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 - 15PCLC279 (1 unit Unit)
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 1
- Modern Film from Taiwan and the Chinese Diaspora - 15PCHH002 (0.5 Unit) - Term 2
- 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
- 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
- Postcolonial Theory and Practice - 15PSAC019 (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 1 - Not Running 2011/2012
- 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) - Term 1
- Japanese Post-War Film Genres and the Avant-Garde - 15PMSH001 (0.5 Unit) - Term 2
- 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 - Not Running 2011/2012
Language Based Options:
- Readings in Korean Literature (Masters) - 15PJKC016 (1 Unit) - Full Year
- The novel in Swahili - 15PAFC014 (1 Unit) - Full Year - Not Running 2011/2012
- Social and Political Trends in 19th Century Turkish Literature - 15PNMC373 (1 Unit) - Full Year - Not Running 2011/2012
- 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
- Sanskrit Literature - 15PSAC003 (1 Unit) - Full Year - Not Running 2011/2012
- 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
- Narratives of Mobility in Contemporary Hindi Literature (Masters) - 15PSAH006 (0.5 Unit) - Term 2
- The Thai Novel - 15PSEC013 (1 Unit) - Full Year - Not Running 2011/2012
- Contemporary Vietnamese Prose Fiction - 15PSEC016 (1 Unit) - Full Year
- Modern Vietnamese Poetry - 15PSEC017 (1 Unit) - Full Year
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.How to apply
How to apply
- How to Apply
- Online Application
- Funding options
- English language requirements
- Tuition Fees
- Admissions Contacts
D.G.E. Hall Scholarship
Application Deadline: 2012-01-31 00:00
Felix Scholarships
Application Deadline: 2012-01-31 00:00
A Student's Perspective
Andrew WernerI feel that the thorough and systematic teaching provided by SOAS has given me not only a good knowledge of Sanskrit but also skills in critical thought, linguistic and socio-political analysis and communication that will give me something unique to offer to a graduate employer.
