Both theoretical and practical in orientation, this interdisciplinary degree gives insight into the varied forms of artistic expressions of Asia, Africa and the Middle East. With a contemporary focus, it enables both broad inter-regional understanding and specialisation on a specific area. An emphasis on analytical rigour combined with the development of practical skills equips students with transferable skills opening numerous career paths.

The BA Creative Arts programme will allow you to achieve:

1. Familiarity with the distinctive roles of art, music, film and literature within the cultural sector
2. Critical awareness of world art/world cultures/world heritage, with an emphasis on SOAS’s regional specialisms (Asia, Africa and the Middle East and their diasporas)
3. Regional breadth and depth, with the opportunity for area specializations
4. Rigorous interdisciplinary training in theory and critical inquiry
5. Synthesis of theory and practice with a curriculum emphasising professional application

Learn more about the programme by watching our Introduction to BA Creative Arts webinar.

Venue: Russell Square: College Buildings

Start of programme: October

Mode of Attendance: Full-time

Who is this programme for?:

This programme is designed for students wishing to develop a critical and theoretically informed approach to the arts and the cultural industries. Its approach is interdisciplinary and crosscultural, bringing together art historical, musical, film, and literary perspectives to explore the expressive arts of Asia, Africa and the Middle East and their diasporas. It deals with the creation, interpretation and consumption of various artforms, emphasising regional specifics.

Students will be introduced to a wide range of thematic and theoretical issues, and will have the opportunity to develop practical skills in radio, curating, film festivals and musical performance both within taught modules and assignments. The programme will provide them with a strong theoretical foundation with which to pursue a career in the cultural industries, or to pursue graduate study in these areas.

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 Specification

• BA Creative Arts Prog Spec 2019-20 (pdf; 204kb)

Important notice

Teaching & Learning

Learning Outcomes:

Taught across the departments of the School of Arts, the BA provides a unique opportunity to learn about current debates in global arts, combining ethnographic, art historical, film and literary-critical approaches. The BA will provide a solid foundation for careers and postgraduate study in art history, music, English, film, global creative and cultural industries, curating, and museology.

Knowledge

• Specialist knowledge of cross-cultural expressive arts of Asia, Africa or the Middle East and their diasporas
• A critical awareness of world art/world cultures/world heritage, with an emphasis on SOAS’s regional specialisms (Asia, Africa and the Middle East)
• A sound grounding in debates surrounding art history, music, film and literature as applied to transcultural contexts

Intellectual (thinking) skills

• Ability to define and undertake independent research on the expressive arts of Asia and Africa and their diasporas
• Ability to analyse case studies of specific works of art, film, music or literature

Transferrable skills

• Effective analytical and critical written skills
• Improved written communication in academic and other formats and media developed via a range of assessments
• Enhanced team working, organisational, project and time management skills developed particularly during the preparation of group projects and assignments in the practice-based modules

General statement on contact hours – undergraduate programmes

All full-time undergraduate programmes consist of 120 credits per year, in modules of 30 or 15 credits. They are taught over 10 or 20 weeks. 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 (see Approaches to teaching and learning at SOAS). Also included are class time, which may include lectures, seminars and other classes. Some subjects may have more class time than others – a typical example of this are language acquisition modules.

In the School of Arts, most undergraduate modules have a 2-hour lecture or 1-hour lecture and 1-hour seminar or a 2-hour seminar every week. Some, but not all, also have a 1-hour tutorial every week.

More information can be found on individual module pages.

The programme is ideal for students wishing to pursue a career in the arts/ cultural industries sectors with a focus on the arts and cultures of Asia, Africa and the Middle East and their diasporas. With its interdisciplinary focus, it will suit students interested in broadening their expertise across art history, music, film and literature. It will also provide an excellent foundation for students interested in pursuing graduate study concerned with the expressive cultures of Asia, Africa or the Middle East and their diasporas.