Masters Degrees (Social Movements)

Who is this programme for?:

The programme is for students who want to analyse and work on social change for the working poor in developing countries. It is highly relevant to anyone working or intending to work on labour and labour-related social movements in development agencies and NGOs, labour and solidarity movements, corporate social responsibility initiatives, and to activists in both developed and developing countries. We welcome students with a strong background in the social sciences in their first degree, as well as practitioners and professionals working in the areas of development, labour and employment relations, social movements and other related fields.

A unique Programme

This innovative new programme offers students the opportunity to study labour conditions and relations, social movements of labour and their contributions to development processes and changes in the South. It is the first and only MSc programme in the UK dedicated to Labour, Social Movements and Development. It provides a critical examination of the links between labour, capitalism, development and poverty. It investigates labour in contemporary social and economic development of the South as well as classic and newly emerging social movements of labour in local, national and international spaces. Students will also have the opportunity to experience labour campaigns and policy-making in practice by participating in our interactive sessions on designing and implementing international, regional and national labour campaigns and policies. The MSc draws on the expertise of Department of Development Studies staff in labour, social movements and development in Latin America, Africa and Asia, and on our contacts within such movements, as well as with NGOs and international organisations.

The MSc in Labour, Social Movements and Development explores different theories and methods for the study of the working poor in the South, and offers a critical examination of the links between labour, capitalism, development and poverty, and of the role of social movements and international initiatives for labour.

Highlights include:

- Labour process and organisations: development trajectories and divisions in the South

- A comparative history of labour and social movements in countries such as China, Korea, India, South Africa, Brazil and the Middle East

- Corporate Social Responsibility Initiatives, codes of conduct and anti-sweatshop campaigning

- The impact of neoliberalism and globalisation on workers in the South

- Informalisation of labour, casualization and precarious work

- Feminisation of labour

- The worst forms of exploitation: forced labour and child labour

- Rural labour, migrant labour and labour in Export Processing Zones

- Household and reproductive labour

- The International Labour Organisation, international labour standards and decent work

- Practices and theories of local, national and international labour campaigns.

The unique regional expertise at SOAS allows students of the MSc in Labour, Social Movements and Development to specialise in some of the most dynamic parts of the developing world. The programme’s emphasis on transferable analytical skills will be of great benefit to graduates who return to, or take up, professional careers in international organisations, government agencies and non-governmental organisations and movements. Students also benefit from the wide range of modules on offer, both within the department and across the School, allowing them to create individualised interdisciplinary programmes.

The department has a Labour, Movements and Development research cluster (http://www.soas.ac.uk/development/research/labour/) which carries out research activities linked to labour, social movements and development.

Visit the website http://www.soas.ac.uk/development/programmes/msc-labour-social-movements-and-development/

Structure

- Overview
There are four main components to this degree: three taught modules and a 10,000 word dissertation. All students take a core module, Labour, Social Movements and Development. They then select one of two further modules: Political Economy of Development or Theory, Policy and Practice of Development. Through these modules students build their analytical skills and knowledge of the main issues and debates in Development Studies.

- Specialisation
Students also take optional modules (one full unit module or two half-unit modules), allowing them to specialise in particular areas of development and potentially to develop a dissertation in a related theme. By tying these to their individual dissertation topic, students design their degree to suit their own interests and career development goals.

Students should be aware that not all optional modules may run in a given year. Modules at other institutions are not part of the approved programme structure.

Programme Specification

Programme Specification 2015/16 (pdf; 79kb) - http://www.soas.ac.uk/development/programmes/msc-labour-social-movements-and-development/file101781.pdf

Materials

- SOAS Library
SOAS Library is one of the world's most important academic libraries for the study of Africa, Asia and the Middle East, attracting scholars from all over the world. The Library houses over 1.2 million volumes, together with significant archival holdings, special collections and a growing network of electronic resources.

Teaching & Learning

Modules are taught by a combination of methods, principally lectures, tutorial classes, seminars and supervised individual study projects.

The MSc programme consists of three taught modules (corresponding to three examination papers) and a dissertation.

- Lectures

Most modules involve a two hour lecture as a key component with linked tutorial classes.

- Seminars

At Masters level there is particular emphasis on seminar work. Students make full-scale presentations for each unit that they take, and are expected to write papers that often require significant independent work.

- Dissertation

A quarter of the work for the degree is given over to the writing of an adequately researched 10,000-word dissertation. Students are encouraged to take up topics which relate the study of a particular region to a body of theory.

Employment

A postgraduate degree in Labour, Social Movements and Development from SOAS provides graduates with a portfolio of widely transferable skills sought by employers, including analytical skills, the ability to think laterally and employ critical reasoning, and knowing how to present materials and ideas effectively both orally and in writing. Equally graduates are able to continue in the field of research, continuing their studies either at SOAS or other institutions.

An MSc in Labour, Social Movements and Development 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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Introduction

1st in Scotland for social work in The Complete University Guide 2015.
Do you want a career that is stimulating, rewarding and makes a positive contribution to society? If so a postgraduate diploma/MSc in social work could be for you.
At Stirling University social work education is committed to progressive social change through teaching, research and an active involvement with practice. We believe in a social work profession defined not only by its function but also by its values and integrity.
We promote an understanding of social work which is informed by social justice and human rights, a profession that acknowledges the links between 'public issues' and 'private troubles' and seeks to address both. We value social work practice that has prevention at its heart and recognises the importance of collective approaches, actively engaging with and learning from user movements.
On the Postgraduate Diploma/MSc Social Work course at the University of Stirling you will be taught by a team of qualified social workers including world leaders in their research field and academics who continue to work in practice alongside their University role. You will enjoy the benefits of smaller class sizes (23-55) with creative approaches to teaching and assessment as well as detailed feedback on your progress. You will experience contributions to teaching by people who have used social work services and carers and on your practice placements, will be supported and assessed by accredited Practice Teachers and Educators. We will help you qualify as a social worker who is knowledgeable, skilled, analytical and ethical in your approach to working with individuals, families, groups and communities.

Accreditation

Successful completion of this course will mean students are then eligible to be registered, by the Scottish Social Services Council, as a qualified social worker.
The MSc is awarded on satisfactory completion of a dissertation undertaken at the end of the Diploma course. Both degrees are recognised throughout the UK.

Key information

- Degree type: Postgraduate Diploma, MSc
- Study methods: Full-time, Campus based
- Duration: 22 months
- Start date: JanuarySee
- Course Director: Joanne Westwood

Course objectives

This course provides you with an integrated academic and professional course which develops the intellectual and practice skills necessary for professional practice as a social worker.
Recent dissertation titles are: End of life assistance from a social work perspective; The use of communication tools when working with people with dementia: a practitioner perspective; Foster carers' experiences of support; Does employment have an impact upon the social inclusion of people with learning disabilities?

English language requirements

If English is not your first language you must have one of the following qualifications as evidence of your English language skills:
- IELTS: 6.5 with 6.0 minimum in each skill
- Cambridge Certificate of Proficiency in English (CPE): Grade C
- Cambridge Certificate of Advanced English (CAE): Grade B
- Pearson Test of English (Academic): 60 with 56 in each component
- IBT TOEFL: 90 with no subtest less than 20

For more information go to English language requirements http://www.stir.ac.uk/study-in-the-uk/entry-requirements/english/

If you don’t meet the required score you may be able to register for one of our pre-sessional English courses. To register you must hold a conditional offer for your course and have an IELTS score 0.5 or 1.0 below the required standard. View the range of pre-sessional courses http://www.intohigher.com/uk/en-gb/our-centres/into-university-of-stirling/studying/our-courses/course-list/pre-sessional-english.aspx .

REF2014

In REF2014 Stirling was placed 6th in Scotland and 45th in the UK with almost three quarters of research activity rated either world-leading or internationally excellent.

