Core Modules

• SE832: Ethnobiological Knowledge Systems
  Weeks 13-24 (Dr. Anna Waldstein and others)
• SE836: Botanical Foundations of Ethnobotany
  Weeks 4-20 (Dr. Rachel Kaleta, Dr. Dave Roberts and others)
• SE837: Plant Resources and their Conservation
  Four two-day blocks taught at Kew spread over Weeks 1-24. (Dr. Mark Nesbitt and others)
• SE802/SE846: Research Methods
  Weeks 1-24 (Dr. Raj Puri, Dr. Helen Newing and others)
• SE831: Environmental Anthropology
  Weeks 1-12 (Dr. R. Puri)
• SE840 Contemporary Issues in Ethnobotany
  Weeks 1-7 (Dr. M.N. Alexiades)

It is also possible to take modules from the list available for our MA programmes in Anthropology and from our MSc in Conservation Biology as un-assessed options. The modules available may include foundations of natural science for conservation, social science perspectives on conservation, population and evolutionary biology, nature tourism, principles and practice of ecotourism, integrated species conservation and management, trade, economics, regulation and the environment, conservation and community development, and managing protected areas.

The course will be supplemented with practical work, field visits to local sites of ethnobotanical interest (Blean woodland, national fruit collection at Brogdale, Canterbury Cathedral Library, phytomedical suppliers and practitioners), and through guest speakers involved in research in various parts of the world.

Aims of the teaching

• To provide you with a broad range of knowledge in the major aspects of the subject showing how these involve connections between a range of different academic disciplines
• To provide you with advanced level knowledge of the theoretical and methodological issues relevant to understanding the subject
• To introduce you to a variety of different approaches to ethnobotanical research, presented in a multi-disciplinary context and at an advanced level
• To facilitate your educational experience through the provision of appropriate pedagogical opportunities for learning
• Provide an appropriate training for students preparing MPhil/PhD theses, or for those going on to employment involving the use of ethnobotanical research
• Make students aware of the range of existing material available, and equip them to evaluate its utility for their research
• Cover the principles of research design and strategy, including formulating research questions or hypotheses and translating these into practicable research designs
• Introduce you to the philosophical, theoretical and ethical issues surrounding research and to debates about the relationship between theory and research, about problems of evidence and inference, and about the limits to objectivity
• Develop skills in searching for and retrieving information, using library and Internet resources in a multi-disciplinary and cross-national context Introduce students to the idea of working with other academic and non-academic agencies, when appropriate, and give them the skills to carry out collaborative research
• Develop skills in writing, in the preparation of a research proposal, in the presentation of research results and in verbal communication
• Help students to prepare their research results for wider dissemination, in the form of seminar papers, conference presentations, reports and publications, in a form suitable for a range of different audiences, including academics, policy makers, professionals, service users and the general public
• To give you an appreciation of the potentialities and problems of ethnobotanical research in local, regional, national and international settings
• To ensure that the research of the School's staff informs the design of modules, and their content and delivery in ways that can achieve the national benchmarks of the subject in a manner which is efficient and reliable, and enjoyable to students

Dissertation and Fieldwork

Students undertake intensive coursework between September and the end of March each academic year. Towards the end of this period they develop a concept for a project and write a proposal, as part of their assessed work. The second six months of the programme consists entirely of project and dissertation work under the direction of an appropriate supervisor. The supervisor can be from either Kent or Kew and you are encouraged to work on subjects where staff have particular expertise, while pursuing a research theme in a geographical area in which you have a particular interest. Students may select projects that are library, museum or lab-based, but many wish to undertake fieldwork (usually of six weeks duration), and we try to facilitate this. Some students come to the programme with developed ideas about their projects, others may chose topics that relate to current work at Kew or Kent. For example, in recent years we have been able to provide modest financial support for projects related to our Leverhulme-funded British Homegardens Project, a linguistic diversity erosion project in Cameroon and through the Global Diversity Foundation.

MSc Dissertation titles

Careers

Since 1998 we have trained nearly 100 students through our MSc Programme. Most of these have moved on to undertake research degrees in some area of ethnobotany (e.g. Oxford, Kent, Vienna, Florida, McGill), or have taken-up positions which utilize their training and knowledge, for example in NGOs such as the Global Diversity Foundation, at the Harvard Museum of Economic Botany, conservation education (e.g. Dublin Botanic Gardens and the Eden Project) and in the pharmaceutical industry.

• 'If you are passionate about plants and people and wish to further your career, this course will provide a fascinating opportunity for both broad and focused study' (Lisa Fenton, graduated 2008)
• 'My Msc in Ethnobotany was the most stimulating, fascinating and challenging year of my working life' (Liz Gladin, graduated 2007)

Destinations of former students

Resources

This programme draws on the combined strengths of three academic centres. At the University of Kent, the Centre for Biocultural Diversity has pioneered research and teaching in ethnobotany and human ecology; it has been rated excellent for Teaching, and its work in anthropological approaches to the environment flagged for excellence in the most recent HEFCE Research Assessment Exercise. The Durrell Institute for Conservation and Ecology (DICE) is known internationally for its work in the study and practical implementation of biodiversity management around the world. The Royal Botanic Gardens at Kew has unrivalled plant collections and botanical expertise, as well as long-standing global involvement with economic botany. All three partners are involved in major funded projects which have resulted in substantial published output.

The School of Anthropology and Conservation has a large and diverse staff, with particular expertise in ethnobiological classification, historical ecology, gender, computing applications, indigenous knowledge, ethnographic (including quantitative) research methods, the human ecology of tropical subsistence systems, wildlife conservation, biodiversity management, agricultural change, sustainable development, economic botany and plant taxonomy. Regionally, we have relevant research experience in Europe, the Mediterranean, South East Asia, the Pacific, the Himalayas, tropical South America, Mesoamerica, and sub-Saharan Africa.

The programme is based at the University of Kent, while students benefit from the wealth of collections, particularly the economic botany collections and specialist expertise on plants, their uses and importance available at Kew. At Kent there is an equipped Ethnobiology Laboratory, the expertise of DICE and the Centre for Social Anthropology and Computing. The School is housed in a refurbished spacious building with dedicated DNA, small organism, ethnobiology and biological anthropology laboratories.

The Templeman Library has strong holdings in anthropology, area studies and ethnobotany; and good and expanding core holdings in plant science.

KEW

The Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, is the world's leading research institute for plant diversity science. It has been a partner in teaching the University of Kent's Ethnobotany M.Sc. since it was first offered in 1998. Kew is also famous for its historic and beautiful gardens and buildings in west London; most of the Kew module is taught here.

A long tradition of research in useful plants continues in the work of the Sustainable Uses Group, and is also reflected in Kew's work in implementing the ethical and legal framework of the Convention on Biological Diversity.

Kew's involvement with the M.Sc. is wide-ranging, and includes both the formal Plant Resources module, taught at Kew over 8 days (four 2-day blocks), and by informal contact at Kew, in Canterbury and by email.