MA Pacific Asian Studies
Duration: One year (full-time) Two or three years (part-time)
Overview
Featured events
Minimum Entry Requirements: Minimum upper second class honours (or equivalent)
Start of programme: September intake only
The region known as "Pacific Asia" can be defined in various ways, but the "core" countries are China, Japan, Korea and the ASEAN nations (Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand, Brunei, Vietnam, Laos, Myanmar and the Philippines). Together, they make up one of the most diverse and important regions in the world.SOAS has more expertise in this part of the world than any other institution in Western Europe; indeed there are very few places anywhere in the world that can boast the same range of expertise.
This degree is a way of bringing together the large number of courses on Pacific Asia currently on offer in SOAS Masters programmes for Chinese Studies, Japanese Studies, South East Asian Studies, and Korean Studies.
The courses chosen must cover three of the four regions of China and Taiwan, Japan, Korea, Southeast Asia.
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 a Regional Studies programme students will be expected to select their course 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. The courses chosen must cover three of the four regions of China and Taiwan, Japan, Korea, Southeast Asia.
Anthropology (minor only)
- Culture and Society of China - 15PANC089 (1 Unit) - Full Year
- Culture and Society of Japan - 15PANC086 (1 Unit) - Full Year
- Culture and Society of South East Asia - 15PANC088 (1 Unit) - Full Year
- Society and Culture in Taiwan - 15PCHH003 (0.5 Unit) - Term 1
Art and Archaeology
- Ancient Chinese Civilisation - 15PARC026 (1 Unit) - Full Year
- Asia and Africa On Display: Objects, Exhibitions and Transculturism - 15PARH043 (0.5 Unit) - Term 2
- Ceramics in Chinese Culture: 10th - 18th Centuries - 15PARH046 (0.5 Unit) - Term 1
- Directed Readings in Art and Archaeology - 15PARH037 (0.5 Unit) - Full Year
- Popular Practice in the Edo Period Arts - 15PARH008 (0.5 Unit) - Term 2
- Shogunal Iconography in the Edo Period - 15PARH007 (0.5 Unit) - Term 1
- Art of monumental Southeast Asia - 15PARH049 (0.5 Unit) - Term 1
- Arts of contemporary and modern Southeast Asia - 15PARH050 (0.5 Unit) - Term 2
Cinema
- Genders and Sexualities in South East Asian Film - 15PSEH011 (0.5 Unit) - Term 2 - Not Running 2012/2013
- Modern Chinese Film and Theatre (MA) - 15PCHH001 (0.5 Unit) - Term 2
- Modern Film from Taiwan and the Chinese Diaspora - 15PCHH002 (0.5 Unit) - Term 1
- Japanese Transnational Cinema: From Kurosawa to Asia Extreme and Studio Ghibli - 15PMSH017 (0.5 Unit) - Term 1
- Japanese Post-War Film Genres and the Avant-Garde - 15PMSH001 (0.5 Unit) - Term 2
- Post-crisis Thai Cinema (1997-2007) - 15PSEH008 (0.5 Unit) - Term 2 - Not Running 2012/2013
- (Post) Colonialism and Otherness in South East Asia on Screen - 15PSEH010 (0.5 Unit) - Term 2
Economics
- The economic development of South East Asia - 15PECC004 (1 Unit) - Full Year
Available as a minor only
- Economic development of modern Taiwan - 15PECH002 (0.5 Unit) - Term 2
- Economic problems and policies in modern China - 15PECC035 (1 Unit) - Full Year
Available as a major only
- Economic dynamics of the Asia-Pacific region - 15PECC334 (1 Unit) - Full Year
History
- Japanese Modernity I - 15PHIH013 (0.5 Unit) - Term 1
- Japanese Modernity II - 15PHIH014 (0.5 Unit) - Term 2
- Sex and Gender in the 20th Century: Contemporary Japan - 15PHIH010 (0.5 Unit) - Term 1 - Not Running 2012/2013
- Society and Politics in Late Colonial South East Asia - 15PHIC037 (1 Unit) - Full Year - Not Running 2012/2013
- The State and the Art: Photography and Nation Building in Burma - 15PHIH015 (0.5 Unit) - Term 1 - Not Running 2012/2013
- Histories of Ethnicity and Conflict in South East Asia I - Making States and Building Nations - 15PHIH011 (0.5 Unit) - Term 1
- Histories of Ethnicity and Conflict in South East Asia II - Non-National Perspectives - 15PHIH012 (0.5 Unit) - Term 2
- State and Culture in Mainland South East Asia in the Sixteenth to Nineteenth Centuries - 15PHIH016 (0.5 Unit) - Term 1 - Not Running 2012/2013
- World War II, Cold War, and the "War On Terror": the United States and South East Asia - 15PHIC059 (1 Unit) - Full Year
Language (one language option as a minor only)