Careers and employability

- Career opportunities
Successful completion of the Postgraduate Diploma or the MSc provides the ‘licence to practise’ as a qualified social worker registered with the regulatory council of the country in which they work. The qualification is recognised throughout the UK and for work in community-based teams, hospitals, day and residential centres and voluntary agency projects. In Scotland and Northern Ireland it is also the qualification for social work in prisons and criminal justice teams.
The nature of the work is extremely varied and there is the capacity to move between different work settings throughout your career. Currently, over 80 percent of students find social work jobs within six months of graduating.
The nature of the work is extremely varied and there is the capacity to move between different work settings throughout your career. Currently, over 80 percent of students find social work jobs within six months of graduating.

- Employability
The MSc/PG Dip in Social Work Studies is a professional course which requires students to undertake along with their academic modules, two practice placements. It is in these placements that our students gain experience in direct work with service users and learn essential transferrable skills for their future employment within the social work profession. During the course they also gain experience of presentation skills, research methodology, as well as being taught specific and relevant skills to prepare them for employment in a variety of social work settings.

- Industry connections
We are fortunate to have strong connections with our partner agencies within a 60-mile radius of the University, who contribute to the teaching on the course and who also provide a range of placements across both statutory and voluntary social work services. Examples of these are: the local authorities in Forth Valley, Fife, and Perth & Kinross, and voluntary agencies such as Barnardos and Multi-Cultural Family Base.

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The Environmental Social Science programme is interdepartmental and benefits from expertise found across the Faculty of Social Sciences.

Social science perspectives are crucial to understanding and solving environmental problems. Human behaviour produces many elements of the ‘natural’ environment, from landscapes to floods and famines. Local and national policies and international agreements regulate the environmental practices of corporations, governments and households. The social sciences have a great deal to contribute to understanding what have become defined as environmental issues, and what measures can most effectively tackle them.

Environmental Social Science draws on contributions from the study of Anthropology, Conservation and Ecology, Law, Social Policy and Sociology. In each of these disciplines, Kent is very active in research, and the majority of research outputs were rated “internationally excellent” or better in the most recent Research Assessment Exercise. The programmes therefore build upon a strong base.

Visit the website https://www.kent.ac.uk/courses/postgraduate/13/environmental-social-science

Course structure

This interdisciplinary programme introduces you to social science perspectives on environmental issues. It draws on sociology, politics, social policy, anthropology and law. The dissertation is a chance for you to make a specialised study of a topic that interests you, and we encourage first-hand research. The programme is suitable for graduates with a wide range of first degrees.

Modules

You will take compulsory modules alongside optional modules of your choice so that can customise your degree and explore other subject areas that interest you. Modules may include:

• Social Science perspectives on environmental issues
• Ethnobiological knowledge systems 
• Social and political movements
• Politics and sociology of the environment

Programme aims

This programme aims to:

• Introduce you to the differing perspectives on environmental issues of the various social science disciplines
• Develop your knowledge and understanding of environmental issues from a social science perspective
• Acquaint you with the methods and procedures of social scientific investigation
• Give you a practical introduction to research design so as to enable you to conceive and execute a social scientific research project on an environmental topic, whether as part of further academic work or in the course of non-academic employment with any of a variety of public agencies and private corporations.

Careers

Building on Kent’s success as the region’s leading institution for student employability, we place considerable emphasis on you gaining specialist knowledge in your chosen subject alongside core transferable skills. We ensure that you develop the skills and competences that employers are looking for including: research and analysis; policy development and interpretation; independent thought; writing and presentation, as well as time management and leadership skills. You also become fully involved in the professional research culture of the School. A postgraduate degree in the area of social and public policy is a particularly flexible and valuable qualification that can lead to many exciting opportunities and professions.

Our graduates obtain a range of transferable skills and report high levels of being in employment or further study within six months of graduation across all of our degree programmes.

Over 98% of Kent's postgraduate students who graduated in 2016 were in work or further study within six months. Recent graduates from our School have pursued careers in academia, journalism, local and central government, charities and NGOs.

How to apply: https://www.kent.ac.uk/courses/postgraduate/apply/

Why study at the University of Kent

We offer inspirational teaching and supervision alongside first-class library and IT facilities. You also benefit from our high-impact research in all subjects. Whatever you are looking to study, Kent provides a dynamic and challenging environment for your postgraduate studies.

• Kent was awarded gold, the highest rating, in the UK Government’s Teaching Excellence Framework
• Kent is ranked 21st in the Times Higher Education (THE) ‘Table of Tables’ 2017
• Kent is ranked 25th in the Complete University Guide 2018
• Kent is ranked 22nd in the Guardian University Guide 2018
• 37% of our academics are from overseas and we have students representing 148 nationalities
• In the most recent research rankings, 97% of research at Kent was found to be of international quality (REF 2014)
• Kent is ranked 17th in the UK* for research intensity and research output (REF 2014)
• Find out more: https://www.kent.ac.uk/courses/postgraduate/why-kent/

* of 122 universities, not including specialist institutions

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Created for international students who wish to familiarise themselves with academic learning in the UK before undertaking rigorous study in their chosen subject. Students undertake a preparatory year of English language and undergraduate modules in the subject area before embarking on Master's level modules in their second year.

Course detail

Through this programme, you learn to apply theories and methods of comparative social policy in specific fields such as health, migration, pensions, education, social care, poverty and social exclusion, urban development and family policy. You learn advanced research techniques and gain the capacity to critically appraise the development of social welfare systems in a global age.

Purpose

You will learn to think critically, analyse data and present key findings as well as developing key transferrable skills including time management, team work, research and analytic methods, problem-solving and IT skills. Teaching is student-centred through a combination of taught classes, lectures, seminars, group work and independent study.

You will gain exceptional skills in advanced research methodologies, learning the techniques and approaches that social researchers use to organise, structure and interpret data. You will learn about the process of research and how the analysis and presentation of evidence is influenced and can be influential in social policy. You will become adept at using and understanding a range of frameworks and methodologies and will be able to assess the most appropriate to use in a given scenario. You will use these skills to look at the ways in which different countries organise social policy and welfare systems.

Format

As well as taking core modules, you will choose from a range of optional modules; typical modules may include:

• Comparative social policy
• Design of social research
• Key issues in comparative social policy
• Sociologists of health, illness and medicine
• Poverty, inequality and social security
• Social and political movements
• Race, difference and belonging

Careers

Over 98% of Kent's postgraduate students who graduated in 2016 were in work or further study within six months. Recent graduates from our School have pursued careers in academia, journalism, local and central government, charities and NGOs.

How to apply: https://www.kent.ac.uk/courses/postgraduate/apply/

Why study at the University of Kent

We offer inspirational teaching and supervision alongside first-class library and IT facilities. You also benefit from our high-impact research in all subjects. Whatever you are looking to study, Kent provides a dynamic and challenging environment for your postgraduate studies.

• Kent was awarded gold, the highest rating, in the UK Government’s Teaching Excellence Framework
• Kent is ranked 21st in the Times Higher Education (THE) ‘Table of Tables’ 2017
• Kent is ranked 25th in the Complete University Guide 2018
• Kent is ranked 22nd in the Guardian University Guide 2018
• 37% of our academics are from overseas and we have students representing 148 nationalities
• In the most recent research rankings, 97% of research at Kent was found to be of international quality (REF 2014)
• Kent is ranked 17th in the UK* for research intensity and research output (REF 2014)
• Find out more: https://www.kent.ac.uk/courses/postgraduate/why-kent/

* of 122 universities, not including specialist institutions

Postgraduate scholarships and funding

We have a scholarship fund of over £9 million to support our taught and research students with tuition fees and living costs. Find out more: https://www.kent.ac.uk/courses/postgraduate/fees-and-funding/index.html

English language learning

Kent offers a range of modules and programmes in English for Academic Purposes (EAP) which you can access throughout your degree https://www.kent.ac.uk/ems/eng-lang-reqs/index.html

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The main aim of the MA in Social Work is to produce competent, reflective, analytical and research-minded social workers, who are vocationally qualified, with advanced knowledge and skills to bring about innovations through collaborative practice and continuous learning.

