Masters applications for 2023 entry are now closed.
Applications for September 2024 will open on Monday 25 September. Applications are now open for programmes with a January 2024 start. View our programmes »
Overview
- You will acquire a broad, general knowledge of current debates within both sociology and anthropology at the same time as developing specialist knowledge of the key social and cultural dynamics shaping a range of forms and artefacts, pursuits and practices
- We will train you to identify and analyse a wide range of social processes and dynamics as they relate to the production, distribution and consumption of ‘mass’, ‘popular’ and ‘high-brow’ cultural forms and artefacts and to think critically about the modes by which they are evaluated and understood
- You will be equipped with both traditional and cutting-edge research tools used for studying the relationship between culture, society and everyday life
- Join a truly multicultural and culturally enriching environment, comprising of students from all three disciplines in the department of Sociology, Philosophy and Anthropology
- You will develop a wide range of key transferrable skills that are highly valued by employers within a range of professions
82% of our research is internationally excellent
Top 10 in the UK for Philosophy
Top 10 in the UK for Sociology
Entry requirements
We will consider applicants with a 2:2 Honours degree with 53% or above in sociology, anthropology, statistics, data or English. While we normally only consider applicants who meet this criterion, if your first degree is in a different discipline, you are coming from a different academic background which is equivalent to degree level, or have relevant work experience, we would welcome your application.
All applicants should provide a personal statement explaining their interest in the programme and how it fits with their earlier studies.
Entry requirements for international students
English language requirements
International students need to show they have the required level of English language to study this course. The required test scores for this course fall under Profile B2. Please visit our English language requirements page to view the required test scores and equivalencies from your country.
Course content
Taking an interdisciplinary perspective on some of the biggest issues and questions related to the study of culture and society, this degree provides training in the analysis of a wide range of cultural forms, practices and artefacts, reflecting critically on the modes by which they are produced, evaluated and consumed. You will examine culture and society and their relationship with power, agency, human senses, and aesthetics.
Our programmes have been planned, organised and delivered in a way oriented towards tapping into and addressing points of overlap and divergence between different disciplinary perspectives. These perspectives are explored, explained and made relevant to the material covered.
The core module in social theory is concerned in the broadest sense with the distinctiveness, or not, of human life and experience in late modern society. More specifically, social theory can be understood as a series of intellectual formulations concerned to respond to a range of questions:
- How does the structure and organisation of society shape how individuals think and interact with one another and the world around them?
- What does it mean to say that social order is achieved and how does this occur?
- How and in what ways are our identities and actions enabled and constrained by a wide range of social and cultural processes and phenomena?
We’ll introduce you to a range of central themes and issues that both classical and contemporary social theorists have addressed in their work equipping you with a broad range of conceptual tools with which to understand and research the social world.
You’ll also chose from a range of optional modules covering fields such as research methods, gender at work, health and wellbeing, data visualisation and philosophy of science.
The modules we outline here provide examples of what you can expect to learn on this degree course based on recent academic teaching. The precise modules available to you in future years may vary depending on staff availability and research interests, new topics of study, timetabling and student demand.
The MA Society and Culture can be studied as a standalone Masters or you can choose to focus your studies by completing the Masters with a pathway in Meaning, Making, Consuming or Science and Technology.
The MA Society & Culture pathway, Meaning, Making, Consuming provides students with the analytical tools and theoretical perspectives necessary for making sense of a wide range of cultural forms and phenomena. Rooted primarily in the intellectual traditions of sociology of culture and cultural sociology respectively, the module covers a broad range of conceptual ideas and perspectives, providing students with a thorough grounding in the most sophisticated social scientific approaches to cultural analysis.
If you choose to follow the Masters with a pathway, that pathway will be named on your degree certificate. The pathways are intended to allow you to follow your specific intellectual interests and focus your course in that field of study.