- Special Course in Chinese 1 - 155900828 (1 Unit) - Full Year
- Special Course in Chinese 2 - 155900829 (1 Unit) - Full Year
- Special Course in Chinese 3 - 155901097 (1 Unit) - Full Year
- Special Course in Chinese 4 - 155901144 (1 Unit) - Full Year
- Special course in Chinese: Reading Classical and Literary Chinese - 155901234 (1 Unit) - Full Year
- Elementary Spoken Hokkien (Minnanyu, Taiwanese) - 155901249 (1 Unit) - Full Year
- Elementary Korean - 155900842 (1 Unit) - Full Year
- Intermediate Korean - 155900843 (1 Unit) - Full Year
- Korean Advanced (Masters) - 15PEAC018 (1 Unit) - Full Year
- Basic Japanese 1 - 155900874 (1 Unit) - Full Year
- Basic Japanese 2 - 155900875 (1 Unit) - Full Year
- Intermediate Japanese 1 - 155901345 (1 Unit) - Full Year
- Intermediate Japanese 2 - 155901346 (1 Unit) - Full Year
- Advanced Japanese: ContemporaryTopics - 155901255 (1 Unit) - Full Year
- Burmese Language 1 - 155900910 (1 Unit) - Full Year
- Burmese Language 2 - 155900997 (1 Unit) - Full Year
- Indonesian Language 1 - 155900448 (1 Unit) - Full Year
- Indonesian Language 2 - 155901022 (1 Unit) - Full Year
- Indonesian Language 3 - 155901023 (1 Unit) - Full Year
- Indonesian Language 4 - 155901024 (1 Unit) - Full Year
- Vietnamese Language 1 - 155900704 (1 Unit) - Full Year
- Vietnamese Language 2 - 155900705 (1 Unit) - Full Year
- Thai Language 1 - 155901366 (1 Unit) - Full Year
- Thai Language 2 - 155901367 (1 Unit) - Full Year
Law
- Modern Chinese law and human rights - 15PLAC139 (1 Unit) - Full Year
- Foundations of Chinese law - 15PLAC110 (1 Unit) - Full Year
- Chinese commercial law - 15PLAC106 (1 Unit) - Full Year
- Islamic law (MA/LLM) - 15PLAC121 (1 Unit) - Full Year
- Migration, gender and the law in South East Asia and beyond - 15PLAH023 (0.5 Unit) - Term 1
Literature
Appropriate language skills are required.
Available as a minor only
- Jawi and the Malay Manuscript Tradition (Masters) - 15PSEH006 (0.5 Unit) - Term 1 - Not Running 2012/2013
Literature
No language requirement.
- The Urban/Rural Divide in South East Asian Literature - 15PSEH012 (0.5 Unit) - Term 1
- War, Revolution and Independence in South East Asia Literatures in Translation (Masters) - 15PSEH009 (0.5 Unit) - Term 1 - Not Running 2012/2013
Available as a minor only
- Pre-Modern historical Texts of Java, Bali and the Malay World in English Translation (Masters) - 15PSEH007 (0.5 Unit) - Term 1 - Not Running 2012/2013
Music
- Aspects of Music and Religion in South East Asia - 15PMUH017 (0.5 Unit) - Term 2 - Not Running 2012/2013
Available as a minor only
- Pop and Politics in East Asia (Masters) - 15PMUH014 (0.5 Unit) - Term 1
- Musical Traditions of East Asia (Masters) - 15PMUH016 (0.5 Unit) - Term 2
Politics
- State and society in the Chinese political process - 15PPOC012 (1 Unit) - Full Year
- China and international politics - 15PPOC018 (1 Unit) - Full Year
- International politics of East Asia - 15PPOC251 (1 Unit) - Full Year
- Government and politics of modern South East Asia - 15PPOC247 (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
Programme Specification
Teaching & Learning
Teaching & Learning
Lectures and Seminars
For most courses there is one 2-hour class each week. This may be an informal lecture followed by a discussion or 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.
Dissertation
The 10,000-word dissertation on an approved topic linked with 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
As a student specialising in Pacific Asia, you will gain 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 and culture (which can include literature, film, music, art and religion) of various parts of Pacific Asia.
Graduates leave SOAS not only with linguistic and cultural expertise, but also with a portfolio of widely transferable skills which employers seek in many professional and management careers in both business and the public sector. These include 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.
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
D.G.E. Hall Scholarship
Application Deadline: 2013-03-22 00:00
Felix Scholarships
Application Deadline: 2013-01-31 00:00
A Student's Perspective
Atit PongpanitThe South East Asia (SEA) Department therefore becomes an ideal place to explore this particular topic as the department provides interesting courses in Thai cinema conducted by internationally prominent lecturers.
