Social Anthropology - Master of Science programme

Social anthropologists seek to understand how people live in societies and how they make their lives meaningful. We investigate the assumptions on which society and culture are based; solid but mostly implicit ideas about the world and its human and non-human inhabitants that vary between social and cultural contexts. The discipline’s holistic and relational perspective provides unique tools not only to unveil different ways of perceiving and communicating the world, but also to relate them to each other at a more abstract and conceptual level.

The MSc in Social Anthropology develops your theoretical knowledge and understanding of the discipline’s topical debates and theoretical approaches. It advances your ability to formulate anthropological research questions and to design a feasible research project. It provides training in relevant research methods (ethnographic fieldwork in particular), in addition to more general skills in creative problem-solving, critical assessment of academic work, and how to communicate these
insights to a wider audience.

The programme leads to a Master’s degree in Social Anthropology. It allows a certain freedom to tailor your studies to your own interests during the third semester, when you choose between a two-month fieldwork for the thesis, internship, and/or courses in other disciplines, in Sweden or abroad.

The programme is given on Campus in Lund at the Department of Sociology: http://www.soc.lu.se/en

The language of instruction is English.

In the programme, you will gain:

• Advanced knowledge and understanding of social anthropology, including both broad knowledge of the field as well as specialised knowledge of certain areas and insight into current research.
• Specialised knowledge of research methods in social anthropology.
• The ability to critically and systematically integrate knowledge and analyse, assess and deal with complex phenomena, issues and situations, even with limited information.
• The ability to identify and formulate research questions critically, autonomously and creatively as well as to plan and, using appropriate methods, undertake advanced tasks within predetermined time frames and so contribute to the formation of knowledge as well as the ability to evaluate this work.
• The skills required for participation in research and development work or autonomous employment in some other qualified capacity.

The programme also offers you the possibility to apply for a double degree with Fudan University in Shanghai. A double degree means that you get two degrees within the two years of studies, one degree from Lund University and one from Fudan University. For more information please contact our Study Advisers: studievagledare [at] soc [dot] lu [dot] se.

Courses and number of credits

• Semester 1: Contemporary social anthropological debates (15 credits), Ethnography in Social Science (15 credits).
• Semester 2: Engaging with social anthropological theory (15 credits), elective courses in anthropological project design and social scientific research methods (15 credits).
• Semester 3: Elective courses, fieldwork, and/or internship, in Sweden or abroad (totalling 30 credits).
• Semester 4: Master’s thesis (30 credits)

Career prospects

Social anthropological competence is based on an inside perspective and on holistic thinking. The programme provides you with both the background knowledge and the practical skills needed to work in a broad range of fields, including governmental, non-governmental and the private sector.

You will be prepared for a future career as a policy maker, a leader or a practitioner working in government agencies, private companies or NGOs, or, alternatively, for doctoral studies and a continued academic career.