Department of the History of Art and Archaeology, School of Arts

MA History of Art and Archaeology of East Asia (2021 entry)

Select year of entry: 2021 2020

Overview

Overview and entry requirements

The MA History of Art and Archaeology of East Asia programme is an unrivalled opportunity to study the arts of China, Korea and Japan. Students consider a wide range of East Asian arts, from Chinese archaeology to Japanese prints, Korean installation works to Buddhist monuments, exploring their specificity and the links between them, in historical and contemporary periods. In many parts of East Asia archaeological evidence is key to understanding early societies. This History of Art and Archaeology of East Asia MA programme therefore relates excavated materials to the history of art.

See Department of History of Art and Archaeology

Combine History of Art and Archaeology of East Asia with a language

This MA can also be pursued over a two-year period combined with intensive language study in Japanese or Korean.

Why study 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 History of Art and Archaeology department 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.
students can also select from modules in other departments, taking advantage of SOAS’s unrivalled expertise in the languages, history, religions and cultures of East Asia.
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 intake only

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:: One year (full-time). Two or three 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

Dr Pedith Chan Convenor

Q&A

Introducing modules in Chinese Ceramics

Dr Stacey Pierson is Senior Lecturer in Chinese Ceramics in the Department of the History of Art and Archaeology at SOAS. She is convenor of the modules 'Ceramics in Chinese Culture: 10th-18th Centuries' and 'Chinese Porcelain: Trade, Transfer and Reception', which can be studied on the MA History of Art and Archaeology of East Asia.

How did you become interested in Chinese ceramics?

As an undergraduate studying Art History and Biochemistry, I was introduced to the making of ceramics during an elective course and realized that I could combine my knowledge of art and science in this one subject area. I then visited the Percival David Collection in London and discovered that the finest ceramics were Chinese and so were all the glazes I prepared in my undergraduate class which was a revelation.

What does the module Ceramics in Chinese Culture involve?

This course examines Chinese ceramics made from the 10th to the 18th century and is based on the world-famous Percival David Collection in the British Museum.

What kind of students will the module appeal to?

Anyone with an interest in ceramics and Chinese decorative art in general. Students who take this course come from a wide range of backgrounds but most have an interest in developing their connoisseurship knowledge.

What facilities are available?

The course is taught both in class and in the Percival David Gallery at the British Museum. A ceramics-handling collection, which includes sherds, is also used for teaching.

What is special about the course at SOAS?

This course is unique and a version of it has been taught at SOAS since the Percival David Foundation museum opened at SOAS in the 1950s. No other course in the world is based on this famous collection and very few universities teach the subject of Chinese ceramics as part of an MA degree in History of Art.

What do students do after graduating?

Many students have gone on to become auction house specialists, some have become curators in museums or for private collections and others have become academics or researchers.

Can you recommend a good book to read on Chinese ceramics?

My book published by the V&A is a good introduction: Stacey Pierson, Chinese Ceramics: a Design History, London, 2009.

What is the most important piece of advice you’d give to a student considering a career in Chinese ceramics?

Learn how to make ceramics and learn the language. Chinese ceramics can be appreciated without either of these skills but true understanding can only be achieved with them.

Structure

Students must complete 180 credits in total. 120 credits must be from MA taught modules and 60 credits are from the compulsory Dissertation.

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.

Programme

Dissertation

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

Taught Component

Guided Options

Students choose:

15 credits from List A: China
15 credits from List B: Japan and Korea
15 credits from List C: Trans-regional
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 List of Options from other Departments listed below

List of modules (subject to availability)

List A: China

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
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
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
Curating Cultures Cohort A	15PARH079	15	Term 1
Curating Cultures Cohort B	15PARH088	15	Term 2

List D: Other Options in History of Art & Archaeology

Module	Code	Credits	Term
Arab Painting	15PARH054	15	Term 1
Arts of the Tamil Temple	15PARH101	15	Term 2
Asia and Africa On Display	15PARH043	15	Term 1
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
Modern and Contemporary Arts in Africa	15PARH048	15	Term 2
Islamic Visual Culture	15PARH065	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
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

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
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
Trajectories of Modernity in Korean Literature and Film (PG)	15PJKH006	15	Term 1

Programme Specification

MA History of Art and Archaeology of East Asia Programme Specification 2020/21 (pdf; 179kb)

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, assessment is primarily by course work and a range of assessment methods are employed. These usually consist of short essays, reports, presentations, annotated bibliographies, journal entries or a combination thereof. Some modules will also be assessed by unseen examination in the form of a slide test. For details on how modules are assessed, consult the individual module page on the SOAS website. Additionally, for each HAA degree pathway, 60 credits (of 180) are assigned to a dissertation which consists of three assessed components: one 300-word summary of the research project (worth 5%), one 700-word annotated bibliography (worth 9%) and a dissertation of 9,000-10,000 words (worth 86%).

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 2021/22 entrants, per academic year (Band 3 tuition fee)

Full-time		Part-time 2 Years		Part-time 3 Years		Part-time 4 Years Intensive Language only
UK Students	Overseas Students	UK Students	Overseas Students	UK Students	Overseas Students	UK Students	Overseas Students
£11,520	£22,500	£5,760	£11,250	£3,840	£7,500	£5,760	£11,250

Fees go up each year, therefore, your tuition fee in your second and subsequent years of study will be higher.

Our continuing students, on the same degree programme, are protected from annual increases higher than 5%.

Full details of postgraduate tuition fees can be found on the postgraduate tuition fees page.

Scholarships

Felix Non- Indian Scholarship

Application Deadline: 2021-01-29 00:00