Equality & Human Rights (MSc)

Student Testimonials

Alan White, UK, MSc Equality & Human Rights 2011-12

What were the best things about your programme of study?
The variety of subjects (disability, racism, religion, gender, sexualities etc.), the interdisciplinary aspects of the course, within my masters I took courses ranging across sociology, anthropology and criminology; the active engagement in the areas of justice and human rights across the School and University made it very easy to find support to carry out my research.

What did you enjoy most about your time at the School of Social and Political Sciences?
Conducting my research in an environment where there are lots of talks going on, both in Sociology itself and in the various Centres; being able to ask questions of people in the Subject Area, and invariably getting helpful and enthusiastic responses and advice (I was thinking of not doing a PhD, but they persuaded me back!); very active and productive supervisors.

What would you recommend to a person thinking of studying with us?
Do it! There is a lot of positivity in the postgraduate community in Glasgow. I would encourage undergraduates to keep going and do postgraduate studies.

"As a person who had already retired from a rewarding career, my motivations for returning to education were definitely very different from other people in my classes. I wanted to have a structured opportunity to explore a lifelong passion and so I chose the MSc in Equality and Human Rights. The University of Glasgow offers this unique programme and is also my local university so it was very convenient. I studied part-time over a two-year period. As a student with a disability, I found the access arrangements fairly good and the support staff to be extremely helpful. Studying in the School of Social and Political Sciences brought me into contact with students doing many related postgraduate programmes and allowed me access to courses in sociology, anthropology, politics, law and other humanities subjects. My classes included students from many other countries and this broadened the outlook achieved. Many of the students were also in employment in third sector human rights organisations and so practice elements were also brought into the classroom. The University Library collection is second to none and the access to online resources was unrivalled. This enabled me to read both the classics and the most current journal articles in preparation for classes and essays. As a former academic, I could appreciate where the stresses were for staff in undertaking their own research activities, teaching and administering, and in general I think staff balanced these activities fairly well. Many staff were extremely encouraging to students. Subject-area seminars provided another venue for hearing about current trends and developments. All the classes were small seminar-based ones and the teaching facilities were excellent. Some staff encouraged student-led teaching and all classes were input and class discussion-based. Probably the most enjoyable part of the course was undertaking the qualitative research-based element for the dissertation. Glasgow is my home and I love it. It is an easy city to live in and offers a range of cultural activities. I would recommend the programme I completed to others who have an interest in equality and human rights issues."

Janet Fabb, MSc Equality and Human Rights 2012