Emily-Rose Lewis Jameel MA scholar
Emily is currently working as an Anthropologist for the Defence Science & Technology Laboratory (Part of the Ministry of Defence).
What would you recommend about studying for the MA in Islam in Contemporary Britain at Cardiff?
Small class sizes, one-to-one dissertation sessions, opportunities to attend conferences, the public lecture series.
How did your Cardiff studies help you in the career or job you have now chosen?
Learning about Muslim communities in the contemporary context and applying social science research methods within this field has enabled me to develop the skills needed to become an Anthropologist for the Ministry of Defence. The MA developed my technical ability, as well as my written and presentation abilities and capability to work independently.
What did you enjoy most about your course/research?
Having independence to conduct an innovative piece of research for my dissertation. For this I attended the 'Living Islam' residential festival in Lincoln where I utilised a participant observation approach to assess community relations.
What was the best thing about your time as a student at Cardiff?
Cardiff is a brilliant city for students to develop and grow both academically and socially. There is a wide variety of activities on offer both within Cardiff University and outside of it. The best thing about my time as a student was meeting great people that will be friends for life.
Tell us a bit about your current job, how you got into what you are doing and what you enjoy about it most.
I've been working as an Anthropologist within the Defence environment at the DSTL since January 2012. I have been interested in working within Defence for a few years and had previously undertaken a three month summer placement with DSTL. I found that taking part in placements was a very important step into the work environment as it gives excellent opportunities to network. I really enjoy my job, particularly getting to frequently visit a wide variety of Government departments.
What opportunities do you feel have opened up to you as a result of being a Cardiff University Jameel Scholar?
The prestige of being a Cardiff University Jameel Scholar has definitely helped in my move into the work environment. Having this scholarship contributed to me being offered a job with DSTL.