Science, Society and Development (2014 entry)

MA, 1 year full time/2 years part time

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Institute of Development Studies (IDS) logo

Founded in 1966, IDS is a leading global organisation for research, teaching and communications on international development. By studying at IDS you will benefit from: 

  • research-led teaching on our degrees, drawing on the expertise of IDS Fellows and researchers renowned for their academic excellence in international development 
  • a close-knit and supportive learning environment that allows you to develop your own specialism within development studies 
  • IDS’s distinct theoretical perspectives on communication and influencing and their contribution to social change 
  • IDS being ranked 1st university-affiliated think tank in the UK and 3rd in the world (University of Pennsylvania: Global Go To Think Tanks Report 2012) 
  • being part of the IDS Alumni Professional International Development Network with over 2,000 members in 114 countries 
  • our strong working relationships with many collaborators and partner organisations around the world. 

Accreditation

IAC/EADI accredited - International Accreditation Council for Global Development Studies and ResearchThis course is IAC/EADI accredited. The International Accreditation Council for Global Development Studies and Research wishes to influence proactively the process of quality assurance for global development studies and has developed a state-of-the art accreditation system. Sussex is proud to be the first UK university to gain this accreditation.

For more information, refer to International Accreditation Council for Global Development Studies and Research: Accreditation. 

Specialist facilities in the School of Global Studies

The University offers extensive computing facilities with a full range of data-processing and communications software. Office space is usually allocated to students taking research degrees. You will have full access to the University’s main Library and its online collection, and limited access to the British Library of Development Studies at IDS, which is located on the Sussex campus. 

Specialist facilities at IDS

IDS plays a lead role in the provision, development and support of information and intermediary services that build a bridge between development research and development policy and practice. The IDS Knowledge Services include both broad-based services such as the development policy, research and practice information online gateway Eldis, and specialist services such as BRIDGE (gender), the Governance and Social Development Resource Centre (GSDRC) and the Livelihoods Connect Network. IDS Knowledge Services also work in partnerships with organisations in South Asia and sub-Saharan Africa. 

The British Library for Development Studies (BLDS) is Europe’s most comprehensive research collection on economic and social change in developing countries. IDS students have full access to a wide range of online databases, CD-ROMs, e-books and e-journals in addition to the facilities at the University’s main Library.

Programme outline

You will be based in IDS. 

Sustainability is one of the key issues facing a world with an increasing population and environmental change. This MA looks at science, society, sustainability and development, focusing on the key areas of agriculture, environment, and health. You are invited to address complex policy issues including water and sanitation, epidemic disease, the African Green Revolution, biodiversity and genetically modified crops. 

What makes this MA unique is its emphasis on the ways that politics permeates policy processes at all levels, and plays out through competing framings, narratives, knowledge and networks. Starting with a solid grounding in development studies and society-science-technology relations, the degree then puts the dynamics of policy processes at centre stage. 

The degree provides you with a theoretically informed understanding of debates in development, sociological studies of science and technology, and governance and policy processes, while promoting a people-oriented approach. It will equip you with the ability to critically examine and reflect on the role of science in environmental, health and agricultural issues within development, using an inter-disciplinary perspective; engage in an informed and critical way with other professionals; apply practical methods and frameworks to research problems; and advance policy debates on key issues relating to food and agriculture, health and disease, water and sanitation, and agricultural research problems. 

Assessment 

Assessment is primarily through term papers of 3,000-5,000 words, coursework assignments, presentations, practical exercises and, for some modules, examinations, as well as a final 10,000-word dissertation. 

We continue to develop and update our modules for 2014 entry to ensure you have the best student experience.In addition to the course structure below, you may find it helpful to refer to the 2012 modules tab.

Autumn term: Ideas in Development and Policy, Evidence and Practice • Science and Policy Processes: Issues in Agriculture, Environment and Health • Science, Power and Institutions. 

