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Department of the Languages and Cultures of South East Asia

BA South East Asian Studies (Combined Honours)

Programme Code: See 'May be Combined with ..' Duration: 3 years

Overview

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Ben Murtagh

Ben Murtagh

Convenor

2013 Entry Requirements

  • A Levels: AAB
  • A Level language preferred
  • IB: 36 (6/6/6)
  • BTEC: DDM
  • Access to HE: Minimum of 30 Level 3 Credits at Distinction
  • Scottish Highers: AAABB
  • Scottish Advanced Highers: AAB
  • Irish LC: 340 points from 5 Higher level subjects at grade C1 or above
  • Advanced Placement: 4 4 5 (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: Languages at SOAS are taught ab initio, and no prior knowledge is required. A foreign language at A-level or equivalent is preferred but not essential.

Subjects Preferred: No

Interview Policy: Candidates with 'non-standard' qualifications are encouraged to apply, and will usually be invited for an interview

Start of programme: September

Mode of Attendance: Full Time

BA South East Asian Studies (Combined Honours) is a three-year programme that strikes an exciting balance between the study of a South East Asian language (Burmese, Indonesian, Thai or Vietnamese), the cultures of the region and a second subject in another discipline. 

Competence in a South East Asian language is developed as a tool for exploring the culture for which a spoken language is a vehicle. In the combined degree, South East Asian Studies can be combined with:

  • African Studies, 
  • Development Studies, 
  • Economics, 
  • Geography,
  • History,
  • History of Art/Archaeology,
  • Law, Linguistics, 
  • Management Studies (with Birkbeck College London), 
  • Music, 
  • Politics, 
  • Social Anthropology, 
  • or Study of Religions. 

This degree is ideal for students who do not seek the intensive engagement with language demanded by the four-year degrees, but who desire a working knowledge of the language to enhance their engagement with the diversity of South East Asian culture.

Combinations

May be combined with
  • Development Studies    TLJ9 BA/DVSSEA
  • Economics    TLJC BA/ECSEA
  • Geography**    TLJR BA/GESEA
  • History    VTCJ BA/HSEA
  • History of Art/Archaeology    VTJ3 BA/HAASEAS
  • Law    TMJC BA/LWSEA
  • Linguistics    TQJD BA/LGSEA
  • Music    WTHH BA/MSSEA
  • Politics    TLH2 BA/POLSEA
  • Social Anthropology    TLHP BA/SASEA
  • Study of Religions    VTPJ BA/SEASR
    **    Taught at King's College, London

    Students wishing to combine this subject with Management Studies should contact the Head of Department or Undergraduate Tutor for information.  See Department Staff page for contact details.

Structure

Students must take four units in each year.

NB: Not all courses are available every year. Your choice of courses is subject to the approval of the undergraduate tutor and, in some cases the individual course convenor.  Some courses listed may be subject to a pre-requisite.

Year 1
Core Courses
Compulsory Course

A SEA language unit at an approved level (Burmese, Indonesian, Khmer, Thai, Vietnamese). Typically level 1 of the language chosen.

Other Subject

Students take 2 units in their other subject or open option units.

Year 2
Core Course

These courses run in alternate years.

Core Course

Choose a half unit from List A. This course will be considered core.

Optional Course

A continuation of Year 1 SEA language OR one unit from List A or List B at an approved level.

Other Subject

Students take 2 units in their other subject or open option units.

Year 3
Compulsory Courses

Students have the choice of; writing an Extended Essay in SEA studies (half unit) and taking a further half unit from List A, OR undertaking an Independent Study Project in SEA studies (1 unit).

Optional Course

A continuation of Year 2 SEA language OR courses to the value of one unit from List A or List B.

Other Subject

Students take 2 units in their other subject or open option units.

List of Approved Courses
List A
List B

Before selecting a course, student's must first check that the course is at the correct level. They must also ensure that they meet any pre-requisites.

Programme Specification

Teaching & Learning

Year abroad

There is no year abroad requirement on this programme.  If you are interested in taking a year abroad in South East Asia as part of your degree, then please look at the named language degrees and the BA South East Asian Studies (including year abroad).

Teaching & Learning

Course Information

Introductory and intermediate courses in a South East Asian language use a wide variety of learning experiences and techniques. Most other units are taught by formal lecture and with related tutorials. Assessment is by a combination of written examination and coursework.

Special Features

The School's teaching is backed up by the South East Asia collection within the SOAS library, one of the world's major collections of information in the field of South East Asian studies. The South East Asia collection now contains over 6500 books and pamphlets and 550 periodical titles as well as substantial collections of microfilms and manuscripts.

Pre Entry Reading

Suggestions for preliminary reading
  • Allott, A.J. 1996. 'The Study of Burmese Literatures.' In South East Asian languages and literatures, edited by E. Ulrich Kratz. London:Tauris.
  • Eliot, Joshua. 1997. Thailand Handbook. London: Footprint Handbooks.
  • Gelman Taylor, Jean. 2003. Indonesia; peoples and histories. New Haven : Yale University Press
  • Hall, Barbara and Cathy Draine. 2000. Culture Shock! Indonesia: A Guide to Customs and Etiquette. London: Kuperard, 
  • Healy, Dana. 1996. 'Studies on Vietnamese language and literature.' In South East Asian languages and literatures, edited by E. Ulrich Kratz. London:Tauris.
  • Jamieson, N. 1993. Understanding Vietnam. Berkeley: California University Press.
  • Keyes, C.F.. 1987. Thailand: Buddhist Kingdom as modern nation-state. Boulder Colorado and London: Westview Press.
  • Mulder, Niels. 2000. Inside Thai Society: Religion, Everyday Life, Change. Chiangmai: Silkworm Books.
  • Nguyen Du. 1983. The tale of Kieu (translated and annotated by Huynh Sanh Thong) Yale UP.
  • Okell, John. 1996. 'Burmese language study.' In South East Asian languages and literatures, edited by E. Ulrich Kratz. London:Tauris
  • Robson, S O 2004. Welcome to Indonesian, a beginner's survey of the language. Boston; Tuttle.
  • Steinberg, David. 1982. Burma: a socialist nation of South East Asia. Boulder Colorado and London: Westview Press.
  • Vickers, A. 2005. A history of modern Indonesia. New York: Cambridge University Press.

Destinations

Former students in the Department of South East Asia have gone on to work in a variety of capacities in commerce, industry, teaching, the media, finance, the civil service, academe, the armed forces and other spheres. Some have chosen to work in South East Asia or have found work related to the region thus being able to make direct use of their linguistic and cultural expertise.

How to apply

How to apply
Scholarships

For further information visit the Scholarships section

Undergraduate Research Awards

Application Deadline: 2013-04-26 00:00

A Student's Perspective

I love being on this programme because we have excellent staff who make it possible for the students to pursue exactly their own interests in South East Asia

Patrick Tibke