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MA History of Art and Archaeology of East Asia and Intensive Language (2022 entry)

Select year of entry: 2022 2021

Overview

Overview and entry requirements

The MA History of Art and Archaeology of East Asia and Intensive Language is a two-year programme; it combines the strengths of the MA History of Art and Archaeology of East Asia with intensive language training in Japanese or Korean. Students study the arts of China, Korea and Japan, exploring a wide range of East Asian arts, from Chinese archaeology to Japanese prints, Korean installation works to Buddhist monuments, in historical and contemporary periods. Instruction in the language of their choice is provided by teachers in the Faculty of Languages and Cultures. By the end of the programme, which includes a summer language school abroad, students have received sufficient instruction to reach near-proficiency in the language.

See Department of the History of Art and Archaeology

Combine History of Art and Archaeology with a language

Choose between Japanese or Korean intensive language.

Why study MA History of Art and Archaeology of East Asia at SOAS

SOAS is ranked 44th in the world in the 2021 QS World University Rankings for Arts and Humanities
Our Department of the History of Art and Archaeology contains some of the world’s leading experts in the art history and archaeology of East Asia, whose ground-breaking research informs and is informed by their teaching. Students benefit from the unparalleled knowledge and enthusiasm of staff. As members of the School of Arts, they profit from the insights of scholars and students working in other related fields, such as East Asian Music, Film and Media, as well as the expertise of specialist language teachers.
A Masters from the Department of the History of Art and Archaeology provides students with expertise in the History of Art and/or Archaeology of Asia, Africa and the Middle East.
Our postgraduates progress to work in arts, culture and heritage roles, including in galleries, museums, archives, conservation, publishing and arts administration. The large portfolio of transferable skills they acquire enables them to forge careers in a range of other fields across the world. Our Masters programmes are also an excellent foundation for MPhil/PhD research.

Venue: Russell Square: College Buildings

Start of programme: September

Mode of Attendance: Full-time or Part-time

Entry requirements

We will consider all applications with 2:ii (or international equivalent) or higher. In addition to degree classification we take into account other elements of the application including supporting statement and references.

Featured events

duration:: Two years (full-time). Four years (part-time, daytime only)

Fees 2021/22

UK fees:

£11,520

Overseas fees:: £22,500

Fees for 2021/22 entrants. This is a Band 3 fee. The fees are per academic year. Please note that fees go up each year. Further details can be found in the Fees and Funding tab on this page or in the Registry's Postgraduate Tuition Fees page

Convenors

Professor Louise Tythacott Convenor

Combinations

May be combined with:

MA History of Art and Archaeology of East Asia can be combined with the following Intensive Language pathways:

Structure

Students must take 315 credits in total, comprised of 255 taught credits (45 of which are taught abroad as part of a Summer School) and a 60-credit dissertation as outlined below.

Year 1: Students on the two-year Intensive Language programmes take 60 credits of intensive language instruction and 60 credits in the discipline. During the summer, they participate in a Summer School abroad.

Year 2: Students take another 30 language credits as well as 60 credits in the discipline; they also complete their dissertation in the discipline.

Occasionally the availability of optional modules changes as a result of staffing and other circumstances. Students who had signed up for such modules will be notified as soon as possible and given the opportunity to choose from available alternatives.

Please see 'Programme specifications' below to download the PDF pathways specifications of the four-year part-time version of the programme.

The Department of East Asian Languages and Cultures and the School of Languages, Cultures and Linguistics offer additional information on the intensive language part of the programme.

Programme

Year 1 (two years full time)

Discipline Component

Modules from the lists below to the value of 60 credits.

15 credits from List A: China
15 credits from List B: Japan and Korea
15 credits from List C: Transregional
15 credits from List A or List B or List C
15 credits from List D: Other Options in History of Art & Archaeology
45 credits from List D or from the List of Options in Other Departments.

There is no stipulation regarding which modules must be taken in which of the two years, provided the above requirements are fulfilled.

Language Component 60 credits

Students take 60 credits in the selected language.

Summer Abroad

Students participate in a Summer School abroad for the selected language.

Year 2 (two years full time)

Discipline Component

Modules from the lists below to the value of 60 credits.

15 credits from List A: China
15 credits from List B: Japan and Korea
15 credits from List C: Transregional
15 credits from List A or List B or List C
15 credits from List D: Other Options in History of Art & Archaeology
45 credits from List D or from the List of Options in Other Departments.

There is no stipulation regarding which modules must be taken in which of the two years, provided the above requirements are fulfilled.

Language Component

Students take 30 credits in the selected language.

Dissertation

Module	Code	Credits	Term
Dissertation in History of Art and Archaeology: History of Art and Archaeology of East Asia	15PARC996	60	Full Year

List of modules (subject to availability)

Module	Code	Credits	Term
Themes in the Visual Arts of Dynastic China (before 1800)	15PARH051	15	Term 1
Arts of Modern and Contemporary China (since 1800)	15PARH055	15	Term 2
Ceramics in Chinese Culture: 10th - 18th Centuries	15PARH046	15	Term 2
China and the Silk Road: Art and Archaeology	15PARH093	15	Term 1
Chinese Porcelain: Trade, Transfer and Reception	15PARH064	15	Term 2

List B: Japan and Korea

Module	Code	Credits	Term
Popular Practice in the Edo Period Arts	15PARH008	15	Term 2
Arts of Goryeo and Joseon Korea	15PARH059	15	Term 1
Shogunal Iconography in the Edo Period	15PARH007	15	Term 1
Modern and Contemporary Korean Art	15PARH060	15	Term 2

