MA in Cultural Anthropology and Development Sociology
The Master's programme at Leiden weaves together the latest approaches in Cultural Anthropology, Social Anthropology and Development Studies.
It is a research-oriented Master’s degree, that provides students with the unique opportunity to carry out independent research abroad under the guidance of experienced researchers with knowledge specific to subject and region. Within this unique multi-disciplinary approach students can focus on a specific region or topic of their choice, drawing on the institute's research programme on "Global Connections", and regional specializations in Africa and South-East Asia.
Independent research
As part of the MA in Cultural Anthropology and Development Sociology at Leiden University, students can conduct fieldwork all over the world. Students can choose between pursuing their own interests to their area of choice, or they can choose to build on the regional expertise of Leiden University by joining collectively supervised fieldwork in Mali/Gambia, Indonesia of Phillipines based on the long-term relationships we have built in these regions.
Professional research skills
The MA in Cultural Anthropology and Development Sociology provides students with the academic and professional skills required to independently design and execute research projects. Students follow several courses that make the research process as dynamic and successful as possible. This includes the course ‘Doing Ethnography’ specialized in the writing of professional research proposals and ‘Writing Seminar’ which focuses on the complex task of writing up data once students return from the field. Each student also receives individual supervision for the duration of the programme.
Furthermore, Leiden University offers the unique chance for a limited number of qualified MA students (those who have been trained in visual methods/visual ethnography) to use audio-visual techniques in their research under the guidance of anthropologists specialized in visual ethnography. Read more about this in the attached document: visual methods-track.
MA courses
The MA in Cultural Anthropology and Development Sociology at Leiden University accommodates a very broad range of theoretical, methodological and regional interests. The programme has three thematic specializations:
- Global Economy and Culture
- Environment Anthropology and Development Sociology
- Media, Visual and Material Culture
More information
- For information on the 2010-11 master courses and time-tables, please visit our e-Prospectus.
- For information about the application procedure and requirements please visit our MA in Cultural Anthropology and Development Sociology website.