged and changed by the ‘cultural turn’.

This pathway offers you modules which deal with a range of areas, themes and periods, placing you at the cutting-edge of historical thought on issues such as gender, race, class, consumption, modernity, mentalities and identities.

Local and Regional History Pathway
Local (or micro) history, as well as community and family studies, has played an increasingly important part in the development of historical analysis.

We reflect on these developments, drawing on the rich national and comparative literature in these fields, with a primary focus on the period from 1800 to the 20th century.

You also design and conduct a substantial independent study on a chosen historical topic or in the field of local, community or family history.

Our expert staff

Our staff are among world leaders in their field, and our enthusiasm for our subject is infectious. Our flexible course is combined with a supportive structure which helps you to pursue the modules best-suited to your interests.

We take the time to get to know you as an individual, welcome you into our scholarly community, and value your views.

Specialist facilities

-We have several Special Collections in history, including the Essex Society for Archaeology and History Library, the Harsnett Collection, the Hervey Benham Oral History Sound Archive, the Bensusan Collection, and the Colchester Medical Society Library
-Access the UK Data Archive, a national service provider digital resources for historians, which is particularly strong in 19th and 20th-century economic and social history
-Attend an exciting programme of events
-Access a variety of textbooks and journals in our Albert Sloman Library which houses materials on Latin America, Russia and the US that are of national significance

Your future

We have excellent links with the research community, both in the UK and worldwide, so many of our students have gone on to teach in higher education institutions. Others have found employment in archives, research, managing research funds, other forms of educational provision, the Civil Service, the National Health Service, and management.

Within our Department of History, we offer supervision for PhD, MPhil and MA by Dissertation. Themes of particular research interest include:
-Class, race and gender formation
-Nationalism
-Wars and revolutions
-International relations and oil diplomacy
-The history of medicine
-The history of crime
-Popular culture and consumption
-Slave societies
-The history of ideas and print culture
-The history of the Roma and Sinti in Europe
-Historical censuses and surveys

Our University is one of only 11 AHRC-accredited Doctoral Training Centres in the UK. This means that we offer funded PhD studentships which also provide a range of research and training opportunities.

We also work with our Employability and Careers Centre to help you find out about further work experience, internships, placements, and voluntary opportunities.

Example structure

-Dissertation
-Research Methods in History
-Race and Class in the United States, South Africa and Britain: Select Topics (optional)
-Illness and Culture in 18th-And 19th-Century Europe (optional)
-The Public History Workshop (optional)
-Gender in Early Modern Europe c.1500- c.1800 (optional)
-Approaches to Cultural and Social History (optional)
-A Global History of Food, c.1400 - c.1750 (optional)
-The Making of Consumer Culture: Britain 1780-1960 (optional)
-Narcotic Culture: A History of Drugs (From the Sixteenth to the Twenty First Century) (optional)
-Decency and Disorder: Institutions in Essex 1700-1900
-The Patterns of Victorian Life: Reconstructing Nineteenth-Century Communities (optional)
-The Uses of Space in Early Modern History (optional)

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Program Overview

The Department of History offers Ph.D. and M.A. programs, each requiring a dissertation/thesis, in the fields of Asian, Canadian, First Nations, British and European (early modern and modern), U.S., Latin American, and Environmental History and in the History of Science.

In addition to defining fields regionally, the Department emphasizes thematic, interdisciplinary, and transnational approaches to the study of the past. The following thematic research clusters highlight the interests and expertise of departmental members:
- History of Science, Technology, and Medicine
- Global History, Maritime History, and the History of Empire
- First Nations, Aboriginal, and Indigenous History
- Environmental History
- Ethnicity, Race, and Nationalism
- Religion
- Gender, Sexuality, and the Body
- International Relations
- Culture/Power/History
- Children and Youth
- Migration, Borderlands, and Transnational History
- Politics, Political Culture, and State Power
- Law and Society
- Communities

UBC library has extensive holdings that facilitate graduate research. Holdings include: government publications; state papers; newspapers; extensive collections of early modern European pamphlets and literature; and one of the leading research libraries for East Asian Studies in North America. The library also contains notable collections of books on the history of the American West, of Canada (one of the best in Canada, with large sections on BC and the Prairie West), international relations, Germany (the best in Canada), radical movements in Europe and North America, and medicine, science, and technology (Woodward Library).

