Masters Degrees (Visual Sociology)

Designed for students interested in new ways of exploring and understanding the social world through the use of visual, sensory and other experimental approaches, this programme allows you to study sociological issues alongside innovative methods- http://www.gold.ac.uk/pg/ma-visual-sociology/

The MA will enable you to intervene in and represent the social world by developing the ability to undertake empirical research and present it publicly in a variety of media and materials.

You will engage with sociology as an inventive research practice, orientated towards the creative deployment of research methods.

An introduction to debates in visual and sensory sociology

The MA in Visual Sociology provides an introduction to the range of debates in visual and sensory sociology, encouraging you to build on these by using visual and sensory methodological practices to carry out critical social research in your areas of interest, whether this is science and technology, contemporary capitalism, gender and sexual cultures, human rights, globalisation or other aspects of social life.

A hands-on approach to sociological research

The programme combines lectures and seminars with practical sessions and workshop-based projects in which you develop a hands-on approach to sociological research, providing a skill base in methods which could be used in public sector contexts, art/media research, design or commercial application.

As well as presenting your ideas through writing, during the course you will have the opportunity to produce a range of different outputs including exhibitions, visual models and film/video. Critical feedback sessions function as a testing ground for individual projects.

Themed projects allow groups of students to further develop a portfolio of research outputs geared to a variety of audiences. The dissertation allows you to undertake a substantive research project geared to your individual interests.

You will have access to the Visual Media Lab, which offers post-production and editing stations, as well as equipment for photography and video. Students can also borrow equipment from the Media Equipment Centre.

At the forefront of the discipline

The MA is based in the Department of Sociology, home of the The Methods Lab and at the forefront of research using live methods. It is taught by staff with a wide range of experience in both sociology and interdisciplinary research, including visual and experimental approaches.

The course is suitable for applicants from a wide variety of backgrounds, including art, design, anthropology, media and communications, cultural studies, geography, and sociology.

Contact the department

If you have specific questions about the degree, contact Dr Rebecca Coleman.

Modules & Structure

Core modules:
In the first part of the course you will take 'Introduction to Sensory Sociology', a module that investigates the transformation of sociology in the age of visual, digital and other empirical methods. The module 'Key Debates for Inventive and Visual Sociology' enables you to address debates within visual sociology, and also encompasses more recent issues surrounding the notions of media, translation and studio practice which are associated with inventive approaches. Assessment of these modules is by essay.

Alongside these modules you will take a core practical component that offers the opportunity to gain skills in photography, sound and video and to develop materials that engage a sociological imagination. A central focus is on how to translate a research question into a variety of materials or media and to be able to critically discuss the selection and use of these.

In the second term you continue with a practical module in inventive sociology in which students working individually or in groups respond to a theme to create a visual, sensory or experimental object or media. Assessment of the practical work includes a diary of research process alongside documentation of work.

These core modules are taught in Sociology. In the second term you will also take an option that may be chosen from Sociology or may be taken from departments across Goldsmiths including the Departments of Anthropology, English and Comparative Literature, Politics, Media and Communications, Educational Studies, Music, and the Centre for Cultural Studies. 



In the summer term you will complete a dissertation involving a major practical project consisting of any media and addressing a specific sociological problem. You will meet for individual supervision with a member of the Sociology staff.
 The dissertation is a substantive piece of research in which you develop a visual, inventive or experimental approach to a topic of your choice.

Option modules:
You will chose an option module to the value of 30 credits from Sociology or from departments across the College including the Departments of Anthropology, English and Comparative Literature, Politics, Media and Communications, Music, Educational Studies, and the Centre for Cultural Studies.

Modules in Sociology address themes such as:

contemporary capitalism and inequality
human rights
globalisation and urban life
gender and sexuality
science, technology and medicine
digitisation of social life

Skills & Careers

This programme attracts students from a wide range of backgrounds, including art and design, business, and the third sector, as well as those with social science degrees. This means the careers that they are interested in pursuing are wide and varied.

The programme helps students develop their critical and analytical abilities as well as a number of other practical skills and competencies, which are valued in different sectors. For example, as well as reflecting moves within sociology to study the visual and sensory, the MA also responds to how sociological methods – such as interviews, focus groups and ethnography – are increasingly used in commercial settings, including in social and market research, and in research and development for international companies.

The programme can lead to many types of career including in the arts and creative industries, the charity and public sectors, social research. A number of graduates from the programme are also interested in pursuing further academic research.

Funding

Please visit http://www.gold.ac.uk/pg/fees-funding/ for details.

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The MPhil in Visual Sociology offers you the opportunity to combine written sociological argument with film, sound, or photographic representation- http://www.gold.ac.uk/pg/mphil-phd-visual-sociology/

It will allow new researchers to re-think both the conduct of social research and the forms that social research writing takes in the 21st century.

Students registered on this degree will complete all of the research training modules outlined for the MPhil programme. The MPhil will allow you to re-think the gathering, analysis and presentation of research data and consider the future of sociological representation.

Assessment will be via a thesis, visual/aural component (a video or sound feature, or a photographic project), and viva voce.

The MPhil programme offers the opportunity for you to continue your research to a PhD.

Contact the department

If you have specific questions about the degree, contact the Postgraduate Research Officer of Sociology.

Department

Sociology at Goldsmiths is ranked:
9th in the UK and 45th in the world for this subject area**
9th in the UK for the quality of our research***

**QS World University Rankings by subject 2015
***Research Excellence Framework 2014, Times Higher Education research intensity subject rankings

The Department of Sociology at Goldsmiths is active, contemporary and inventive. We are interested in everything from the ‘global’ issues of poverty and injustice to the ‘micro’ issues of cultural identity and the presentation of self in a digital world.

