Buddhist Studies at SOAS
The Department of the Study of Religions, in conjunction with the relevant language departments, is admirably equipped to be able to offer a viable and wide-ranging combination of courses on Buddhism and related subjects, and a comprehensive range of language acquisition courses. In addition to some twenty BA and MA taught courses on Buddhism which are offered every year in the Department of the Study of Religions, there are also courses in other departments which deal specifically or partially with Buddhist subjects. The language courses relating to Buddhist Studies cover Sanskrit, Pali, Chinese, Japanese, Tibetan, Sinhalese, Thai, Burmese, and Vietnamese. All these languages are taught in the departments belonging to the Faculty of Languages and Cultures. The teaching of languages is further strengthened in the Department of the Study of Religions by offering a number of language-based courses in reading Buddhist texts.
At the BA level Buddhism is not available as a single-subject, but it is taught as part of the BA in the Study of Religions, and the BA Study of Religions combined with a language or one of the disciplines taught at SOAS. At this level the Department offers a viable cluster of courses on Buddhism in India, South-east Asia, Central Asia, Tibet, China and Japan.
The MA degree in Buddhist Studies which was launched in September 2003 is briefly described on this website, and in full on the SOAS website for prospective students, and on the home page of the Department of the Study of Religions.
In terms of postgraduate research, staff members of the Department are qualified to offer guidance and supervision in a wide range of research areas relating to Buddhist literature, doctrine, philosophy, history, ritual, iconography, and art in India, South-east Asia, Tibet, Central Asia, China and Japan.
Six staff members in the Department of the Study of Religions are fully or substantially involved in teaching Buddhism at the undergraduate and master levels, and in supervising postgraduate research. There are also staff members in other departments who teach courses relating to Buddhism and offer postgraduate supervision in the areas of Buddhist art, music, and law.
In addition to regular courses on Buddhism at the undergraduate and postgraduate levels, the Centre of Buddhist Studies convenes every year in the autumn term a series of lectures and seminars endowed by the Bukkyo Dendo Kyokai, a Buddhist organisation based in Japan. This endowment enables the Faculty of Arts and Humanities to invite distinguished scholars from different countries of the world to lecture and give seminars for ten weeks on Buddhist subjects in which they specialise. A substantial portion of the Numata yearly endowment is accruing for one more teaching position in Buddhist Studies. The Centre of Buddhist Studies also convenes a regular seminar series known as the Buddhist Forum. The Jordan Lectures on Comparative Religion, which are convened every year, frequently feature Buddhist topics.
Buddhist Studies at SOAS are further strengthened by the MA Degree in Japanese Religions, which provides a comprehensive overview of the religious traditions of Japan, and which substantially covers Buddhist schools and organisations in Japan. The Centre for the Study of Japanese Religions also convenes regular lectures and seminars which frequently include Buddhist topics. The lectures and conferences organised by the Circles of Tibetan and Himalayan Studies predominantly deal with Buddhist art, literature and other aspects of Tibetan Buddhism. There are also lectures and seminars in other departments which frequently include Buddhist topics. Finally many Buddhist organisations in London run lecture series on Buddhism and hold Buddhist cultural events.
