SOAS, University of London (The School of Oriental and African Studies)

Structure

Students take three taught courses, one of which is considered a major, and complete a 10,000 word dissertation related to the major. As the emphasis in the Regional Studies programmes is on interdisciplinary study, students are required to select their three courses from more than one discipline.

The two minor courses can be taken from the same discipline (but different to that of the major) or two different ones.

Some disciplines such as politics, economics or social anthropology require an appropriate qualification (such as all or part of a first degree) if any of their courses are to be taken as the major subject.

Students who intend to register for the MA Near and Middle Eastern Studies program, but choose 3 options also available in the MA Israeli Studies program will be required to apply for MA Israeli Studies.

Anthropology and Sociology

Available as minors only

• Issues in the Anthropology of Gender - 15PANH024 (0.5 Unit) - Term 2 - Not to be combined with 15PDSH010 Gender & Development.
• Culture and Society of the Near & Middle East - 15PANC097 (1 Unit) - Full Year

Art and Archaeology

Available as majors or minors

• Art and Architecture of Egypt and Syria 13th to 16th Centuries - 15PARC033 (1 Unit) - Full Year
• Art and Architecture of the Fatimids - 15PARH035 (0.5 Unit) - Term 2
• Islam and the West: Artistic and Cultural Contacts - 15PARH034 (0.5 Unit) - Term 1 - Not Running 2012/2013
• Studies in Early Islamic Art and Archaeology - 15PARC001 (1 Unit) - Full Year
• Ottoman Art - 15PARC011 (1 Unit) - Full Year - Not Running 2012/2013

Economics

Available as a major or minor

• Economic development of the Middle East - 15PECC341 (1 Unit) - Full Year

Gender

Available as majors or minors

• Gender in the Middle East - 15PGNH001 (0.5 Unit) - Term 2
• Gendering migration & diasporas - 15PGNH002 (0.5 Unit) - Term 1

History

Available as majors or minors

• Origins and Development of Islam in the Middle East: Problems and Perspectives - 15PHIC040 (1 Unit) - Full Year
• Zionist Ideology - 15PNMC035 (1 Unit) - Full Year
• Israel, the Arab World and the Palestinians - 15PNMC038 (1 Unit) - Full Year
• Modern Israel Through its Culture - 15PNMC049 (1 Unit) - Full Year
• The Middle East, the Mongols and the Silk Road to China - 15PHIC067 (1 Unit) - Full Year
• Envisioning the Past: Arabic Perspectives On History - 15PHIH005 (0.5 Unit) - Term 1 - Not Running 2012/2013
• Outsiders in Medieval Middle Eastern Societies: Minorities, Social Outcasts and Foreigners - 15PHIH006 (0.5 Unit) - Term 2
• The End of Empire in the Middle East & the Balkans - 15PHIC004 (1 Unit) - Full Year
• Turkey:Continuity and Change - 15PNMC377 (1 Unit) - Full Year

Available as a Major

Limited places may be available to take these courses as a minors at the discretion of the course convenor.

• Modernity and the Transformation of the Middle East I - 15PHIH031 (0.5 Unit) - Term 1
• Modernity and the Transformation of the Middle East II - 15PHIH032 (0.5 Unit) - Term 2

Language

Only one language course can be chosen, and language courses are only available as minors

N.B. all courses designated ‘Postgraduate’ require the student to attend an extra series of lectures and to write an essay or, for more advanced courses, possibly prepare a translation with commentary to count for 30% of the overall mark for the course.

• Introduction to Standard Modern Arabic - 15PNMC032 (1 Unit) - Full Year
• Arabic 200 (Postgraduate) - 15PNMC389 (1 Unit) - Full Year
• Arabic 300 (Postgraduate) - 15PNMC390 (1 unit - 45 cats Unit)
• Arabic 2 (Postgraduate) - 15PNMC382 (1 Unit) - Full Year
• Arabic 4 (Postgraduate) - 15PNMC391 (1 Unit) - Full Year
• Elementary Hebrew (Postgraduate) - 15PNMC392 (1 Unit) - Full Year
• Intermediate Hebrew (Postgraduate) - 15PNMC393 (1 Unit) - Full Year
• Intensive Modern Hebrew (Postgraduate) - 15PNMC398 (1 Unit) - Full Year
• Advanced Hebrew (Postgraduate) - 15PNMC394 (1 Unit) - Full Year
• Elementary Written Turkish - 15PNMC386 (1 Unit) - Full Year
• Intermediate Modern Turkish Language (Postgraduate) - 15PNMC383 (1 Unit) - Full Year
• Advanced Translation (Turkish) - 15PNMC044 (1 Unit) - Full Year
• Elementary Written Persian - 15PNMC387 (1 Unit) - Full Year
• Persian Intermediate (Masters) - 15PNMC033 (1 Unit) - Full Year
• Practical Translation from and into Persian - 15PNMC051 (1 Unit) - Full Year
• Avestan I - 15PSRC033 (1 Unit) - Full Year
• Arabic/English/Arabic Translation - 15PLIC001 (1 Unit) - Full Year