Our staff are some of the top academics in the world for this discipline – they’re the pioneers who are pushing boundaries and challenging the status quo. They’ve played a key role in developing social research methods, setting agendas in social and cultural policy, and linking theory to practice.

Through their world-leading research you’ll be at the forefront of current debates and will be encouraged to see the world differently.

How to apply

Before you apply for a research programme, we advise you to get in touch with the programme contact, listed above. It may also be possible to arrange an advisory meeting.

Before you start at Goldsmiths, the actual topic of your research has to be agreed with your proposed supervisor, who will be a member of staff active in your general field of research. The choice of topic may be influenced by the current research in the department or the requirements of an external funding body. The choice of topic may be influenced by the current research in the department or the requirements of an external funding body. You should look at our staff research interests to see if we are the right department for you and whether there is a member if staff who may match your research interests.

If you wish to study on a part-time basis, you should also indicate how many hours a week you intend to devote to research, whether this will be at evenings or weekends, and for how many hours each day.

Research proposals

Along with your application and academic reference, you should also upload a research proposal at the point of application.

This should be in the form of a 1,500-3,000-word statement of the proposed area of research and should include:

delineation of the research topic
why it has been chosen
an initial hypothesis (if applicable)
a brief list of major secondary sources
the name of a staff member who you believe would be interested in acting as your supervisor

Funding

Please visit http://www.gold.ac.uk/pg/fees-funding/ for details.

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This MPhil pathway is designed to give students a basic understanding of major themes and debates the sociology of reproduction and new reproductive technologies. Two core modules introduce key concepts and approaches to the sociology of reproduction, and core methodologies in this field. Other substantive modules can be chosen in consultation with the student's supervisor or the course director.

Topics to be covered include: core theories of gender, reproduction and kinship; the reproductive division of labour; social reproduction and the meaning of the 'mode of reproduction'; the sociology of new reproductive technologies; reproduction and globalisation; reproductive rights; media representation of reproduction and visual cultures of reproduction.

Background readings will be drawn from feminist science studies, the history of science and medicine, and the anthropology of reproduction as well as the sociology of reproduction.

See the website http://www.graduate.study.cam.ac.uk/courses/directory/hssompsrp

Learning Outcomes

Upon completion of the programme students should have:

- an advanced understanding of current sociological research in selected topics;
- the skills necessary to conduct independent social research and experience in their use;
- an ability to apply and develop modern social theory with respect to empirical topics;
- a deeper understanding of their chosen specialist area, including command of the literature and current research;
- the ability to situate their own research within current developments in the field.

Format

The course offers teaching on Social Theory, Substantive modules and Research Methods. Students work towards a written dissertation supported by supervisions and a dissertation workshop.

Students receive written feedback on each essay and the dissertation. Feedback is also given during the dissertation workshop on the direction and progress of the dissertation research.

Assessment

Students write a dissertation of not less than 15,000 and not more than 20,000 words on a subject approved by the Degree Committee.

Students write one methods essay of not less than 2,500 and not more than 3,000 words (or prescribed course work) and two substantive essays of not less than 4,000 and not more than 5,000 words.

Continuing

Students are encouraged to proceed to the Faculty's PhD programme, provided they reach a high level of achievement in all parts of the course. MPhil students who would like to continue to the PhD would normally need to have a final mark of at least 70% overall and 70% for the dissertation.

How to apply: http://www.graduate.study.cam.ac.uk/applying

Funding Opportunities

The Department of Sociology holds ESRC funding awards. Sociology is a recognised Doctoral Training Centre pathway toward a PhD. Therefore candidates for the MPhil in Sociology (Sociology of Reproduction) can apply for 1+3 ESRC funding.

General Funding Opportunities http://www.graduate.study.cam.ac.uk/finance/funding

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-Study at the Granada Centre for Visual Anthropology - widely recognised as the world's leading centre for Visual Anthropology and Sensory Media
-The course combines anthropology with practical training in film-making, editing, visual methods, photography, sensory ethnography and sound
-Students are provided with professional equipment and supported by an internally renowned staff comprising the largest visual anthropology faculty in Europe

We welcome students from across the social sciences and humanities. The MA in Visual Anthropology is tailored to meet the needs of different levels of anthropological and film-making experience, whether you have little or no background in formal anthropology, film-production, visual methods and photography, or if you have substantial experience in one or more of these areas.

For nearly 30 years, the University's Granada Centre for Visual Anthropology has been widely recognised as the world's leading centre for Visual Anthropology. Our graduates have produced more than 400 ethnographic films seen around the world and it is now at the forefront of the emergent dialogue between art and anthropology, including sensory ethnography and sound, experimental and practice-based methods, photographic and digital media, museum and gallery installations.

Our MA and MPhil courses combine anthropology with training in film-making and editing, visual methods, photography sensory ethnography and sound. Students are provided with professional equipment and supported by an internationally renowned staff comprising the largest visual anthropology faculty in Europe.

The Granada Centre's teaching and research continues to set the standard of excellence in the social sciences as well as arts. This was formally recognised by the ESRC (Economic and Social Research Council), and by the AHRC, awarding the master's programme the status of a Professional Preparation masters, something awarded to no other visual anthropology programme in the UK.

Teaching and learning

The course combines conventional lectures and seminars with practical 'hands-on' instruction and workshops. Students work in teams and individually. Their final piece is an individual production, however throughout the year they will spend time working in teams so as to develop team-working & presentational skills as well as technical and artistic expertise. Work is presented to the class and receives feedback from fellow students as well as instructors. In this way, students learn to analyse their own and others works and through each other's successes and failures, generating a strong range of intellectual, practical and aesthetic resources as well as a sense of camaraderie and cooperation.

Coursework and assessment

During both semesters, students take 1 x 30-credit or 2 x 15 credit practical film or media courses and 2 x 15-credit lecture- or seminar-based modules on more theoretical, methodological or substantive ethnographic topics. The latter are each assessed by means of a 4000-word essay. The practical modules are assessed by various combinations of a portfolio of project work and an accompanying written text.

