The School of Oriental and African Studies - University of London

Overview

Start of programme: September intake only

The Department of Art and Archaeology at SOAS provides a uniquely broad range of courses in the history of art, architecture and material culture of Africa and Asia, from their origins to modern times. The regions covered include China, Japan, Korea, the Islamic world, the Indian subcontinent, Southeast Asia, and Africa (including the African Diaspora). Our aim is to enable students to investigate the cultures of this immensely diverse area, while giving them the opportunity to specialise in fields of their choice.

Students tailor the degree to suit their own interests by selecting three taught courses from a list of twelve or more (the number and content of the courses which are available vary slightly from year to year). The title of the degree reflects the fact that some of the courses deal with painting, sculpture, architecture or the decorative arts - the conventional subject-matter of the History of Art - while others, in both subject-matter and approach, are courses in Archaeology. Obviously there is some overlap, and this conventional separation of disciplines has less relevance in the study of Asia and Africa; but it should be stressed that students make their own choices about whether the emphasis lies on the History of Art or on Archaeology.

In addition to the three taught courses, the fourth component of the degree is a 10,000 word dissertation. Students undertake independent research on a topic of their own choosing, generally related to the area of one of their taught courses, and supervised by a member of the department.

The MA has two main purposes. First, it can be used as a training programme for those who hope to go on to higher independent research (for a PhD), especially if their BA background lies in another field (such as the History of Western Art, or Asian/African area/language studies). For such students, the MA provides the necessary grounding in the material and techniques in the study of Asian and African art or archaeology. Secondly, for those who already have some background in this field, it provides an opportunity to broaden or deepen their knowledge at a higher level.

Entry requirements

The normal qualification for admission to the MA programme is an upper second class honours degree. Other qualifications, however, may be acceptable and the Department welcomes mature students. Students taking the MA degree may or may not have previous experience of our subjects. While knowledge of a relevant Asian or African language is not a requirement, for some courses it is an advantage for admission (see individual course descriptions for details). It is possible to include an element of language training within the MA programme by taking an Asian or African language as one of the two ‘minor’ courses. This option may be particularly desirable for those intending to progress to the PhD, who do not already have the necessary language skills.

Teaching

Classes are normally two hours per week for each course. Teaching methods include lectures with discussion, seminars (at which students’ present papers) and museum visits. Students at all levels are expected to take an active part in class presentation. A particularly important element is the training of the student's visual memory.

Assessment

For each of the three taught courses, the student will be expected to submit two or three pieces of written work usually around 3,000 to 4,500 words – for a total of 9,000 words per course. The emphasis is thus on developing essay skills during the session in preparation for the dissertation. In some courses the assessment is 100% on written work. On other courses, assessed course work forms 75% of the student’s final grade; an additional 25% is in some cases determined by slide quizzes, projects, or other forms of assessment (correct information will be distributed to students during the first few weeks of teaching). The 10,000 word dissertation must be submitted no later than 15 September.

Part-time study

Students may, under certain circumstances, be allowed to study for the MA on a part-time basis. The MA can be taken over two years, in which case the student takes two taught courses in the first year, and one taught course and the dissertation in the second. Alternatively, it can be taken over three years, in which case the student takes one taught course in each year. The dissertation can be written in any year, but it is strongly recommended that this be undertaken in the final year of the programme. It must be submitted by 15 September of the year in which the student registers for it.

Email: cg2@soas.ac.uk

Phone: 020 7898 4457