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| Application Deadline: | June 30 | ||
| Annual Tuition Fee: | ≈ € 6,885 - ≈ € 15,134 (non-EEA) | ||
| Location: | London / United Kingdom / View location on map ▾ Hide location on map ▴ | ||
| Duration: | 12 months | Start Date: | September |
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| Languages: | English | ||
Food is a fundamental human necessity, essential to the sustenance of the human body. At the same time, food may be associated with pleasure, passion, even luxury. Food is also essential to the social body. Who eats what, who eats with whom, and whose appetites are satisfied and whose denied, are all profoundly social dynamics through which identities, relationships, and hierarchies are created and reproduced.
The SOAS MA programme in the Anthropology of Food offers students the opportunity to explore historically and culturally variable foodways, from foraging to industrial agriculture, from Europe and North America to Africa, Asia and South America. The programme asks students to trace the passage of food from plant to palate, and to examine who benefits, and who suffers, from contemporary modes of food production, exchange, preparation, and consumption. Students examine food policy at national and international levels, as well as the role played in its formation by the food industry.
Focus is given to the study of famine and the controversial role of food aid in securing food supplies. Debates over the impact of agricultural biotechnology on agrarian livelihoods and knowledge systems, as well as on the natural environment, are assessed. Movements toward organic agriculture, fair trade, and slow food are also analysed.
An anthropological approach to the study of food draws upon and challenges the perspectives of other disciplines, whether agronomy or nutritional science, economics or law, history or literature. Dependent upon individual interests and experiences, graduates of the programme may pursue research degrees in any number of academic disciplines, or find employment in food-related government ministries, international organizations, development agencies, or non-governmental associations, as well as in the fields of public health, education, and media, or in the catering industry.
Course teachers Johan Pottier, Harry G. West, and Jakob Klein were awarded the 2009 Excellence in Instruction Award by the Agriculture, Food, and Human Values Society.
The programme consists of four units in total: three units of examined courses and a one unit dissertation of 10,000 words.
Core Courses:
Foundation Course:
Option Courses:
Core Courses
Foundation Course
Option Courses
Anthropology Option Courses
Courses taught outside the Department of Anthropology
These courses are available subject to approval by the course convenor. Students may take no more than one full unit of courses taught outside of the Department of Anthropology. A language unit taught in the Faculty of Lanuages & Cultures may be taken.
You are normally required to take an English Proficiency Test if you come from a non-English speaking country.
Most European Universities recognise the IELTS test.
More informationMinimum Entry Requirements: Minimum upper second class BA degree (or equivalent) in the humanities or social or natural sciences, or significant experience in a relevant food- and/or agriculture-related career.
In order to ensure that SOAS students have a sufficient standard of English to study effectively, we require overseas students to submit evidence, during the application process, of their current level of proficiency.
Score for Unconditional Entry
| Minimal degree required: | Bachelor's degree |
| Minimal amount of work experience | Not specified |
| IELTS Band: | 7.0 |
| TOEFL Internet-based: | 105 |
There are some scholarships and bursaries available for postgraduate students. These are very competitive and early application is advised.
Another way to fund your studies is through educational loans. Some high street banks offer loans for education. The other option is a career development loan. Before taking out a loan ensure that you understand what the repayments will be and that you will be able to afford them.
Professional and Career Development LoansA Professional and Career Development Loan is a bank loan for UK students designed to help you pay for your course. Repayments start one month after you complete your course. You can borrow between £300 and £8,000. The bank will approve your loan according to your credit rating.
US Federal LoansEligible US students can apply for Stafford Federal Loans, Federal Plus and private loans to cover their tuition and maintenance costs.
The Registry Fees and Scholarship section can also certify student registration for other loans, such as Canadian educational loans.
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