The new programme was developed in consultation with Social Care Service Users and Stakeholders, who are also, actively involved in delivery of the programme. Practising social car professionals ensure teaching is relevant to the cutting edge of today's social work agenda and teaching methods facilitate participative learning.

Why choose this subject?

- Choose this subject if you want to make a difference to people’s lives and feel passionate and committed to social justice.

- Our students say: “The MA in Social Work delivered at Hope gives prospective Social Workers an opportunity to engage with what I have found to be a unique blend of traditional, mainstream and radical ideas on Social Work which is also underpinned by current and critical and cutting edge teaching and research” (David Christie, MA student).

- The student intake each year is limited to 25 students – you will get to know the teaching team well and also have the opportunity to develop excellent peer group support.

- The team has expertise in children and family social work, theorising childhood, racism and anti-racist social work, mental health and mental health user movements, youth justice, radical social work histories, community engagement and international social work.

- The Masters qualification is highly regarded by employers.

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At the School of Geography, Politics and Sociology, we conduct research and offer MPhil supervision in all major fields of politics, including: international and global politics, governance and political organisations, and political theory.

We can offer you excellent supervision for your Politics MPhil, in a vibrant and supportive research environment.

We have a Politics Postgraduate Society, which organises:
-The 'New Voices' seminar series, with both internal and external presenters
-Round table discussions on topical issues
-Professional development workshops led by politics staff

You are encouraged to attend conferences to present papers, partial funding for this is available from the School.

Our main research themes are:

The politics of difference

We examine the issues thrown up by the social and political differences of humanity from a variety of perspectives including: analytical and continental political philosophy; comparative politics and international politics; post-colonialism. Our work includes research on:
-Multiculturalism and issues of identity
-Inequality and social justice
-Disability
-Competing discourses of national identity
-Ethnic-nationalism
-Political violence
-Socio-political exclusion and discrimination
-Global norms and cultural difference
-Free speech - toleration and recognition

Popular culture and political communication

Our research addresses various key issues including:
-Representation
-Aesthetics
-Identity
-Cultural political economy
-Memory
-Control

We also assess the processes and depiction of political struggles, such as:
-Armed conflict
-Everyday life
-Political organising and identity formation
-Elections

Political participation and elections

We examine the differing forms of political participation that link society to the political systems of the world. We look at both the formal electoral process and non-electoral politics (social movements, protest groups etc). Our research on the emergence of virtual political participation means that some of our work intersects with popular culture and political communication. We investigate:
-Citizen involvement and (dis)engagement
-Social capital
-Non-participation
-The role of civil society

Political ideologies and political thought

We focus on the history of political thought as well as how these ideas are embedded in programmes for political action. Our research incorporates both historical and contemporary political thought prominent in the Western tradition as well as Asian philosophy and post-colonial thinking. This is an interdisciplinary theme, serving as a bridge between empirical political science and political theory.

Global economic and environmental challenges

We study the importance of political ideas such as sustainable development and globalisation, as well as the struggle to define the core problems that society faces. These challenges pose questions to the nature and reform of global governance, and generate tensions between the state and transnationalising forces in global politics and political economy. Our work has already led to findings on:
-The implications for global justice
-The policy challenge for governments and non-governmental actors
-The empowerment of various actors

Democracy, the modern state and political organisations

Our work examines the role of interest groups, social movements, political parties, third-sector actors and charities, community organisations and postcolonial nationalism in relation to the modern state. We draw from ancient and modern political thought to understand the interpretation of democracy (including democratic rights and the foundations of democracy). Our research interrogates the forms democracy takes, including:
-Elite theories of democracy
-Deliberative democracy
-Cosmopolitan democracy
-Democracy in divided societies

Political economy of development

Our research focuses on the interaction of economic forces and principles with political power in the development of societal economics and welfare, as well as on theories of development and post-development. We cover a range of geographic areas in Africa, the Americas, Europe and Asia. We explore questions such as:
-The impact of the ongoing financial and economic crisis
-The role of communities and individuals in the face of global political economic forces
-The impact of the emerging economies (for example Brazil and China) on the global political economy

Critical geopolitics and security

Our research focuses on thinking critically about the political dynamics, consequences and discourses of historical and contemporary geopolitics. We cover both historical and contemporary questions of security, including:
-The territorialisation/de-territorialisation of identity and political agency
-Political cartography
-The role of fear and identity in shaping geopolitics
-Sovereignty and nationalism - the role and impact of the military
-Notions of terrorism and the war on terror
-The geographies of international boundaries
-The war on the trade in illegal substances
-The city and security
-The threat of biological weapons and infectious disease
-The vertical dimension in geopolitical and security studies
-Visual culture and world politics
-Technologies and architectures of security and insecurity
-The human body and security

Theory of international relations

We take an active role in the global debate on the units, actors and structures that shape the dynamics of international politics. Our research covers the political consequences of the constitution of the international as a distinct kind of relation. We examine political concepts including:
-The world system
-International diplomacy
-Networks
-Notions of empire
-Regional integration
-Non-governmental actors
-The (nation) state

Governance in Britain and wider Europe

Our research investigates the dynamics driving public policy-making at national, EU and international levels. We focus on the challenges multi-level governance offers for concerns about legitimacy and accountability. This includes the changing relationship between the governing and the governed over matters of politics and policy. Our geographic scope includes the United Kingdom, Western Europe, Eastern Europe and Russia, and the Mediterranean

Global justice and human rights

Our work in political philosophy reflects the increasing need to tackle issues at a global rather than a state-only level. We cover issues such as:
-The formulation and justification of human rights
-The competing claims of relativism, particularism, and cultural diversity
-The extension of ideas of distributive justice from states to humanity as a whole
-Proposals to secure global democracy
-The application of just war theory to modern conflicts and to humanitarian intervention
-Environmental justice, especially climate change

We tackle questions of justice from an issue perspective as well as surveys of nationalism, statism, and various non-cosmopolitan theories of global justice.

Political research and methods

We conduct qualitative and quantitative research reflecting both empirical and critical political methodologies. We use quantitative methods, including rational choice theory and experiments, to make sense of topics as diverse as party systems and transitional justice. Our aim is to push innovation in research methods in ethnography, hermeneutics and discourse analysis. We use concepts that challenge traditional notions of politics to investigate methods for research into new challenges, including:
-The rise of life sciences
-The focus on the relationship between the human body and security
-Emergent forms of subjectivity and politics

Research skills development

The University's Humanities and Social Sciences Graduate School provides a full range of research training in the social sciences, which meets the requirements of the Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC). This training includes:
-Bibliographical techniques
-Philosophy of social science
-Quantitative and qualitative methods

The Graduate School also hosts postgraduate events, including open days, and supports personal development.

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The history of people, their societies and cultures is the focus of this programme, where you’ll explore how people have lived and died across periods and geographies.

Core modules will improve your research skills and introduce you to key concepts and issues in social and cultural history. You’ll also choose from a wide range of optional modules, allowing you to focus on societies and periods that interest you.

You could study apartheid in South Africa, communities and castes in India, birth and death in medieval Europe or social movements in the USA. You’ll be able to focus on gender, race and religion as well as other issues that have shaped the lives of individuals and communities.

Taught by expert researchers within the School of History and the Leeds Humanities Research Institute, this programme uses the latest approaches and thinking in social and cultural history to give you an insight into the lives of others.

We have a wealth of resources allowing you to explore topics that interest you. The world-class Brotherton Library and its Special Collections contain a huge number of early printed, archive and manuscript materials including the Liddle Collection on the First and Second World Wars, Leeds Library of Vernacular Culture, manuscript and commonplace books, travel journals and one of the best collections of cookery books and household manuals in the country.

