Taught course

Research Methods (Anthropology)

Institution
Durham University · Department of Anthropology
Qualifications
MA

Entry requirements

A minimum 2:1 Honours degree from a UK institution (or the overseas equivalent) in a relevant subject. References play an important part in the admissions process.

Months of entry

September

Course content

Our MA in Research Methods (Anthropology) is designed to boost your knowledge and understanding of the human experience as you immerse yourself in a department which is passionate about producing the next generation of research anthropologists.

The course consists of three core modules, including qualitative and quantitative methods which are coordinated through the Durham Research Methods Centre. The remaining modules are selected from an extensive range, allowing you to tailor your learning to your chosen pathway be it socio-cultural anthropology, medical anthropology, the anthropology of development or cultural evolution. You can further tailor the direction of your study through your dissertation. The dissertation is often used as a pilot study in preparation for future PhD work.

As a student in one of the largest integrated anthropology departments in the UK, you will study in an environment that is focused on discussion and debate of current issues in the field, this gives you plenty of opportunities to engage with academic issues at the forefront of research. You will also have access to weekly research seminars hosted by the Durham Infancy and Sleep Centre, the Behavioural and Ecological Physiology Laboratory, the Physical Activity Laboratory, the South Africa Field Station and the Material Culture and Skeletal Collections.

The course is approved by the Economic and Social Research Council, which is the UK’s largest funder of economic, social, behavioural and human data science and is affiliated to the Northern Ireland and North East Doctoral Training Partnership of which the University is a member.

Course structure

Core modules:

Interdisciplinary Perspectives and Practices across Social Research introduces you to both contemporary social scientific research and the methods used in its practice. You will learn about the issues and challenges associated with researching and recording the complexities of social science and you will develop an understanding of where and how the philosophy, methods and disciplines of different research programmes engage with each other. You will also learn about ethics in social research, including issues of power and equality.

Quantitative Methods and Analysis provides an opportunity to enhance your knowledge, understanding and abilities in quantitative data analysis and develop the use of statistical techniques for exploring and describing sets of numbers-based data. You will also learn how to make statistics-based inferences about the links between social phenomena.

Qualitative Methods and Analysis will equip you with the advanced knowledge and skills to understand and critically examine qualitative social sciences research, including different approaches to research and design and the analysis of qualitative data based on information in the form of feedback or responses from participants rather than from the numbers.

The Dissertation is an independent research project in a specialist area of interest using the techniques developed in the research methods modules. The subject will be agreed with a supervisor and the degree tutor. You will be expected to write a literature review, collect data by fieldwork, laboratory work or from published sources, conduct data analysis and provide a presentation and initiate discussion of your findings.

Examples of optional modules related to your pathway:

Research methods modules:

  • Multilevel Modelling
  • Simulating Data in R
  • Computational Social Science
  • Systematic Review
  • Advanced Statistics for Psychology and the Behavioural Sciences
  • Participatory Action Research
  • Advanced Ethnographic Research


Socio-cultural pathway:

  • Understanding Society and Culture
  • Thinking Anthropologically
  • Interrogating Ethnography
  • Advanced Ethnographic Research
  • Anthropology and Development
  • Advanced Studies in Anthropology, Art, and Experience
  • Advanced Studies in the Social Anthropology of Hormones
  • Advanced Studies in the Anthropology of Sport
  • Advanced Studies in Anthropological Skills for Climate Change Survival
  • Advanced Studies in Power and Governance
  • Advanced Studies in Violence and Memory
  • Advanced Studies in Mediterranean Connections
  • Advanced Studies in Capitalism in Ruins
  • Advanced Studies in the Anthropology of Data and Quantification
  • Advanced Specialised Aspects in Social Anthropology
  • Climate and Energy - intensive study


Medical Anthropology pathway:

  • Anthropology of Global Health
  • Society, Health and Wellbeing
  • Understanding Society and Culture
  • Thinking Anthropologically
  • Advanced Ethnographic Research
  • Advanced Studies in the Anthropology of Tobacco
  • Advanced Studies in the Anthropology of Physical Activity for Health
  • Advanced Studies in Evolutionary Medicine: Maternal and Infant Health
  • Advanced Studies in Human Reproductive Ecology
  • Advanced Studies in Development, Conflict and Crisis in the Lower Omo Valley
  • Advanced Studies in Anthropology of the Body
  • Advanced Studies in Food Security, Nutrition and Sustainable Livelihoods
  • Advanced Specialised Aspects in Health and Medical Anthropology
  • Climate and Energy - intensive study


Development Anthropology pathway:

  • Society, Energy, Environment and Resilience
  • Anthropology and Development
  • Understanding Society and Culture
  • Thinking Anthropologically
  • Anthropology of Global Health
  • Advanced Ethnographic Research
  • Advanced Studies in the Anthropology of Tobacco
  • Advanced Studies in the Anthropology of Physical Activity for Health
  • Advanced Studies in Evolutionary Medicine: Maternal and Infant Health
  • Advanced Studies in Human Reproductive Ecology
  • Advanced Studies in Development, Conflict and Crisis in the Lower Omo Valley
  • Advanced Studies in Food Security, Nutrition and Sustainable Livelihoods
  • Advanced Studies in Anthropology, Art, and Experience
  • Advanced Studies in the Social Anthropology of Hormones
  • Advanced Studies in the Anthropology of Ethics and Morality
  • Advanced Studies in the Anthropology of Sport
  • Advanced Studies in Anthropological Skills for Climate Change Survival
  • Advanced Studies in Power and Governance
  • Advanced Studies in Violence and Memory
  • Advanced Studies in Mediterranean Connections
  • Advanced Studies in Capitalism in Ruins
  • Climate and Energy - intensive study


Cultural Evolution pathway:

  • Advanced Specialised Aspects in Health and Medical Anthropology
  • Thinking Anthropologically
  • Advanced Ethnographic Research
  • Advanced Specialised Aspects in Evolutionary Anthropology
  • Cultural Evolution for MARM
  • Evolutionary Theory for MARM
  • Advanced Studies in the Evolution of Cooperation
  • Advanced Studies in the Cultural Evolution of Music
  • Advanced Studies in Primates in Peril
  • Advanced Studies in Forensic Anthropology
  • Advanced Studies in Palaeoanthropology and Palaeoecology

Information for international students

If you are an international student who does not meet the requirements for direct entry to this degree, you may be eligible to take a pre-Masters pathway programme at the Durham University International Study Centre.

Fees and funding

UK students
£10400
International students
£24750

For further information see the course listing.

Qualification, course duration and attendance options

  • MA
    part time
    24 months
    • Campus-based learningis available for this qualification
    full time
    12 months
    • Campus-based learningis available for this qualification

Course contact details

Name
Recruitment and Admissions