Spring term: Science, Knowledge and the Politics of Development and three 15-credit modules from a range of options, which may include Action Research and Participatory Methods • Aid and Poverty • Analysing Poverty, Vulnerability and Inequality • Climate Change and Development • Decentralisation and Local Government • Emerging Powers and International Development • Global Governance • Impact Evaluation • Law and Development • Management of Public Finance • Nutrition • Poverty, Violence and Conflict • Qualitative and Ethnographic Research Methods • Qualitative and Quantitative Research Methods • Reflective Practice and Social Change • Sexuality, Masculinity and Development • Unruly Politics. 

Summer term: you work on your dissertation. 

Back to module list

Action Research and Particpatory Methods

15 credits
Spring teaching, year 1

Aid and Poverty: the Political Economy of International Development Assistance

15 credits
Spring teaching, year 1

International development assistance (aid) has apparently strong theoretical justification, and rich countries are increasing their aidflows to unprecedented levels in pursuit of poverty reduction. But the political economy of aid is becoming more polarised as global security concerns and global trade reform influence the purposes and practice of aid. Critics are many and anthropological, economic and political science analyses the dominant aid paradigm.

This course provides you with a historically-grounded assessment of international development assistance and its potential to reduce poverty through detailed treatment of the arguments for and against aid. There will be a strong emphasis on the new aid architecture as well as the special circumstances of 'fragile' states and the role of aid.

Climate Change and Development

15 credits
Spring teaching, year 1

This course provides you with an understanding of the science, politics and developmental implications of climate change and disasters, focusing on the perspectives of poor households, communities and developing countries. You will assess the overlaps between disasters, climate change and poverty, focusing on climate change adaptation and disaster risk-reduction approaches, critically analysing options to reduce negative effects and harness opportunities.  You will also examine the social, political and economic drivers of vulnerability, considering how policy processes at different scales influence risk management activities and local coping strategies.

Doing Gender and Development

15 credits
Spring teaching, year 1

This course has an applied focus and considers a range of gender planning and policy analysis frameworks, and project design tools such as the logical framework. You will undertake a project of up to 3,000 words aimed at bringing together your practical skills with the substantive issues covered in the programme.

Governance of Violent Conflict and (In)security

15 credits
Spring teaching, year 1

This course will consider fundamental questions raised by armed conflicts and political violence about the role and relevance of the state and about the topic of governance. You will evaluate alternative approaches to the explanation of conflicts, together with their incorporation in the conflict-assessment frameworks used by policy-makers. Particular attention will be paid to the different ways in which development is 'securitised'. 

Important policy issues examined will include the role and limits of external interventions in preventing and managing violent conflict; the problems of governance in unstable and insecure political environments; post-conflict reconstruction and the legitimacy and capacities of the state; the control and reform of security institutions; and the 'design' of political institutions to facilitate the management of conflict. The course is designed not only to develop your analytical skills in analysing the governance and security issues stemming from violent conflicts, but also to help you apply these skills and policy issues. You will follow a comparative approach, based on detailed analysis of a small number of national cases. The course will also be participatory, with small groups sharing responsibility for analysing national cases chosen for study.

Health and Development

30 credits
Spring teaching, year 1

Despite 20th-century medical and technological advances, health status is desperately low in many parts of the world and millions of people lack access to basic services. This course examines health systems in the face of the major developmental and organisational challenges of the 21st century. The course takes a fresh approach to the political economy of health care, examining health systems as 'knowledge economies' - ways of organising access to expert knowledge or expertise, embodied in both people and products - and focuses on how health systems could better benefit the poor.

Ideas in Development and Policy, Evidence and Practice

15 credits
Autumn teaching, year 1

This course introduces you to the main ideas within development and to current thinking in relation to key issues. Topics covered will include historical perspectives on development; rights-based approaches; globalisation; politics and development; and empowerment and participation. Throughout the course, you will address theoretical perspectives on development in relation to practical implementation of policy processes.

Impact Evaluation

15 credits
Spring teaching, year 1

Management of Public Finance

15 credits
Spring teaching, year 1

States in developing countries frequently lack the resources, administrative capacity and legitimacy needed to reproduce themselves and pursue their goals and the goals of society. This course explores the behaviour of states through the lens of public finance. How do states manage international capital flows, including FDI, debt, and aid? What domestic sources are available without excessively burdening economic actors or coercing popular sectors? How do states prioritise and allocate their resources in ways that deepen democracy, manage macroeconomic balances, pursue efficiency, and improve distribution?