Extensive collections of national, regional and local newspapers from over the years are available on microfilm, as well as cartoons and satirical prints from the British Museum and extensive collections of letters and correspondence. There’s even the Yorkshire Fashion Archive and M&S Archive on campus, allowing you to gain a real insight into popular culture over time.

This programme is also available to study part-time over 24 months.

Course content

From the beginning of the programme you’ll study core modules developing your knowledge and skills in social and cultural history, building your understanding of research methods and exploring central concepts and debates in the subject.

In both semesters, you’ll also have the chance to choose optional modules from a wide range on offer, allowing you to focus on issues, themes and societies that interest you. You could draw on the diverse expertise of our tutors to select modules across Indian, African, American, British and Latin American history.

You’ll also have the opportunity to work collaboratively with partner organisations, such as the West Yorkshire Archive Service, by studying the ‘Making History: Archive Collaborations’ optional module.

This programme will equip you with a broad skill set for historical research as well as a good base of subject knowledge. You’ll be able to demonstrate these with your dissertation, which allows you to conduct independent research on a topic of your choice. You’ll submit this by the end of the programme in September.

If you choose to study part-time, you’ll study over a longer period and take fewer modules in each year.

Course structure

Compulsory modules

• Research Methodology in History 30 credits
• Dissertation (Social and Cultural) 60 credits
• Concepts and Debates in Social and Cultural History 30 credits

Optional modules

• Making History: Archive Collaborations 30 credits
• East and West: Comparisons in European History, 1939-73 30 credits
• From Testimony to Evidence - Cultures of Knowledge, 1500 - 1800 30 credits
• Coolies, Convicts and Concubines: Slavery and 'Unfree' labour in India and the Indian Ocean World 30 credits
• Medicine and Warfare in the Nineteenth and Twentieth Centuries 30 credits
• Women, Gender and Sexuality: Archives and Approaches 30 credits
• Introduction to the History of Technology 30 credits
• International History and its Challenges: European Foreign Policies in the Age of Imperialism 30 credits
• India since 1947: Community, Caste and Political Violence 30 credits
• Patriotic Protest: Social Movements and Political Dissent in the United States of America 30 credits
• Sexuality and Disease in African History 30 credits
• Britain and the Slave Trade 30 credits
• The Fragility of the Spanish State: Identity, Conflict and Resistance, 1808-1939 30 credits
• Christian Society and the Crusades, 1185-1230 30 credits
• Lifecycles: Birth, Death and Illness in the Middle Ages 30 credits
• The British Settler Colonies in Africa - From Colonial Conquest to the Present Day 30 credits
• Race and Second Wave Feminism in the US 30 credits
• The Medieval Tournament: Combat and Spectacle in Western Europe, 1100-1600 30 credits
• Medieval Bodies 30 credits

For more information on typical modules, read Social and Cultural History MA Full Time in the course catalogue

For more information on typical modules, read Social and Cultural History MA Part Time in the course catalogue

Learning and teaching

We use a range of teaching and learning methods. The majority of your modules will be taught through weekly seminars, where you’ll discuss issues and themes in your chosen modules with a small group of students and your tutors. Independent study is also crucial to this degree, giving you the space to shape your own studies and develop your skills.

Assessment

We use different types of assessment to help you develop a wide range of skills, including presentations, research proposals, case studies and essays, depending on the subjects you choose.

Career opportunities

This programme will heighten your cultural and social awareness as well as allowing you to build your historical knowledge. You’ll also gain high-level research, analysis and communication skills that will prove valuable in a wide range of careers.

Graduates have found success in a wide range of careers in education, research and the private sector. Many others have continued with their studies at PhD level.

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We are living through an era of tumultuous change in how politics is conducted and communicated. The great digital disruption of the early 21st century continues to work its way through media systems around the world, forcing change, adaptation, and renewal across a whole range of areas: political parties and campaigns, interest groups, social movements, activist organisations, news and journalism, the communication industries, governments, and international relations.

In the New Political Communication Unit at Royal Holloway, University of London, we believe the key to making sense of these chaotic developments is the idea of power—how it is generated, how it is used, and how it shapes the diverse information and communication flows that affect all our lives.

This unique new Masters degree, which replaces the MSc in New Political Communication, is for critically-minded, free-thinking individuals who want to engage with the exciting intellectual ferment that is being generated by these unprecedented times. The curriculum integrates rigorous study of the very best academic research with an emphasis on making sense of political communication as it is practiced in the real world, in both "old" and "new" media settings.

While not a practice-based course, the MSc Media, Power, and Public Affairs is perfect for those who wish to build a career in the growing range of professions that require deep and critical insight into the relationship between media and politics and public communication more generally. These include advocacy, campaign management, political communication consultancy, journalism, government communication, policy analysis, public opinion and semantic polling, and public diplomacy, to name but a few. Plus, due to its strong emphasis on scholarly rigour, the MSc in Media, Power, and Public Affairs is also the perfect foundation for a PhD in political communication.

You will study a mixture of core and elective units, including a generous choice of free options, and write a supervised dissertation over the summer. Teaching is conducted primarily in small group seminars that meet weekly for two hours, supplemented by individual tuition for the dissertation.

This course is also offered at Postgraduate Diploma level for those who do not have the academic background necessary to begin an advanced Masters degree. The structure of the Diploma is identical except that you will not write a dissertation. If you are successful on the Diploma you may transfer to the MSc, subject to academic approval.

See the website https://www.royalholloway.ac.uk/politicsandir/coursefinder/mscpgdipmediapowerandpublicaffairs.aspx

Why choose this course?

- be taught by internationally-leading scholars in the field of political communication

- the curriculum integrates rigorous study of the very best academic research with an emphasis on making sense of political communication as it is practiced in the real world, in both "old" and "new" media settings

- perfect for those who wish to build a career in the growing range of professions that require deep and critical insight into the relationship between media and politics and public communication more generally

- a unique focus on the question of power and influence in today’s radically networked societies.

On completion of the programme, you will have:
- advanced knowledge and critical understanding of key concepts, theoretical debates, and developments in the field of political communication

- advanced knowledge of the texts, theories, and methods used to enhance understanding of the issues, processes, and phenomena in the field of political communication

- advanced knowledge and critical understanding of research methods in the social sciences

- a solid foundation for a career in the growing range of professions that require deep and critical insight into the relationship between media and politics and public communication more generally, or for a PhD in any area of media and politics.

Department research and industry highlights

- The New Political Communication Unit’s research agenda focuses on the impact of new media and communication technologies on politics, policy and governance. Core staff include Professor Andrew Chadwick, Professor Ben O’Loughlin, Dr Alister Miskimmon, and Dr Cristian Vaccari. Recent books include Andrew Chadwick’s The Hybrid Media System: Politics and Power (Oxford University Press, 2013), Cristian Vaccari’s Digital Politics in Western Democracies: A Comparative Study (Johns Hopkins University Press), and Alister Miskimmon, Ben O’Loughlin, and Laura Roselle’s, Strategic Narratives: Communication Power and the New World Order (Routledge, 2013). Andrew Chadwick edits the Oxford University Press book series Oxford Studies in Digital Politics and Ben O’Loughlin is co-editor of the journal Media, War and Conflict. The Unit hosts a large number of PhD students working in the field of new political communication.

Course content and structure

You will study four core course units (chosen from a total of six options), two elective units, and write a dissertation over the summer. Course units include one of three disciplinary training pathway courses, a course in research design, analysing international politics, and specialist options in international relations.

Students studying for the Postgraduate Diploma do not undertake the dissertation.

