Undergraduate Non-language open option modules available 2022-23
The following list of modules are available in principle as open options at undergraduate level. Follow the link(s) below for full details of whether the module is running/not running and information on pre-requisites (if any) that are needed to take the module. Some modules will need the permission of the module convenor. Please ensure that you have this permission before choosing the module. This is normally requested through email. Some modules will have a limit on numbers.
Content:
- Africa
- Anthropology and Sociology
- School of Arts
- History of Art and Archaeology
- Centre for International Studies and Diplomacy
- China and Inner Asia
- Development Studies
- Economics
- History
- Japan and Korea
- Law
- Linguistics
- Music
- Near and Middle East
- Politics and International Studies
- Religions and Philosophies
- School of Finance and Management (SFM)
- South Asia
- South East Asia
- Academic Summer School
Africa
Year 1 modules
Year 2 modules
- Cultural Approaches to Health, Climate Change and the Environment 155900947
- Perspectives on African experience 155900933
- Understanding Texts 152900123
Year 2/3 modules
- Contemporary African literature 155900839
- Screen Cultures 155901317
- Perspectives on African experience 155900933
- Language, Identity and Society in Africa 155900867
- Literatures of Love, Loss and Desire 155901277
Anthropology and Sociology
Year 1
Year 1/2
- Social Theory, Reform and Revolution in an Age of Extremes 155901490
- World Social Theory: Imagining Society from 500BCE to 1900 155901489
Year 2/3
- Migration, Borders and Space: Decolonial Approaches 151802052
- Anthropology and Climate Change 151802087
- Anthropology of "Race", Gender and Desire 151802088
- Anthropology Through History 155901512
- Theory in Anthropology 155901513
- Anthropology of Economic Life 155901514
- Regional Perspectives in Anthropology (I) 155901515
- Regional Perspectives in Anthropology (II) 155901516
Year 3
Year 4
School of Arts
Year 1 modules
Year 2/3 modules
- Curating Global Arts 158100004
- Key Concepts in Cultural Theory 158100002
- Film Festivals and Film Curating 155902002
- Music in Africa: Critical Listening - The Mande World 155800096
Year 2/3/4 modules
Year 3 modules
Centre for English Studies
Year 2 modules
- Please check directly with Departrment for options available
Year 3 modules
- Please check directly with Departrment for options available
Centre for Media and Film Studies
Year 1 modules
- Please check directly with Departrment for options available
Year 2/3 modules
History of Art and Archaeology
Year 1 modules
- Global Arts: decentering modernity (1800 on) 158100027
- Spaces of Art 158100031
- Theories of Art 158100032
- Building Heritage: architecture, cities, landscape 158100023
Year 2 modules
Year 2/3 modules
Year 2/3/4 modules
Centre for International Studies and Diplomacy
Year 1/2 modules
- Please check with Department directly for options available
Year 2/3 modules
- Please check with Department directly for options available
China and Inner Asia
Year 1 modules
Year 2 modules
Year 2/3 or 4 modules
- Culture and Society of Taiwan 155903020
- Literature, Politics and National Identity in Modern China 155903017
- Myths, Legends and Folkways of East Asia 155901460
- Chinese Cinema (UG) 155901474
- East Asian Imperialisms 155901481
- Gender in East Asian Literature (UG) 155901482
School of Finance and Management (SFM)
Please note:
- SFM open options are NOT available to First year students, they are only available for selection by Returning students in April. Availability of modules is explained in the header of each section below.
- When selecting 15-credit open options, the number of modules taken in each term would be expected to remain equal
- The number in brackets following the module name indicates the number of credits for that module- (15) or (30) credits
Available as an open option to year 2 students
- Introduction to Accounting 151030001 (15)
- Introduction To Business In China 151030051 (15)
- Introduction To Business In Japan & Korea 151030052 (15)
- Introduction To Business In Mena 151030053 (15)
- Management Accounting 2 151030007 (15) - Requirements 151030001 & 151030002
- Principles and Management of Marketing 151030004 (15)
- Quantitative and Analytical Techniques for Managers 151030005 (15)
- Financial Accounting 1 151030002 (15) Requirement - 151030001
- Organisational Behaviour 151030025 (15)
- Principles of Management 151030026 (30)
- Business Ethics and Corporate Social Responsibility 151030027 (30)
- International Business Strategy 151030008 (15)
- International Marketing 151030050 (15)
- Managerial Economics 151030009 (15)
- Qualitative and Case Study Research 151030011 (15)
Available as open options to year 3/ final year students
- Financial Strategy 151030012 (15) - Please contact the Module Convenor to ensure you have the correct pre-requisite knowledge
- Finance in East Asia 151030013 (15) Pre-requisite 151030012
- International marketing 151030050 (15)
- Consumer Behaviour 151030049 (15)
- Corporate Governance 151030017 (15)
- International Human Resource Management 151030018 (15)
- Contemporary Issues In The Japanese And Korean Economies 151030020 (15)
- Finance In The Middle East And North Africa 151030022 (15) Pre-requisite 151030012
Development Studies
Priority will be given to Development Studies students
Year 1 modules
- Introduction to Global Development 151010001
- Introduction to Political Economy of Development 151010048
Year 2 modules
Year 3 modules
- Issues in Gender and Development 151010021
- Issues in Cities and Development 151010052
- Development Studies Immersion Programme 151010053
Economics
Students from departments other than Economics wishing to take more advanced year 2 or year 3 modules in Economics as their open option modules, MUST consult the module convenor of their chosen open option PRIOR to signing up for this module on the precise level and type of prior economics knowledge is required. This can vary between modules, depending on a number of factors, such as whether these are general theory modules, specialised regional development modules, modules with a strong microeconomic or strong macroeconomic contents, and/or largely applied empirical modules. Please note that it in the students' own best interest to consult module convenors in this regard prior to signing up for any more advance Economic open options in order to ensure their successful completion of their open option modules.