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Would you like to study one of our two unique specialisations? Are you interested in graduating by using audio-visual methods or doing a multi-media project? Come to Leiden for our programme in Cultural Anthropology and Development Sociology!

Specialisations

- Global Ethnography
- Sociology of Policy in Practice

Visit the website: http://en.mastersinleiden.nl/programmes/cultural-anthropology-and-development-sociology/en/introduction

Course detail

In this master’s programme you will learn to understand the everyday practice of individuals, groups and communities from the inside out, and analyse how you can situate them within complex processes of global social change.

The programme at Leiden is tailor-made, displays a broad range of theoretical, methodological and regional interests, and is renowned for its internationally oriented expertise and the two unique specialisations:

1. Global Ethnography

Our globalising world increasingly demands a comparative and holistic approach to all things cultural. In the specialisation Global Ethnography you will do three months of individual research into the ways global processes manifest themselves in particular and local instances, in remote places as well as close to home.

2. Sociology of Policy in Practice

Our specialisation in the sociology of policy in practice teaches you to think along with companies, NGO’s and other organisations to help them respond to the challenges they are facing in our rapidly changing times. You obtain relevant working experience by conducting a three-month research-oriented internship, in close collaboration with both our Leiden staff and members of your host organisation.

Field schools in Asia, Africa and the Netherlands

The Leiden Institute of CA-DS ensures half a century and more of expertise on South-East Asia and Sub-Saharan Africa. As a student, you can enjoy the possibilities of this wide network of international contacts and conduct your own research in one of our field schools abroad, located in Indonesia (Java) or Ghana, or in the Netherlands. For more information check our webpage on the Field schools.

Master students are not strictly limited to these regions and field schools. If you have sufficient expertise, local contacts and linguistic skills, it is possible to focus on another region and do your fieldwork there. You can contact the institute’s coordinator and discuss the feasibility of your research plans.

Visual Ethnography as a Method

All specialisations can be combined with the methodological track ‘Visual Ethnography as a Method’ Although admission to this track requires certain minimal skills in visual ethnography (which can be obtained at the Institute CA-DS in the pre-master phase), you will be able to improve your use of audio-visual methods like photography, video and audio, both in research and in reporting through course work and your own independent research project.

Career prospects

As a CA-DS master, you will be fully equipped with the scientific skills required to independently design and execute fundamental and applied research.

How to apply: http://en.mastersinleiden.nl/arrange/admission

Funding

For information regarding funding, please visit the website: http://prospectivestudents.leiden.edu/scholarships

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This interdisciplinary subject explores the meanings and effects of visual images and ways of looking. Through its core elements, options and route specific seminars, the course examines the ways images are used and perceived in a society that is becoming increasingly saturated with visual technologies, and it explores the ways that images contribute to the formation of identities and social environments. You will be encouraged to engage with the subject using a theoretical, methodological and creative approach. The course provides opportunities for the production of a wide variety of academic writing as well as possibilities to develop critical thinking through visual practice. The course encourages a high degree of independent research that will culminate in either a dissertation or a project combining written and visual material. This course will appeal to applicants from a variety of backgrounds including art history, fine art, sociology and visual anthropology, those engaged in a range of careers such as lecturing, working in the cultural and heritage industries, and those looking to further develop their academic interests.

Features

-The course is taught by practicing artists and maintains active links with an international network of art professionals and organisations.
-You will have your own spaces within communal studios, with full access to the School's workshops and other resources.
-The space allows opportunities to become involved in a wide range of live projects, publishing ventures and the chance to collaborate with other students, members of staff and outside institutions.
-Students have gone on to pursue careers in arts writing, curating and art practice. The course also provides the scope for opportunities to teach in Further or Higher Education in the arts.

Course Content

The MA Visual Culture is made up of five units totalling 180 credits.

The programme is practice driven and focussed on the development of your existing practice. It will enable you to identify and explore new concepts and approaches negotiated through an individual Working Synopsis.

You will establish key theories and issues relating to Contemporary Curating, Design Cultures and Visual Culture and then develop these into more complex approaches.

You will also be encouraged and supported to extend your experience in the professional sphere either through a practical project, research context, exchange, work experience, or other negotiated professional set of interactions with an external partner, groups of students and creative industry.

Towards the end of the programme you will undertake a major project to consolidate your past research and practice into fully realised collections, pieces, proposals, business plans, or exhibitions – what ever means is appropriate to the work. You will also have developed a strategy for the continuation of your practice located and contextualised to the profession or discipline.

If you choose to progress to MFA Visual Culture award you will study a further two units of 60 credits each.

This award is focussed on the continuation of your practice aligned to the research and selection of appropriate public or professional venues and platforms to disseminate a significant body of work. You will be required to produce work for a public audience in the most relevant and appropriate form along with any implicit publicity and dissemination material.

Resources

We have developed a dedicated postgraduate area occupying an entire floor of the main School of Art building, offering an exciting space to be, both intellectually and practically. The centre is located in the newly refurbished Chatham Tower with studios, design laboratories, seminar rooms and extensive workshops that form the nucleus of this vibrant, cross-disciplinary learning environment.

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If you’re an international fee-paying student you could be eligible for a £3,000 discount when you start your course in January 2017.
http://www.shu.ac.uk/VCAwardJanuary2017

Study on a course designed for social sciences graduates who plan to work or complete research in sociology, social policy, and governmental and commercial organisations. The fundamental research methodologies you learn give you the skills to develop or start your career as a researcher in these areas. Our staff offer a wide range of research specialisms for you to benefit from, encompassing sociology, social policy, politics, criminology, education studies, urban studies, youth studies and cultural studies.