Quick Facts

- Degree: Master of Arts
- Specialization: History
- Subject: Arts, Social Sciences and Humanities
- Mode of delivery: On campus
- Program components: Coursework + Thesis required
- Faculty: Faculty of Arts

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The MA in War: History and Politics is an interdisciplinary programme that focuses on modern history. It brings together current scholar debates from a range of specialist areas, exploring the causes, experience, effects, and memory of all important wars and conflicts of the last hundred years.

Looking at political, cultural and social history, this MA is for those who want to study war in all its multi-faceted complexity, from the everyday and the personal, to the national and the global. We offer expert teaching and supervision on British, European, American and Middle Eastern modern and contemporary history.

The main conflicts you will cover are: the First World War and the Second World War; the Balkan Wars of the 1910s and the Yugoslav Wars of the 1990s; the wars of Decolonization and those of New Imperialism; the Cold War and its ‘side-wars’; the War on Terror and the current conflicts in the Middle East.

Why study with us?

Studying this degree you will acquire expertise on:

• War and conflict studies
• Modern international history
• Interdisciplinary learning and researching

You will be taught in a truly interdisciplinary manner, utilising a number of disciplines: cultural and social history, politics and international relations. You can build the degree structure that suits best your interests and future plans.

You can specialise in particular disciplines, or you can explore a wide range of new methods. You will also have the choice of three different types of elective work (e.g. extended essays or primary-source based seminars). Our students can also use the nearby world-famous Mass Observation archive. They also tend to be involved in the events and research projects run by the University of Brighton’s Understanding Conflict cluster, such as our latest initiative on ‘Contesting Britain at War’.

We offer flexible modes of study for those with personal or professional commitments. After finishing the MA you will be able to pursue a wide range of careers as well as opportunities for further postgraduate research.

Areas of study

There are two Core Modules that you will have to take, one on the forms and one on the legacies of war. ‘Forms of Warfare and Violent Conflict’ examines the lead up to war and what is happening in wartime. It looks at: the political, ideological and wider structural causes of war; the human experience at the home-front and at the war-front; the politics and methods of warfare as they have evolved in time; the different modes of practical, political, and intellectual resistance against invasion and occupation. ‘Legacies of Warfare and Violent Conflict’ looks at the impact of war, at what is left after a conflict: the emotional and personal effects of war; how a conflict continues to exist on material and psychological landscapes; the multiple ways through which personal, collective and global memories of killing and sacrifice are constructed; the politics of what we decide to remember and what to forget; the activist, political and theoretical efforts to stop war from happening again.

Beyond the two Core Modules you can also pick a number of option courses that relate to you interests, for example: Public History and Heritage; Cultural Memory; ‘Race’, Nation and Ethnicity; Globalisation and Global Politics; Conflict, Security and Human Rights; Genocide; International Relations theory; Aesthetics and Philosophy; Cultural Theory; Philosophy and Critical Theory. Alternatively you might want instead to research and write a stand-alone extended essay, or you may opt for a more practical-based unit on teaching and learning higher education, offering you the opportunity to learn more about undergraduate teaching.

You will also take a Research Methods module that will help you develop the academic skills necessary to engage in the 20,000-word Dissertation, for which you are guided by one of our faculty with subject expertise.

Careers and employability

Our graduates are particularly well-equipped to follow career paths in sectors that deal with violent conflicts, their consequences and resolution, such as non-governmental organisations (NGOs), the Ministry of Defence, and international bodies (e.g. United Nations).

Much more broadly our degree opens the path to sectors that value critical research skills and a good knowledge of modern history and politics, such as media and journalism, politics and government, museums and archives, and publishing.

Working in schools and in academia are, of course, standard options. Alternatively, many of our students go on to study for Doctorates with one of the Research Centres in Brighton.

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