MPhil in Global and Area Studies

Course Title: Master of Philosophy in Global and Area Studies

FHEQ Level: 7  

Length: 21 months (6 terms over 2 academic years) 

Course Aims  

The MPhil in Global and Area Studies will equip cohorts of students with the conceptual, theoretical, methodological, empirical and practical expertise to enter a broad range of public and private sector professions where knowledge and understanding of the histories, cultures, societies, politics and economics of diverse regions of the world are required and where refined analytical and comparative research skills are necessary to understand the complex challenges of a fast-changing world, shaped by enduring path-dependencies and area specificities. Our approach combines traditional and innovative lecture and small-group teaching, self-regulated learning, Area Studies immersion, professional networking, formative and summative assessment, and advanced in-depth original research.

Course Objectives  

The objectives of the MPhil are six-fold:  

• To equip students with the conceptual and theoretical expertise to interrogate the notion of ‘Area’, ‘Comparative Area Studies’ and the implications for disciplinary enquiry;  
• To provide students with a multi-/interdisciplinary and comparative understanding of different regions of the world; 
• To allow students to work on key thematic global challenges from a Comparative Area Studies perspective;  
• To embed inter-cultural understanding and global citizenship in the study of Area;
• To develop research methods and skills that are appropriate for the comparative study of areas and regions including through the development of new digital approaches for Area Studies; 
• To promote a wider International network of Area Studies scholars and practitioners. 

Learning Outcomes  

Students will acquire: 

• A leading-edge knowledge and understanding of theories and approaches to Global and Area Studies, including Critical Area Studies and Comparative Area Studies  
• Training in research methods for the social sciences and humanities necessary for Global and Area Studies
• An in depth understanding of the societies, politics, economies, histories, and cultures of two or more areas and their relationship with the wider world
• Particular areas of specialisation through a wide range of optional courses
• The ability to think and engage with academic ideas across academic disciplines and to relate them to policy relevant contexts
• Skills in research, writing, analysis and interpretation, through a combination of lectures, tutorials, essay-writing and supervision of a thesis on a subject of the student’s, tutorials, essay-writing and supervision of a thesis on a subject of the student’s choice
• The opportunity for Area Studies immersion through undertaking fieldwork, benefitting from a study abroad placement in a leading partner university of the programme, participating in short visits, workshops or related activities in approved locations
• The ability to work collaboratively in seminar and discussion contexts 

Please note these options may not be running next academic year. 

Ethnic and National Identity Politics 

Course convenor: Prof Jacob Ricks 

This course explores the politics of ethnic and national identities. This includes an overview of prominent theories of ethnicity and nationalism as well as discussions of how we measure and identify ethnicity. Some course materials treat ethnic and national identities as causal variables, while others treat them as outcomes for explanation. The course will look at how identity boundaries are constructed, how political institutions shape that construction, and how identities can be mobilized. While the course materials will draw on examples from around the world, much of the course discussion will focus on Southeast Asian examples. 

Japan and China in Transnational East Asia 

Course convenor: Dr Chigusa Yamaura 

This course examines various movements of people, images, things, and ideas in an intra-Asian context, with a particular focus on Japan and China.  In an increasingly globalised world, it has become increasingly common for individuals to move across national borders - voluntarily or involuntarily - to work, live or marry.  These flows are not random, but are patterned by a variety of political, economic, social and historical factors. In addition to looking at how time and space have become compressed as a result of globalising processes, we will explore what forms of inequality shape and result from these movements.  We will also examine how historical developments (especially Japanese imperialism), ethnicity, class and gender produce particular flows of people, and how China's economic and social transformations shape and reshape movements within and beyond East Asia. In order to answer these questions, we will look at different scales of analysis, at the level of the state, at the level of societies and, most importantly, at the agency of people. 

Militias and the State 

Course convenor: Prof Maryam Alemzadeh 

This course studies the relationship between non-conventional armed groups and forms of governance. Non-state and parastatal armed groups are responsible for the majority of armed conflicts today. This transformation has been accompanied with a change in the nature of politics; both the forms and the political agenda of nation-states, transnational entities, and parastatal organizations develop in constant interaction with unconventional armed entities. The option covers various aspects of the mutual dependence of non-state armed groups on the one hand, and national, subnational, and global governance on the other. Based on a comparative study of cases from around the globe, it addresses these questions: How does participation in limited forms of conflict, such as civil wars or local rebellions, affect states? What is the role of social identity (sectarian, ethnic, etc.) in the makeup of non-state armed groups? How do rebellious/revolutionary armed groups transition to governance? How do parastatal armed forces influence politics differently from regular armies? How is organised crime related to national and transnational governance? How does the new character of warfare relate to terrorism and global security? And how does the interaction between these civilian and armed entities affect their institutional form and legacy? 

