Programme specification 2012/13
SOAS, University of London
The following information forms the programme specification at SOAS, University
of London. It gives definitive information relating to a programme of study and is
written for a public audience, particularly prospective and current students. It is
also used for other purposes such as initial programme approval, and is therefore
produced at the start of the programme development process. Once approved, it
forms the base-line information for all statements relating to the programme and is
updated as approved amendments are made.
CORE INFORMATION
Programme title
Anthropological Research Methods and
Nepali
MA
N/A
Full time (2 years)
N/A
N/A
December 2010/December 2012
Final award
Intermediate awards
Mode of attendance
UCAS code
Professional body accreditation
Date specification created/updated
WHY CHOOSE THIS PROGRAMME?
Why study at SOAS?
SOAS is unique as the only higher
education institution in the UK specialising
in the study of Africa, Asia and the Middle
East. The School also has the largest
concentration of specialist faculty
concerned with the study of these areas at
any university in the world. SOAS is
consistently ranked among the top higher
education institutions in the UK and the
world and it also offers a friendly, vibrant
environment for students in a diverse and
close-knit community.
What is special about this programme?
This is the only Masters-level programme
offered anywhere in the world that provides
students who intend to proceed to conduct
anthropological research (broadly defined)
in Nepal with the necessary skills
(disciplinary, linguistic, methodological).
Who would it suit?
Students who wish to conduct doctorallevel research in Nepal, or in preparation
for professional employment in e.g. a
government agency or international NGO.
Programme structure
YEAR 1: students take a 1.0 unit Nepali
language course (either Nepali Language
1 or Nepali Language 2); 1.0 unit Culture
and Conflict in the Himalaya; 1.0 unit
Theoretical Approaches in Social
Anthropology (or other anthropology
options, chosen in consultation with
1
programme convenor, for students with
equivalent anthropology training); 0.5 unit
Media Production Skills; and 0.5 units of
anthropology options.
SUMMER BREAK BETWEEN YEARS 1
AND 2: Two weeks of intensive Nepali
language tuition at SOAS after the June
exams, followed by two months in
Kathmandu, attached to the Nepā School
of Social Sciences and Humanities and the
Bishwo Bhasa Campus of Tribhuvan
University. At the end of the summer
students will be required to submit a 5000word preliminary fieldwork report and
research proposal, accompanied by a 500word abstract written in Nepali.
YEAR 2: students take the following
courses: 1.5 unit Nepali for researchers;
1.0 unit Anthropological Research
Methods (0.5 units Ethnographic Research
Methods in term 1 and 0.5 units in
Introduction to Statistics in term 2). They
also attend the compulsory weekly MPhil
Research Training Seminar in
anthropology and write a 15,000 word MA
Dissertation.
Assessment summary
Language courses will be assessed though
a mixture of written papers and oral
examinations. Non-language courses will
be assessed on the basis of coursework
essays and written papers.
ENTRY REQUIREMENTS
SOAS has general minimum entrance requirements for registration for an undergraduate
degree and these can be viewed at (http://www.soas.ac.uk/admissions/ug/entryreq/)
Applicants will need to produce documented evidence of language learning ability (a
language A level or equivalent, or successful completion of an undergraduate language
course).
PROGRAMME AIMS
What will this programme give the student an opportunity to achieve?
 The ability to read, write, speak and understand Nepali to a level suitable for field
research in Nepal.
 A grounding in the scholarly literature on Nepali history, society and culture.
 Expertise in anthropological theory and practice that will provide a basis for
research in a Nepali context.
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PROGRAMME LEARNING OUTCOMES
What will the student learn?
Knowledge
1. How to assess data and evidence critically from manuscripts and digital sources, solve
problems of conflicting sources and conflicting interpretations, locate materials, use
research sources (particularly research library catalogues) and other relevant traditional
sources.
