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

Structure

Students are required to take the equivalent of three courses + dissertation.

Students must take the compulsory course Taiwan's Politics and Cross-Strait Relations plus any two of the three half unit courses from List A, and either chose Elementary Spoken Hokkien or the equivalent of ONE course unit from List B.

The dissertation must be related to one of the courses on List A.

Students may only take a language unit as a minor; admission to any language course and the level of that language is subject to a placement test and at the discretion of the course convener.

List A

• Taiwan's Politics and Cross-Strait Relations (full unit)
• Economic Development of Modern Taiwan (Term 2) (half unit)
• Society and Culture of Taiwan (Term 1) (half unit)
• Modern Film from Taiwan and the Chinese Diaspora (Term 2) (half unit)

List B

Anthropology and Sociology:

• Culture and Society of China
• Culture and Society of Japan

Economics:

• Economic Development of the Asia Pacific Region

History:

• Knowledge and Power in Late Imperial and Modern China
• Japanese Modernity I (half-unit term 1)
• Japanese Modernity II (half-unit term 2)

Korean Studies:

• Politics and Society of the Korean Peninsula (not running 2010/11)

Language:

• Special Course in Chinese: Elementary Spoken Hokkien (Minnanyu, Taiwanese)
• Basic Japanese I
• Basic Japanese II 
• Intermediate Japanese 1
• Intermediate Japanese 2
• Advanced Japanese (Masters)
• Special Course in Chinese I
• Special Course in Chinese II
• Special Course in Chinese III
• Special Course in Chinese IV
• Special Course in Chinese: Reading Classical and Literary Chinese

Law:

• Chinese Law II: Modern Chinese Law

Literature:

• Modern Chinese Literature in Translation

Media Studies:

• Chinese Cinema and Media (half unit)
• Japanese Post-War Film Genres and the Avant-garde (half-unit term 2)
• Modern Chinese Film and Theatre (half-unit term 1)

Music:

• Pop and Politics in East Asia (half-unit term 1)
• Musical Traditions of East Asia (half-unit term 2)

Politics:

• International Politics of East Asia
• China and International Politics
• State and Society in the Chinese Political Process

Programme Specification

• MA Taiwan Studies- Programme Specifications 2012/13 (pdf; 29kb)

Destinations

A postgraduate degree in Taiwan studies from SOAS equips students with essential skills such as 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 gain linguistic and cultural expertise enabling them to continue in the field of research or to seek professional and management careers in business, public and charity sectors. They leave SOAS with a portfolio of widely transferable skills which employers seek, including 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.

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