MRes Politics with Language at SOAS, University of London

Overview

Featured events

06 Jun Postgraduate Open Evening

Convenor

Minimum Entry Requirements: The qualification for entry is normally a first or upper-second class honours degree (or equivalent).

The MRes Politics with [Language] is a two-year degree programme designed to prepare students for further research, particularly PhD research, in politics with an area specialism. It allows students to combine the study of politics with advanced methodological training in the social sciences and extensive study in an African/Asian/Middle Eastern language. As such, the programme provides two years of intensive language study at SOAS (e.g. Arabic, Chinese, Swahili, etc.) along with two years of high-level social science methodology training at neighbouring Birkbeck College. Applicants are also invited to apply for ESRC funding to support a 2+3 programme of MRes/PhD study.

Structure

Year 1 - TWO courses from List A, ONE course (or TWO half-courses) from List B and ONE course (or TWO half-courses) from List C

List A - TWO Compulsory Research Methods Courses (taught by Birkbeck College)

Qualitative Social Research

Quantitative Social Research

List B - ONE Language Course (or TWO half-courses) offered by the Faculty of Languages and Cultures (taught by SOAS)

Students should choose the language they wish to take from the list below. They should then make contact with the relevant Course Convenor during welcome week who will assess which level of course would be appropriate, and will advise re. changing course enrolments if necessary.

Amharic 1 (postgraduate) - 15PAFC130 (1 Unit) - Full Year
Introduction to Standard Modern Arabic - 15PNMC032 (1 Unit) - Full Year
Bengali Language 1 (Postgraduate) - 15PSAC303 (1 Unit) - Full Year
Burmese Language 1 (Postgraduate) - 15PSEC039 (1 Unit) - Full Year
Special Course in Chinese 1 (Postgraduate) - 15PCHC008 (1 Unit) - Full Year
Hausa 1 (postgraduate) - 15PAFC136 (1 Unit) - Full Year
Elementary Hebrew (Postgraduate) - 15PNMC392 (1 Unit) - Full Year
Hindi Language 1 (Postgraduate) - 15PSAC295 (1 Unit) - Full Year
Indonesian Language 1 (Postgraduate) - 15PSEC032 (1 Unit) - Full Year
Basic Japanese 1 (Postgraduate) - 15PJKC008 (1 Unit) - Full Year
Elementary Korean (Postgraduate) - 15PJKC015 (1 Unit) - Full Year
Nepali Language 1 (Postgraduate) - 15PSAC298 (1 Unit) - Full Year
Elementary Written Persian - 15PNMC387 (1 Unit) - Full Year
Sanskrit Language 1 (Postgraduate) - 15PSAC294 (1 Unit) - Full Year
Somali 1 (postgraduate) - 15PAFC132 (1 Unit) - Full Year
Swahili 1 (Postgraduate) - 15PAFC140 (1 Unit) - Full Year
Thai Language 1 (Postgraduate) - 15PSEC040 (1 Unit) - Full Year
Elementary Written Turkish - 15PNMC386 (1 Unit) - Full Year
Urdu Language 1 (Postgraduate) - 15PSAC300 (1 Unit) - Full Year
Vietnamese Language 1 (Postgraduate) - 15PSEC036 (1 Unit) - Full Year
Yoruba 1 (Postgraduate) - 15PAFC134 (1 Unit) - Full Year
Zulu 1 (postgraduate) - 15PAFC128 (1 Unit) - Full Year

List C - ONE Course or TWO Half-Courses offered by the Department of Politics and International Studies (taught by SOAS)

