Anthropology of Ethnicity, Nationalism and Identity
MA and Diploma
The explosion of conflict between groups calling themselves nations and the contestation
of collective identities are decisive influences in contemporary society. This MA
reviews the contribution of social science on this subject and draws on the strength
the Department has in this area. Kent is known for its anthropological expertise
in Mediterranean Basin, African and South East Asian anthropologies, and as these
regions are those in which issues of ethnicity, nationalism and identity are particularly
salient, the Anthropology Department is well sited to deal with these topics. In
addition there are courses in the Departments of Politics and International Relations,
History and Sociology which students enrolled for the MA in Ethnicity, Nationalism
and Identity will be able to take.
The Academic Programme
Qualifications in Ethnicity, Nationalism and Identity
are:
Postgraduate Diploma (taught course over nine months)
MA (one year's fulltime registration or two year's part-time registration)
Both Diploma and MA students take six one term units of coursework over Michaelmas
and Lent terms. The five required units are Ethnicity, Nationalism and Identity
I and II, Contemporary Problems in Social Anthropology I and II, and Research
Methods I. In addition students will take one additional unit approved by their
supervisor, and this may be chosen from other MA modules offered by the Department
of Anthropology, from a selected list of other courses offered by other departments
in the university, and from advanced undergraduate courses.
Each student is assigned a supervisor at the beginning of the year whom they are
expected to meet regularly. These meetings offer students the opportunity to discuss
the assignments which they are required to undertake for evaluation of their progress.
Postgraduate students are required to write seven essays for evaluation. MA students
write a 10,000 word dissertation in addition to their essays. Students registered
for the Diploma attend the same courses as the MA students. If, on completion of
their assignments, they have achieved a sufficiently high overall mark, they are
given the option of proceeding to the writing of a dissertation.
Applicants should meet one of the following requirements
An undergraduate honours degree in Anthropology or in a
cognate field (History, Sociology, Area Studies) which has provided an historical
and analytical introduction to issues related to ethnicity, nationalism and identity.
Candidates will normally be expected to have at least a 2.1 or equivalent in their
first degree.
Fees
Fees for postgraduate programmes are reviewed annually by the University. The
current fee tariff is available on request.
Funding
The Department is recognised for the receipt of ESRC and joint ESRC/NERC research
studentships.
Applications may be submitted at any time of year, but preferably by 30 June for entry in September of the same year.
Applicants should provide evidence of their academic qualifications, and of their ability in English (if relevant) to the Information, Recruitment and Admissions Office. They should also arrange for two academic referees to send reports to the same address.
