Master of Philosophy in Global and Area Studies

Differences from 2021/22 to 2022/23

  • 1. The Course shall be under the supervision of the Global and Area Studies Teaching Committee, which shall report to the Graduate Studies Committee of the Oxford School of Global and Area Studies.

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  • 2. Each candidate will be required to follow a course of instruction in Global and Area Studies for six terms full-time.

  • First year examinations

  • 3. Candidates will present themselves for a three-hour written examination on the core course Competing Approaches in Areas Studies in Trinity Term.

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  • 4. Candidates will choose one Comparative Area Studies paper and one option paper from lists published by the Course Director in the Course Handbook at the beginning of the academic year in which the option paper is to be taken. For each paper, candidates will either present themselves for a three-hour written examination in Trinity Term, or submit an essay of no more than 5,000 words in Trinity by the deadline specified in the Course Handbook.

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  • Research Methods for Social Sciences and Humanities

  • 5. All candidates will submit a 2,500 word maximum take-home test in qualitative methods to be set on Monday of Week 8 and submitted by 12 noon on Monday of week 9 of Michaelmas Term.

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  • 6. In addition, all candidates will submit one of the following:

    • (i) Historical Research Methods: a 2,500 word maximum essay in the collection and analysis of historical data to be submitted by 12 noon on Monday of Week 9 of Hilary Term.

    • (ii) Quantitative Methods: a 2,500 word maximum take-home test in quantitative analysis to be set on Monday of Week 8 of Hilary Term and submitted by 12 noon on Monday of Week 9 of Hilary Term.

      • (iii) Multimodal Communication, Culture and Society: a 4,000 word maximum project to be submitted by 12 noon on Monday of Week 9 of Hilary Term.

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      • (iv) Topics in Quantitative Methods: a 4,000 word maximum project to be submitted by 12 noon on Monday of Week 9 of Hilary Term.

  • Other requirements

  • 7. A PDF copy of each submission must be accompanied by a declaration indicating it is the candidate’s own work and must be submitted electronically to the School’s VLE by the relevant deadline.

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  • 8. Candidates will be required to pass the core course examination, the Comparative Area Studies option examination, the option paper examination essay and the two Research Methods assessments to progress to the second year. Candidates who fail either of the Research Methods assessments will be permitted to resubmit a new submission for the failed piece(s) of work within four weeks of publication of the failed mark(s), on a date specified by the Chair of Examiners. If a student fails one or more of the core or option papers they willmay, normallyby bepermission requiredof tothe re-sitGlobal and passArea theStudies failedTeaching papersCommittee, before proceedingproceed to the second year of the MPhilcourse courseand re-sit/resubmit the failed paper(s) on one subsequent occasion during the final examination.

     

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  • 9. Candidates are required to spend a period of at least three months on an approved course of Area Studies Immersion after the examinations at the end of Trinity Term of the first year, and before the start of Hilary Term of the second year.

  • Final year examinations

  • 10. Candidates must submit a core Global and Area Studies essay of no more 4,000 word (excluding the bibliography) by Tuesday12 noon on Friday of week 68 of TrinityHilary Termterm. The essay must be accompanied by a declaration indicating it is the candidate’s own work.

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  • 11. Candidates will choose two further option papers from a list, including details of the assessment method, published by the Course Director in the Course Handbook at the beginning of the academic year in which the option papers are to be taken. Candidates will either present themselves for a three-hour written examination in Trinity Term, or submit an essay of no more than 5,000 words in Trinity by the deadline specified in the Course Handbook. A PDF copy of each essay must be accompanied by a declaration indicating it is the candidate’s own work and must be submitted electronically to the School’s VLE by the relevant deadline.

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  • 12. Candidates will complete a 30,000 word thesis including footnotes/endnotes but excluding the table of contents, the abstract, the bibliography of cited works and any approved technical appendices. The broad title of the thesis must be approved by the Course Director by 12 noon on Tuesday of week 2 of Trinity Term in the first year. A PDF copy of the thesis accompanied by a declaration indicating it is the candidate’s own work except where otherwise stated must be submitted electronically to the School’s VLE by 12 noon on TuesdayFriday of week 23 inof Trinity Term.

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  • 13. Candidates who fail one or more of the written examinations/essays or the thesis will be permitted to retake the examination paper(s)/re-submit the essays, or resubmit the thesis on one further occasion, which will normally be when the examination is next offered the following year.