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South Asia Department

BA South Asian Studies and… (4 years)

Programme Code: See "Combinations" Duration: 4 Years

Overview

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Staff Silhouette

James Caron

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.

Interview Policy: Applicants with non-standard qualifications may be invited for interview.

Mode of Attendance: Full Time

Our BA South Asian Studies and… (4 years) transforms your interest in South Asia into a serious degree, combining extensive knowledge in the area, solid linguistic skills, training in a discipline, and a host of much-valued transferrable skills. The career paths of our graduates include international development and aid agencies, print journalism and media, local, national and international government agencies, overseas companies, teaching, law, librarianship, arts administration.

As the economies of South Asia continue to expand, a knowledge of language and culture will be more and more of an asset in the world of commerce and international trade. Many of our graduates choose to pursue Masters’ programmes that either focus on particular aspects of South Asia, or are linked to professional qualifications in law, development, media, etc.

The four-year degree gives you the unique opportunity of spending the third year attending an intensive language programme in India, Nepal or Bangladesh and experiencing life and study in South Asia in what is a unique life experience.

Combinations

May be combined with

Structure

Learn a language as part of this programme

Degree programmes at SOAS - including this one - can include language courses in more than forty African and Asian languages. It is SOAS students’ command of an African or Asian language which sets SOAS apart from other universities.

SOAS is the only University in the UK where you can study South Asian languages (Bengali, Hindi, Nepali, Sanskrit, Urdu) as part of your BA degree, and combine in-depth language learning with training in a discipline that will also include courses focusing on your area of choice. In Bengali, Hindi, Nepali, Sanskrit and Urdu (‘pathway languages’) we offer language courses at beginner, intermediate and advanced level. We also offer courses that use the language skills you acquire to gain access to the present and past culture of South Asia through written and audio-visual texts. We offer a more limited range of language courses in Tamil, Sinhala, Gujarati and Punjabi, subject to a minimum number of students. You will also be able to choose from a range of exciting courses on the culture and society of South Asia, including unique courses in cinema, literature, art, music, religion, history, politics, law, economics and anthropology. We offer the widest range of culture courses on South Asia, both at introductory and specialist levels.

Language Pathways Available

Students take the equivalent of 4 course units each year, with at least five completed courses in the first subject and four in the second subject. The third Year Abroad counts as 4 units.

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.

Year 1
Core Course
Core Language Course

Students choose a South Asian Language pathway (Bengali, Hindi, Nepali, Sanskrit or Urdu). In Year 1 this is usually a level 1 course unless the student has prior language knowledge.

Other Subject

Students take 2 units in their other subject.

Year 2
Core Language Course

A continuation of the South Asian language pathway chosen in Year 1.

Compulsory Course

Students take one of the following courses depending on their chosen language pathway.

Other Subject

Depending on the requirements of the other subject, students take 2 units in their other subject OR 1 unit in the other subject and a further course from List A or C.

Year 3

Students spend their 3rd Year abroad. See the Teaching & Learning tab for more details.

Year 4
Core Language Course

An advanced level of the South Asian language pathway chosen in Year 1.

Optional Course

Students can do an Independent Study Project (below) OR a further language course from List A at an intermediate or advanced level OR a course from List C (choice may be restricted depending on the chosen language pathway).

Other Subject

Students take 2 units in their other subject.

List A South Asian Language Courses

The list below indicates the pathway along which students can progress as they do their South Asian language courses. Students may not take more than one language course at elementary level in any given year. Passing of the intermediate level course (or its equivalent) in Bengali OR Hindi OR Nepali OR Sanskrit OR Urdu is a pre-requisite for admission to the Year Abroad.

Elementary level
Intermediate level
Advanced level
List B Introductory courses on aspects of South Asian history and culture
List C Non-language-based South Asian and South Asian-related courses

Some courses require successful attendance of a relevant introductory course; students are advised to check the relevant course descriptions for prerequisites and consult the relevant course tutor before selecting units.

Department of the Languages and Cultures of South Asia
School of Law
Department of Politics and International Studies
Department of History
Department of Art and Archaeology
Department of Music
Department of the Study of Religions
Department of Anthropology and Sociology
Department of Economics

Programme Specification

Teaching & Learning

Year abroad

Year 3 is spent attending an intensive language course in India, Nepal or Bangladesh, with plenty of opportunities to volunteer for local NGOs (valuable work experience) and planning and collecting material for the Independent Study Project in year 4.

Destinations

As a student specialising in the languages and cultures of South 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 South 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.

Choosing to study a joint degree programme will increase the breadth of your knowledge, and will develop additional skills with which to further your studies of South Asia, or to make comparative study with other areas. South Asian Studies may be combined with a huge range of other disciplines. For more information on the extra skills you will gain from your second subject, please see the relevant departmental page. 

For more information about Graduate Destinations from this department, please visit the Careers Service website.

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 chose SOAS because of the reputation of the language courses. The South Asian languages that are offered at SOAS are the best option if you’re not able to go to the region. For the first time I was able to study Asia from an Asian perspective through Asian literature.

Tora Toreng, University of Oslo