Comparative Authoritarianism 

Course convenor: Dr Dimitar Bechev 

The elective course will consider the politics of authoritarianism worldwide. What distinguishes authoritarian regimes relative to other types of political systems, notably democracy and totalitarianism? What are the subvarieties of authoritarianism and how do they differ from one another in institutional and functional terms? How do authoritarian elites maintain legitimacy vis-à-vis society and choose between co-optation and repression? What explains authoritarian resilience and, respectively, the breakdown of authoritarian orders and the subsequent transition to democracy? How do authoritarian countries behave in the international arena and how do they shape global order? These are some of the issues the course will explore with reference to the vast and growing literature on authoritarianism 

Political Myth 

Course convenor: Prof Yaacov Yadgar 

The course aims to explore the role of the non-rational sphere of human being in politics. To do so, the course will study the role of myths generally and of messianism, eschatology, apocalypse, demonology, hagiography, villainy, sacrifice, and the social unconscious more generally in politics. The course will focus simultaneously on general epistemological, theoretical, and conceptual issues, and on specific political case studies that manifest them. 

Sociology of Cybersecurity 

Course convenor: Prof Jonathan Lusthaus 

Cybersecurity is often seen as a technical discipline, but it also contains a vital human component. People carry out cyber-attacks; people are victims of these attacks; people seek to defend against these attacks. The focus of this course is the social analysis of cybersecurity. While some broad technical terms will be covered, the emphasis will be on the nature, behaviour and organisation of attackers, defenders, and victims. This course will cover cybercrime, hacking and hacktivism, insiders, proxies, and nation state threats, along with cyber policing and the cybersecurity industry, and the users and organisations who fall victim to cyber-attacks. This option paper introduces students to key concepts in cybersecurity, from a sociological rather than technical perspective. This course is global and comparative in its approach, drawing on examples from a range of countries/areas.  

Society, Environment and Health 

Course convenor: Dr Janey Messina 

Students will be given the opportunity to explore timely themes such as climate change, rural-to-urban migration, inequality, and international travel and mobility with reference to human health. Overarching themes include the ways in which society and populations interact with their environment to affect health outcomes, and conversely how global social and environmental changes disproportionally affect different subsets of the populations within and across regions. The course will be taught as a weekly discussion-based seminar. It is structured around 14 overlapping themes to be explored through the term. 

The centrepiece of the programme is of course the 30,000-word research thesis, which represents an advanced piece of independent (but supervised) postgraduate research incorporating a Global or Comparative Area Studies approach and/or addressing key cross-region challenges from an Area Studies perspective.

Possible topics of interest include but are not limited to: Global and Regional Health, Migration, Gender and Sexuality, the Environment, Democracy and Authoritarianism, International Relations, Political Economy, Social and Economic Inequality. The School has rich multidisciplinary expertise covering China, South Asia, Japan, Latin America, Russia, Eastern Europe and Central Asia, the Middle East (where we share courses with the Faculty of Asian and Middle Eastern Studies), Southeast Asia and Africa.

Each student will have one formal supervisor from the beginning of the programme and progress with the thesis will be overseen by the Programme’s teaching committee who will help to facilitate additional consultations where appropriate

Area Studies immersion offers our students unique opportunities to engage with and rethink the production of knowledge in specific local contexts. All MPhil students are expected to undertake a period of Area Studies immersion of at least three months during the first term of the second year.

Immersion options include:

• A period of overseas or domestic fieldwork research for the thesis; or for the development of advanced language skills
• Auditing relevant substantive courses delivered by the programme’s partner universities or approved alternative
• Internship period at a relevant organisation overseas (e.g. EBRD office in Central Asia or North Africa) or domestically (e.g. a diaspora organisation, Chambers of Commerce etc.).

Area Studies immersion is an essential part of the programme, but its flexible nature not only promotes inclusivity and reduces risk, but it allows bespoke tailoring to particular Area Studies interests and it reflects the evolving nature of Area Studies in an internationalised world. For example, a student studying patterns of migrant behaviour in the UK from a comparative perspective would be able to undertake fieldwork among different migrant communities in the UK.

Each student will receive a grant to help cover the additional costs relating to the immersion period. 

The MPhil in Global and Area Studies is assessed using a range of formative and summative assessments. Whilst many OSGA option courses are assessed through three hour written examinations, other elements of the course involve a range of different assessment modalities, including essay, take-home exam and project work. 

There are no formal language requirements for the programme beyond the English language requirements which apply to all of OSGA’s programmes. There are some research topics that will require language skills, and it is anticipated that students should have those language skills at the point of application. Language isn’t provided within the frame of the programme but there are opportunities for taking language classes through the Oxford University Language Centre and for using the immersion period to further develop language skills, as required. 

Students of the GAS MPhil programme will progress to a variety of different careers, including in government and diplomacy, business and political analytics, consultancy, banking and finance, NGOs, teaching and further research. With regard to the latter, OSGA’s DPhil in Area Studies, introduced in 2017, provides exciting opportunities for continuing inter-disciplinary doctoral research across one or more of the regions in which OSGA specialises.