Law

Available as majors or minors

• Islamic law (MA/LLM) - 15PLAC121 (1 Unit) - Full Year
• Law and society in the Middle East and North Africa - 15PLAC130 (1 Unit) - Full Year
• Human rights and Islamic law - 15PLAC150 (1 Unit) - Full Year

Literature

Available as majors or minors

• Social and Political Dimensions of Modern Arabic Literature - 15PNMC347 (1 Unit) - Full Year
• Arabic Popular Literature: Themes, Genres & Theory - 15PNMC045 (1 Unit) - Full Year
• Arabic Poetry and Criticism - 15PNMC048 (1 Unit) - Full Year
• A Historical Approach to Israeli Literature - 15PNMC050 (1 Unit) - Full Year
• Modern Palestinian Literature (Postgraduate) - 15PNMC379 (1 Unit) - Full Year - Not Running 2012/2013
• Reading Classical Arabic Historians: Themes and Trends in Islamic Historiography - 15PNMC378 (1 Unit) - Full Year
• Medieval Arabic Thought: the Philosophical and Theological Traditions - 15PNMC388 (1 Unit) - Full Year
• Research Methods In Translation Studies - 15PLIH046 (0.5 Unit) - Term 2

Media

Available as minors only

• Film and Society in the Middle East - 15PNMC230 (1 Unit) - Full Year - Not Running 2012/2013
• Mediated Culture in the Middle East: Politics and Communications - 15PMSH003 (0.5 Unit) - Term 1
• The Transnational News Environment: Production, Representation and Use - 15PMSH006 (0.5 Unit) - Term 1
• Studies in Global Media and Post-National Communication - 15PMSH007 (0.5 Unit) - Term 1
• International Political Communication - 15PMSH009 (0.5 Unit) - Term 2
• Iranian Cinema - 15PMSH010 (0.5 Unit) - Term 1
• Arab Cinemas - 15PMSH013 (0.5 Unit) - Term 2
• Transnational Communities and Diasporic Media:Networking, Connectivity, Identity - 15PMSH004 (0.5 Unit) - Term 2

Music

Available as a major or minor

• Music of the Near and Middle East and North Africa - 15PMUC033 (1 Unit) - Full Year

Development Studies

Available as a major or minor

• Problems of development in the Middle East and North Africa - 15PDSH019 (0.5 Unit) - Term 1

Politics

The two half-units below together constitute the major option for Politics of the Middle East

• Political society in the Middle East - 15PPOH008 (0.5 Unit) - Term 1
• State and transformation in the Middle East - 15PPOH011 (0.5 Unit) - Term 2

Available as a minor only

• Comparative politics of the Middle East - 15PPOC026 (1 Unit) - Full Year

Available as majors or minors

• Israel, the Arab World and the Palestinians - 15PNMC038 (1 Unit) - Full Year
• Turkey:Continuity and Change - 15PNMC377 (1 Unit) - Full Year
• State and Society in Central Asia and the Caucasus - 15PPOH022 (0.5 Unit) - Term 1
• Geopolitics and Security in Central Asia and the Caucasus - 15PPOH023 (0.5 Unit) - Term 2

Religious Studies

Available as majors or minors

• Modern Trends in Islam - 15PNMC228 (1 Unit) - Full Year
• Religion, Nationhood and Ethnicity in Judaism - 15PSRH030 (0.5 Unit) - Term 2 - Not Running 2012/2013
• Origins and Development of Islam in the Middle East: Problems and Perspectives - 15PHIC040 (1 Unit) - Full Year
• Zionist Ideology - 15PNMC035 (1 Unit) - Full Year

Translation Studies

Available as a minor only

• Research Methods In Translation Studies - 15PLIH046 (0.5 Unit) - Term 2

Programme Specification

• MA Near and Middle Eastern Studies - Programme Specifications 2012/13 (pdf; 34kb)

Teaching & Learning

Teaching & Learning

Each course has its own series of classes and seminars, and in addition students attend general lectures and seminars organised by the Middle East Centre. In most courses there is one two-hour class each week. This may be an informal lecture followed by a discussion or a student presentation. At Masters level there is particular emphasis on seminar work where students may be expected to make full-scale presentations for units they take.

The dissertation is on an approved topic linked to one of the taught courses.

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 the Near and Middle Eastern studies from SOAS gives students competency in language skills and intercultural awareness and understanding. Familiarity with the region will have been developed through a combination of the study of language, literature, history, cinema, politics, economics or law.   Postgraduate students leave SOAS with the linguistic and cultural expertise needed to continue in the field of research along with a portfolio of widely transferable skills which employers seek in many professional and management careers in business, public or charity sectors 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. 

Graduates in MA Near and Middle Eastern Studies have entered various professions after leaving SOAS. Some have been able to pursue careers directly related to their study area while others have made use of the general intellectual training provided by the advanced study of cultures for involvement in analysing and solving many of the problems contemporary societies now face. Among a variety of professions, career paths may include academia, charity work, community, government, NGOs, media and publishing and UN agencies.

Graduates have gone on to work for a range of organisations including:

Types of roles that graduates have gone on to do include:

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