2. The Research Methods course focuses on teaching the various research methods
associated with anthropological fieldwork including: participant observation, historical
research, qualitative interviewing, quantitative data collection, Rapid Participatory
Assessment, how to design questionnaires and, especially, on how to formulate a
research question and design a project and consider the ethical issues involved. The
Statistics courseworks on how to compile statistics, and how to critically assess statistics.
3. The Research Training course, which is assessed by the Masters dissertation, works
on students’ writing skills with an emphasis on thinking of the history of the discipline,
writing to schedule, writing to requested word count, how to formulate a research
question based on the material gathered, as well as how to do a presentation, how to
comment on presentations and how to apply for funding. Term three looks at the
strategies for working on the Masters’ dissertation and how to be upgraded at the start of
the MPhil year.
4. A good grounding in the sociocultural and political history of and contemporary
sociocultural and political issues in Nepal, and familiarity with the scholarly literature on
these topics.
5. Proficiency in spoken and written Nepali sufficient for the purposes of anthropological
field research: ability to conduct conversations and interviews, and read and synthesise
information from Nepali written sources.
Intellectual (thinking) skills
1. Students should become precise and cautious in their assessment of evidence, and to
understand through practice what documents can and cannot tell us.
2. Students should question interpretations, however authoritative, and reassess
evidence for themselves. They should be able to design a research project, set a
timetable, understand the principles of fieldwork, and consider questions of ethics.
3. Students should learn to read each others’ work for both its strengths and
weaknesses, develop their skills as public speakers, learn how to compose short
abstracts of their project (for funding), be able to think critically and yet be open to being
critiqued themselves.
Subject-based practical skills
The programme aims to help students with the following practical skills:
1. Communicate effectively in writing, in both English and (at a less advanced level)
Nepali
2. Retrieve, sift and select information from a variety of sources in both English and
Nepali.
3. Present seminar papers.
4. Listen to and discuss ideas introduced during seminars.
5. Practice research techniques in a variety of specialized research libraries and
institutes.
6. Be prepared to do fieldwork for an anthropology PhD.
Transferable skills
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The programme will encourage students to:
1. Write good essays and dissertations.
2. Structure and communicate ideas effectively both orally and in writing.
3. Understand unconventional ideas.
4. Present (non–assessed) material orally.
5. Function as a student and researcher in a radically different environment.
6. Be able to apply for funding to do a PhD.
7. Be prepared to enter an Anthropology PhD programme and to be upgraded from MPhil
to PhD in the shortest possible time.
PROGRAMME STRUCTURE AND REQUIREMENTS FOR GAINING AN AWARD
How will the student’s study be structured? How will they achieve an award?
Structure, duration and requirements for gaining an award
SOAS has standard requirements relating to the structure and duration of undergraduate
programmes and for the award and classification of these programmes.
Details can be found at http://www.soas.ac.uk/registry/degreeregulations/
Programme structure diagram
Below is a structure diagram for this programme.
Level
Year of
Course
Course title
study
code
7
1
15PSAC298 Nepali
Language 1
Credit
Status
Notes
45
Choice
of
course
depends
on
whether
or not
student
has
or
or
15PSAC299
Nepali
Language 2
Culture and
Conflict in
the Himalaya
Theoretical
Approaches
to Social
Anthropology
Media
Production
Skills
Anthropology
options
45
Core;
standard
course to
be followed
by 2 extra
weeks of
intensive
language
tuition
Compulsory
45
Compulsory
22.5
Compulsory
22.5
Option
Fieldwork
report and
research
proposal
Research
Methods in
Anthropology
Nepali for
Researchers
Dissertation
22.5
Compulsory
45
Compulsory
67.5
Compulsory
45
Compulsory
7
1
15PSAC291
7
1
15PANC098
7
1
15PANH050
7
1
Options
listed on MA
webpage
(see below)
7
Summer
break
7
2
15PANC011
7
2
tbc
7
2
15PANC999
4
Year 1
Students take a 1.0 unit Nepali language course (either Nepali Language 1 or Nepali
Language 2); 1.0 unit Culture and Conflict in the Himalaya; 1.0 unit Theoretical
Approaches in Social Anthropology (or other anthropology options, chosen in
consultation with programme convenor, for students with equivalent anthropology
training); 0.5 unit Media Production Skills; and 0.5 units of anthropology options.
