This course is designed to meet the needs of two groups: those who have developed an interest in Latin America through study or work and wish to develop this for personal or professional reasons, and those who intend to proceed to a doctorate, and possibly an academic career in the field. The course seeks to provide participants with a critical understanding of Latin America in all its complexity, and of the means and methods that have been devised to study and understand it better. This is achieved through the three main elements of the course:
A core course, highlighting key critical issues in Latin American Studies and providing a forum for interdisciplinary debate;
Modules in a range of different fields, of which each student selects four, providing some sense of contrasting disciplinary methods;
A dissertation of up to 15,000 words, providing an opportunity to study a topic in depth.
The dissertation is a very substantial element of the MPhil course, and the examination process and criteria for the assessment of the dissertation are accordingly rather more stringent than on Master’s programmes at most other Universities, where (in the UK) the dissertation typically represents only a quarter of the year’s work. In particular, there is a requirement for originality, which must be met either by research using primary sources (documents, interviews, official publications, or the like) or else by developing a distinctive approach to an existing debate or literature. This is consistent with the aim of the dissertation, which is to develop advanced skills in research and expression.
Learning outcomes
By the end of the course students will have:
- developed a critical view of the contribution made by the academic study of Latin America and of some of its specific disciplines to the humanities and the social sciences;
- developed an understanding of the benefits and challenges of interdisciplinary approaches to research on Latin America;
- become familiar with some of the main themes of contemporary debate;
- presented their own ideas in a public forum;
- developed intellectual and practical research skills; and
- tested their ability to produce a piece of advanced scholarship in conformity with the research techniques, standards of argument and accepted style of presentation of an academic discipline.
Continuing
Candidates who achieve an average of at least 73 (High Pass) on the MPhil course, with a 75 (Distinction) either in the dissertation or across the three essays (averaged), may apply to continue to the PhD.
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