Social Anthropology / Sozialanthropologie University of Münster

Social and Cultural Anthropology is the study of social and cultural practices and the similarities and differences of human experience concerning their social, political, and ecological environments. Anthropologists reflect, observe, analyse and interpret social, cultural, and political action in which human and cultural behaviour materialise.

Comparison and collaboration between different societies and communities constitute a key concern of anthropological inquiry and inform its theoretical perspectives and analytical and methodological approaches. Anthropological knowledge and competences enable you to critically and constructively analyse power relations from the micro to the macropolitical, contribute to constructive and engaged discussions relevant to scholarly and public discourses, and move respectfully in intercultural settings. Anthropologists analyse, interpret, and act in a scientifically valid, socially relevant, and ethically responsible manner. When compared to other disciplines, anthropology emphasises ethical and political reflexivity and produces powerful cultural and social analyses in collaboration and dialogue with scholars from the Global South.

In addition, our consecutive MA programme imparts knowledge of the theories and current research issues of social anthropology that welcomes and cherishes theories from the so-called Global South. This allows students to write the final MA thesis based on their guided fieldwork, as an audiovisual media project, or by working on a literature-based or archival research project with the strong support of supervising professors and faculty members in any cultural context.

Video about the Department of Social and Cultural Anthropology

Our programme modules one to six offer closely supervised lectures, tutorials and seminars on the cultural foundation of sociality and culture, on research methods, and on the fields of Political Anthropology, Psychological Anthropology, Media Anthropology, Visual Anthropology, Migration Studies, Environmental Anthropology, Terrorism and Global War on terror, Anthropology of Religion, Decolonial Theories, Conflict Studies, Trauma, and Mediation, with a special focus on engaged, applied, and multimodal ethnography.

The programme offers regional specialisations in Sub-Saharan Africa, Southeast Asia, the Indian Ocean, European, and German societies. We highlight decolonial theories and thought, applied anthropology, and research methods to provide students with skills in and beyond the academe. We welcome you to conceptual discussions in seminars as well as a focus on institutional practices of teaching, learning and collaborative research projects. Our MA programme links you up with national and international scholars and practitioners.

During the stages of your studies (starting carefully in semester two and being our focus in semesters three and four), we support you and your research project (choice between fieldwork / audiovisual format / ethnographic film / internship / practical training / archive work), until the completion of an MA thesis and an oral examination (viva) to secure your MA degree.

As part of their empirical research for the Master's thesis, students may do an internship at a field-related institution of their choice.

Academic admission requirements include a Bachelor's degree in social/cultural anthropology, ethnology or in a discipline containing a major social anthropological component (min. 15 ECTS), and English language proficiency at the level of C1 (details below). See the homepage of the institute for further details.

Final overall grade of Bachelor's degree programme: at least 2.3

We do not charge tuition fees. However, students must pay a semester contribution fee of approx. 355 EUR per semester. This includes various services for students as well as a "semester ticket" covering public transportation in Münster and all of Germany.

You can find more information here.

We recommend that students budget at least 1,000 EUR per month to meet personal expenses (accommodation, living, health insurance).

You can find more information here:
https://www.uni-muenster.de/international/en/studierende/general-information/cost-and-funding.html.

You may find information on part time employment opportunities on the website of the International Office: https://www.uni-muenster.de/studium/en/kosten/jobben.html.

Students of the Master's programme may find employment opportunities, including but not limited to the fields of health organisations, user experience studies, counselling of migrants, and English language teaching.

Taking a course offered by the career service of the University of Münster is an optional element of the MA programme.

Students may consult with the student counsellor of the Master's programme to find out about career opportunities in academia or else in professional domains that require social anthropological expertise, such as the following: health organisations, NGOs, user experience assessments, counselling of migrants, development work, journalism, documentary film production, and more.

As in all popular university cities in Germany, accommodation is in high demand and not easy to find in Münster – but it's not impossible either! Like most German universities, we do not have our own student halls of residence. However, the "Studierendenwerk", a governmental organisation, offers student halls in Münster. You can find additional information on housing options here and here (only in German).

When contacting about private offers, be careful! Please make sure that you never transfer money before you sign the rental contract. Ideally, you should be able to talk personally to the potential landlord, even if you are still abroad (via phone, video call, etc.) If you are not sure whether an offer is real or possibly a fraud, please feel free to contact the team of our International Office and send us the offer.