Humanitarianism and Conflict Response

A Second Class Bachelor's degree or the overseas equivalent although each application is judged on its own merits and exceptions to this entry requirement may be made.

We will consider graduates from all disciplines as the programme is interdisciplinary.

This course is available to intercalating medical students upon completion of their third year, who need to pass all assessments at the first attempt (if they are third year or have no fails in third year if they are fourth year).

Our multidisciplinary MA Humanitarianism and Conflict Response master's course focuses on response to crises originating from both conflict-zones and natural disasters.

Bringing together the study of medicine and humanities, the course provides an inclusive approach that mirrors the reality of aid operations and informs the reflexive processes of both analytical and applied disciplines.

You will be benefit from being able to draw on an exceptionally wide breadth of disciplinary traditions and research expertise.

We aim to:

• Provide critical insights into competing perspectives on how Humanitarianism and Conflict Responses can be understood, analysed and explained - from both an historiographic and contemporary viewpoint;

• Develop analytical skills in critically evaluating the idea of humanitarianism and the ways that responses to conflict are organised, justified and implemented. This includes competency in developing a reasoned argument, critically considering data sources and defending different approaches;

• Develop skills in gathering, organising and using evidence and information from a wide variety of sources. This will be complemented by guidance on how best to manage workloads and obtain research materials;

• Enable you to apply research skills to a relevant research area.

By the end of the course, students should be able to show a critical understanding of:

• Key issues and debates in Humanitarianism and Conflict Response, familiarity with different theoretical approaches, practical problems and an appreciation of the diversity of policies at international and national levels;

• Both the range of social science topics associated with Humanitarianism and Conflict Response and the normative and historiographic assumptions which underpin these issues;

• The analytical and policy literature concerning the related issues of the causes of conflict, reconstruction, ethics and international governance structures and institutions, the role and perspectives of the state, multilateral and bilateral agencies, international and domestic NGOs and other civil institutions;

• A detailed and extensive understanding of a specific conceptual and/or policy-related area of Humanitarianism and Conflict Response, of the implications and limitations of research findings on this subject; and of how to produce an original piece of academic research, all through their dissertation.

Listen to our Podcast episode about studying humanitarianism at Manchester, with Dr Amanda Mccorkindale.