List C: Transregional

Module	Code	Credits	Term
Asia and Africa On Display	15PARH043	15	Term 1
Interpreting Visual Expressions of the Mandala	15PARH086	15	Term 2
Tibetan Buddhist Monuments in Context	15PARH075	15	Term 1
Issues in Contemporary Southeast Asian Art	15PARH083	15	Term 2
Collecting and Curating Buddhist Art in the Museum	15PARH069	15	Term 2
Buddhist and Hindu Art of the Maritime Silk Route	15PARH057	15	Term 2
Buddhist Art in a Cosmopolitan Environment: Gandharan Art and its Heritage	15PARH099	15	Term 1

List D: Other Options in History of Art & Archaeology

Module	Code	Credits	Term
Arab Painting	15PARH054	15	Term 1
Architectural Boundaries and the Body	15PARH063	15	Term 1
Asia and Africa On Display	15PARH043	15	Term 1
Discourses on Modern and Contemporary Art of the Middle East	15PARH096	15	Term 2
Islam and the West: Artistic and Cultural Contacts	15PARH034	15	Term 2
Islamic Art and Architecture of Eastern Mediterranean of the Period of the Crusades (11th-14th centuries)	15PARH080	15	Term 2
Art and Architecture of the Seljuks and Ottomans (12th -15th centuries)	15PARH070	15	Term 1
Modern and Contemporary Arts in Africa	15PARH048	15	Term 2
Islamic Visual Culture	15PARH065	15	Term 1
The Figure of the Buddha: Theory, Practice and the Making of Buddhist Art History	15PARH076	15	Term 2
The Indian Temple	15PARC034	30	Full Year
Tibetan Buddhist Monuments in Context	15PARH075	15	Term 1
Theory and Method in Art History	15PARH097	15	Term 1

Options in Other Departments

Anthropology

Module	Code	Credits	Term
Culture and Society of China	15PANH062	15	Term 2
Culture and Society of Japan	15PANH065	15	Term 1

History

Module	Code	Credits	Term
Modern and Contemporary Japan	15PJKH042	15	Term 2
Gender and Empire in Early Modern China	15PHIH024	15	Term 2
Nationhood and Competing Identities in Modern China	15PHIH022	15	Term 1

Music

Module	Code	Credits	Term
Musical Traditions of East Asia (Masters)	15PMUH016	15	Term 2

Study of Religions

Module	Code	Credits	Term
Buddhist Meditation in India and Tibet	15PSRC172	30	Full Year
East Asian Buddhist Thought	15PSRH018	15	Term 2
Religious Practice in Japan: Texts, Rituals and Believers	15PSRC071	30	Full Year

China and Asia

Module	Code	Credits	Term
Modern Chinese Film and Theatre (PG)	15PCHH001	15	Term 1
New Taiwan Cinema and Beyond (PG)	15PCHH002	15	Term 1
Chinese 1 A (PG)	15PCHH031	15	Term 1
Chinese 1 B (PG)	15PCHH032	15	Term 2
Chinese 2 (PG)	15PCHC011	30	Full Year
Chinese 3 (PG)	15PCHC009	30	Full Year
Chinese 4 (PG)	15PCHC012	30	Full Year

Japan and Korea

Module	Code	Credits	Term
Japanese 1 A (PG)	15PJKH035	15	Term 1
Japanese 1 B (PG)	15PJKH036	15	Term 2
Korean 1 A (PG)	15PJKH037	15	Term 1
Korean 1 B (PG)	15PJKH038	15	Term 2
Japanese Post-War Film Genres and the Avant-Garde	15PJKH008	15	Term 2
Japanese Transnational Cinema: From Kurosawa to Asia Extreme and Studio Ghibli	15PJKH007	15	Term 1
Trajectories of Modernity in Korean Literature and Film (PG)	15PJKH006	15	Term 1
Reading Pre-modern Japanese Texts 1 (PG)	15PJKH028	15	Term 2

Programme Specification

MA History of Art and Archaeology of East Asia and Intensive Language Programme Specification 2020/21 (pdf; 185kb)

Important notice

The information on the programme page reflects the intended programme structure against the given academic session. If you are a current student you can find structure information on the previous year link at the top of the page or through your Department. Please read the important notice regarding changes to programmes and modules.

Teaching and Learning

Teaching & Learning

Teaching consists of a combination of lectures and seminars. Classes are normally between two and three hours per week for each course. Teaching methods include lectures with discussion, seminars (at which students present papers) and museum visits. Students at all levels are expected to take an active part in class presentations. A particularly important element is the training of the student's visual memory.

In addition to their studies on the MA programme, students at SOAS can participate in a wide range of research seminars, lectures and conferences that regularly take place in the School and in the University of London.

Contact hours

All Masters programmes consist of 180 credits, made up of taught modules of 30 or 15 credits, taught over 10 or 20 weeks, and a dissertation of 60 credits. The programme structure shows which modules are compulsory and which optional.

As a rough guide, 1 credit equals approximately 10 hours of work. Most of this will be independent study, including reading and research, preparing coursework, revising for examinations and so on. It will also include class time, which may include lectures, seminars and other classes. Some subjects, such as learning a language, have more class time than others. At SOAS, most postgraduate modules have a one hour lecture and a one hour seminar every week, but this does vary.

More information is on the page for each module.

Assessment

For each of the taught modules, the student will be expected to submit two or three pieces of written work usually around 3,000 to 4,500 words – for a total of 9,000 words per module. The emphasis is on developing essay skills during the session in preparation for the dissertation. In some modules the assessment is 100% on written work. On other modules, assessed course work forms 75% of the student’s final grade and an additional 25% is determined by slide quizzes, projects or other forms of assessment. The 10,000 word dissertation is submitted in September of year 2.

SOAS Library

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.

Fees and funding

Scholarships

Felix Non- Indian Scholarship

Application Deadline: 2021-01-29 00:00