We will address these questions by considering the following four broad themes: capital flows (including FDI, debt, and aid); revenues (rents and tax); budgeting; and the political economy of public finance.

Poverty, Violence and Conflict

15 credits
Spring teaching, year 1

This course will assess conflict shocks and examine their differences relative to other socio-economic shocks. This will draw on both existing literature on conflict and the history of conflict analysis within different social sciences. You will examine the difficulties or research in conflict areas, including measurement, ethical concerns, and security concerns, and assess where we stand in terms of empirical knowledge. You will critically review the latest research on micro-level analysis of conflict, going on to examine the impact of conflict shocks on households and individuals, drawing on insurance and risk theory, and assess the impact of conflict on education, health and poverty. You will then examine preventive policies including the potential role of social protection in preventing conflict and post-conflict situations. The course, finally, will turn to an assessment of the role of international institutions, NGO's and community-driven initiatives in the context of conflict-affected 'fragile' states.

Qualitative and Quantitative Research Methods

15 credits
Spring teaching, year 1

This course gives you a practical introduction to research methods and methodologies. This emphasises the relationship between concepts and theory on the one hand, and measurement and data collection on the other. You will examine these components or research methods accross quantitative, qualitative, and interpretive approaches in the social sciences. In each case a general discussion to concept formation and theory building is followed by an examination of tools for casual analysis and, finally, data collection strategies.

This course helps you aquire both a familiarity with distinct research methods and the ability to identify which combinations of methods are most suited to explore particular research questions and most suited for specific social contexts.

Qualitative and Ethnographic Research Methods

15 credits
Spring teaching, year 1

Reflective Practice and Social Change

15 credits
Spring teaching, year 1

This course explores the growing field of reflective practice as a vital form of professional development for individuals and organisations involved in social change. You will explore traditions of reflective practice within action research and organisational learning, and practice methods of personal and cooperative inquiry. You will also consider reflective writing, journaling, auto-ethnography, drama and storytelling are as methods for to better understand nd position ourselves as change agents, and for deepening self-awareness of our identity, values, behaviour and belief systems.

Science, Institutions and Power

30 credits
Autumn teaching, year 1

The course starts with an examination of the social and institutional characteristics of communities of professional scientists and technologists. It then locates that discussion in the context of their changing relations with, and roles in, industry, academia and government. It will review the institutions and processes by which policies for science and technology are set and evaluated, including how resources are allocated, how research performance is evaluated and how scientific experts can and do influence policy-making. The discussion will draw on several literatures including the policy analysis and evaluation literatures, the sociology of the scientific community, the social construction of scientific knowledge and literature on the role of scientific experts in public policy-making.

SOUR - unruly politics

15 credits
Spring teaching, year 1

Back to module list

Entry requirements

UK entrance requirements

A first- or upper second-class undergraduate honours degree in the social sciences or a related discipline, and preferably two years' development-related work experience, which is a factor in selection. Applications must be accompanied by a detailed, two-page personal statement.

Overseas entrance requirements

Overseas qualifications

If your country is not listed below, please contact the University at E pg.enquiries@sussex.ac.uk