Core course units:
Media, Power, and Public Affairs: You will examine the relationship between media, politics and power in contemporary political life. This unit focuses on a number of important foundational themes, including theories of media effects, the construction of political news, election campaigning, government communications and spin, media regulation, the emergence of digital media, the globalisation of media, agenda setting, and propaganda and the role of media in international affairs. The overarching rationale is that we live in an era in which the massive diversity of media, new technologies, and new methodologies demands new forms of analysis. The approach will be comparative and international.

Internet and New Media Politics:
 Drawing predominantly, though not exclusively, upon specialist academic journal literatures, this course focuses on a number of important contemporary debates about the role and influence of new technologies on the values, processes and outcomes of: global governance institutions; public bureaucracies; journalism and news production; representative institutions including political parties and legislatures; pressure groups and social movements. It also examines persistent and controversial policy problems generated by digital media, such as privacy and surveillance, the nature of contemporary media systems, and the balance of power between older and newer media logics in social and political life. By the end of the course students will have an understanding of the key issues thrown up by the internet and new media, as well as a critical perspective on what these terms actually mean. The approach will be comparative, drawing on examples from around the world, including the developing world, but the principal focus will be on the politics of the United States and Britain.

Social Media and Politics: This course addresses the various ways in which social media are changing the relationships between politicians, citizens, and the media. The course will start by laying out broad arguments and debates about the democratic implications of social media that are ongoing not just in academic circles but also in public commentary, political circles, and policy networks—do social media expand or narrow civic engagement? Do they lead to cross-cutting relationships or self-reinforcing echo chambers? Do they hinder or promote political participation? Are they useful in campaigns or just the latest fashion? Do they foster effective direct communication between politicians and citizens? Are they best understood as technologies of freedom or as surveillance tools? These debates will be addressed throughout the course by drawing on recent empirical research published in the most highly rated academic journals in the field. The course will thus enable students to understand how social media are used by citizens, politicians, and media professionals to access, distribute, and co-produce contents that are relevant to politics and public affairs and establish opportunities for political and civic engagement.

Media, War and Conflict:
The post-9/11 global security situation and the 2003 Iraq war have prompted a marked increase in interest in questions concerning media, war and conflict. This unit examines the relationships between media, governments, military, and audiences/publics, in light of old, new, and potential future security events.

Introduction to Qualitative Research Methods in Politics and International Relations:
 You will be provided with an introduction to core theories and qualitative approaches in politics and international relations. You will examine a number of explanatory/theoretical frameworks, their basic assumptions, strengths and weaknesses, and concrete research applications. You will consider the various qualitative techniques available for conducting research, the range of decisions qualitative researchers face, and the trade-offs researchers must consider when designing qualitative research.

Dissertation (MSc only): The dissertation gives you the opportunity to study an aspect of Media, Power, and Public Affairs in depth. You will be assigned a dissertation supervisor and the length of the piece will be 12,000 words.

Elective course units:
Note: not all course units are available every year, but may include:
- Politics of Democracy
- Elections and Parties
- United States Foreign Policy
- Human Rights: From Theory to Practice
- Theories and Concepts in International Public Policy
- Contemporary Anglo-American Political Theory
- Transnational Security Studies
- Conflict and Conflict Resolution in the Middle East
- The Law of Cyber Warfare
- Comparative Political Executives
- European Union Politics and Policy
- International Public Policy in Practice
- Sovereignty, Rights and Justice
- Theories of Globalisation
- Introduction to Quantitative Research Methods in Politics and International Relations

Assessment

Assessment is carried out by coursework and an individually-supervised dissertation.

Employability & career opportunities

Advocacy, campaign management, political communication consultancy, journalism, government communication, policy analysis, public opinion and semantic polling, public diplomacy, PhD research.

How to apply

Applications for entry to all our full-time postgraduate degrees can be made online https://www.royalholloway.ac.uk/studyhere/postgraduate/applying/howtoapply.aspx .

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Understanding journalism is crucial in today’s mediated world. The spread of the Internet, social media and the advent of comparatively cheap communications technology holds out the promise of enabling a more diverse range of actors to shape journalism. The forms and practices involved in such journalism could also enable greater inclusivity, supporting a range of progressive aims such as advocacy, peace, development and greater intercultural understanding. At the same time, widespread cost-cutting in mainstream journalism and the speeded-up journalistic practices used to service multiple delivery platforms threaten to further entrench the norms and definitional advantages of the wealthy and powerful because of their greater ability to subsidise journalism through public relations material.

Course detail

You will develop specialist subject knowledge of media industries, media consumption and production, globally. Additionally, you will develop a range of research and analytical tools that will prepare you for a career in media or for PhD level research.

You will have access to a wealth of study resources including the SOAS Library, one of the world's most important academic libraries, attracting scholars from across the globe.

A global perspective

Studying international journalisms at SOAS University of London enhances your learning experience by giving you a global perspective that examines contemporary journalistic representations of the Global South and how they relate to different cultural, political, technological and historical contexts. Therefore this programme springs from a pluralistic critical perspective: seeking to analyse how others represent Southern countries and events and how Southern actors seek to represent themselves. This contrasts strongly with other Journalism MAs taught in the UK, which are usually constrained by the norms and priorities of British professional accreditation bodies.

Our non-Eurocentric approach offers fresh directions to examining the contemporary world and our location in the heart of London with access to global media centres, contributes to a valuable student experience.

Expert at where the world is changing

Our award-winning research spans a wealth of geographical areas and topics, including international political communication; cultural studies, new media and democracy; memory studies and oral history; Islamist movements; social movements and media; transnational movements and communications; development discourses; and digital technologies and development.

Our academics regularly appear in the media of different countries as guests and commentators on various contemporary issues.

Centre for Media Studies

The Centre for Media Studies is unique in the world in its focus on the media and communication landscapes of Asia, the Middle East, and Africa. We study the contemporary world and its historical roots, and are committed to upend, theoretically and empirically, the Western-centric orientation that still pervades media studies scholarship. The research of our award-winning faculty spans media in the Arab world, critical theory and cultural studies, transnational news and India and digital technologies in the Global South.

Research underpins our teaching: students receive a rigorous grounding in their chosen MA and are encouraged to take optional courses across the School of Art and the university to build a degree that truly reflects their interests and goals.

View Degree Programmes - http://www.soas.ac.uk/media-studies/programmes/

Teaching

• Classes are taught by research active instructors who focus on different aspects of communication, culture, and society in the Middle East, Asia and Africa

• Excellent teacher:student ratio and personal contact, and excellent student satisfaction rates

• Students study core classes in their chosen MA, and are encouraged to take classes across SOAS to create a unique degree with a regional, topical, or language focus that fits their needs.

Research

Our research spans a wealth of geographical areas (Palestine and the Middle East, India, China, Myanmar, Korea) and topics (international political communication; cultural studies; new media and democracy; memory studies and oral history; Islamist movements; social movements and media; diasporas; ethnic minorities; transnational movements and communications; development discourses; digital technologies and development; digital cultures in the Global South)

Careers

Alumni go onto high profile careers in the media, in NGO and Think Tanks and academic research.

Postgraduate Open Evenings

You’ll be able to have one-to-one discussions with academics and current students. You can also attend specialist subject talks and take a tour of our campus.

Book now: http://www.soas.ac.uk/admissions/pg/openevenings/

Webinars

Our webinars give you an opportunity to hear and ask questions about the subject you’re interested in studying. We also cover topics such as making an application, Tier 4 Visa entry, fees and funding, scholarships, accommodation options as well as career related information.

Book now: https://www.soas.ac.uk/admissions/pg/webinars/

How to apply

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

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Peace Studies is a field of social science focused on the multilevel study of violence and conflict in a complex and increasingly inter-dependent world.

The MA Peace Studies programme focuses on the multi-level study of violence and conflict in a complex and increasingly interdependent world.

