Anthropology

Course Outline
MA Anthropology at UCC is an exciting new postgraduate degree that represents state-of -the-art in field training in ethnography, combined with cultural, political and social theory. Bringing together the knowledge & skills of staff at the Marginalized & Endangered Worldviews study centre and the Moral Foundations of Economy & Society research centre, taught through students' active participation in international summer schools & colloquia, as well as classroom seminars, and with practical fieldwork opportunities in Latin America, India, and several sites throughout Europe including Ireland, this Masters degree offers a unique opportunity to gain intercultural competencies as well as professional and transferable skills. It will appeal to students with a strong international and intellectual outlook who seek a deeper understanding of the cultural, political and social challenges of the 21st Century.

Course Practicalities
The MA Anthropology on the one hand employs conventional classroom practice and pedagogy but on the other hand transgresses and broadens it through its summer schools, winter schools and fieldwork placements with partner institutions globally.

These summer and winter schools as well as fieldwork placements offer unique spaces for free and unconventional/ alternative thinking and educational practice by means of the culturally alienated educational scenarios and contexts.

The fieldwork placement will offer a unique opportunity for Irish students to engage in ethnographic practice at a range of institutions in India, Latin America and Europe, and for international students to conduct ethnographic research in Ireland.

The international local and global experience of transcultural learning and communication offers unique academic think-tank and creative spaces which foster global understanding and empathy through local engagement.

Why Choose This Course
The MA in Anthropology is a new and a unique programme that fills a large gap in the Irish higher education landscape

Anthropology is uniquely well-placed to provide an analysis of our contemporary local and global situation: Recent and on-going political and economic crises bring into sharp relief the need to forefront anthropological perspectives and expertise to the benefit of the social sciences and public life. Such a programme will offer the increasing number of international students with personal lived experience of migration, immigration and globalisation, conflict and war, a vehicle with which to voice their own thoughts and experiences to an academic standard. There is no graduate programme in Ireland and few internationally that address this intersection.

The programme will employ conventional classroom pedagogy combined with summer school, winter school and fieldwork placements with partner institutions globally. The already existing summer and winter schools will service not only the students from the MA in Anthropology programme but also students in other Irish Third Level Institutes, and, will also offer a recruitment window for international students.

The summer school and winter school plus the fieldwork placement make this a very attractive programme with a unique profile in Ireland.

Placement or Study Abroad Information
Students will be exposed to international perspectives and possibilities facilitated in particular through summer, winter-schools and the fieldwork placements.

The fieldwork placement will offer a unique opportunity for Irish students to engage in ethnographic practice at a range of institutions in India, Latin America and Europe, and for international students to conduct ethnographic research in Ireland.

The international local and global experience of transcultural learning and communication offers unique academic think-tank and creative spaces which foster global empathy through local engagement.

Students take 90 credits as follows:
Part I consists of 60 credits and Part II consists of 30 credits.

Part I (Full-time)
Students complete core modules to the value of 30 credits, and select 30 credits from the Elective Modules (students are strongly encouraged to attend one of the summer/winter schools and can take up to 10 credits from those on offer in a given year).

Core Modules:
AY6002 Ethnography, Practice and Writing (15 credits)
AY6011 Rereading the Anthropological Classics (5 credits)
AY6013 Anthropology: Paradigms and Theories (10 credits)

Elective Modules:
Summer School/Winter School Elective modules:
AY6005 Anthropology Research Laboratory (10 credits)
AY6006 International Political Anthropology Summer School 1 (5 credits)
AY6007 International Political Anthropology Summer School 2 (10 credits)
AY6012 Anthropology Research Laboratory (5 credits)
SC6001 Economy and Society Summer School (5 credits)
SC6002 Economy and Society Summer School - 2 (10 credits)

Students select their remaining modules from the standard taught list of electives below:
Standard Electives:
Students select 20 credits from the following:
AY6025 Anthropology and Aesthetics of Performance: Ritual and Theatre (10 credits)
CR6000 Governmentality: Disciplines, Institutions and Critiques (10 credits)
GV6115 European Security (10 credits)
LW6544 Criminology (10 credits)
MU6042 Ethnography of Music (10 credits)
MU6043 History and Theory of Ethnomusicology (10 credits)
RG6061 Indigenous Worldviews and Minority Religions (10 credits)
SC6627 Social Pathology, Civic Health, New Technology (10 credits)
SC6631 Sociology of Sustainable Development (10 credits)
SC6638 Rethinking Borders: Sovereignty, Rights and Justice (10 credits)
SC6639 Feminist Epistemologies: Feminisms, Sexuality and Society (10 credits)
SC6641 Gender and Catastrophe (10 credits)
SC6642 Social Theory and Climate Justice (10 credits)

Part II
Students complete 30 credits as follows:
AY6003 Dissertation (30 credits)
or
AY6010 Fieldwork Placement (30 credits)