CountryOverseas qualification
Australia Bachelor (Honours) degree with second-class upper division
Brazil Bacharel, Licenciado or professional title with a final mark of at least 8
Canada Bachelor degree with CGPA 3.3/4.0 (grade B+)
China Bachelor degree from a leading university with overall mark of 75%-85% depending on your university
Cyprus Bachelor degree or Ptychion with a final mark of at least 7.5
France Licence with mention bien or Maîtrise with final mark of at least 13
Germany Bachelor degree or Magister Artium with a final mark of 2.4 or better
Ghana Bachelor degree from a public university with second-class upper division
Greece Ptychion from an AEI with a final mark of at least 7.5
Hong Kong Bachelor (Honours) degree with second-class upper division
India Bachelor degree from a leading institution with overall mark of at least 60% or equivalent
Iran Bachelor degree (Licence or Karshenasi) with a final mark of at least 15
Italy Diploma di Laurea with an overall mark of at least 105
Japan Bachelor degree from a leading university with a minumum average of B+ or equivalent
Malaysia Bachelor degree with class 2 division 1
Mexico Licenciado with a final mark of at least 8
Nigeria Bachelor degree with second-class upper division or CGPA of at least 3.0/4.0
Pakistan Four-year bachelor degree, normally with a GPA of at least 3.3
Russia Magistr or Specialist Diploma with a minimum average mark of at least 4
South Africa Bachelor (Honours) degree or Bachelor degree in Technology with an overall mark of at least 70%
Saudi Arabia Bachelor degree with an overall mark of at least 70% or CGPA 3.5/5.0 or equivalent
South Korea Bachelor degree from a leading university with CGPA of at least 3.5/4.0 or equivalent
Spain Licenciado with a final mark of at least 2/4
Taiwan Bachelor degree with overall mark of 70%-85% depending on your university
Thailand Bachelor degree with CGPA of at least 3.0/4.0 or equivalent
Turkey Lisans Diplomasi with CGPA of at least 3.0/4.0 depending on your university
United Arab Emirates Bachelor degree with CGPA of at least 3.5/4.0 or equivalent
USA Bachelor degree with CGPA 3.3-3.5/4.0 depending on your university
Vietnam Masters degree with CGPA 3.5/4.0 or equivalent

If you have any questions about your qualifications after consulting our overseas qualifications, contact the University at E pg.enquiries@sussex.ac.uk

English language requirements

IELTS 7.0, with not less than 6.5 in each section. Internet TOEFL with 95 overall, with at least 22 in Listening, 23 in Reading, 23 in Speaking and 24 in Writing.

For more information, refer to English language requirements.

Visas and immigration

Find out more about Visas and immigration.

For more information about the admissions process at Sussex

For pre-application enquiries:

Student Recruitment Services
T +44 (0)1273 876787
E pg.enquiries@sussex.ac.uk

For post-application enquiries:

Postgraduate Admissions,
University of Sussex,
Sussex House, Falmer,
Brighton BN1 9RH, UK
T +44 (0)1273 877773
F +44 (0)1273 678545
E pg.applicants@sussex.ac.uk 

Fees and funding

Fees

Home UK/EU students: £13,5001
Channel Island and Isle of Man students: £13,5002
Overseas students: £13,5003

1 The fee shown is for the academic year 2013.
2 The fee shown is for the academic year 2013.
3 The fee shown is for the academic year 2013.

To find out about your fee status, living expenses and other costs, visit further financial information.

Funding

The funding sources listed below are for the subject area you are viewing and may not apply to all degrees listed within it. Please check the description of the individual funding source to make sure it is relevant to your chosen degree.

To find out more about funding and part-time work, visit further financial information.

Chancellor's International Scholarship (2014)

Region: International (Non UK/EU)
Level: PG (taught)
Application deadline: 1 May 2014

25 scholarships of a 50% tuition fee waiver

Fulbright-Sussex University Award (2014)

Region: International (Non UK/EU)
Level: PG (taught)
Application deadline: 15 October 2013

Each year, one award is offered to a US citizen for the first year of a postgraduate degree in any field at the University of Sussex.

Leverhulme Trade Charities Trust for Postgraduate Study (2014)

Region: UK
Level: PG (taught), PG (research)
Application deadline: 1 October 2013

The Leverhulme Trade Charities Trust are offering bursaries to Postgraduate students following any postgraduate degree courses in any subject.

Santander Scholarship (2014)

Region: International (Non UK/EU)
Level: PG (taught)
Application deadline: 1 May 2014

Two scholarships of £5000 fee waiver for students studying any postgraduate taught course.

Sussex ESRC 1+3 and +3 Scholarships (2014)

Region: UK, Europe (Non UK)
Level: PG (taught), PG (research)
Application deadline: 28 February 2014

Up to 22 1+3 and +3 awards across the social sciences

USA Friends Scholarships (2014)

Region: International (Non UK/EU)
Level: PG (taught)
Application deadline: 3 April 2014

Two scholarships of an amount equivalent to $10,000 are available to nationals or residents of the USA on a one year taught Master's degree course.

