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African Studies at University of Oxford - UCAS

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2023 - 20242024 - 2025
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Course summary

The information provided on this page was correct at the time of publication (November 2022). 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 in African Studies is a three-term course, designed both as a stand-alone interdisciplinary introduction to current debates about Africa, and as a preparation for doctoral research on Africa. This advanced degree programme provides an excellent foundation for those who wish to expand their knowledge of African studies. There are four components to the MSc in African Studies:

  • Core Course 1: Methodology, Ethics and Research Strategies
  • Core Course 2: Themes in African History and the Social Sciences
  • Option paper
  • Dissertation.
The teaching on the MSc programme is built around the two core courses. The first core course examines research methodologies and strategies, including the politics of researching and writing on Africa, and is taught in Michaelmas term through a weekly lecture and seminar. The second is a weekly lecture and seminar over two terms (Michaelmas and Hilary term) covering key questions in African history and the social sciences, giving close attention to critical debates and current issues. The core courses form compulsory elements of the degree programme and are open only to students taking the MSc in African Studies. In addition to the two core courses, you will take an optional paper on a particular theme and within a specific discipline. A wide selection of optional papers is available each year. Optional papers are taught in Hilary Term, through a weekly lecture and seminar. Finally, you will write a dissertation of on a research topic of your choosing, which must include discussion of the comparative reading, historiography, or theory relevant to the dissertation. You will undertake fieldwork at the end of Hilary term and will be provided with thesis supervision throughout the year. Students dedicate six hours per week to classes and lectures and they will typically meet their thesis supervisor once every fortnight Supervision Supervision for the dissertation element of the programme runs through the year. For this course, the allocation of graduate supervision is the responsibility of the African Studies Centre and it is not always possible to accommodate the preferences of incoming graduate students to work with a particular member of staff. Under exceptional circumstances a supervisor may be found outside the African Studies Centre. Assessment You will submit examined essays for core course one (Hilary term), core course two (Hilary and Trinity terms) and your chosen option paper (Trinity Term). You will submit your dissertation near to the end of Trinity term.

Entry requirements

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

Fees and funding

Tuition fees

No fee information has been provided for this course

Additional fee information

For complete and up-to-date information about fees and funding for this course, please visit the relevant University of Oxford course page via www.graduate.ox.ac.uk/ucas.
African Studies at University of Oxford - UCAS