During this course we introduce you to social research methods and strategies, and the supporting theories and philosophies. You can also develop areas of specialist interests and integrate these into your methodological training. On a number of the modules, you meet and discuss research issues with students from our other MRes courses and doctoral level researchers.

This course is for you if you have a first degree in any discipline within social sciences and plan to
-Work in areas of social policy and sociology.
-Carry out research in these and related subject areas such as health, crime and policing, leisure and education policy, town planning or environmental studies.

If you are already working in the field, you and your current employer may see this course as a professional development opportunity, giving you the skills to further your career and current practice.

Our staff are currently involved in research areas including
-Labour market and occupational studies.
-Public health.
-Discourse and identities.
-European, international and comparative politics and policy.
-Social statistics.
-Policing studies.
-Criminology.
-Urban studies.
-Labour history.
-Drug use and rehabilitation.
-Housing studies.
-Environment and sustainability.
-Visual ethnography.
-Education and social class.
-Poverty and inclusion.
-Ethnicity and religion.
-Media and impact on diversity and equality.
-Social activism.
-Sexualities and gender.
-Teenage pregnancy and parenting.
-Youth studies, youth work and volunteering.
-Work and family life.
-Charities, volunteering and the non-profit sector.

You study a range of research methodologies throughout the course including:
-Interview-based narrative and biographical research.
-Case study and ethnography.
-Media analysis.
-Surveying and sampling.
-Statistical analysis of large data sets.

You critique current developments in research methodology then design and conduct your own pieces of original research.
The MRes includes a research-based dissertation, which may become a pilot study towards a PhD. Several recent MRes students have gone onto doctoral level study, in fields such as education and inequality, and activism and sport.

For an informal discussion about this course, please contact Dr Bob Jeffery by e-mail at [email protected]

This course is hosted by the Faculty of Development and Society Graduate School. The Graduate School website provides a communication hub for students and staff engaged in research, information about our research work, and useful contact information.

You can take individual modules as short courses or combine them towards a PgDip/PgCert Research Methods in Sociology, Planning and Policy.

For more information, see the website: https://www.shu.ac.uk/study-here/find-a-course/mres-sociology-planning-and-policy

Course structure

Full time – 1 year
Part time – typically 3 years
Depending on your route and start date (September or January), classes run in the evenings and/or in blocks of study during the day. Please contact us for more details.

Course design
You need 180 credits for the MRes
You choose up to 120 credits from the following modules:
-Qualitative methodologies and interviewing skills
-Qualitative research designs and ethnography
-Discourse and linguistic theory and analysis
-Survey design
-Introduction to survey analysis
-Multivariate statistical analysis
-Philosophies of research and design
-Research philosophies in today's sociology

You may choose to substitute 30 credits from another course within our MRes programme.

To gain the MRes you must present a 60-credit research-based dissertation in an area of your choice. This piece of work is supervised by our staff and gives you the opportunity to demonstrate the skills you have learned and your understanding of the research process and philosophies.

Assessment
Includes: essays, research projects, presentations, research proposals.

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Our research expertise centres around three themes: Identities, the Sociology of Health and Life Sciences and Social Transformations. Our research tradition covers sociology, social policy and social anthropology. We have strengths in the fields of family studies, health studies, political economy, sexuality, citizenship, and youth and student lives.

Our MPhil projects cover a wide spectrum of contemporary sociology including:
-Bodies, identities and experiences
-Culture and material life
-'Development' and the global south
-Emotions and intimacy
-Environment and society
-Imagining pasts and futures
-Sexualities and gender
-Sociology of ethics
-Sociologies of health and life sciences
-Sociology of law
-Visual and aesthetic cultures

Each of these themes represents the expertise of a member of staff actively engaged in sociological research.

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Explore the creative interplay between urban theory and the visual representation of urban cultures and places- http://www.gold.ac.uk/pg/ma-photography-urban-cultures/

This programme has been developed by the Centre for Urban and Community Research to encourage creative interplay between practice and theory. You'll have the chance to consider cutting-edge debates in cultural and social theory in a research setting that actively encourages the development of photographic practice.

The programme offers working photographers, visual artists and media practitioners space to reflect critically on their practice.

It also offers those with a background in sociology, urban and cultural geography, cultural studies or anthropology the opportunity to combine visual forms of representation with standard forms of research techniques in investigating urban life and the physical environments of the city.

Convenor

Paul Halliday, Department of Sociology

Contact the department

If you have specific questions about the degree, contact Paul Halliday (Programme Convenor) or the Postgraduate Programmes Officer

Modules & Structure

Navigating Urban Life- 30 credits
Through The Lens Part A- 15 credits
Key Debates for Inventive and Visual Sociology Practice- 15 credits
Talking Practice A and Talking Practice B- 15 credits each
Urban Photographers- 15 credits
Through The Lens Part B- 15 credits

As well as these modules, you will complete a Dissertation and Major Visual Project (60 credits).

The Dissertation can comprise two parts: a portfolio and a 5-6,000-word Dissertation, or you may submit a 10-12,000-word written Dissertation. The Dissertation will consist of: an account of the rationale of the photographic project; a critical evaluation of photographic practice and issues of reflectivity and knowledge production. In combination with the written part you will be expected to provide evidence of a sustained and coherent body of photographic work focusing on an aspect of urban culture for assessment. Previously, work from Final Visual Projects has been shown on a virtual gallery space linked to the CUCR website.

Assessment

Essays; dissertation; final visual project.

Skills

This MA develops skills in urban photography, visual ethnography and urban research, communications for urban planning, community arts and visual arts practice.

Careers

Graduates of the programme have progressed to the following areas and careers:

Doctoral studies
curating
public relations
urban planning
advertising
community artseducation
social research
journalism

Funding

Please visit http://www.gold.ac.uk/pg/fees-funding/ for details.