Faculty interests

The range of faculty research activities is illustrated below. More information is available at the Institute of Development Studies.

IDS Fellows

Dr Jeremy Allouche Access to water and sanitation and pro-poor regulation, water security, transboundary water conflicts. 

Inka Barnett Nutrition, food security, health, children and youth and ICTs. 

Dr Christopher Béné Socioeconomic, governance and policy issues related to natural resources. 

Dr Evangelia Berdou Implications of information communication technologies for work, livelihoods, learning and collaboration. 

Dr Gerald Bloom Finance, performance of markets for health-related goods and services, the changing role of government. 

Professor Danny Burns Participatory methods, systemic action research, community development and action. 

Dr Terry Cannon Rural livelihoods, disaster vulnerability and climate change adaptation, especially at community level. 

Dr Deepta Chopra Managing and designing livelihoods programmes and poverty policies in India. 

Dr Stephen Devereux Economist working on food security, rural livelihoods, social protection and poverty reduction. 

Jerker Edstrom Gender and masculinities, the informal economy of sex, HIV-related citizenship and policy, children affected by HIV and AIDS. 

Dr Rosalind Eyben Feminist, social anthropologist with extensive experience in international development policy and practice. 

Professor John Gaventa Citizen participation: power, participatory governance. 

Dr Martin Greeley Aid and public policy, agricultural development, programme and project impact evaluation, poverty measurement. 

Dr Jing Gu Issues of governance and accountability, international trade disputes settlement, aspects of trade policy making. 

Dr Jaideep Gupte Economist with research interests in violence, vulnerability and conflict with a particular geographic focus on South Asia. 

Professor Lawrence Haddad Director of IDS. The intersection of poverty, food insecurity and malnutrition; women’s empowerment. 

Professor Spencer Henson Applied economist and expert in agri-food standards and developing countries. 

Dr Naomi Hossain Political effects of discourses of poverty and governance, social change in gender and childhood. 

Dr Peter Houtzager Analysis of political empowerment strategies and democratisation processes. 

Professor John Humphrey Global concentration in retail and its impact on developing country manufacturers. 

Dr Anuradha Joshi Public policy and experience in institutional analysis of development programmes. 

Dr Patricia Justino The micro-level causes and effects of violent conflict, the role of social security and redistribution on economic growth. 

Dr Akshay Khanna Anthropologist, lawyer and queer activist currently working on continuities between eroticism and violence. 

Professor Melissa Leach Social and institutional dimensions of environment and health; knowledge, power and policy processes. 

Dr Jeremy Lind Livelihoods in contexts of conflict and violence, the delivery of aid in difficult environments. 

Dr Dolf te Lintelo Political scientist with research interests in the governance of agri-food systems. 

Dr Michael Loevinsohn Issues of natural resource management in contexts of social and environmental change. 

Dr Hayley MacGregor Medical anthropology. Human rights discourses and citizen mobilisation in the context of health provisioning. 

Dr Edoardo Masset International development in Asia, Africa and Latin America. Rural development, child poverty, food consumption. 

Dr Rosemary McGee Institutional transformation, southern ownership and partnership in development cooperation. 

Professor J Allister McGregor Economist and anthropologist. Governance and development policies’ impact on poor people. 

Dr Lyla Mehta The politics of water and scarcity of water; forced migration; linkages between gender, displacement and resistance. 

Dr Shandana Mohmand Governance, state capacity, informal institutions, voting behaviour, colonial land history and socioeconomic inequality in Pakistan. 

Professor Mick Moore Political economist working on political and institutional aspects of ‘good government’, taxation and accountability. 

Dr Lars Otto Naess Social and institutional dimensions of adaptation to climate change at local and national levels. 

Dr Lizbeth Navas-Aleman Governance and upgrading issues in clusters, value chains and local systems of innovation. 

Dr Andrew Newsham Environment and development in Southern Africa and South America. 

Dr Nick Nisbett Nutrition policy, rural and urban poverty, food security, agriculture, ICTs and aid. 

