History of Art and Archaeology

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 Chinese, 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 2:2 (or international equivalent) or higher. In addition to degree classification we take into account other elements of the application such as supporting statement. References are optional, but can help build a stronger application if you fall below the 2:2 requirement or have non-traditional qualifications.

Please see our 'postgraduate entry requirements' page for Overseas and EU qualifications and equivalencies.

Featured events

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

Fees 2022/23

Home students fees:: £11,980

Overseas students fees:: £23,400

Fees for 2022/23 entrants. This is a Band 1 fee. The fees are per academic year. Please note that fees go up each year. Further details can be found on the Postgraduate tuition fees page

Convenors

Dr Charlotte Horlyck 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.

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)

Students take the following compulsory module.

Module	Code	Credits	Term
Art Theory and Practice in East Asia	15PARH102

AND

Students take modules to the value of 15 credits from List A.

AND

Students take modules to the value of 15 credits from List B.

AND

Students take modules to the value of 15 credits from List A and/or B.

AND

Language Component 60 credits: Students take 60 credits in the selected language.

Summer Abroad

Summer School 45 credits: Students participate in a Summer School abroad for the selected language.

Year 2 (two years full time)

Students take the following compulsory module.

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

AND

Students take modules to the value of 15 credits from List A.

AND

Students take modules to the value of 15 credits from List B.

AND

Students take modules to the value of 30 credits from List A and/or B and/or the list of Postgraduate Open Options.

AND

Language Component 30 credits: Students take 30 credits in the selected language.

List A: China and Cross-regional

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
The Silk Road and its Origins: Art and Archaeology	15PARH095	15	Term 1
Chinese Porcelain: Trade, Transfer and Reception	15PARH064	15	Term 2

List B: Japan/Korea/Theory-based modules

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
Theory and Method in Art History	15PARH097	15	Term 1

Programme Specification

MA History of Art and Archaeology of East Asia and Intensive Language Programme Specification 2022/23 (pdf; 279kb)

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

Tuition fees

Fees for 2022/23 entrants, per academic year (Band 1 tuition fee)

Full-time
Home Students	Overseas Students
£11,980	£23,400

Please note that fees go up each year. Two-year full-time programmes have 2 years of full-time fees; the fee in the second year will be higher than the fee for the first year (the full time fee above is for the first year only).

For full details of tuition fees, see our postgraduate tuition fees page.

Scholarships

Felix Non- Indian Scholarship

Application Deadline: 2022-01-28 15:00