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Research profile

Socio-cultural studies attracts people with social science backgrounds who wish to work on interdisciplinary topics, and also those from an arts or humanities background who want to gain skills and experience in social research.

Our PhD students can apply to the Arts & Humanities Research Council and some have already been successful in applications for doctoral research funding to the AHRC.

The MSc by Research in Socio-Cultural Studies may be taken as a stand-alone, one-year course or as a stepping stone to the PhD. It offers training in a range of qualitative methods.

Indicative courses include:

Documents of Life
Research Design
Data Analysis
Sources & Approaches for Historical Research
Research Methods in Literatures, Languages & Cultures
Research Design in Geography
Explanation & Understanding in Social & Political Research
Contemporary Social Theory
Ethical & Political Issues in Social & Political Research

The dissertation element of the degree can take the form of either a small piece of independent research or a detailed proposal for a PhD.

Training and support

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

The Graduate School provides a suite of research training courses for social science students across the University. We are developing an exciting package of flexible, web-based training courses as well as training in innovative methods addressing topics such as visual sociology, in line with the increased emphasis on ongoing training throughout your doctoral studies.

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Research in Sociology at Kent covers a range of areas, including social and critical theory, social movements, globalisation and everyday life, cities and space, media and technology, class, ‘race’ and ethnicity, gender, work, visual sociology, the welfare state, risk and society, violence, NGOs and organisations, and social aspects of the body. We offer high-quality supervision across a wide range of areas and we work carefully to match you with a supervisor who suits your interests and ambitions.

In addition to regular meetings with individual supervisors, all research students take part in a research training programme.

There are further details on the research activities and publications of individual members of staff and the School’s research units on the School’s website (http://www.kent.ac.uk/sspssr).

Visit the website https://www.kent.ac.uk/courses/postgraduate/145/sociology

About the School of Social Policy, Sociology and Social Research (SSPSSR):

It has a long and distinguished history and is one of the largest and most successful social science research communities in Europe. It has received top ratings in Research Assessment Exercises, and most recently had 70% of its work judged as either ‘world-leading’ or ‘internationally excellent” in terms of its “originality, significance and rigour”.

The School supports a large and thriving postgraduate community, and in 2010 distributed to new students in excess of £100,000 in Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC) quota awards, University and SSPSSR bursaries and scholarships.

Our faculty staff are world authorities in their fields. Members attract large research grants from bodies such as the ESRC, the British Academy, Arts and Humanities Research Council, European Commission, Anglo-German Foundation, NATO, Equal Opportunities Commission, National Probation Service and the Joseph Rowntree Foundation. We take part in international symposia and research projects, and act as consultants and advisers to a wide variety of government departments, professional organisations, research funding bodies and learned journals.

Study support

- Postgraduate resources

Our postgraduate students have access to dedicated office space within the department and are able to take advantage of excellent library and computing facilities. Where appropriate, research students are encouraged to expand their experience by teaching part-time in the School.

- Dynamic publishing culture

Staff publish regularly and widely in journals, conference proceedings and books. Among others, they have recently contributed to: Theory and Society; Sociology; European Journal of Social Theory; The Sociological Review; and International Sociology.

- Researcher Development Programme

Kent's Graduate School co-ordinates the Researcher Development Programme (http://www.kent.ac.uk/graduateschool/skills/programmes/tstindex.html) for research students, which includes workshops focused on research, specialist and transferable skills. The programme is mapped to the national Researcher Development Framework and covers a diverse range of topics, including subjectspecific research skills, research management, personal effectiveness, communication skills, networking and teamworking, and career management skills.

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 sociology is a particularly flexible and valuable qualification that can lead to many exciting opportunities and professions.

Our graduates go on to work for a range of organisations across the public, private and third sectors, and typically pursue careers which involve specialist research and data analysis skills. Recent graduates have worked for Government, NGOs, charities and think tanks as well as global media organisations.

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

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Postgraduate students from this course will be part of the newly emerging generation of digital storytellers. Using video, text, photography, audio and info-graphics candidates will be able to explore a spectrum of approaches from news journalism to ethnographic practices to convey stories about the real world. Embedded in live projects, with international opportunities and professional practitioners the programme aims to equip students with the essential practical, creative and vocational skills for the media landscape of the twenty first century.
Practice is at the core of the programme. Experimentation, evaluation and the resolution of ideas and skills together are central to the course. By the end of it you should be able to produce challenging cutting edge work that uses a variety of mediums effectively and be able to identify professional outputs for your own type of practice. The course is delivered through a variety of methods that are dependent on the required learning. Critically based lectures and seminars will give you a sound grounding in current thinking about the many components that make up the field. Intensive workshop sessions will enable you to attain the relevant skills and to undertake visual problem solving. Developing your understanding of industry expectations, skill levels and professional behaviour will further underpin the much of the course. Opportunities to take part in professional projects, or to work on client-based briefs will also help you to acquire the relevant skills and experiences.
The course structure has exit awards of PG Dip -120 credits and a PG Cert – 60 credits).

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This MA introduces you to recent debates on gender in the disciplines of sociology and media and communications studies, and to the interdisciplinary domains of feminist social and cultural theory- http://www.gold.ac.uk/pg/ma-gender-media-culture/

Drawing on the internationally recognised and pioneering expertise of staff in the Department of Sociology and Department of Media and Communications, the programme offers you the opportunity to develop cutting-edge critical skills in relation to cultural approaches to gender formation and gender theory.

As well as these theoretical and analytical points of orientation, the MA in Gender, Media and Culture aims to help you grasp the importance of epistemology and methodology for the evaluation of empirical investigations of gender formations.

The programme therefore introduces you to, and offers training in, the key socio-cultural methods for the study of gender in the contemporary world, including methods for the study of visual culture; the body and affect; and memory.

These two elements of the programme are brought together in a dissertation study, which involves tailored supervision in the application of research methods to a specific topic.