Jethro Pettit Design and facilitation of learning, creative approaches to reflective practice. 

Dr Ana Pueyo Climate change, low-carbon development, techonology transfer. 

Dr Keetie Roelen Poverty, poverty reduction policies and social assistance and protection policies. 

Dr Rachel Sabates-Wheeler Comparative law, post-socialist transition, the gendered implications of newly acquired land. 

Professor Hubert Schmitz Industrialisation and employment, industrial clusters and collective efficiency. 

Dr Patta Scott-Villiers Public conversation and its influence on discourse, how research affects bureaucratic and political subordination. 

Dr Markus Schultze-Kraft Democratisation, conflict prevention and resolution; civil-military relations; security system reform. 

Professor Ian Scoones Links between ecological dynamics and local resource management in Africa. 

Dr Alex Shankland Social scientist working on democratisation and citizen-state engagement in health system reform. 

Dr Stephen Spratt Development finance, global and national financial sector reform and regulation. 

Dr Jim Sumberg Small-scale farming systems and agricultural research policy in sub-Saharan Africa and Latin America. 

Dr Mariz Tadros Research and teaching interests in gender empowerment; advocacy, participation and development.

Dr Thomas Tanner The policy and practice of adaptation to climate change. Climate risk management, child-centred approaches.

Dr John Thompson The political ecology and governance of agri-food systems, community-based natural resource management.

Dr Linda Waldman Dimensions of poverty; racial classification, ethnicity, identity, ritual and gender in South Africa.

Dr Noshua Watson Private-sector governance and codes of conduct, labour standards, corporate social responsibility.

Dr Joanna Wheeler Participatory research on topics including citizenship, gender, urban poverty, rights, and violence.

Dr Dirk Willenbockel Experience and publications in quantitative economic policy modelling. 

IDS research associates

Professor Robert Chambers Development knowledge in perceptions, concepts and realities of poverty and well-being.

Carlos Fortin The relationship between the emerging international trade regime and human rights.

Professor Sir Richard Jolly Long-run trends in global inequality and the history of UN contributions to development.

Dr Richard Longhurst Development aid policy, rural poverty, agriculture, food and nutrition policy, gender.

Dr Robin Luckham Legal systems and the legal profession; Third World and African military institutions, disarmament and development.

Careers and profiles

Our graduates have gone on to work in government and in government agencies – recent graduates include a researcher in the Parliament of South Africa and a Development Officer for CIDA. Our graduates have become advisors and consultants in UN agencies such as IFAD or in the private sector working for KPMG. They have also gone on to work in academic research such as a Research Fellow at the African Centre for Technology Studies. 

For more information, visit Careers and alumni.

School and contacts

The Institute of Development Studies (IDS)

The Institute of Development Studies (IDS) is a leading global charity for international development research, teaching and communications.

Teaching, IDS, 
University of Sussex, Falmer,
Brighton BN1 9RE, UK
T +44 (0)1273 606261
F +44 (0)1273 621202
E teaching@ids.ac.uk
Institute of Development Studies (IDS)

Postgraduate Open Day 2013

4 December 2013, 1pm-4pm
Bramber House, University of Sussex

  • talk to academic faculty and current postgraduate students
  • subject talks and presentations on postgraduate study, research and funding
  • choose from our exciting range of taught Masters and research degrees
  • find out how postgraduate study can improve your career prospects
  • get details of our excellent funding schemes for taught postgraduate study.

To register your interest in attending, visit Postgraduate Open Day.

Can’t make it to our Postgraduate Open Day? You might be interested in attending one of our Discover Postgraduate Study information sessions.

Discover Postgraduate Study information sessions

If you can’t make it to our Postgraduate Open Day, you’re welcome to attend one of our Discover Postgraduate Study information sessions. These are held in the spring and summer terms and enable you to find out more about postgraduate study and the opportunities Sussex has to offer.

Visit Discover Postgraduate study to book your place.

Other ways to visit Sussex

We run weekly guided campus tours every Wednesday afternoon, year round. Book a place online at Visit us and Open Days.

You are also welcome to visit the University independently without any pre-arrangement.

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