The London School of Economics and Political Science is known as one of the world's leading centres for the study of the social sciences. Since their foundation, the Department of Law and the Department of Anthropology have played an essential role in developing the interdisciplinary character of the School. The MSc in Law, Anthropology and Society therefore builds on a well-established tradition. The composition of the programme reflects the breadth of expertise developed within each department, and takes its place in a long history of interdisciplinary co-operation between the two departments. One of the principal objectives of this joint MSc programme is to draw on these bodies of expertise so as to develop a framework for the analysis of a significant set of global problems.
Institutional and technological developments have posed new challenges for the comparative understanding of law in contemporary societies. For example, the internationalization of human rights discourses has problematised some basic assumptions about the nexus between law and culture; the impact of new biotechnologies has dissolved traditional legal and social conceptions of kinship and of the person; programmes of sustainable development and ecological continuity have raised the practical question of how to construct viable legal institutions; and, in much of the South, societies with weak state systems, not least those emerging from devastating civil conflicts, are confronted with the need to develop effective schemes of legal justice and representation. In developing an understanding of these issues, whether from a theoretical perspective or from the perspective of institutional practice, the techniques of both law and anthropology are indispensable. Indeed, over the past few years, anthropological theory has paid increasing attention to law, while policy makers have become more attentive to the cultural contexts of legal rules. Against this background, the programme aims to develop the capacity of students to formulate critical analyses of legal practices and institutions, and to understand the socio-political and cultural context of legal institutions in different societies of the world.
Social Anthropology is concerned with the full variety of human societies and cultures. Among the social sciences it uniquely addresses both local and global concerns, thus providing an invaluable perspective on issues such as development, industrialization, kinship, gender, and ethnicity. The Department of Anthropology at the London School of Economics has a distinguished history, and today remains a leading centre for new research. Anthropology has been taught at the LSE since 1904 and rose to prominence under Bronislaw Malinowski, who developed what was to become the leading school of British social anthropology. Today the department is decidedly international and its students - who have diverse academic backgrounds - come from and carry out research in countries all over the world. The Department has always given priority to teaching. Alongside undergraduate degrees, it offers taught Master's degree programmes (MSc Social Anthropology, MSc Anthropology and Development, MSc Anthropology of Cognition and Learning) and a postgraduate research programme leading to the MPhil/PhD.
Since its foundation, the Law Department has taken a broader, interdisciplinary, approach to the study of law, and has developed an outstanding reputation as one of the world's leading centres for the study of law in society. This interdisciplinary approach is allied to a strong tradition of scholarship in the fields of commercial law, banking and finance, and international law, as well as the principles and institutions of the common law tradition. The study of law in even its most technical and practical aspects is informed by the place of the Department within a school of social sciences. This approach to legal study is reflected in the content of courses taught at graduate and undergraduate level, and in the breadth of research undertaken within the department. It has already produced innovative interdisciplinary exercises such as the graduate programmes in Regulation and in Law and Accounting, and it is consolidated by the major new LLM programme, which is being launched at the same time as this MSc in Law, Anthropology and Society. Diversity at the level of intellectual interests is complemented by diversity in the staff and student body. Given the international orientation of the Law Department, the majority of law students come from countries outside Europe.
When to Apply
We recommend that students apply as early as possible in order to ensure that they receive full consideration both for places on the MSc and for financial assistance from the School.
The Programme
The MSc in Law, Anthropology and Society aims to provide a basis for understanding and analyzing the role of law in society. It seeks to develop a theoretical and practical appreciation of the contexts and processes that shape the evolution of law in contemporary societies. Of necessity, this is an interdisciplinary exercise, which requires both an appreciation of the particular logic of legal practice and a competence in various techniques of socio-cultural analysis. For that reason, the programme is structured in such a way as to allow access to a range of specialist options in law and anthropology, at the same time as encouraging students to focus on an individual research project.
The programme consists of four units, composed of three taught courses and a supervised dissertation. The central component is Law in Society, which develops and introduces a range of theoretical, political, and practical perspectives on law. Students are required to take this course in conjunction with two courses chosen from a range of options offered by the departments of Law and Anthropology, usually one course from each department. Although students are expected to choose from the list of options determined by the two departments, in exceptional circumstances students whose research topic requires their having access to more specialized courses in law, anthropology, or other departments in the School, may be given permission to do so. A final quarter of the course is assessed by an individual research project presented as a dissertation. Guidance on the selection of courses and dissertation topics is provided by course teachers. The programme is only available on a full-time (12 months) basis.
The core course, Law in Society, draws on anthropological themes and texts to develop a critical perspective on contemporary legal norms and institutions. It explores the legal framing of political institutions, techniques of legal writing and documentation, and the cultural construction of legal concepts and categories. Social-theoretical perspectives and analyses are combined with concrete ethnographic method to develop studies of gender, kinship, property, political ritual and communicative technologies in formal law.
In addition to the core course, students take two further taught course options, chosen from the following selection:
AN402 The Anthropology of Religion
AN404 Anthropology: Theory and Ethnography
AN405 The Anthropology of Kinship, Sex and Gender
AN451 Anthropology of Politics (H)
AN456 Anthropology of Economy (1): production and exchange (H)
AN457 Anthropology of Economy (2): development, transformation and globalisation (H)
AN458 Children and Youth in Contemporary Ethnography (H)
AN464 Ethnography of a Selected Region (Latin America) (H)
AN465 Medical Anthropology (H)
LL400 Jurisprudence and Legal Theory
LL402 Alternative Dispute Resolution
LL416 Regulating New Medical Technologies
LL441 Comparative Law: Theory and Practice
LL465 Law and Social Theory
LL474 Modern Legal History
LL4C7 Crime and Control: The Ethnics and Political Economy of Criminalisation
LL4C8 Current Issues in Intellectual and Cultural Property Law
LL4D1 Trademark Law
LL4D3 Cultural Property and Heritage Law
Other courses from law, anthropology or a related discipline may be taken subject to the approval of the course teachers. Please bear in mind that each year we are only able to offer a selection from our range of optional courses. Click here to see the current Option Availability| within the Department of Anthropology.
The full-unit dissertation represents the final quarter of the programme and offers the opportunity for an extended piece of work (around 10,000 words) on a topic that develops or consolidates one of the issues introduced in the course. In the dissertation students develop a sustained research focus on one contemporary socio-legal problem over the course of the year: for example, legal aspects of new reproductive technologies, property law and the elaboration of common property regimes, gender and citizenship, biotechnology and the nature of legal and social personality, legal restitution after civil conflict, the revival of Islamic law within the context of legal pluralism. Students are guided by course teachers on the selection of the topic and on the aims, structure, and methods of the dissertation. The dissertation is due in early September.
The programme is designed for students who are interested in developing cross-cultural perspectives on law, and who wish to go on either to undertake further research in the area, or to develop their interest in an area of professional legal practice. Normally, applicants should have the equivalent of a good degree in law, anthropology or a closely-related field.
How to Apply
Please click here for the home page of the online Graduate Prospectus|, which contains further information and an application form. Follow this link for the prospectus page on the MSc Law, Anthropology and Society|.
If you have questions beyond those addressed in the Graduate Prospectus, please check the Department's FAQ| page before contacting the Department.