This programme relates to the following disciplines:

Sociology
Media and Communications
Humanities
Science and Technology Studies
Philosophy

Overall the programme has the following interrelated aims

to provide in-depth interdisciplinary knowledge of contemporary gender formations
to provide theoretical, analytical and methodological points of orientation for understanding gender and culture transnationally and across different societies and geo-political regions
to offer skilled supervision in the development and completion of a small research project which tests thoroughly a range of research skills
to expose students to a lively research environment and the relevant expertise of the research-led Departments of Sociology and Media and Communications

Convenors

Autumn term convener - Nirmal Puwar
Spring term convener - Sara Ahmed

Contact the department

If you have specific questions about the degree, contact the Postgraduate Programmes Officer.

Modules & Structure

Core components of the programme will familiarise you with the wide range of debates integral to the fields of gender studies, feminist theory, and cultural studies. These include:

questions about sexual difference and the performativity of gender
gender, science, debates on affect and emotion
gender and migration and the new international division of labour
feminism
You complete one core module and one option module each term, as well as a dissertation module in the spring term. The first core module introduces key debates and developments in feminist theory, cultural theory and, in particular, feminist cultural theory. It introduces both early debates which defined these fields and contemporary developments and departures. More specifically, you will be introduced to social constructivist and post-structuralist perspectives, to ‘new materialism’, to debates on feminism and the critique of universalism; to key questions in relation to feminism and biology; to debates on psycho-analysis and the emergence of queer theory and its intersection with feminist theory.

The second core module examines the place of gender, affect and the body in feminist theory and feminist practice. The course offers you different angles on what has become known as “the affective turn,” placing a strong emphasis on the history of feminist contributions to the study of affect and emotion as well as the body. We ask how bodies are constructed, experienced and lived from a variety of feminist perspectives, attending to questions of corporeal difference, as well as the intimacy of bodies, spaces, objects and technologies. We also reflect on the significance of affect and the body for feminist and queer cultural practices, as well feminist and queer activisms. This module therefore offers instruction in some of the most cutting edge issues in contemporary feminist theory. A team of leading feminist scholars based in the departments of Sociology and Media Communications at Goldsmiths teach this module on the basis of their research specialisms.

There will be a series of dissertation workshops to help you plan and develop your dissertation, especially in regard to issues of methodology and method. Each student will be assigned a supervisor who will work with you to develop your proposal and undertake independent research.

Option modules

You have 60 credits at your disposal, you can choose any 30 credit modules related to gender from postgraduate modules across the University. You can choose either a regular option (30 credits) or two ‘mini-options’ (2 x 15 credits).

For your other options, you can choose modules from either the Department of Sociology or the following Departments across Goldsmiths. Not all modules are suitable for students from all academic backgrounds; you will discuss your choices with the Programme Convenor at the start of your degree.

Assessment

Essays and dissertation.

Skills

Graduates from this programme gain conceptual and methodological knowledge of the key concepts and debates in the study of gender and culture; the skills of critical analysis; the ability to distinguish and appraise a range of socio-cultural research methodologies; the skills to design and develop a research project; and the ability to recognise and account for sensitive ethical issues relating to research and representation.

The two core courses provide you with the necessary skills to understand the relationships between early debates in the fields of gender studies, feminist theory and feminist cultural theory, and the ability to critically engage with new developments in these fields. Furthermore, you will gain a critical appreciation of the role and place of the body and affect in the development of feminist cultural theory and gender theory, and the challenges that contemporary socio-cultural changes bring to the theorisation of the body.

Careers

Previous graduates have embarked on professional careers in social research, think tanks, the arts and cultural sectors, government and public administration, development, human rights, NGOs, and in media and communications globally. They have also progressed to PhD study.

Funding

Please visit http://www.gold.ac.uk/pg/fees-funding/ for details.

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Criminology has a long and distinguished tradition at Kent with its research base in the Crime, Culture and Control Cluster.

The MA was founded by the world-famous criminologist, the late Professor Jock Young. You will be lectured, supervised and tutored by a team of scholars and researchers internationally renowned for their world-class teaching and publications.

Criminology is an important part of the activities of the School of Social Policy, Sociology and Social Research (SSPSSR), which is one of the four top institutions of its kind in the UK as ranked by the 2008 Research Assessment Exercise. In 2012, we were awarded the first National Award for Excellence in Teaching Criminology by the British Criminology Society in recognition of our innovative approach.

The atmosphere of the School is informal and friendly and there is a lively and diverse postgraduate community. Regular staff/graduate seminars introduce you to the work of academic staff and research students as well as academic visitors, and provide opportunities both for sociability and for intellectual stimulation. The large number of academic staff and our favourable staff/student ratios mean that academic staff are readily accessible. Where appropriate, research students are encouraged to teach part-time in the School.

Visit the website https://www.kent.ac.uk/courses/postgraduate/177/criminology

Research areas

Our research areas are listed below; wider research areas are also available from our European partner institutions.

- Crime, Control and Culture

The School has a long-established tradition of conducting criminological research. The group covers a diverse range of topics, employs both qualitative and quantitative methodologies and draws upon different theoretical traditions. We have particular expertise in the following areas: cultural criminology; crime, punishment and social change; drug use; gender, crime and criminal justice; penology and imprisonment (especially of female offenders); policing; quasi-compulsory treatment for drug-using offenders; race, crime and criminal justice; restorative justice and young offenders; crime and the ‘night-time economy’, terrorism and political crime; violence; youth crime and youth justice.

Present and current research has been funded by the ESRC, the Home Office and the Youth Justice Board.

Staff research interests

Kent’s world-class academics provide research students with excellent supervision. The academic staff in this school and their research interests are shown below. You are strongly encouraged to contact the school to discuss your proposed research and potential supervision prior to making an application. Please note, it is possible for students to be supervised by a member of academic staff from any of Kent’s schools, providing their expertise matches your research interests.

