BA Study of Religions and...
Programme Code: V627BA/CR Duration: 3 or 4 years
Overview
2013 Entry Requirements
- A Levels: ABB
- IB: 34 (5/5/5)
- BTEC: DDM
- Access to HE: Minimum of 30 Level 3 Credits at Distinction
- Scottish Highers: AABBB
- Scottish Advanced Highers: ABB
- Irish LC: 320 points from 5 Higher level subjects at grade C1 or above
- Advanced Placement: 4 4 4 (Two semesters - UCAS Group A) plus US HSGD with GPA 3.0
- Euro Bacc: 80%
- French Bacc: 14/20
- German Abitur: 2.0
- Italy DES: 80/100
- Austria Mat: 2.0
- Polish Mat: 75%
Minimum Entry Requirements: Applicants are not required to have studies Religions at A-level, although a deep interest in the subject is essential.
Interview Policy: Candidates with non-standard qualifications may be invited for interview.
Degree Profile
Religions have always powerfully influenced human societies. Religious ideas and practices affect relations between different cultures; they can unite or divide local communities; and they provide the context for an individual's spiritual quest.
A degree in comparative religion at SOAS offers an impressive range of study: religions of the ancient Near East, Zoroastrianism, Judaism, Jainism, Christianity, Islam, Buddhism, Confucianism, Hinduism, Shinto, Sikhism, Shintoism,
traditional African faiths and the new religious movements of our time.
The study of religions is concerned with the scholarly (yet sympathetic) understanding of different cultures and beliefs. Staff and students come from many different backgrounds and there is no assumption of religious commitment, simply a quest for understanding.
There is a wide range of approaches in SOAS to the study of religions. If your major interest lies in the study of religious ideas and practices, then the BA in Comparative Religion is the right degree for you. Students on this degree may pursue a special interest in one tradition, but they are also expected to select from a broad range of other options (with or without some language study), and to learn about theories and methods in the study of religions.
Study of Religions can be combined with the following subjects:
3-year combined degrees
African Studies, Bengali, Development Studies, Economics, Geography, Georgian, Hausa, History, History of Art/Archaeology, Linguistics, Persian, Politics, Sinhalese, Social Anthropology, South Asian Studies, South East Asian Studies, Tamil, Tibetan
3- or 4- year combined degrees
Burmese, Hindi, Indonesian, Nepali, Thai, Vietnamese, Turkish
4-year combined degrees
Amharic, Chinese, Hausa, Hebrew, Japanese, Korean, Law, Swahili
A full list of courses running in the department is available at the Undergraduate Course Units page
Key Information Set Data
The information for BA, BSc, or LLB programmes refer to data taken from the single subject degrees offered at SOAS; however, due to the unique nature of our programmes many subjects have a separate set of data when they are studied alongside another discipline. In order to get a full picture of their chosen subject(s) applicants are advised to look at both sets of information where these occur.
Combinations
May be combined with
The BA Study of Religions can be combined with:African Studies VT65 BA/SRAF
Arabic TV66 BA/SRA +
Burmese TVH6 BA/SRBU ++
Chinese TV16 BA/SRCH +
Development Studies LV96 BA/DevStSR
Economics LV16 BA/SREC
Geography LV76 BA/SRGE
Georgian TV96 BA/SRGN
Hausa TVM6 BA/SRHA +
Hebrew QV46 BA/SRHE +
History VV16 BA/SRH
History of Art/Archaeology VV36 BA/HAASR
Japanese TV26 BA/SRJ +
Korean TVLP BA/SRKO +
Law MV16 BA/SRLW
Linguistics QV16 BA/LGSR
Music VW63 BA/SRM
Persian TVP6 BA/SRP
Politics LV26 BA/SRPOL
Social Anthropology LV66 BA/SRSA
South Asian Studies VTQ3 BA/SASSR
South Asian Studies (3 years), VTQ3 BA/SASSR
South Asian Studies (4 years) +, TL33 BA/SASSR
South East Asian Studies VTPJ BA/SEASR
Swahili TVN6 BA/SWSR +
Thai VT6H BA/THSR
Tibetan ++
Turkish +
Vietnamese ++
+ 4-year degree with (compulsory) one year abroad
++ 3 or 4-year degree with option of one year abroad
** Taught at King's College, London
Structure
Study of Religions can be combined with the following subjects:
3-Year Combined Degrees
African Studies, Bengali, Development Studies, Economics, Geography, Georgian, Hausa, History, History of Art/Archaeology, Linguistics, Persian, Politics, Sinhalese, Social Anthropology, South Asian Studies, South East Asian Studies, Tamil, Tibetan, Urdu
3 or 4-Year Combined Degrees
Burmese, Hindi, Indonesian, Nepali, Thai, Vietnamese, Turkish
4-Year Combined degrees
Amharic, Chinese, Hausa, Hebrew, Japanese, Korean, Law, Swahili
Year 1
The Year 1 Study of Religions core courses are Introduction to the Study of Religions and any two half-unit Area or Foundation Courses from the list below. A Core Course is a course that must be passed before a student is eligible to progress to the next year of the degree. The other subject will also have one (or more) Core Course.
For students who are registered for a degree in which the other subject requires three units in Year 1 (such as BA Chinese and Study of Religions) the Study of Religions Year-1 Core Course is Introduction to the Study of Religions with at least two half-units from the list below taken in the next available year (Year 2 for Arabic and SoR, Year 3 for BA Chinese and SoR).
- Religions of East and Central Asia
- Religions of Africa
- Judaism: Foundation
- Buddhism: Foundation
- World Christianities
- Hinduism: Foundation
Year 2 and 3
In Years 2 and 3, you take at least two and a half further course units in the Study of Religions, choosing in consultation with your personal tutor from the wide range of Study of Religions courses available for 2/3 year students.
Programme Specification
Teaching & Learning
Teaching & Learning
Most courses involve a 50-minute lecture as a key component with linked tutorial classes. The course is examined through written examinations and coursework.
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.
Destinations
A degree in the Study of Religions from SOAS equips students to follow many different careers. Graduates are provided with important knowledge and understanding of peoples’ different culture, history and beliefs concerning fundamental issues which they can develop in the field of research or utilise in a professional career. Students also develop a portfolio of widely transferable skills which employers seek in many professional and management careers in business, public and charity sectors.
These include: the ability to research, amass and order information from a variety of sources - often both in the original or other relevant languages; analytical skills to assess critically the materials relevant to a specific issue; written and oral communication skills to present, discuss and debate opinions and conclusions; and problem solving skills.
Studying a combined honours degree gives students to blend a solid grounding in another discipline or subject area which enables them to place the knowledge they gain as part of their degree within a specific regional, cultural or disciplinary context.
For more information about Graduate Destinations from this department, please visit the Careers Service website.
How to apply
How to apply
- How to Apply
- UCAS website
- Funding options
- English language requirements
- Tuition Fees
- Admissions Contacts
Scholarships
For further information visit the Scholarships section
Undergraduate Research Awards
Application Deadline: 2013-04-26 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.
