Course summary

The information provided on this page was correct at the time of publication (November 2023). For complete and up-to-date information about this course, please visit the relevant University of Oxford course page via www.graduate.ox.ac.uk/ucas. The MSc consists of a structured programme of lectures, classes, and tutorials from October to June, followed by individual study and the writing of a dissertation over the summer. In addition to the teaching provided specifically for the Visual, Material and Museum Anthropology programme, you will also be able to attend lectures in social anthropology to link your work to broader trends in the discipline. In addition to the teaching provided specifically for the VMMA programme, you will also be able to attend lectures in social anthropology to link your work to broader trends in the discipline. Course structure The School of Anthropology and Museum Ethnography takes the view that full-time degrees require full-time study (ie equivalent to typical employment, around 40 hours per week, throughout the year). You should expect to spend six to eight hours per week in term time in formal teaching contexts (lectures, seminar groups, tutorials, classes), which can be supplemented with attendance of the many research and visiting speaker seminars on offer; the remainder of you time (ie around 30 hours per week) should be spent on independent study and preparation of submitted work. The periods outside term time are considered to be opportunities for further independent study, consolidating and supplementing the knowledge gained during the preceding term and preparing work for examination, as well as for an appropriate break from study. The MSc is structured around teaching for four papers: 1. Contemporary themes in visual, material and museum anthropology 2. Option paper 3. Research methods in visual, material and museum anthropology 4. Fundamental concepts in visual, material, and museum anthropology 5. Dissertation MPhil The MPhil acts as a terminal degree but will also prepare you for doctoral research by introducing a wide range of theories and perspectives on museum anthropology, visual anthropology, and material culture theory, as well as practical field- and museum-based research methodologies. It is intended both as a standalone degree and as a broader and deeper preparation for doctoral research than is possible with the MSc. The School of Anthropology and Museum Ethnography takes the view that full-time degrees require full-time study (ie equivalent to typical employment, around 40 hours per week, throughout the year). The periods outside term time are considered to be opportunities for further independent study, consolidating and supplementing the knowledge gained during the preceding term and preparing work for examination, as well as for an appropriate break from study. First year The first year of the MPhil consists of a structured programme of lectures, classes, and tutorials from October to June. You will then start the research for their MPhil dissertation over the summer. You should expect to spend six to eight hours per week in term time in formal teaching contexts (lectures, seminar groups, tutorials, classes), which can be supplemented with attendance of the many research and visiting speaker seminars on offer; the remainder of your time (ie around 30 hours per week) should be spent on independent study and preparation of submitted work. The first year of the MPhil is structured around teaching for four papers. 1. Contemporary themes in visual, material and museum anthropology 2. Option paper 3. Research methods in visual, material and museum anthropology 4. Fundamental concepts in visual, material, and museum anthropology For the full descriptions and information on Second Year, please visit the relevant University of Oxford course page via www.graduate.ox.ac.uk/ucas