MA Comparative Literature (Africa / Asia)
Duration: One calendar year (full-time). Two or three years (part-time, daytime only) We recommend that part-time students have between two-and-a-half and three days a week free to pursue their course of study.
Overview
Minimum Entry Requirements: Minimum upper second class honours degree (or equivalent)
Start of programme: September intake only
Mode of Attendance: Full Time or Part Time
The opportunity to move from the familiar Euro-American literary canons into the fresh but less well known worlds of African and Asian literature is what attracts most students to this popular MA.
At SOAS, students benefit from the unique expertise in this vast field possessed by the school’s faculty.
This expertise is available to students interested in studying these literatures through English - including both original English language literatures of Africa and Asia and literature written in African and Asian languages presented through English translations.
While exploring new horizons and breaking out of the Euro-centric space in which comparative literature has developed so far, the course covers the major theoretical contributions made by Western scholars.
In doing so, it constructs a unique multi-cultural domain for the study of literature and its location in culture and society.
A prior knowledge of an African or Asian language is not a requirement for admission to this degree.
Structure
All students are required to take the core course in their first year. Two other courses, one major, one minor, plus a dissertation of 10,000 words must also be completed.Core Course
- Theory and techniques of Comparative Literature - 15PCSC002 (1 Unit) - Full Year
English Based Options
- Japanese Traditional Drama (Masters) - 15PEAH013 (0.5 Unit) - Term 1
- Modern Japanese Literature (Masters) - 15PEAH012 (0.5 Unit) - Term 2
- Modern Chinese Literature in Translation - 15PCHC002 (1 Unit) - Full Year
- Modern Chinese Film and Theatre (MA) - 15PCHH001 (0.5 Unit) - Term 2
- Modern Film from Taiwan and the Chinese Diaspora - 15PCHH002 (0.5 Unit) - Term 1
- Traditional Chinese Literature in Translation - 15PCHC004 (1 Unit) - Full Year
- Literatures in African languages - 15PAFC124 (1 Unit) - Full Year
- Travelling Africa: Writing the Cape to Cairo - 15PAFC139 (1 Unit) - Full Year
- Aspects of African film and video 1 - 15PAFH006 (0.5 Unit) - Term 1
- Aspects of African film and video 2 - 15PAFH007 (0.5 Unit) - Term 2 - Not Running 2013/2014
- Literary Traditions and Culture of Korea (Masters) - 15PJKH005 (0.5 Unit) - Term 1
- Trajectories of Modernity in 20th Century Korean Literature (Masters) - 15PJKH006 (0.5 Unit) - Term 2
- Literatures of South Asia - 15PSAC284 (1 Unit) - Full Year - Not Running 2013/2014
- Postcolonial Theory and Practice - 15PCSC003 (1 Unit) - Full Year
- Post-crisis Thai Cinema (1997-2007) - 15PSEH008 (0.5 Unit) - Term 2
- War, Revolution and Independence in South East Asia Literatures in Translation (Masters) - 15PSEH009 (0.5 Unit) - Term 1
- Genders and Sexualities in South East Asian Film - 15PSEH011 (0.5 Unit) - Term 2 - Not Running 2013/2014
- Modern Arabic Literature and the West - 15PNMC002 (1 Unit) - Full Year
- Japanese Transnational Cinema: from Kurosawa to Asia Extreme and Studio Ghibli - 15PMSH017 (0.5 Unit)
- Japanese Post-war Film Genres and the Avant-garde - 15PMSH001 (0.5 Unit)
- Indian Cinema: Its History and Social Context - 15PSAH001 (0.5 Unit) - Term 1
- Indian Cinema: Key Issues - 15PSAH002 (0.5 Unit) - Term 1
- Research Methods In Translation Studies - 15PLIH046 (0.5 Unit) - Term 2
Language Based Options:
- Readings in Korean Literature (Masters) - 15PJKC016 (1 Unit) - Full Year
- The novel in Swahili - 15PAFC014 (1 Unit) - Full Year - Not Running 2013/2014
- Social and Political Trends in 19th Century Turkish Literature - 15PNMC373 (1 Unit) - Full Year - Not Running 2013/2014
- Selected Topics in 20th Century Turkish Literature - 15PNMC374 (1 Unit) - Full Year
- Social and Political Dimensions of Modern Arabic Literature - 15PNMC347 (1 Unit) - Full Year
- Modern Palestinian Literature (Postgraduate) - 15PNMC379 (1 Unit) - Full Year - Not Running 2013/2014
- Sanskrit Literature - 15PSAC003 (1 Unit) - Full Year
- Directed Readings in the Literature of a Modern South Asian Language - 15PSAC016 (1 Unit) - Full Year
- Literature & Colonialism in North India - 155901295 (0.5 Unit) - Term 1 - Not Running 2013/2014
- Narratives of Mobility in Contemporary Hindi Literature (Masters) - 15PSAH006 (0.5 Unit) - Term 1 - Not Running 2013/2014
- The Thai Novel - 15PSEC013 (1 unit - 45 CATS Unit)
- Contemporary Vietnamese Prose Fiction - 15PSEC016 (1 Unit) - Full Year - Not Running 2013/2014
- Modern Vietnamese Poetry - 15PSEC017 (1 Unit) - Full Year - Not Running 2013/2014
Programme Specification
Teaching & Learning
Year abroad
NoTeaching & Learning
The taught part of the course consists of core lectures introducing basic concepts, theory and methodology; and additional seminars that extend the core material into other areas. At Masters level there is particular emphasis on seminar work where students may be expected to make full-scale presentations for units they take.
A 10,000-word dissertation written over the summer offers students the opportunity to develop original research in an area of special interest. The course is formulated within two tracks:
Learning Resources
SOAS Library is one of the world's most important academic libraries for the study of Africa, Asia and the Middle East, attracting scholars from all over the world. The Library houses over 1.2 million volumes, together with significant archival holdings, special collections and a growing network of electronic resources.Destinations
A postgraduate degree in Comparative Literature (Africa/Asia) provides students with competency in language skills and intercultural awareness and understanding. Familiarity with the selected region will have been developed through a combination of the study of it's literature and exploration of contemporary literary theories. Some graduates leave SOAS to pursue careers directly related to their study area, while others have made use of the intellectual training for involvement in analysing and solving many of the problems that contemporary societies now face.
Postgraduate students gain linguistic and cultural expertise enabling them to continue in the field of research or to seek professional and management careers in the business, public and charity
sectors. They leave SOAS with a portfolio of widely transferable skills which employers seek, including written and oral communication skills; attention to detail; analytical and problem solving skills; and the ability to research, amass and order information from a variety of sources. A postgraduate degree is a valuable experience that provides students with a body of work and a diverse range of skills that they can use to market themselves with when they graduate.
For more information about Graduate Destinations from this department, please visit the Careers Service website.
How to apply
How to apply
- How to Apply
- Online Application
- Funding options
- English language requirements
- Tuition Fees
- Admissions Contacts
Scholarships
For further information visit the Scholarships section
D.G.E. Hall Scholarship
Application Deadline: 2013-03-22 00:00
Felix Scholarships
Application Deadline: 2013-01-31 00:00
SOAS Master's Scholarships - Faculty of Languages and Cultures
Application Deadline: 2013-03-22 17:00
Santander Taught Master’s Scholarships
Application Deadline: 2013-03-22 17:00
A Student's Perspective
Alexis Berko, Wesleyan UniversityOne of my fondest memories of SOAS is the International Students Welcome ceremony where I met a few of my friends. Freshers’ Week overall was pretty fun and my classes are incredibly involving and interesting.
