Social and Cultural Anthropology (MA)

You may choose one of two options.

• MA in Social and Cultural Anthropology with Thesis - Field Research (Option A)
• MA in Social and Cultural Anthropology with Thesis - Bibliographic Research (Option B)

Students enrolled in option A are required to demonstrate their ability to carry out independent ethnographic field research. A thesis proposal serves as the basis for the elaboration of the written thesis.

Option B is a one-year program that asks students to write a bibliographic thesis under the supervision of a faculty member. Theses are evaluated by two faculty members, including the supervisor, and can be either a literature review or a report on empirical research.

Consult the graduate calendar for full degree requirements.

Your completed application will include:

• Application form and Fee
• Curriculum Vitae (CV)
• Three Letters of Reference and assessment form
• Statement of Purpose (three pages double spaced plus bibliography) should include:
  • Your research and fieldwork intentions,
  • A short presentation of relevant debates and theories with which your work will engage,
  • The name of a potential supervisor whose research area is compatible with your interests with whom you would like to work. It is recommended that contact be made with a potential supervisor prior to submitting the application.
• Sample of writing (optional)
• Transcripts for all post-secondary institutions attended
• Proof of Canadian citizenship (if applicable)
• Applicants whose primary language is not English, are required to submit official language test scores, unless exempted.

Please apply online. Read the how-to guide for application procedures. 

Late applications will continue to be reviewed on a rolling basis if there is space available.

Courses typically offered include:

• Identity and Difference
• World Anthropologies
• Ethnographic Research and Ethics
• New Directions in Anthropological Research (the content of this course changes each year)

Consult the graduate calendar for a complete list of current courses.

Master’s students are eligible for a variety of scholarships and fellowships, Research assistant and Teaching assistant positions, conference travel awards and other in-course funding.

Consideration for Entrance Awards is automatically part of the admissions process for all new students.  Awards that are available for Master’s students include:

• Faculty of Arts and Science Fellowships ($7,000)
• Concordia Merit Scholarships ($10,000)
• Hydro-Quebec Graduate Award ($5,000)
• Arts and Science Fellowship in Ethnic Studies and Social Diversity ($7,500)
• Mentor Awards ($5,000)
• Out-of-Province Fee Remission Awards ($6,000)
• Teaching Assistantships ($3200/term)
• Cary Boucock Memorial Award ($500)
• Susan Russell Memorial Graduate Award ($500)

Students pursuing fieldwork are eligible to apply for the Graduate Student Mobility Award which provides financial assistance for conducting fieldwork abroad as part of their degree.

We encourage students seeking admission to our program to apply for funding from external sources in the final year of their undergraduate studies (e.g. FRQSC, SSHRC).

Please consult Concordia’s graduate funding page.

Faculty members are involved with research initiatives at the local, national and international levels. As world experts in a variety of emerging and established fields, their findings are well represented in a number of recent publications.

• environment and infrastructure
• Europe
• food studies
• gender and development
• globalisation
• histories of anthropology
• Indigenous studies
• Jewish culture
• kinship and family
• language and culture
• Latin America
• law and society
• new media
• North America
• political anthropology
• Sub-Saharan Africa
• The Middle East
• The Pacific
• transnational links

Review an inspiring list of thesis topics.

The Sociology and Anthropology Graduate Students’ Association (SAGSA) represents the collective interests and promotes the general welfare of graduate students in the department.

SAGSA also hosts an annual interdisciplinary student conference in March. Previous editions have seen students from across Quebec and Canada present their research and foster dialogue across disciplines. Keynote speakers from past conferences have included Dr. Ram Jahku, Dr. Charmaine A. Nelson, Dr. Alexandrine Boudreault-Fournier and Dr. Daniel Dagenais.

The Disestablishmentarian is a bi-annual peer-reviewed publication administered under the editorial direction of graduate students in the Department of Sociology & Anthropology. The journal is strongly interdisciplinary and intended for emerging scholars of social and cultural analysis.

Our alumni are highly sought after by employment agencies, film production companies, non-profit organizations, universities and video game publishers. Recent graduates are working as artists, consultants, coordinators, creative directors, editors, executive directors, instructional technologists, interpreters, professors, program administrators, project managers, researchers, translators and writers.

Examples of organizations and institutions our alumni are currently working for include:

• L’Arche Internationale
• Becky Lipton Research and Consulting Ltd.
• Centre Génération Emploi
• EMBA McGill-HEC Montreal
• Fédération des francophone de Terre-Neuve et du Labrador
• Genevieve Mari Designs Inc.
• Jain University
• Organic Alberta
• Ubisoft
• Université du Québec à Montréal
• Waboos Productions
• College Vanier
• CEGEP Dawson
• College Brébeuf

Many graduates also choose to continue their studies at the Doctoral level and have become faculty members in sister universities.