[Air-L] New MA programme in Digital Anthropology at University College London

[Lane DeNicola]

Application deadline: 30 June 2009

http://www.ucl.ac.uk/anthropology/digital-anthropology/

Digital technologies have become ubiquitous. From Facebook, YouTube
and Flickr to PowerPoint, Google Earth and Second Life. Museum
displays migrate to the internet, family communication in the Diaspora
is dominated by new media, artists work with digital films and images.
Anthropology and ethnographic research is fundamental to understanding
the local consequences of these innovations, and to create theories
that help us acknowledge, understand and engage with them. Today's
students need to become proficient with digital technologies as
research and communication tools. Through combining technical skills
with appreciation of social effects, students will be trained for
further research and involvement in this emergent world.

This MA brings together three key components in the study of digital culture:

1. Skills training in digital technologies, including our own Digital
Lab, from internet and digital film editing to e-curation and digital
ethnography.

2. Anthropological theories of virtualism, materiality/immateriality
and digitisation.

3. Understanding the consequences of digital culture through the
ethnographic study of its social and regional impact.

Bursaries
There is a £5,000 annual bursary specifically for this and the MA in
Material and Visual Culture, as well as 3 x £1,000 bursaries for all
anthropology MA programmes. All those who have submitted an
application by 30 June 2009 will automatically be considered and no
additional application form is necessary.

The Dept. of Anthropology at UCL is the world's leading centre for the
study of Material and Visual Culture. We publish The Journal of
Material Culture and several relevant book series. We have nine
specialist staff in material and visual culture. We currently
supervise nearly fifty PhD students specifically in this field,
including many with topics in Digital Anthropology.

The programme is suitable both for those with a prior degree in
anthropology but also for those with degrees in neighbouring
disciplines who wish to be trained in anthropological and related
approaches to digital culture. There is scope for those with
specialist interests to work closely with designers, curators,
communication specialists as well as our own digital studio. In
addition to its importance for careers such as media, design and
museums, digital technology is also integral to development,
theoretical and applied anthropology.

For further information about this course contact d.miller at ucl.ac.uk

For making an application, note that the UCL bureaucracy may take a
while to catch up with what is a new course, so in order to ensure
your application is received we recommend that you download the
application form from:

http://www.ucl.ac.uk/prospective-students/graduate-study/application-admission/downloadable-applications

And send this directly to:

Prof. Daniel Miller
Department of Anthropology
University College London
14 Taviton Street
London WC1H OBW

University College London has over 3,500 research staff and 17,000
students, ranking among the top three multi-faculty research and
teaching universities in the UK. Located in the heart of Bloomsbury
among the unique research resources of central London, which include
excellent museum facilities as well as a dense network of specialist
research and higher education institutions, the College provides an
outstanding research base. The Department of Anthropology combines
social and biological anthropology and material culture. Members of
the Department carry out research in 49 countries, edit four
international journals and run five research seminar series and
specialist postgraduate research groups. There are over 140
postgraduate students funded by AHRC, ESRC, NERC, MRC, London
University, British Academy, Institute of Zoology, Natural History
Museum, Overseas Research Studentships, staff research programme
awards, and various national governmental and international awards.
UCL is thus one of the largest centres in the world for the training
of PhD students in Anthropology.  The Department encourages pure and
theoretical research as well as providing strong links with applied
and development projects.  As well as holding top research standing,
the Department has been rated excellent in successive teaching quality
audits. There are 7 taught Masters courses and several undergraduate
degrees (BSc Anthropology, BSc in Human Sciences, and Intercalated
BScs in Medical Anthropology). The Department maintains a
student-centred approach to teaching, with a full tutorial system for
its 300-strong undergraduate population.  The Material Culture section
of the Department contains six members of staff and may be considered
a world centre for such studies. Amongst other activities members of
this group edit the Journal of Material Culture, the journal Home
Cultures, and several book series and recently developed the weblog at
materialworldblog.com.

-- 
Lane DeNicola
Mellon Postdoctoral Fellow
College of Arts & Sciences
Syracuse University
http://web.syr.edu/~ladenico