Undergraduate non-language open option modules 2022/23


Non-language open options
The following modules are available in principle as open options at undergraduate level. Follow the links 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.
Africa
Year 1 modules
- The Art of Storytelling (155901379)
- Screen Cultures (155901317)
- Africa in the World (155906743)
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
- Mind, Culture and Psychiatry (151802017)
- Medical Anthropology: An Introduction (155901519)
Year 4
- Anthropology Through History (155901512)
School of Arts
Year 2/3
- 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
- Art of the Islamic World: Objects in Context (158100015)
Year 3 modules
- Arts, Culture and Commodification: Themes in the Global Creative and Cultural Industries (158100001)
Centre for English Studies
Year 2
- Please check directly with department for options available
Year 3
- Please check directly with department for options available
Centre for Media and Film Studies
Year 1
- Please check directly with department for options available
Year 2/3
- Film Festivals and Film Curating (155902002)
History of Art and Archaeology
Year 2
- Theories of Art II (154900206)
- Decolonising the Arts (158100024)
Year 2/3
- Museums and Museology (154900178)
Year 2/3/4
- Arts of the African Diaspora (154900203)
Centre for International Studies and Diplomacy
Year 1/2
- Please check with department directly for options available
Year 2/3
- Please check with department directly for options available
China and Inner Asia
Year 1
- Myths, Legends and Folkways of East Asia (155901460)
Year 2
- Contemporary Chinese Society (155901478)
Year 2/3 or 4
- 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 (155901474)
- East Asian Imperialisms (155901481)
- Gender in East Asian Literature (155901482)
School of Finance and Management
Please note:
- School of Finance and Management 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 credits
- Introduction to Business In China (151030051) 15 credits
- Introduction to Business In Japan and Korea (151030052) 15 credits
- Introduction to Business In MENA (151030053) 15 credits
- Management Accounting 2 (151030007) 15 credits - Requirements Introduction to Accounting and Financial Accounting 1
- Principles and Management of Marketing (151030004) 15 credits
- Quantitative and Analytical Techniques for Managers (151030005) 15 credits
- Financial Accounting 1 (151030002) 15 credits Requirement Introduction to Accounting
- Organisational Behaviour (151030025) 15 credits
- Principles of Management (151030026) 30 credits
- Business Ethics and Corporate Social Responsibility (151030027) 30 credits
- International Business Strategy (151030008) 15 credits
- International Marketing (151030050) 15 credits
- Managerial Economics (151030009) 15 credits
- Qualitative and Case Study Research (151030011) 15 credits
Available as open options to year 3/ final year students
- Financial Strategy (151030012) 15 credits - Please contact the Module Convenor to ensure you have the correct pre-requisite knowledge
- Finance in East Asia (151030013) 15 credits Pre-requisite 151030012
- International marketing (151030050) 15 credits
- Consumer Behaviour (151030049) 15 credits
- Corporate Governance (151030017) 15 credits
- International Human Resource Management (151030018) 15 credits
- Contemporary Issues in the Japanese and Korean Economies (151030020) 15 credits
- Finance in the Middle East and North Africa (151030022) 15 credits Pre-requisite Financial Strategy
Development Studies
Priority will be given to Development Studies students
Year 1
- Introduction to Global Development (151010001)
- Introduction to Political Economy of Development (151010048)
Year 2
- Development from Below (151010022)
- The Working Poor and Labour (151010059)
Year 3
- 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
- Economic Principles (Micro) (155901495)
- Economic Principles (Macro) (155901494)
Year 1/2
- Elementary Statistics (155901496)
- Introductory Mathematics for Economists I (155901497)
- Introductory Mathematics for Economists II (155901502)
- Statistics 155901500
Year 2
- Banking and Finance (155901493)
- Development Economics (155901501)
- Econometrics (153400103)
- Global financial Markets (155901499)
- International Trade and Investment (155901498)
Year 2/3
- Macroeconomic Analysis (153400123)
- Microeconomic Analysis (153400130)
Year 3
- China and World Development (153401003 *)
- Economic Development in the Asia Pacific Region (153400133)
- Economic development of Africa (153401016)
- Professional placement in Economics (155901503)
- The Economics of the Environment (153400136)
- Applied Econometrics (155901492)
*requires module convenor’s approval
History
Year 1
- H102 World Histories: Global Encounters and Connectivities (154800293)
- H110 Introduction to the History of Africa (154800228)
- H120 The Confucian World (154800229)
- H130 Introduction to the Early History of the 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
- H201 Historical Research: Approaches and Methods (154800300)
Year 2/3
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
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
- Cool Japan: Manga, Anime, Sushi (155901416)
- K-Culture (155901441)
Year 2
- Contemporary Japanese Society (155901479)
- Contemporary Korean Society (155901480)
Year 2/3
- East Asian Imperialisms (155901481)
- Gender in East Asian Literature (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
- 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
- Culture and Society in Traditional Korea (155901431)
Law
Year 1
Law modules are not available to first-year students on non-Law programmes
Year 2
- Criminal Justice, Race and Rights (155800098)
Year 2/3
- Islamic Law (155200037)
- Public International Law (155200083)
- Law and Justice in Contemporary China (155200096)
Year 3
- 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
- Please check with Department directly for options available
Year 2
Year 2/3
- Introduction to Translation Theory (152900113)
- Language, Society and Communication (152900083)
- Literatures of Love, Loss and Desire (155901277)
Music
Year 1
- Decolonising Pop: K-Pop and Beyond (155800089)
- Performance 1b: ensembles (155800062)
- Sounds and Cultures (155800071)
Year 2
- Ethnomusicology: Themes and Variations (155800065)
Year 2/3
- 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
- Urban Soundscapes (155800083)
Year 4
- Song, Voice, and Body in Indian Music (155800093)
Near and Middle East
Year 1/2
- Introduction to Arabic Culture (155901205)
Year 2
- From Palestine to Israel (155905009)
- Beyond Regions: Cultures in the Diaspora (155906706)
- Cultural Approaches to Health, Climate Change and the Environment (155900947)
Year 2/3
- Classical Persian Poetry (155901372)
- Literatures of the Islamic Near and Middle East (155900991)
Year 2/3/4
- 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 (155905006)
Year 3/4
- 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 (155906705)
- Quran and Hadith Studies (155900734)
Year 4
- 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
- Introduction to Global History (153400084)
- Introduction to International Relations (153400085)
- Introduction to Political Theory (153400001)
Year 2
- 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
- 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
- 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
- Palestine/Israel and the International (153400087)
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
- Islam, Religion and Rationality (158000189)
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
- Middle Persian (158000183)
- Modern Indian Philosophy (158000192)
Year 2/3/4
- Please check with Department directly for options available
South Asia
Year 1
- The Art of Storytelling (155901379)
- Literatures of Love, Loss and Desire (155901277)
Year 2
Year 3/4
- Please check with Department directly for options available
Year 4
South East Asia
Year 1
- The Art of Storytelling (155901379)
Year 2
Year 2/3/4
- 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
- Independent Study Project in Languages and Cultures of Africa, the Middle East, South and South East Asia (155906739)
Academic Summer School
For information please contact the Academic Summer School office (email summerschool@soas.ac.uk).