The Fieldwork Placement will take place in one of our partner universities and will be jointly supervised by a team of two supervisors, one based at UCC and one in the partner university. The supervisor in the partner university will oversee and facilitate the practical aspects of the fieldwork project. The fieldwork placement will be designed by the two supervisors in consultation with the student before they depart for fieldwork. Students will go on fieldwork placement for 1 to 2 months in Ireland, Europe, or to non-European partner universities between the months of April and August. The placement will be monitored by a UCC academic mentor plus a local mentor if the fieldwork is undertaken at a non-European partner university. Students will be expected to report their experiences at agreed intervals. For a student to go on Fieldwork Placement pertinent conditions must be satisfied for the Programme Director including but not limited to linguistic requirements, political stability, health concerns, travel and health insurance undertaken and logistical practicalities. Where unsure the Programme Director will consult with the Board of Studies or where conditions are unmet a student may make their case to the Board of Studies. The decision of the Programme Board of Studies is final.

Part-time
The MA Anthropology programme may be taken full-time over 12 months or part-time over 24 months from the date of first registration for the programme. Part-time students take at least the core modules in year one and the remainder required for credit over years one and two.

Modules
Further details on the modules listed above can be found in our book of modules. Any modules listed above are indicative of the current set of modules for this course but are subject to change from year to year.

University Calendar
You can find the full academic content for the current year of any given course in our University Calendar.

A candidate for this MA programme must normally hold a Second Class Honours Grade I in a primary honours degree (NFQ, Level 8) or equivalent, in Anthropology, or a cognate subject in social/cultural sciences (Sociology, Criminology, Management, Development, Political Science, Languages, Social Sciences, Classics, Comparative Literature, Cultural Studies, Study of Religions) or equivalent international qualification.

Candidates who hold a Second Class Honours Grade II in a primary honours degree (NFQ, Level 8) may also be considered under Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL) subject to review by the Board of Studies.

As part of the application process all applicants will be required to submit:
1. A supporting statement which should outline your intellectual biography and your reasons for pursuing postgraduate studies in Anthropology.
2. Prospective applicants may be required to present themselves for an interview. The interviewing of overseas applicants may be conducted by Skype.

English Language Requirements
Applicants that are non-native speakers of the English language must meet the university approved English language requirements available at https://www.ucc.ie/en/study/comparison/english/postgraduate/

For applicants with qualifications completed outside of Ireland
Applicants must meet the required entry academic grade, equivalent to Irish requirements, available at https://www.ucc.ie/en/study/comparison/

International/non-EU applicants
For full details of the non-EU application procedure please visit our how to apply pages for international students. In UCC, we use the term programme and course interchangeably to describe what a person has registered to study in UCC and its constituent colleges, schools, and departments.

Not all courses are open to international/non-EU applicants, please check the fact file above.

For more information please contact the International Office.

Closing Date:
Non-EU Closing Date: 15 June

Open for EU applications, check rounds closing dates under
How to Apply - Application Date Weblink below.

How Do I Apply
1. Choose Course
Firstly choose your course. Applicants can apply for up to two courses under one application. Details of taught courses are available on our online prospectus.

2. Apply Online
Once you have chosen your course you can apply online at the online application portal. Applicants will need to apply before the course closing date. There is a non-refundable €50 application fee for all courses apart from the Education - Professional Master of Education - (Secondary School/Post-Primary Teacher Training) which has a €100 application fee.

Applicants for the Postgraduate Diploma in Public Health Nursing must apply on the PAC website when the programme opens for applications.

3. Gather Supporting Documents
Scanned copies of the following documents will need to be uploaded to the online application portal in support of your application. Applicants may need to produce the original documents if you are accepted onto a course and register at UCC.
• Original qualification documents listed on your application including transcripts of results from institutions other than UCC
• Any supplementary items requested for your course.

Please log into the online application portal for more details.

4. Application processing timeline
Our online application portal opens for applications for most courses in early November of each year. Check specific course details.

5. Rounds
For courses that are in the rounds system (Irish and EU applicants), please check the rounds closing dates.

Additional Requirements (All Applicants)
Please note you will be required to provide additional information as part of the online application process for this programme. This will include the following questions:
• You may enter the details of professional or voluntary positions held. We strongly encourage you to complete this section with all relevant work experiences that will support your application.
• Please describe your motivation and readiness for this programme.
• Please detail your computing/technical/IT skills.
• Please upload your CV.
• Please enter the names and email addresses of 2 referees.

N.B. We may also require prospective applicants to present themselves for an interview. The interviewing of overseas applicants may be conducted by Skype.

All other required supporting documentation (e.g. evidence of Non-UCC undergraduate/postgraduate qualifications) must be uploaded via the applicant portal.

1 year full-time; 2 years part-time

Start Date: 7 September 2020

Skills and Careers Information
Anthropologists can be universally employed as intercultural competency, socio-cultural reflexivity and cultural literacy represent key social and educational skills in contemporary societies.

Identified career paths are
• Research
• Education
• Higher Education
• International and national politics
• Journalism
• International Organisations (UN, UNESCO etc)
• NGO sector