Our course includes exploration and analysis of the converging crises of our times, from inter-state and civil wars; to state and non-state violence; to terrorism; to poverty, inequality and marginalisation; to the ethical implications of scientific and technological progress; to new forms of governance and international regimes for addressing arms proliferation, climate change and world poverty; to civic participation and democratic innovation; to social movements and global activism; and to exploring social differences around gender, class, race, ethnicity and their implications for building equitable human interactions.

Our research is founded on an understanding that no single discipline on its own is sufficient to comprehend the dynamics of issues as complex as war, world hunger, sustainable development and social justice, or problems as challenging as negotiating our differences in culture and belief. You will acquire subject-specific knowledge and understanding of:
-The theories and concepts of peace and conflict and their application to global, regional and local contexts
-The emergence, nature and significance of peace studies as a distinct field of academic enquiry
-The main concepts in the field and their application to contemporary issues

You will also acquire an ability to evaluate and engage effectively in key debates in the field at recognised postgraduate level.

For more information on the part time version of this course, please view this web-page: http://www.brad.ac.uk/study/courses/info/peace-studies-ma-part-time

Why Bradford?

The University of Bradford is the home of the world-renowned Peace Studies division and a Rotary International recognised centre of expertise for teaching and research on peace and conflict.

Modules

Core modules
-Introduction to Peace Studies
-Cities in Conflict
-Dissertation project in a topic of your choice (related to Peace Studies)

Option modules
-Introduction to African Politics
-Fragile States and the Security-Development Nexus
-Conflict Resolution Theory
-International Politics and Security Studies
-Peacekeeping, Peacebuilding and Statebuilding
-Religions, Conflict and Peacemaking in a Post-secular World
-Africa Study Visit
-Gender, Conflict and Development
-Applied Conflict Resolution Skills
-Social Movements, Globalisation and Political Change
-Regional and Global Security Politics
-Sustainable Tourism Development

Option Modules:
You have the opportunity to define your own engagement with the discipline by choosing from the full range of modules offered by Peace Studies. It is therefore up to you to decide what specific dimensions of peace you wish to focus on.

Career support and prospects

The University is committed to helping students develop and enhance employability and this is an integral part of many programmes. Specialist support is available throughout the course from Career and Employability Services including help to find part-time work while studying, placements, vacation work and graduate vacancies. Students are encouraged to access this support at an early stage and to use the extensive resources on the Careers website.

Discussing options with specialist advisers helps to clarify plans through exploring options and refining skills of job-hunting. In most of our programmes there is direct input by Career Development Advisers into the curriculum or through specially arranged workshops.

Our programme graduates typically follow careers in education, diplomacy, government, work with non-governmental organisations, in journalism and in peace-related and mediation work.

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The MSc International Human Resource Management is both academically challenging, with input from world-leading academics, and practically focused, giving you the opportunity to develop the confidence, knowledge and skills needed for a successful career in International Human Resource Management.

Central to this is the idea of the international HR manager who combines specialist technical knowledge with a strong understanding of the social, political and ethical context of business in a globalised world.

In this world, in addition to technical expertise in particular HR functions, managers need to understand national differences and how to manage in cross-cultural environments. They need to be aware of how to organise processes and projects across national boundaries. They need to be able to analyse the impact of different national institutional contexts on firm structures, innovation processes and work organisation. They need to be aware of the broader social and environmental consequences of their actions and the way in which national and international structures of soft and hard law impact on their policies and procedures. They need to be sensitive to changing social expectations of the responsibilities of firms and the way in which new internet based technologies make companies more visible and accountable to global social movements as well as more locally based coalitions of citizens and consumers. They need to be able to reflect on how to be an HR manager in such complex contexts, and to adapt creatively and effectively to challenges in a fast-moving environment.

The course will look at the management of people including theories of management and organisation, motivation, groups and team working, internal structures and decision-making processes, and leadership. The management of the various activities associated with the practice of HRM, namely recruitment and selection, training and development, reward management employment law, equality and diversity will also be examined.

The course will also explore the nature of the organisation, the strategy and structure of multinational firms in different sectors (such as manufacturing, transport and professional services) will be analysed in cross-national settings in order to understand national differences and how to manage in cross-cultural environments.

Distinctive features

• This programme enables you to acquire specialist knowledge of international human resource management whilst placing that subject knowledge within a wider organisational and contextual framework.

• You will have the chance to develop a range of specialist skills and knowledge applicable to the organisations (and their context) in which they, as specialists, may operate.

• Our faculty will encourage you to think critically and be creative in the analysis of assumptions and evidence in the field of international human resource management.

• You will be part of a community which is committed to delivering social improvement alongside economic development in the world’s first Public Value Business School.

• You will study at a Business School ranked 1st in the UK for research environment and 6th for research excellence (REF 2014).

• You will be a student of the only business school in Wales accredited by AACSB international (and one of only 5% worldwide).

Structure

This course is taught from September to June and you will study a range of both compulsory core modules and a range of options. Following on from the taught stage you will undertake a project with support from their supervisor.

The Autumn Semester consists of three core modules, plus ONE optional module.

During the Spring Semester, you will undertake two core modules, plus TWO optional modules.

International Human Resource Management Project:

Upon successful completion of the taught modules you will undertake the International Human Resource Management Project.

The purpose of the project is to provide you with the opportunity to test the applicability of your new learning while under close supervision. It introduces you to the methodology of research, the systematic analysis of ideas, the problems of data collection and the presentation of ideas in a clear way. A further aim is to enable you to apply the knowledge, understanding, methodologies and skills learnt in the taught modules to individual independent research under academic supervision.

It also requires reflection on the implications for professional practice from an ethical, professional and continuous professional development standpoint.

Core modules:

Human Resource Management in Context
The Management of Human Resources
Contemporary Issues in HR Research
International Management
Globalization and the Management of Labour
The International Human Resource Management Project

Optional modules:

Employment Relations
Reward Management
Leadership, Work and Organisation
Employment Law
Cross Cultural Management
International Business Ethics

Methods of teaching

Most modules involve a mixture of lectures and small group teaching (called classes, seminars, workshops or tutorials).

In a lecture, the lecturer will mainly be giving an overview of a particular aspect of the module content (as well as opportunities for you to ask questions and be reflective), while in classes and workshops you will have an opportunity to practice techniques, discuss ideas, apply concepts and consolidate your understanding in the topic

Support

You will be allocated a personal tutor at the beginning of your studies. Normally, your personal tutor will teach on your own degree course and you will keep the same personal tutor throughout your course.

Your personal tutor will be able to give you advice on academic issues, including module choice and assessment. If you encounter any problems which affect your studies, your personal tutor should always be your first point of contact; she/he will be able to put you in touch with the wide range of expert student support services provided by the University and the Students' Union as appropriate. You are required to meet with your personal tutor at three points during each academic year but you are also encouraged to get in touch with them at any other point if you need help or advice.

For day-to-day information, the staff of our Postgraduate Student Hub are available, in person, by telephone or by email, from 8am to 6pm each weekday during term time to answer your questions.

Feedback

We’ll provide you with regular feedback on your work. This comes in a variety of formats including oral feedback, personalised feedback on written work, and generic written feedback.

You will be given general feedback in relation to examinations following all examination periods and you will be able to discuss your overall performance with your personal tutor.

When undertaking the dissertation/project you are expected to meet regularly with your supervisor to review progress and discuss any questions. Your supervisor will be able to provide feedback on your research plan and drafts of your work as you progress.

Assessment

Assessment methods vary from module to module but, across your degree scheme as a whole, you can expect a mixture of exams, coursework, essays, practical work, presentations, and individual and group projects.

Career prospects

International Human Resource professionals need to have the skills to evaluate new ideas, identify which new practices will have the greatest impact on their organisations and have the confidence to disregard others in an international context. It is a field of management that offers promising careers.

This MSc programme is primarily designed for those interested in the changing nature of human resource management in a globalised world. It will provide a strong basis for a variety of careers and support:

• Those wishing to enter into international human resource management positions in multinational firms.