Year 1 modules
Year 1/2 modules
- Elementary Statistics 155901496
- Introductory Mathematics for Economists I 155901497
- Introductory Mathematics for Economists II 155901502
- Statistics 155901500
Year 2 modules
- Banking and Finance 155901493
- Development Economics 155901501
- Econometrics 153400103
- Global financial Markets 155901499
- International Trade and Investment 155901498
Year 2/3 modules
Year 3 modules
- China and World Development 153401003 *
- Economic Development in the Asia Pacific Region 153400133
- Economic development of Africa (UG) 153401016
- Professional placement in Economics 155901503
- The Economics of the Environment 153400136
- Applied Econometrics 155901492
* requires module convenor’s approval
History
Year 1 modules
- H102 World histories: the view from Africa and Asia 154800293
- H110 Introduction to the History of Africa 154800228
- H120 The Confucian World 154800229
- H130 Introduction to the History of the Near and Middle East 154800230
- H140 Introduction to the History of South Asia 154800231
- H150 Introduction to the History of Modern East and Southeast Asia 154800323
- H160 The Middle East in the Modern World 154800324
- H103 Colonial Curricula: Empire and Education at SOAS and Beyond 155906741
Year 2 modules
Year 2/3 modules
Second and third year students may take one of the following intermediate modules (subject to the approval of the module convenor and the module running).
- H211 Cities in History 154800301
- H213 Gender in History 154800303
- H214 Violence in History 154800304
- H270 Culture and Society in African History, 1900 to the present 154800244
- H343 Reform, Resistance and Revolution: the Ottoman Empire 1876-1909 (I) 154800197
- H293 Empire and Globalisation in the early modern Muslim world 154800313
- H299 Islam in China 154800327
- H235 Nationalism and Identity in South Asia 154800321
- H236 State and Society in Mughal India 154800286
- H248 Rethinking Middle East History 154800328
- H250 The Red Sea World: Reimagining Space 154800326
Year 3 modules
Advanced modules can only be taken if the student has taken a relevant introductory or intermediate module.
- H337 Histories of Partition: India and Pakistan 1947 (I) 154800282
- H382 Opium and Empires: Eastern Asia's Narcotic Trade and Culture in Global Context 154800294
- H380 South African Apartheid: Origins, Experience and Aftermath 154800325
Japan and Korea
Year 1/2 modules
Year 2 modules
Year 2/3 modules
- East Asian Imperialisms 155901481
- Gender in East Asian Literature (UG) 155901482
- Fieldwork methods in language and culture 155901417
- Trajectories of Modernity in Korean Literature and Film 155901390
- Culture and Society in Traditional Korea 155901431
Year 3/4 modules
- The other Korea: North Korea since 1945 155901356
- J400: Advanced Japanese 155901470
- J401: Japanese-English Translation 155901471
- K401: Korean-English Translation 155901414
- Trajectories of Modernity in Korean Literature and Film 155901390
- Myths, Legends and Folkways of East Asia 155901460
- Japanese Traditional Drama 155901422
Year 4 modules
Law
Year 1 modules
Law modules are not available to first-year ​students on non-Law programmes
Year 2 modules
Year 2/3 modules
- Islamic Law 155200037
- Public International Law 155200083
- Law and Justice in Contemporary China 155200096
Year 3 modules
- Law and Society in South Asia 155200032
- Law and Society in Africa 155200033
- Law and the Atlantic Slave Trade, Slavery, and Post-Slavery 155200097
Linguistics
Year 1 modules
- Please check with Department directly for options available
Year 2 modules
Year 2/3 modules
- Introduction to Translation Theory 152900113
- Language, Society and Communication 152900083
- Literatures of Love, Loss and Desire 155901277
Music
Year 1 modules
- Decolonising Pop: K-Pop and Beyond 155800089
- Performance 1b: ensembles 155800062
- Sounds and Cultures 155800071
Year 2 modules
Year 2/3 modules
- Global Hip-Hop 155800084
- The Music Business 155800053
- The World of Cuban Music 155800058
- Music of the Jews of Arab Lands 155800074
- Song, Voice, and Body in Indian Music 155800093
Year 3 modules
Year 4 modules
Near and Middle East
Year 1/2 modules
Year 2 modules
- From Palestine to Israel 155905009
- Beyond Regions: Cultures in the Diaspora 155906706
- Cultures of Africa, the Middle East, South and South East Asia II: Selected Topics 155900947
Year 2/3 modules
Year 2/3/4 modules