Full details of staff research interests can be found on the School's website (http://www.kent.ac.uk/sspssr/staff/).

- Dr Phil Carney:

Lecturer in Criminology; Erasmus and International Co-ordinator; Kent Co-ordinator, Common Study Programme in Critical Criminology

Photographic theory; spectacle; radical criminology; cultural criminology; critical visual culture; post-structuralist critical theory; desire and power; the micropolitics of fascism.

- Dr Caroline Chatwin:

Senior Lecturer in Criminology; Director of Studies for Undergraduate Criminology

European drug policy; young people and victimisation; drug use and subcultural studies.

- Dr Simon Cottee:

Senior Lecturer in Criminology

Sociology of crime and deviance; sociology of intellectuals; terrorism and apostasy; coercion; political violence.

- Professor Chris Hale:

Professor of Criminology

How political debates around law and order have affected responses to crime; quantitative analysis of crime data, especially the relationships between crime and fear of crime with wider economic and social changes; evaluations of new interventions and crime reduction strategies; policing; youth crime.

- Dr Jonathan Ilan:

Lecturer in Criminology

Cultural criminology; street culture; urban ethnography; media and crime; youth crime; justice and policing.

- Professor Roger Matthews:

Professor of Criminology; Director of Studies for Postgraduate Criminology

Penology, community safety and crime prevention, prostitution, armed robbery, punitiveness, left realism. Recent publications include: Prostitution Politics and Policy (2008); Doing Time: An Introduction to the Sociology of Imprisonment (2009).

- Professor Larry Ray:

Professor of Sociology

Sociological theory; globalisation; race and ethnicity; violence.

- Dr Simon Shaw:

Lecturer in Criminal Justice Studies; Director of Studies

Youth crime; youth justice; politics of crime; criminal justice policy-making.

- Emeritus Professor K. Stenson:

Professor of Criminology

Criminological theory, risk and governance, youth crime.

- Professor Alex Stevens:

Professor of Criminal Justice; Deputy Head of School (Medway)

The politics and practice of criminal justice, with a specific emphasis on national and international drug policy, youth justice, gangs, organised crime, probation practice and the use of evidence in policymaking.

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 Criminology is a particularly valuable qualification that can lead to many exciting opportunities and professions.

Recent graduates have gone on to pursue careers across the criminal justice system, encompassing areas such as counter-terrorism, advocacy, probation, social policy and research. Our graduates have found positions in organisations such as the Civil Service, the Ministry of Justice, various police services and the Probation Service.

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

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The MA in Digital Media is unique in its combination of practical and theoretical approaches to contemporary media and technology- http://www.gold.ac.uk/pg/ma-digital-media-technology-cultural-form/

The established and exciting degree is designed to help you understand digital transformations in media, culture and society and apply this understanding in practice, in the media and creative industries and in further research. You will be equipped with skills that can be applied to current and future developments in digital media, social media, computing and other aspects of technology.

The MA in Digital Media educates aspiring media practitioners and academics as well as early and mid-career professionals who seek to reflect on their roles in a structured and stimulating learning environment designed to give all students up-to-the-minute knowledge of digital media and the skills to apply that knowledge to future developments.

The MA offers two pathways:

-Pathway 1 is a theory programme where you learn about developments in digital media and technology from a wide range of perspectives

-Pathway 2 is a theory and practice programme where you improve your skills, understanding and experience in one of the following areas:

Documentary
Image making
Journalism
Writing

Acclaimed academics and practitioners

Benefit from the experience and expertise of one of the world’s leading media and communications departments. You'll be taught by theorists and practitioners of international standing: Sarah Kember, Joanna Zylinska, Graham Young, Tony Dowmunt, Angela Phillips, Julian Henriques and David Morley.

Work placements and internships

The MA in Digital Media regularly attracts offers of work placements and internships. Recently these have come from Google, The Science Museum and N1creative.com.

Facilities

Our students have access to state-of-the-art facilities including well-equipped lecture and seminar rooms, exhibition spaces, computer facilities and digital media suites.

The department is also currently host to the renowned philosopher of media and technology, Bernard Stiegler and students will have access to his modulein Media Philosophy as well as priority access to the innovative and popular option After New Media. Designed to complement the MA in Digital Media, this course provides a framework for thinking about the current media environment as well as future forms of human and computer interaction.

An established record

The MA in Digital Media has been redefining media theory and practice since 2004. Our students become proficient in:

the history, sociology and philosophy of digital media
the application of critical conceptual skills to specialist areas and future forms of media
multimedia skills in image making (photography, video, animation, graphic art) script writing, journalism and documentary
MA Digital Media students have access the pioneering option ‘After New Media’, a non-assessed online module which explores the themes of self mediation, ethical mediation and intelligent mediation, and develops a framework for thinking about 'life' after new media. As befits a course of this kind we will be combining media, and exploring their pedagogic potential – uniting digital-online technologies with more traditional teaching formats, such as reading groups, seminars and an end of year symposium.

Contact the department

If you have specific questions about the degree, contact Dr Sarah Kember.

Modules & Structure

The programme consists of:

Two compulsory core modules
Pathway 1 - between two and four option modules (worth 60 credits) OR
Pathway 2 - a two-term practice block (worth 30 credits) and either one or two option modules (worth 30 credits)
The dissertation or the practice/theory project

Assessment

Seen take-home paper; essays; dissertation or practice/theory project and other production work in the area of documentary, image-making, journalism or fiction.

Programme overview

This is an exciting programme which offers a critical, contextual and practical approach to digital media and technology. It problematises approaches to the 'new' media in academic and professional debate, especially those which overemphasise the potential for radical social change led by a homogenised technology itself.