• Those wishing to join small and medium sized enterprises that are linked to global production networks and/or trading in overseas
markets.

• Those interested in working in policy making institutions or in social movements concerned with business and society.

Those wishing to pursue an academic career will also benefit from the programme as the basis to further PhD studies in international human resource management.

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The MSc in Global Health and Social Justice is unique in the world for bringing together the natural and social sciences with philosophy in order to help students understand and improve global health. The global health movement seeks to address the inequalities in preventable mortality, disease, disability, and access to medical care across countries.

Key benefits

- An emphasis on applying critical reasoning skills in class discussions, assignments, and dissertations.

- Exposure to the central issues in global health including health measurements, global institutions and governance, social determinants of health, global health ethics, philanthro-capitalism, evidence based medicine, and health economics.

- Taught by internationally recognised experts across disciplines including global public health, sociology, anthropology, geography, gerontology, philosophy, and political science within the world-leading Department of Social Science, Health and Medicine.

- Taught in the heart of central London, at the Strand Campus, on the banks of the river Thames; with access to organizations relevant to global health and to London’s key cultural activities.

Visit the website: http://www.kcl.ac.uk/study/postgraduate/taught-courses/global-health-and-social-justice-msc-pg-dip-pg-cert.aspx

Course detail

- Description -

The appalling inequities in preventable mortality, disease, disability, and access to medical care between and within countries and global regions are a result of a complex mix of social, economic and political factors. Medical and health care advances are often extending the healthy lives of the wealthy few, yet millions fall ill or die for want of basic health and social facilities, often hampered by ineffective and non-responsive political and social systems.

From the World Health Organization, international NGOs, global pharmaceutical companies to the new generation of philanthropists and university research centres, the global health movement is growing. However, it is challenged by a variety of grass roots movements that start from different premises and advocate very different practices of intervention. Improving global health requires a new generation of individuals who can understand the many complex dimensions of health, healthcare, and global institutions and processes as well as who can carefully reason about the ethics of the problems, processes, proposed solutions and so forth.

- Course purpose -

The MSc in Global Health and Social Justice is ideal for anyone wishing to develop a rigorous understanding of the dynamic field of global health; it is suitable for health professionals, policy makers, philanthropists, those who work in governmental and non-governmental organizations, and potential PhD students and academics.

It provides access to the major issues and debates in global health, develops capacity for critically assessing the scientific research and practices aiming to address global health inequalities. It also grounds students in the philosophical debates about social justice and health equity.

- Course format and assessment -

Formative assessment is provided both informally through verbal feedback on students’ contributions in seminars; and formally through written and verbal diagnostic feedback on coursework assignments. Summative assessment is achieved through a combination of examinations and coursework assignments.

Career prospects

Ministries of Health and other government agencies, NGOs; health professionals, policy makers; research organisations; business, and teaching.

How to apply: http://www.kcl.ac.uk/study/postgraduate/apply/taught-courses.aspx

About Postgraduate Study at King’s College London:

To study for a postgraduate degree at King’s College London is to study at the city’s most central university and at one of the top 20 universities worldwide (2015/16 QS World Rankings). Graduates will benefit from close connections with the UK’s professional, political, legal, commercial, scientific and cultural life, while the excellent reputation of our MA and MRes programmes ensures our postgraduate alumni are highly sought after by some of the world’s most prestigious employers. We provide graduates with skills that are highly valued in business, government, academia and the professions.

Scholarships & Funding:

All current PGT offer-holders and new PGT applicants are welcome to apply for the scholarships. For more information and to learn how to apply visit: http://www.kcl.ac.uk/study/pg/funding/sources

Free language tuition with the Modern Language Centre:

If you are studying for any postgraduate taught degree at King’s you can take a module from a choice of over 25 languages without any additional cost. Visit: http://www.kcl.ac.uk/mlc

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Learn how different brain functions contribute to cognition, mediate social interaction, and determine mental health, well-being and psychiatric illness.

Who is it for?

This Masters is ideal for those who have an undergraduate degree in Psychology or a related discipline and would like to build more knowledge and skills highly valued both in academic research and the clinical professions. The MSc is an ideal platform from which to progress to PhD studies, particularly in Cognitive or Social Neuroscience. Students will also be well-equipped should they wish to undertake further professional training in Clinical Psychology, or a related discipline.

Objectives

This Masters degree bridges three research and clinical disciplines:
-Cognitive neuroscience (the study of human brain functions such as memory, perception and language).
-Clinical neuroscience (the understanding of neurological, psychological or psychiatric illness via their neural and cognitive antecedents).
-Social neuroscience (the investigation of brain processes that help us communicate, feel, learn and interact with others).

The major aim of this programme is to provide you with a thorough grounding in the neuroscience that underpins human cognitive brain function, clinical, social and affective interaction, and neuropathology.

Teaching will comprise of seminars, lectures, computing and statistics classes, and supervision of an individual research project. Your learning experience during the programme will be enhanced by an invited speaker’s programme of external experts who work in clinical, social or cognitive neuroscience.

Academic facilities

You will have access to all the facilities and laboratories in the Psychology Department. Our members have experience with a wide range of neuroscientific techniques, including neuropsychological testing, psychophysics and functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging (fMRI).

We have particular strengths in the use of Electroencephalography (EEG), Transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) and Transcranial Electric Stimulation (a weak current applied to the scalp), in addition to measures of human behaviour (e.g. response times, response errors, and eye movements) and physiological measures (e.g. galvanic skin response and heart rate).

We test neurologically normal individuals, special populations (e.g. people with synesthesia) and people with expertise or acquired skills (e.g. dancers, musicians, athletes), as well as people with brain damage (e.g. neglect or split-brain patients), psychiatric diagnoses (e.g. schizophrenia), sensory deficits (e.g. visual and hearing impairments) and developmental disorders (e.g. dyslexia or autism).

Placements

We help facilitate Clinical placements and are able and offer Research placements within our department.

Clinical placements: Center for Psychological Wellbeing and Neuroscience (CPWN) in collaboration with City and Hackney Mind (CHM).

Teaching and learning

Teaching will be comprised of lectures, seminars, group work and discussions, workshops and tutorials, reports, computing and statistics classes and the individual research dissertation.

You will undertake independent study, supported by the teaching and learning team, and will receive detailed feedback on your coursework. You will be provided with assessment and grade-related criteria which will outline your intended learning outcomes, along with the skills, knowledge and attitudes you are expected to demonstrate in order for you to complete an assessment successfully. You will also be assigned a personal tutor as your primary contact, who will advise you on academic matters and monitor your progress through the programme.

You will find a supportive vibrant research environment in the Department. The course is taught by academics, who are internationally recognised experts in their field with different backgrounds in clinical, social and cognitive neuroscience.

Assessment

Your learning will be assessed through essays, examinations, oral presentations, research methods projects and interpretation of statistical analyses, formal research proposals and a dissertation.

Modules

The programme consists of eight taught modules worth 15 credits each with around 30-34 hours of face-to-face contact, supported by online resources and an empirical research project (worth 60 credits).

You will learn about the latest advances in clinical, social and cognitive neuroscience and develop an appreciation of the reciprocal nature of research and practice in these domains. For example how insights from functional neuroimaging inform our understanding of neurological disorders and how clinical observations inform neurocognitive modelling.

Course structure
-Principles of Neuroscience: Brain anatomy, techniques and paradigms
-Developmental Cognitive Neuroscience
-Mental Health, Well-being and Neuroscience
-Fundamental Processes in Cognitive Neuroscience & Neuropsychology I
-Fundamental Processes in Cognitive Neuroscience & Neuropsychology II
-Social Cognition and the Social Brain
-Statistical models and Research Methods and Programming
-Research Dissertation
-Invited speakers programme

Career prospects

This course will provide you with knowledge and skills highly valued both in academic research and the clinical professions. The MSc is an ideal platform from which to progress to PhD studies, particularly in Cognitive or Social Neuroscience. You will also be well-equipped should you wish to undertake further professional training in Clinical Psychology, or a related discipline.