- Contemporary Middle East Fiction A: Identity and Belonging 155906727
- Contemporary Middle East Fiction B: Race, Gender and Resistence 155906728
- Classical Ottoman Texts 155900744
- Classical Arabic A: Biography and History 155906745
- Classical Arabic B: Travel and Geography 155906746
- Zionism: Critical Perspectives (UG) 155905006
Year 3/4 modules
- Politics and Aesthetics in Modern Arabic Literature 155901382
- Cinemas of the Middle East and North Africa 1 155905000
- Cinemas of the Middle East and North Africa 2 155905001
- Jerusalem: A City in Conflict 155905003
- Reading Classical Arabic historians 155901334
- Social and Political Dimensions of Modern Arabic Literature (UG) 155906705
- Quran and Hadith Studies 155900734
Year 4 modules
- Independent Study Project in Languages and Cultures of Africa, the Middle East, South and South East Asia 155906739
- Culture Society and Politics in Classical Arabic Literature 155901373
- Arabic Womens' Writing 155901406
Politics and International Studies
Year 1 modules
- Introduction to Global History 153400084
- Introduction to International Relations 153400085
- Introduction to Political Theory 153400001
Year 2 modules
- Government and politics of China 153400071
- Political Parties and Elections 153400158
- Politics of development 153400042
- Politics of Nationalism 153400057
- Politics of the World Economy 153400083
- Religion and World Politics 153400162
- The state and politics in Africa 153400064
- Concepts in Political Theory 153400147
- War and the International 153400167
Year 2/3 modules
- Democracy and Authoritarianism in India and beyond 158000215
- Foreign Policy Analysis 158000212
- Government and Politics of China 153400071
- Government and Politics of the Middle East 153400060
- Government and Politics of Southeast Asia 153400170
- International Relations of Africa 153400090
- International Relations of East Asia 153400155
- International Relations of South Asia 153400082
- International Relations of the Middle East 153400081
- Politics of South Asia Beyond India 158000214
- Taiwan's International and Cross-Strait Relations 153400166
- Black Atlantic 153402007
Year 3 modules
- Conflict, Rights and Justice 153402006
- Critical Security Studies 153400148
- Decolonising World Politics 153402002
- Elections, Gender and Social Movements in Taiwan 153700149
- Environment and Climate Crisis 153400150
- Republicanism, empire and revolution 153400163
- Going Global: An Introduction to International Migration 153400088
- Politics of the "Miracle" Economies 153400159
Year 3/4 modules
Religions and Philosophies
Year 1
- Debates, Methods and Themes in World Philosophies 158000209
- Reading and Writing Philosophy 158000208
- Philosophy, Race, and Racism 158000207
- Introduction to Epistemology 158000210
Year 1/2
- Philosophies of Language 158000196
- Introduction to Logic, Critical Reasoning and Argumentation 158000193
- Metaphysics in Comparative Perspective 158000198
Year 2
Year 2/3
- Philosophies of Interpretation and Understanding 158000135
- Comparative Ethics 158000199
- Death and the Meaning of Life 158000172
- Islam in Britain 154800312
- Islamic Philosophy (year 3 only) 155901338
- R451 Jewish Identity from Ancient to Modern Times 158000168
- Japanese Buddhist Thought 154800315
- African Philosophy 155901397
- Buddhism in Chinese Culture 158000201
- Political Islam 158000216
- R471 Taoism: the Great Tradition 158000181
- R472 Classical Chinese Thought 158000103
- The Margins of Philosophy 158000116
- Ancient and Medieval Indian Philosophy 158000098
- R490 Zoroastrianism in the Ancient and Modern Worlds 158000029
- Indian Buddhist Philosophy 154800308
- The Holocaust and the Problem of Evil 158000156
- The Zoroastrian Flame 158000187
- Avestan 158000182
Year 3
Year 2/3/4
- Please check with Department directly for options available
South Asia
Year 1
Year 2 modules
Year 3/4 modules
- Please check with Department directly for options available
Year 4 modules
South East Asia
Year 1 modules
Year 2 modules
Year 2/3/4 modules
- Queer Cinema in Asia 155907000
- Cultural Studies of South and South East Asia 155907002
- Screen Cultures 155901317
- Literatures of Love, Loss and Desire 155901277
- War, Revolution and Independence in South East Asian Literatures in Translation 155901316
- English Literatures of South East Asia 155901410
Year 4 modules
Academic Summer School
For information please contact the Academic Summer School office (summerschool@soas.ac.uk).