Summer break between years 1 and 2
Two weeks of intensive Nepali language tuition at SOAS after the June exams, followed
by two months in Kathmandu, attached to the Nepā School of Social Sciences and
Humanities and the Bishwo Bhasa Campus of Tribhuvan University. At the end of the
summer students will be required to submit a 5000-word preliminary fieldwork report and
research proposal, accompanied by a 500-word abstract written in Nepali.
Year 2
Students take the following courses: 1.5 unit Nepali for researchers; 1.0 unit
Anthropological Research Methods (0.5 units Ethnographic Research Methods in term 1
and 0.5 units in Introduction to Statistics in term 2). They also attend the compulsory
weekly MPhil Research Training Seminar in anthropology and write a 15,000 word MA
Dissertation.
Language courses will be assessed though a mixture of written papers and oral
examinations.
Non-language courses will be assessed on the basis of coursework essays and written
papers.
Year 1














Nepali Language 1 (Postgraduate) - 15PSAC298 (1 Unit) - Full Year
Culture and Conflict in the Himalaya - 15PSAC291 (1 Unit) - Full Year
Theoretical Approaches to Social Anthropology - 15PANC008 (1 Unit) - Full Year
Media Production Skills - 15PANH050 (0.5 Unit) - Term 2
African and Asian Diasporas in the Modern World - 15PANH010 (0.5 Unit) - Term
1
African and Asian Cultures in Britain - 15PANH009 (0.5 Unit) - Term 2
Anthropology of travel and tourism A - 15PANH051 (0.5 Unit) - Term 1
Anthropology of travel and tourism B - 15PANH052 (0.5 Unit) - Term 2
Anthropology of Urban Space, Place and Architecture - 15PANH029 (0.5 Unit) Term 2 - Not Running 2012/2013
Approaches to the Other in Horror and Science Fiction Films - 15PANH043 (0.5
Unit) - Term 1
Comparative Study of Islam: Anthropological Perspectives A (Masters) 15PANH047 (0.5 Unit) - Term 1 - Not Running 2012/2013
Comparative Study of Islam: Anthropological Perspectives B (Masters) 15PANH048 (0.5 Unit) - Term 2 - Not Running 2012/2013 - Must be taken with
the first term course - 15PANH047 Comparative Study of Islam: Anthropological
Perspectives A (Masters)
Directed Practical Study in the Anthropology of Food - 15PANH045 (0.5 Unit) Full Year
Anthropological approaches to agriculture, food and nutrition - 15PANH053 (0.5
Unit) - Term 2
5







Food, Body And Society - 15 PAN H041 (0.5 Unit) - Cannot be taken with Food
Development and the Global Economy
Food, Development and the Global Economy - 15PANH042 (0.5 Unit) - Term 2 Cannot be taken with Food Body and Society.
Issues in Psychoanalysis and Anthropology - 15PANH032 (0.5 Unit) - Term 1
Issues in the Anthropology of Film - 15PANH022 (0.5 Unit) - Term 2
Issues in the Anthropology of Gender - 15PANH024 (0.5 Unit) - Term 2 - Not to
be combined with 15PDSH010 Gender & Development.
Perspectives On Development - 15PANH033 (0.5 Unit) - Term 1
Therapy and Culture - 15PANH027 (0.5 Unit) - Term 1
Summer Break
Fieldwork report and research proposal
Year 2


Research Methods in Anthropology - 15PANC011 (1 Unit) - Full Year
Dissertation in Anthropology and Sociology - 15PANC999 (1 Unit) - Full Year
The availability of optional/elective courses may vary in a given academic session due to
factors such as staff absence and student numbers. For an up to date list of courses
running in a given academic session please refer to the degree structures as listed on the
SOAS website for the degree programmes taught by each Department.
