School of Social Sciences Postgraduate Studies
MA Conflict, Displacement and Human Security
Dean’s Welcome
Welcome to the University of East London’s School of Social Sciences. If you want to develop your professional or academic interest in the Social Sciences, there are few more culturally diverse, historically rich and intellectually stimulating settings than east London. And, we believe, there is no other School of Social Sciences that is better connected to this world, or more actively engaged in the most pressing issues of our global world, its shifting boundaries and its transient populations. When considering postgraduate study you’ll want to be certain that you’re being taught by the people who are right up to date with the emerging issues of your subject, people who are actively researching and contributing new knowledge to these areas. You’ll be reassured, then, that our Sociology submission was the highest rated of any modern university, and one of the largest in the country with 75% of its work judged of international significance and 10% rated as world class. 75% of our Social Policy and Social Work research was judged as of international quality. The issues with which we deal benefit from multiple viewpoints and that is why we welcome students from such different backgrounds. If you have been working with immigrant or refugee communities, volunteering or involved in the charity sector, our postgraduate courses can help you make the next step in your career or to build a completely new one. Our research centres are genuinely unique and use their east London location to tap into global issues in a way that is authoritative and has real impact.
Our centres include: –– The Centre for East London Studies (CELS) which is stimulating debates about the changing nature of east London and the impact of initiatives such as urban regeneration ––
ur Centre for Narrative Research is the O leading international voice for this area. Interdisciplinary in approach, it recently started working with residents at the Jungle refugee camp in Calais on a Life Stories project
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he Centre for Research on Migration, T Refugees and Belonging has internationally recognised expertise in this very current area. Its location in east London is ideal as one of the best established hubs of international settlement, historically and to the present day. CMRB oversees the Refugee Council Archive and other valuable collections.
We hope that you will join us and use the professional skills and experiences you gain here to make a real difference to the world.
Professor Allaine Cerwonka Dean, School of Social Sciences
MA Conflict, Displacement and Human Security
Our MA course offers you an advanced and comprehensive understanding of the relationship between conflict, displacement and human insecurity. Distinctive features of the course are its focus on conflict and displacement, its people-centred approach, and its emphasis on human security that combines both human rights and human development. You’ll learn to approach development as an important security strategy and consider displacement a measure of human security. It encourages independent critical approaches to contemporary theories of conflicts, human rights and human security. In light of ongoing global social changes, this course is designed to address the continuous changing nature of conflict and its linkages to development, scarce resources, and environmental change. In doing so, the course moves away from the conventional emphasis placed solely on state responses to conflict, management of displacement and development intervention. This MA Conflict, Displacement and Human Security course is an accredited pathway of the UK Economic and Social Research Council Doctoral Training Partnership.
uel.ac.uk/pg-conflict-displacement
The course is designed to: –– Help you to develop an inter-disciplinary approach to the study of the conflict, generalised violence and social inequality in contemporary global contexts –– Provide you with advanced critical and evaluative abilities –– Provide you with the capability to design and execute social research projects, increased skills in data collection and analysis and the means to disseminate complex research findings.
School of Social Sciences
Course structure You’ll be required to complete two core modules plus two optional modules and a dissertation. Core modules Conflict, Displacement and Human Security Qualitative Research Methods Dissertation Optional modules: Introduction to Forced Migration Development in the International Context Global Environmental Politics War and Human Right University wide option Throughout your course we will assess you by your coursework, which includes essays, reports, presentations, research proposal and your dissertation. Typically, there are two assessment components per module, and four per semester. Students begin the dissertation during the summer semester and submit in September.
Your future career Our course is specifically aimed at giving you the skills, knowledge and understanding for a career in the fields of conflict management and resolution, humanitarian assistance and displacement, human rights and development initiatives. You’ll develop the critical thinking skills and flexibility for a role in an NGO or in a government department or agency, both in developing and developed countries. The course also develops your skills for further academic research in conflict, displacement, development and human rights fields, as well as in associated areas of social and political theory.
Resources You’ll have access to leading experts and the latest research at UEL seminars, workshops and conferences organised by the Centre for Social Justice and Change, the Centre for Migration, Refugees and Belonging, and the Centre on Human Rights in Conflict. This means you have the opportunity to link up with key researchers in the area and gain an insight into the latest thinking on critical issues. You’ll also benefit from access to the Refugee Archive at UEL, which is one of the largest collections of materials on refugees and forced migration. The archive contains materials on refugees in all parts of the world, with special emphasis on the UK. For more than 30 years it was housed at the Refugee Council - the lead organisation in Britain on refugee issues.
Entry requirements Applicants should have a degree with a minimum 2:2 honours in a relevant subject. We would also normally expect you to have a grade C in GCSE English and maths. As an inclusive university we recognise that applicants who have been out of education for some time may not have the formal qualifications usually required for entry to a course. We welcome applications from those who can demonstrate their enthusiasm and commitment to study and have relevant life/work experience that equips them to succeed on the course.
School of Social Sciences
Further information
Fees and funding Up to date course fees are published on our website. To support you in your postgraduate studies, we offer a generous package of scholarships, bursaries and discounts. Please check our website to see what you may be eligible to apply for.
How to apply Visit our website uel.ac.uk and search for the course you wish to apply for. Use the How to Apply button to apply directly using UEL’s secure online form.
Enquiries For further information contact our Applicant Enquiries team Tel: +44 (0)20 8223 3333 Email: study@uel.ac.uk
Disclaimer This publication has been prepared some months before the academic year to which it relates, and whilst every care has been taken to ensure accuracy at the time of going to press, its ongoing accuracy cannot be guaranteed. In particular, we are constantly developing and improving the programmes, modules and options described in the publication, and we reserve the right to modify or discontinue them. No part of this publication is to be construed as an offer or the basis of any agreement between UEL and an individual.
uel.ac.uk/socialsciences
For comments and queries regarding this publication, please contact study@uel.ac.uk