Government and politics of modern South Asia - 15PPOC003 (1 Unit) - Full Year
State & society in Asia & Africa - 15PPOC008 (1 Unit) - Full Year
International politics of Africa - 15PPOC009 (1 Unit) - Full Year
State and society in the Chinese political process - 15PPOC012 (1 Unit) - Full Year
State and development in Asia and Africa - 15PPOC017 (1 Unit) - Full Year
China and international politics - 15PPOC018 (1 Unit) - Full Year
Comparative politics of the Middle East - 15PPOC026 (1 Unit) - Full Year
International politics of the Middle East - 15PPOC027 (1 Unit) - Full Year
Government and politics in Africa - 15PPOC205 (1 Unit) - Full Year
Government and politics of modern South East Asia - 15PPOC247 (1 Unit) - Full Year
International politics of East Asia - 15PPOC251 (1 Unit) - Full Year
Taiwan's politics and cross-strait relations - 15PPOC252 (1 Unit) - Full Year
Northeast Asian politics: Japan, Korea and Taiwan - 15PPOC253 (1 Unit) - Full Year
Pakistan: Politics, Law and Development - 15PPOC254 (1 Unit) - Full Year - Not Running 2013/2014
Islam and politics - 15PPOH006 (0.5 Unit) - Term 2
Islam and political ideologies - 15PPOH007 (0.5 Unit) - Term 2
Political society in the Middle East - 15PPOH008 (0.5 Unit) - Term 1
Political violence - 15PPOH009 (0.5 Unit) - Term 1
Politics of resistance in the Middle East - 15PPOH010 (0.5 Unit) - Term 1
State and transformation in the Middle East - 15PPOH011 (0.5 Unit) - Term 2
International migration and diaspora politics - 15PPOH012 (0.5 Unit) - Term 2
Foreign policy analysis - 15PPOH013 (0.5 Unit) - Term 1
International theory - 15PPOH014 (0.5 Unit) - Term 1
Security governance - 15PPOH015 (0.5 Unit) - Term 2
Identity in international relations - 15PPOH016 (0.5 Unit) - Term 1 - Not Running 2013/2014
Power in world politics - 15PPOH017 (0.5 Unit) - Term 2
Conflict, rights and justice - 15PPOH018 (0.5 Unit) - Term 1
Violence, justice and the politics of memory - 15PPOH019 (0.5 Unit) - Term 1
Queer Politics in Asia, Africa and the Middle East - 15PPOH020 (0.5 Unit) - Term 1
Comparative International Political Thought - 15PPOH021 (0.5 Unit) - Term 2
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
Sociology of International Norms - 15PPOH024 (0.5 Unit) - Term 2
Geopolitics: Space and Power - 15PPOH025 (0.5 Unit) - Term 2

Year 2 - ONE course (or TWO half-courses) from List D, ONE course (or TWO half-courses) from List E, ONE course from List F and the Dissertation in Politics with (language).

List D - ONE Language Course (or TWO half-courses) offered by the Faculty of Languages and Cultures (taught by SOAS)

Students should choose from the languages under list B above. The level of the Y2 language course will follow on from the level of course taken in Y1.

List E - ONE Course or TWO Half-Courses offered by the Department of Politics and International Studies (taught by SOAS)

Students should choose from the options under list C above. Courses taken in Y1 may not be taken again in Y2.

List F - ONE compulsory research methods course (taught by Birkbeck College

Masterclass in Social Research

Compulsory Dissertation (undertaken at SOAS)

Programme Specification

MRes Politics (with Language) 2012 Programme Specification (pdf; 152kb)

Teaching & Learning

Courses are taught by a combination of methods, principally lectures, tutorial classes, seminars and supervised individual study projects.

Lectures

Most courses involve a 50-minute lecture as a key component with linked tutorial classes.

Seminars

At Masters level there is particular emphasis on seminar work. Students make full-scale presentations for each unit that they take, and are expected to write papers that often require significant independent work.

Dissertation

A quarter of the work for the degree is given over to the writing of an adequately researched 25,000-word dissertation. Students are encouraged to take up topics which relate the study of a particular region to a body of theory.

Learning Resources

SOAS Library

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

Scholarships

For further information visit the Scholarships section

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

Department of Politics and International Studies