TEACHING, LEARNING AND ASSESSMENT
What methods will be used to achieve the learning outcomes?
Knowledge
 Acquisition of 1 and 4 through seminars and classes. Students are required to
attend all classes, study extensively on their own and prepare non-assessed
work regularly.
 Acquisition of 2 through…The Research Methods course works through lectures,
practical assessments (including mini ethnographies), and seminar discussions.
 Acquisition of 3 through a seminar course in which, aside from the sessions
devoted to lectures on fieldwork as an experience, the students do presentations,
and comment on each others’ work. The course also devotes several sessions to
looking at funding applications and how to best to approach these.
 Acquisition of 5 through language courses in both years and immersion in a
Nepali-speaking environment during the summer break.
 Assessment: through unseen examinations, long essays, coursework and a
dissertation. The Research Methods course also assesses a mini-ethnography –
an exercise in participant observation and writing it up.
Intellectual (thinking) skills
 Acquisition of 1 and 2 is fostered in all courses offered in the Programme, in that
all courses will introduce information that will need to be assessed critically and
will demonstrate how conflicting interpretations arise from the same information.
 Acquisition of 3 through weekly practice at presenting seminars, discussing each
others’ work.
 Assessment: through unseen examinations, coursework, long essays and a
dissertation. The Research Methods course also assesses a mini-ethnography –
an exercise in participant observation and writing it up.
Subject-based practical skills
6






Acquisition of 1 through the writing of long essays and dissertations in English
and translations from and simple compositions in Nepali.
Acquisition of 2 through sessions with the SOAS library, practice of reading
ethnographies and each others’ work.
Acquisition of 3 through regular seminar presentations.
Acquisition of 4 through seminar discussion.
Acquisition of 5 through the setting of clear deadlines for the submission of
written work.
Assessment: by unseen examination, dissertation, long essays and coursework.
Transferable skills
 Acquisition of 1 to 4 through long essays, coursework and dissertation writing,
seminar presentations and discussions and through the study of a variety of
written and digital materials, in libraries and research institutes of a kind they will
not have used as undergraduates.
 Acquisition of 5 through an attachment to a Nepali teaching and research
institution.
 Assessment: through unseen examinations, dissertation, long essays and
coursework.
REFERENCE POINTS
What has been the basis for the design of this programme?
The following reference points were used in designing the programme:
1. School learning and teaching strategy
2. Staff research
3. QAA framework for higher education qualifications
4. ESRC call for alternative pathways through research degree
Relevant subject benchmark – This is an ESRC recognised Masters programme, and
part of the 2+3 recognised MA and PhD programme.
QUALITY ASSURANCE AND ENHANCEMENT
SOAS has internal procedures to assure the quality of provision to be offered to students
and to enhance the quality in the light of experience following delivery, taking into
account the input of external experts and students. The procedures are set out in the
School’s Quality Assurance Handbook and can be viewed at
( http://www.soas.ac.uk/add/qualityassurance/quality-assurance-handbook/).
SOAS is also subject to periodic external review from bodies such as the Quality
Assurance Agency for Higher Education and relevant professional and statutory
regulatory bodies.
The procedures described in the Quality Assurance Handbook are in place to provide a
high quality student experience for those choosing to study at SOAS, and student input
and evaluation of their experiences is greatly valued. Students make an input to the
ongoing development of their programmes, and the environment in which they operate, in
a number of ways, including:
 formal student evaluation as part of the annual programme review;
 student representation on School committees at various levels (through the
Students’ Union) where many relevant issues are discussed;
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FURTHER INFORMATION
Add in links to other relevant information, both internal and external, including:
 SOAS Vision and Strategy Statement;
 Undergraduate and Postgraduate Handbooks;
 Quality Assurance Handbook;
 UCAS website;
 QAA website;
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