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

Structure

Students take three taught courses, one of which is considered a major, and complete a 10,000 word dissertation related to the major.

The two minor courses can be taken from the same discipline (but different to that of the major) or two different ones. Some disciplines such as politics, economics or social anthropology require an appropriate qualification (such as part of a first degree) if any of their courses are to be taken as the major subject.

Anthropology (minor only)

• Culture and Society of South East Asia - 15PANC088 (1 Unit) - Full Year

Art and Archaeology

• Arts of contemporary and modern Southeast Asia - 15PARH050 (0.5 Unit) - Term 2
• Art of monumental Southeast Asia - 15PARH049 (0.5 Unit) - Term 1

Cinema

• Genders and Sexualities in South East Asian Film - 15PSEH011 (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
• Post-crisis Thai Cinema (1997-2007) - 15PSEH008 (0.5 Unit) - Term 2 - Not Running 2012/2013

Economics

• The economic development of South East Asia - 15PECC004 (1 Unit) - Full Year

Major Only

• Economic dynamics of the Asia-Pacific region - 15PECC334 (1 Unit) - Full Year

History

• The State and the Art: Photography and Nation Building in Burma - 15PHIH015 (0.5 Unit) - Term 1 - Not Running 2012/2013
• State and Culture in Mainland South East Asia in the Sixteenth to Nineteenth Centuries - 15PHIH016 (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
• Society and Politics in Late Colonial South East Asia - 15PHIC037 (1 Unit) - Full Year - 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)

• Burmese Language 1 - 155900910 (1 Unit) - Full Year
• Burmese Language 2 - 155900997 (1 Unit) - Full Year
• Indonesian Language 1 (Postgraduate) - 15PSEC032 (1 Unit) - Full Year
• Indonesian Language 2 (Postgraduate) - 15PSEC033 (1 Unit) - Full Year
• Indonesian Language 3 (Postgraduate) - 15PSEC034 (1 Unit) - Full Year
• Indonesian Language 4 (Postgraduate) - 15PSEC035 (1 Unit) - Full Year
• Vietnamese Language 1 (Postgraduate) - 15PSEC036 (1 Unit) - Full Year
• Vietnamese Language 2 (Postgraduate) - 15PSEC037 (1 Unit) - Full Year
• Thai Language 1 - 155901366 (1 Unit) - Full Year
• Thai Language 2 - 155901367 (1 Unit) - Full Year

Law

• 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 required)

• Traditional Malay Literature - 15PSEC008 (1 Unit) - Full Year - Not Running 2012/2013
• Modern Literature in Malay - 15PSEC009 (1 Unit) - Full Year - Not Running 2012/2013
• 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

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

Higher level literature course (minor only)

• Burmese Texts and Translation - 15PSEC027 (1 Unit) - Full Year
• Directed Readings in Burmese - 15PSEC028 (1 Unit) - Full Year
• Indonesian Literature up to 1942 - 15PSEC001 (1 Unit) - Full Year - Not Running 2012/2013
• Modern Indonesian Literature (since 1942) - 15PSEC006 (1 Unit) - Full Year - Not Running 2012/2013
• Directed Readings in Indonesian - 15PSEC029 (1 Unit) - Full Year
• The Thai Novel - 15PSEC013 (1 unit - 45 CATS Unit)
• Thai Short Stories - 15PSEC014 (1 Unit) - Full Year - Not Running 2012/2013
• A Selected Thai Author - 15PSEC015 (1 Unit) - Full Year - Not Running 2012/2013
• Directed Readings in Thai - 15PSEC030 (1 Unit) - Full Year
• Contemporary Vietnamese Prose Fiction - 15PSEC016 (1 Unit) - Full Year - Not Running 2012/2013
• Modern Vietnamese Poetry - 15PSEC017 (1 Unit) - Full Year - Not Running 2012/2013
• Directed Readings in Vietnamese - 15PSEC031 (1 Unit) - Full Year

Music (minor only)

• Popular and Fusion Music in South East Asia (PG) - 15PMUH018 (0.5 Unit) - Term 2

Politics

• Government and politics of modern South East Asia - 15PPOC247 (1 Unit) - Full Year

Programme Specification

• MA South East Asian Studies- Programme Specifications 2012/13 (pdf; 29kb)

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

A postgraduate degree in South East Asian studies from SOAS provides its students with 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, history, cinema, politics, economics or law.

Postgraduate students are equipped with linguistic and cultural expertise enabling them to continue in the field of research, along with a portfolio of widely transferable skills which employers seek in
many professional and management careers in business, public or charity sectors.  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. A postgraduate degree is a valuable experience that provides students with a body of work and a diverse range of skills that they can use to market themselves with when they graduate.

Graduates have gone on to work for a range of organisations including:

Types of roles that graduates have gone on to do include:

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