Overview and entry requirements

The MA Taiwan Studies programme is the first postgraduate degree focussing on contemporary Taiwan in the English speaking world. It provides an unrivalled programme of advanced interdisciplinary courses on Taiwan’s politics, society and culture, film, rights and law, and languages. SOAS is the world’s leading centre for the study of Taiwan. Each year the Centre of Taiwan Studies runs a very vibrant series of academic events, film screenings, concerts and conferences that are designed to create a unique environment for the study of Taiwan. 

See China and Inner Asia Department

Why study Taiwan at SOAS

• SOAS is in the UK Top 10 in the 2021 QS World University Rankings for Modern Languages
• Taiwan occupies a critical geo-strategic position in the Asia-Pacific Region and the development of its relationship with Mainland China, as well as the countries of North East and South East Asia is already an important shaping influence on economic and political developments throughout the region. 
• Analysis of the development experience of contemporary Taiwan serves to highlight a unique, but transferable model of economic growth, social transformation and political modernisation.

Venue: Russell Square: College Buildings

Start of programme: September intake only

Mode of Attendance: Full-time or Part-time

Email: df2@soas.ac.uk

Introducing MA in Taiwan Studies

The SOAS MA in Taiwan Studies is the only postgraduate degree with a focus on Taiwan in any European or American university. Reader in Comparative Politics, Dr Dafydd Fell, explains why SOAS is recognised as the world’s leading institution for Taiwan Studies.

What does the course involve?

The SOAS MA programme in Taiwan Studies is the first postgraduate degree focusing on contemporary Taiwan in the English-speaking world. It provides an unrivalled programme of advanced interdisciplinary courses on Taiwan’s politics, society and culture, film, rights and law, and languages.

Over the year, students will learn about Taiwan through the lens of a range of academic disciplines and theoretical approaches. They will then develop their own dissertation research project on a specific aspect of Taiwan that they find especially interesting.

What makes this course popular?

SOAS has the widest range of postgraduate courses focused on Taiwan and these are generally courses not available at any other university.

SOAS has more Taiwan specialists than any other European or American university. The teaching team includes some of the world’s leading Taiwan Studies scholars and this means that there is a close link between their research and teaching. In our end of year surveys, students always comment on how passionate the teaching team is. 

SOAS is the world’s leading centre for the study of Taiwan. Its Centre of Taiwan Studies runs a very vibrant series of academic events, film screenings, and conferences that are designed to create a unique environment for the study of Taiwan. Each year the Centre hosts at least 50 academic events, many of which are closely related to the courses. This means that over the year students will meet many of the leading figures in the field of Taiwan Studies.

Students are also encouraged to join conferences to present their own research such as the European Association of Taiwan Studies or the SOAS Taiwan Studies Summer School. Students often comment on how this experience helped them to develop their dissertation research.

What facilities are available?

SOAS has one of the best library collections on Taiwan of any European or American university. For instance, in conjunction with the National Central Library in Taiwan it has established the Taiwan Resource Centre for Chinese Studies. This includes not only a wide selection of Chinese language books related to the Taiwan courses but also an extensive collection of Taiwanese films and documentaries. The Taiwan collections in the SOAS Archives are another unique feature.

Additional benefits?

One of the things that makes SOAS unique is the range of language courses available. In addition to Chinese and Japanese language classes, the students can take a year-long course in Hokkien (Taiwanese).  SOAS is the only university in Europe or America to offer such a course!

How does the course prepare students for employment?

The MA Taiwan Studies aims to show students how to understand Taiwan from a range of academic disciplines. The SOAS programme provides students with a portfolio of widely transferable skills, which employers seek, including analytical and critical skills; the ability to gather, assess and interpret data; a high level of cultural awareness; and problem-solving. We particularly focus on developing students’ communication skills over the year. Former students have often told me how valuable the experience of giving first class presentations and later public research talks was in their subsequent careers.

What do graduates go on to do?

Graduates from MA Taiwan Studies have gone on to work in a range of careers. One of the most common trends has been that students get inspired by their dissertation research to go on to do PhDs with a focus on Taiwan. Others have gone on to work in the media, civil service or in think-tanks. A large proportion of our graduates has gone on to work or study in East Asia, especially in Taiwan.

What qualities are you looking for in prospective students?

We are looking for students with a passion for studying Taiwan. Because our programme includes courses from a range of disciplines, so students on the programme tend to come from diverse academic backgrounds. When writing your support statement, I want to know how you became interested in Taiwan? What books about Taiwan have you enjoyed? What kind of topics might you look at in your dissertation research? We want to teach students that are as enthusiastic as we are about our topic.

Structure

Students take 180 credits, 60 of which are a dissertation and a 120 from taught modules. 

Students will take 30 credits of core modules and a further 30 credits from List A.   A further 60 credits can be selected from List B with a maximum of 30 credits in language. 

All modules are subject to availability.

Programme

Compulsory Modules - List A

All the modules listed below are compulsory.

Optional Modules - List B

Students can choose 30 - 60 credits from List B with a maximum of 30 credits in language module(s) or the central options list.

Anthropology and Sociology

Economics

History

Languages

Literature/Culture/Media

Music

Politics

Programme Specification

• MA Taiwan Studies Programme Specification (pdf; 232kb)

Important notice

Teaching & Learning

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.

Contact hours

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

Learning outcomes

Knowledge

• Students will learn how to assess data and evidence critically from manuscripts and digital sources, solve problems of conflicting sources and conflicting interpretations, locate materials, use research sources(particularly research library catalogues)and other relevant traditional sources.
• Student will be knowledgeable in  Aspects of Taiwan’s history, economics, political, education and legal systems, literature, visual and popular culture , and anthropology.

Intellectual (thinking) Skills

• Students should become precise and cautious and critical in their assessment of evidence.
• Students should question interpretations, however authoritative, and reassess evidence for themselves.
• Apply language learning skills to new situations to work out meanings in new oral or written texts.

Subject-based Practical skills

The programme aims to help students with the following practical skills:

• Communicate effectively in writing.
• Retrieve, sift and select information from a variety of sources.
• Present seminar papers.
• Listen and discuss ideas introduced during seminars.
• To work effectively within time restraints.
• Practice research techniques in a variety of specialized research libraries and institutes.

Transferable Skills

The programme will encourage students to:

• Write good essays and dissertations.
• Structure and communicate ideas effectively both orally and in writing.
• Understand unconventional ideas.
• Study a variety of written and digital materials, in libraries and research institutes of a kind they will not have used as undergraduates.
• Present (non-assessed) material orally.

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.

Tuition fees

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

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

For further details and information on external scholarships visit the Scholarships section

Employment

Graduates from the Department of East Asian Languages and Cultures develop competencies in intercultural awareness, analysis and communication. Demand for specialists with advanced proficiency in the languages of China, Japan and Korea has significantly increased in recent years, and graduates with these skills are highly sought after by employers.

Recent Department of East Asian Languages and Cultures graduates have been hired by organisations including:

• Accenture
• Amazon
• Bloomberg LP
• Department for Work and Pensions
• European Alliance for Human Rights in North Korea
• European Commission
• Google
• ITN
• Japanese Government
• Korea Trade Centre (KOTRA)
• KPMG
• Mizuho Bank
• Nagahama Board of Education
• Nanjing Museum
• Pinsent Masons LLP
• PwC
• Seoul Metropolitan Government
• Shelterbox
• UNDP

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