Teaching and research
Learning
The department is home to several leading figures in the subject areas covered by our MA Society and Culture: Meaning, Making, Consuming programme. Giving students the opportunity to be taught by and learn from some of the most esteemed and respected scholars in their respective fields.
Many of the modules offered on the MA Society and Culture: Arts, Meaning, Making, Consuming is taught by staff members who are actively engaged in research within their specialist areas. Very often, this means that students are usually taught using journal articles, monographs and textbooks, written by the course leader. For instance, the module coordinator has written extensively in areas of sociology and is currently the editor for the journal, Cultural Sociology (Sage). Not only does this mean they have direct access to the authors whose work they are reading and engaged with, but the opportunity to discuss the ideas and themes directly both in seminars and a range of more informal settings.
The interdisciplinary nature of the department means that students can pursue their interest in culture and cultural phenomena from a range of disciplinary perspectives not limited to but overlapping with sociological and cultural sociological perspectives.
Teaching
Teaching takes place over the first two terms, leaving the third for your dissertation. Research-centred teaching is at the heart of the programme. Teaching is done in small seminar groups through face-to-face lectures which allows students the best possible interaction with academic staff, through individual presentations and round table discussions of common readings.
Students can engage in a major piece of research into a topic of their choosing through the dissertation module. You will be assessed through coursework which will vary depending on the modules you choose and the completion of a dissertation.
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Fees
2024/25 entry
UK fees per year:
£12,000 full-time; £6,000 part-time
International fees per year:
£24,300 full-time; £12,150 part-time
Scholarships
We invest heavily in scholarships for talented prospective Masters students. This includes over £5 million in scholarships for international students, such as our Global Excellence Scholarships*.
For more information on scholarships, please visit our scholarships and bursaries page.
*Selected programmes only. Please see the Terms and Conditions for each scheme for further details.
Dr Christopher Thorpe
Programme Director
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Professor Mike Michael
Head of Sociology, Philosophy and Anthropology (SPA)
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Professor Harry G West
Professor of Anthropology
Dr Christopher Thorpe
Programme Director
Christopher’s work explores issues and debates situated at the historical cultural sociology/ sociology of culture interface. He is particularly interested in the subjects of cultural representation, appropriation and the 'autonomy of culture' debate. His work draws on historical forms of 'data' spanning comparative English literature, social and cultural history, travel studies and other disciplines as they relate to the subject of discursive representations of Italy and appropriations of Italian culture, in England and later Britain during the period spanning approximately the English Renaissance to the present day.
Professor Mike Michael
Head of Sociology, Philosophy and Anthropology (SPA)
Mike is a sociologist of science and technology. He joined SPA in 2017, having previously worked at Lancaster University, Goldsmiths, University of London, and the University of Sydney. His research interests have included: the relation of everyday life to technoscience; biotechnological and biomedical innovation and culture; the public understanding of/engagement with science; and process methodology. His teaching has covered such areas as social theory, microsociology, environmental sociology, science and society, animals and society, sociologies of everyday life, and qualitative methodology.
Professor Harry G West
Professor of Anthropology
Harry teaches on the core module Social Theory. He is a socio-cultural anthropologist with expertise in political anthropology and the anthropology of food, farming and agrarian society. He has conducted research in Africa, as well as in Europe and North America. He is currently working on food, heritage and memory, with a focus on artisan cheesemaking.
He is Co-Director of the Centre for Rural Policy Research, and Coordinator of the Food Studies Network.
Careers
Employer-valued skills
In addition to the specialist knowledge, you will gain during your programme, you will also develop transferrable skills valued by employers such as:
- Researching, analysing and assessing sources of information
- Written and verbal communication skills
- Managing and interpreting information
- Developing ideas and arguments
Graduates can look to work in a diverse range of sectors, including:
- Journalism
- Cultural criticism and commentary
- Academic life
- Education and teaching
- Freelance writing
Career support
Our Career Zone service gives you access to a wealth of business contacts, support and training, as well as the opportunity to meet potential employers at our regular Careers Fairs.
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