Degree Profile

The MA Korean Studies (Literature Pathway) aims to:

• provide extensive, critical knowledge of pre-modern and modern Korean literary traditions;
• develop advanced competency in reading and understanding literary works in Korean, and literary translation skills into English;
• develop advanced skills in research, analysis, and critical method in the study of Korean literature, with consideration to socio-historical context and comparative approaches;
• serve as a foundation for students who wish to pursue further research or work in the fields of literary translation, writing and publishing.

The programme suits anyone interested in the literary cultures of Korea, as well as students of literature with no prior knowledge of Korean literature who are looking for new areas of inquiry.

Incoming students will be expected to have completed at least the equivalent of two years of undergraduate Korean language study.

The programme will benefit anyone wishing to pursue a research degree (MPhil/PhD) afterwards. It also provides a solid basis for anyone wishing to pursue a career in literary translation or publishing.

Please note that to be considered for the MA Korean Studies (Literature pathway) programme you will need apply for MA Korean Studies and select the relevant literature modules at enrolment.

Venue: Russell Square: College Buildings

Start of programme: September

Mode of Attendance: Full-time or Part-time

Students take 180 credits, 60 of which are a dissertation, 30 credits of core modules, 30 credits of compulsory modules, and the remaining 30 credits can be from the list of optional modules.

All modules are subject to availability.

Programme Specification

• MA Korean Studies (Literature Pathway) - Programme Specifications 2018/19 (pdf; 170kb)

Important notice

Teaching & Learning

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

Learning Outcomes

Knowledge

• Students will acquire a comprehensive understanding of Korea’s past and present, within the parameters of the modules chosen.
• Students will acquire an advanced understanding of the theoretical and methodological tools of the relevant disciplines. Students who choose to take language will improve their knowledge of and ability to use Korean in their everyday life and, depending on the level achieved, professional career.

Intellectual (thinking) skills

• Students will learn how to assess data and evidence critically from a variety of sources and how to resolve problems of conflicting sources and conflicting interpretations.
• Students will learn the strengths and disciplines of particular disciplinary and theoretical approaches, cultivating their ability to draw on a variety of such approaches.
• Students will learn how to design and manage an independent research project, formulating the problem to be addressed, identifying the data to be analyzed, and synthesizing the findings to present well-supported conclusions.

Subject-based practical skills

• Students will learn how to read critically, to participate effectively in seminar discussions, and to present their work in both oral and written form.
• More specific skills will depend on the particular modules taken.

Transferrable skills

• Students will learn how to access and evaluate electronic and other data effectively and efficiently.
• Students will learn how to solve complex problems, for example concerning economic development, historical causation, literary interpretation, or political decision-making.
• Students will learn how to communicate effectively in a variety of settings and formats

A postgraduate degree in MA Korean Studies (Literature Pathway) from SOAS provides students with 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, history, cinema, politics, economics or law. Graduates of this programme will develop their ability to engage with and explore relationships between indigenous aesthetics of the region and contemporary literary theories. Some graduates leave SOAS to pursue careers directly related to their study area, while others have made use of the intellectual training for involvement in analysing and solving many of the problems that contemporary societies now face.  

Postgraduate students gain linguistic and cultural expertise enabling them to continue in the field of research or to seek professional and management careers in the 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 in Korean Literature 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.