The knowledge and skills you will acquire in this programme are highly valuable, whether you choose to pursue further research or an applied occupation. They will enhance your employability prospects in a wide range of sectors including the pharmaceutical industry, neuromarketing, the computing industry, science and the media, science and the arts, business or education.

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Everything we do is aimed at helping you to appreciate the approaches and methods used by historians, and developing your knowledge of historical trends, processes and events over the past 300 years.

You will have the opportunity to explore a range of social and cultural developments in the history of Britain, Europe and the wider world. Throughout your study, you will work in small groups or individually, guided by your expert teaching team. Their historical research in areas such as urban history, the history of crime, environmental history, imperialism, sexuality and gender, migration, popular culture and social movement, is of an international standing and will feed into your learning.

Our teaching will give you the platform to reflect on historical interpretations of the past and conduct your own independent historical research.

- Research Excellence Framework 2014: 38% of our research was judged to be world leading or internationally excellent in the Communication, Culture and Media Studies, Library and Information Management unit.

Visit the website http://courses.leedsbeckett.ac.uk/socialhistory_ma

Mature Applicants

Our University welcomes applications from mature applicants who demonstrate academic potential. We usually require some evidence of recent academic study, for example completion of an access course, however recent relevant work experience may also be considered. Please note that for some of our professional courses all applicants will need to meet the specified entry criteria and in these cases work experience cannot be considered in lieu.

If you wish to apply through this route you should refer to our University Recognition of Prior Learning policy that is available on our website (http://www.leedsbeckett.ac.uk/studenthub/recognition-of-prior-learning.htm).

Please note that all applicants to our University are required to meet our standard English language requirement of GCSE grade C or equivalent, variations to this will be listed on the individual course entry requirements.

Careers

You will develop a range of transferable skills valued by employers in areas such as teaching, local government, administration, management, the civil service, marketing, public relations and the non-profit sector. Your course will also provide you with an excellent grounding should you want to pursue further postgraduate study.

- Teacher
- Historical Researcher
- Lecturer
- Journalist

Careers advice: The dedicated Jobs and Careers team offers expert advice and a host of resources to help you choose and gain employment. Whether you're in your first or final year, you can speak to members of staff from our Careers Office who can offer you advice from writing a CV to searching for jobs.

Visit the careers site - https://www.leedsbeckett.ac.uk/employability/jobs-careers-support.htm

Course Benefits

You will work in small groups or individually with research-active historians throughout your period of study. Our history team has strengths in many areas and you will benefit from their expertise in urban history, the history of crime, environmental history, imperialism, sexuality and gender, migration, popular culture and social movement history.

Core Modules

Researching Cultures
This is an introduction to research skills and methods, exploring libraries, sources, archives and treatments of history through the theme of war. You will analyse the relationships between literary texts, historical documents, and films, as well as scrutinising how World War Two has been recorded, historicised, fictionalised and dramatised.

Underworlds: Representations of Crime, Police & the Criminal c.1700 to c.1945
You will study the representation of crime, criminals and police during a period which witnessed key changes in the criminal justice system, the rise of a policed society, and the emergence of print culture.

Sexuality, Gender & Popular Culture in Britain 1918-1970
According to some theorists, a preoccupation with sexuality is one of the defining features of Western modernity. You will explore current debates, relevant theoretical approaches and will be introduced to a range of source material including newspaper reports, film and popular literature.

Organised Crime in the Modern World: Global Criminal Cultures
Throughout history, as societies have become more organised, so too have their criminals. You will study a range of criminal organisations, exploring the role organised crime has played in both shaping and reacting to the ebb and flow of power and socio-economic development in the modern world.

European Cities: Making Urban Landscapes & Cultures since c.1945
You will examine urbanisation and metropolitan cultures of the cities within Europe during the second-half of the 20th century. We will ask you to consider the relationship between cities and the social, economic, political and cultural policies of local, national and supranational governments and other governing bodies.

Journeys & Discoveries: Travel, Tourism & Exploration, 1768-1996
This is an opportunity to consider the journeys, voyages and discoveries recounted in travel journals, guidebooks, colonial texts, memoirs and ethnographic studies. You will learn how travel, tourism and exploration has evolved - influenced by innovations in transport, health and media, public tastes, colonial policies and racial attitudes.

A Cultural Revolution? The Sixties in Comparative Perspective
Focusing on cultural, social and political elements of the 'long 1960s' (1958-1975), you will study a wide variety of political movements, social changes and cultural forms - such as music, film, TV, theatre and literature - looking at the United States, Britain and Western Europe, and the wider world.

Dissertation
You will undertake a sustained piece of research in social history on a topic selected by yourself and involving the use of both primary and secondary sources.You will design, plan, manage and complete a sustained research project, presenting your findings both orally and in writing.

Facilities

- Library
Our libraries are two of the only university libraries in the UK open 24/7 every day of the year. However you like to study, the libraries have got you covered with group study, silent study, extensive e-learning resources and PC suites.

- Broadcasting Place
Broadcasting Place provides students with creative and contemporary learning environments, is packed with the latest technology and is a focal point for new and innovative thinking in the city.

Find out how to apply here - http://www.leedsbeckett.ac.uk/postgraduate/how-to-apply/

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On this Master’s degree we explore the links between education and social and political movements, and develop understandings of how 'education' as a contested field should be viewed within a globalised and postcolonial context. By 'education' we mean all forms of informal and formal learning, across all age ranges, including adult, higher and professional education. We ask the key question: is education a force for reproduction or transformation in the world? In other words, does education change the world or maintain the current system? For example, can it alleviate the effects of poverty or does it increase existing inequalities? Key debates on what is the role of education and how people learn are developed from a range of viewpoints, including critical theory. We take an interdisciplinary approach to thinking about education, drawing on the arts and humanities as well as the more conventional respresentations of education in social science. The programme offers those with an interest in, or concern about, education the opportunity to explore relevant theories, to develop research skills in social science and to apply these to education practices.

The degree will appeal to those interested in developing and extending their knowledge and understanding of education and social change. In addition to the core modules, you can choose from a range of option modules in order to tailor a programme to suit your developing interests. You will also take a course on research methodologies, which will provide you with the tools to undertake an original piece of research into an aspect of education that fascinates you.

The programme will deepen your awareness of how education shapes, and is shaped by, our understanding of the world and may contribute to your professional development. In previous years, some students have used the qualification to take their careers in new directions, while others have used the programme to deepen their thinking about their current practice. It is flexibly designed with a range of option modules, and a Postgraduate Diploma and Postgraduate Certificate are also available.

Why study this course at Birkbeck?

A high-quality, postgraduate-level qualification for those involved, or wishing to be involved, in the interdisciplinary field of education.
A range of option modules allows you to select pathways relevant to your professional and personal needs and interests.
You will have the opportunity to develop either a dissertation or an action research project.
The Department of Psychosocial Studies has a formal link with the University of São Paulo, Brazil. This link enables students on this programme to undertake an optional module at the university as part of their programme of study at Birkbeck.
As well as having access to the library and the wide range of public events and seminars run by Birkbeck, you will have access to the events run by the Birkbeck Centre for Social Transformation and Research in Higher Education and the Birkbeck Institute for Social Research.

Our research

Birkbeck is one of the world’s leading research-intensive institutions. Our cutting-edge scholarship informs public policy, achieves scientific advances, supports the economy, promotes culture and the arts, and makes a positive difference to society.

Birkbeck’s research excellence was confirmed in the 2014 Research Excellence Framework, which placed Birkbeck 30th in the UK for research, with 73% of our research rated world-leading or internationally excellent.

In the 2014 Research Excellence Framework (REF), Sociology at Birkbeck was ranked 13th in the UK.

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