The programme is defined by its resistance to technological determinism and its insistence on the importance of addressing the social and historical contexts within which a range of media technologies are employed. In order to provide a contextual framework and facilitate the conceptualisation of digital media and technologies as fully cultural forms and processes, the programme will draw on a range of disciplines including: media and cultural studies, sociology, anthropology and philosophy. However, the programme will remain focused on key contemporary concerns about the potential role of digital media in society and on refiguring the contours of the 'new' media debate.

The programme offers two pathways. Pathway 1 addresses central theoretical and conceptual concerns relating to digital media. Pathway 2 combines theoretical analysis and practical work, offering students the opportunity to explore new media theories and concepts in practice. Pathway 2 is primarily aimed at students who already have some experience in one of the areas on offer: documentary; digital photography and image making; journalism; writing. It is meant to appeal to media industry professionals who are keen to reflect critically on their practice within a structured learning environment, graduates of practice-based courses but also those who have gained their practical experience in documentary; digital photography and image making; journalism or writing in informal settings.

Programme structure

The first compulsory core course is Digital Media - critical perspectives and this is taught in a small workshop format in the Autumn term. This course functions as a foundation for the second core course and offers students a map of the key debates in digital media. The course is taught in ten two hour workshop sessions and is supported by the provision of one-to-one tutorials.

The second compulsory core course is Technology and Cultural Form - debates, models, dialogues and this develops questions of technology, power, politics and subjectivity which were introduced in the first core course. The first part of this course highlights the key conceptual concerns of a contextualised approach to digital media plus the relevant debates and models formulated by key figures in the field. The second part of this course aims to generate a dialogue between theoreticians and practitioners around some of the most intellectually stimulating, contentious and contemporary ideas in the field without necessarily seeking a resolution. This course is taught in ten two hour workshop sessions during the Spring term and is supported by the weekly provision of one-to-one tutorials.

Students are required to take options from the lists provided by the Media and Communications, Anthropology, Comparative Literature and Sociology Departments as well as the Centre for Cultural Studies. Examples might include: After New Media, Nature and Culture, Cultural Theory, Globalisation, Risk and Control, Embodiment and Experience, Political Communications. Options are taught primarily through lectures and seminars and take place in the Autumn or Spring terms.

Each student's option profile is discussed with the programme convenor in order to ensure that the balance of subject-specific topics is appropriate for the individual concerned. Option courses are taught primarily through lectures, seminars and tutorials and take place in the Autumn or Spring terms.

All students are required to produce either a 12,000 word dissertation on a topic agreed by the student and supervisor or a practice/theory project in the area of documentary, photography and image making, journalism or fiction. The length of the practical element is dependent on the media and the form used and will be agreed in advance with the supervisor. It will, however, be comparable with practical projects undertaken in practice MA programmes in the relevant field. Students undertaking the practice/theory project will also be expected to submit a 3-4000 word analysis of their practice which locates it within the theoretical debates explored in the MA as a whole. This essay may be presented as a separate document or as an integral part of the project depending on the nature of the project and by a agreement with both theory and practice supervisors.

Programme outcomes

The programme's subject specific learning outcomes require students to analyse and contextualise developments in digital media and technology with reference to key debates in the history, sociology, anthropology and philosophy of the media. Students who opt for the practice/theory pathway will also be required to produce material of publishable or broadcast standard and to evaluate the ways in which theoretical and practical insights intersect. All students will develop a wide range of transferable qualities and skills necessary for employment in related or unrelated areas. These are described by the Quality Assurance Agency as: 'the exercise of initiative and personal responsibility, decision-making in complex and unpredictable situations, and the independent learning ability required for continuing professional development'.

By the end of the programme students will be able to:

-Map and critically evaluate key debates in the field of new media
-Analyse and contextualise current and future developments in digital media and technology
-Evaluate and articulate key historical, sociological, anthropological and philosophical approaches to the study of digital media and technology
-Demonstrate in-depth knowledge of at least four differing areas of inquiry
-Demonstrate an advanced level of conceptual knowledge and (where relevant) practical skill appropriate for a sustained piece of work in the field
-Prepare and deliver clearly argued and informed work
-Locate, retrieve and present relevant information for a specific project
-Manage a complex array of competing demands and work effectively to a deadline
-Work resourcefully and independently
-Think critically and/or work practically within a given context

Skills

We provide graduates with skills that are cutting edge: in the critical analysis and/or creative production of digital media; in the disciplinary knowledge and conceptual frameworks necessary for current and future forms of media and technology; in the awareness of how digital media and technologies are re-shaping society from the ways we communicate (through social media and web 2.0) to the increasingly ‘smart’ environments in which we live.

Careers

Our programme provides a theory and practice pathway and prepares students for work in the following areas:

-media and creative industries; advertising, marketing and PR (graduates of the MA Digital Media have found work with Virgin Media, Google, the BBC and other leading organisations worldwide)
-research and academia (graduates from this programme have gone on to study for PhD degrees in higher education institutions around the world and also here with us)
-media production and new media art (graduates have exhibited, published and produced work in photography, journalism, TV, documentary, film and multimedia)

Graduate Ekaterina discusses her career:

"I work for a company, called Visual DNA, which already sounds like life happening After New Media. The company is the largest data provider in Europe and is totally multinational. We actually try to analyse human visual DNA, you memories, feelings, thoughts about the future, anticipations, etc by creating personality quizzes where instead of verbal answers we tend to use images.

My role is as Creative Developer. It involves working with images from concept to finding/shooting and post-production. My qualifications perfectly matched what they’ve been looking for, Digital Media rocks!

My tip for the new-to-be-graduates is this: physically go to places and companies and talk to people. It really opens up loads of possibilities, and when I tell someone where I’ve graduated from they look impressed, and there is some sort of respect coming from them."

Funding

Please visit http://www.gold.ac.uk/pg/fees-funding/ for details.

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