Asian Politics

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Containing 60 percent of the worlds population, Asia is the setting for many of the most important political issues in the world today. These issues include the rise of China and India, economic dynamism of the Asian-Pacific area, regional integration (ASEAN, SAARC, Shanghai Cooperation Organization), security hotspots (Korean Peninsula, Taiwan Straits, India-Pakistan, the global war on terror), democratic transition and consolidation, the survival of non-democratic regimes, and identity conflicts of ethnicity, religion and language.

To understand these and other political processes, this MSc programme draws upon the concepts and methods of the sub-disciplines of comparative politics (political sociology and political economy) and international relations. The evidence from Asia will also reveal the relevance and limitations of the concepts and methods derived from North American/European settings and suggest ways in which they may be modified. The expertise available in the Department enables students to concentrate on one of the sub-regions of Asia, (East Asia. South Asia, Southeast Asia and Central Asia) should they choose to do so. Alternatively, they may follow a more comparative approach by selecting a mixture of units covering different sub-regions.

Students take taught courses to the value of 3 full units + dissertation:

1. ONE unit from A (compulsory);
2-3. TWO units from B, C or D;
4. Dissertation on some aspect of Asian Politics (compulsory).

Nb. Students on this programme may only take ONE China-focused unit: 15PPOC012, 15PPOC018 OR 15PPOC252 A. ONE of the following Regional Politics Courses: * Government and politics of modern South Asia - 15PPOC003 (1 Unit) - Full Year
* Government and politics of modern South East Asia - 15PPOC247 (1 Unit) - Full Year
* State and Society in Central Asia and the Caucasus - 15PPOH022 (0.5 Unit) - Term 1
* Geopolitics and Security in Central Asia and the Caucasus - 15PPOH023 (0.5 Unit) - Term 2
* Northeast Asian politics: Japan, Korea and Taiwan - 15PPOC253 (1 Unit) - Full Year
* State and society in the Chinese political process - 15PPOC012 (1 Unit) - Full Year

B. ONE or TWO of the following Regional Politics Courses: * China and international politics - 15PPOC018 (1 Unit) - Full Year
* Taiwan's politics and cross-strait relations - 15PPOC252 (1 Unit) - Full Year
* International politics of East Asia - 15PPOC251 (1 Unit) - Full Year
* Pakistan: Politics, Law and Development - 15PPOC254 (1 Unit) - Full Year

C. ONE of the following Disciplinary Politics Courses: * State and development in Asia and Africa - 15PPOC017 (1 Unit) - Full Year
* State & society in Asia & Africa - 15PPOC008 (1 Unit) - Full Year
* Queer Politics in Asia, Africa and the Middle East - 15PPOH020 (0.5 Unit) - Term 1
* Comparative International Political Thought - 15PPOH021 (0.5 Unit) - Term 2
* Geopolitics: Space and Power - 15PPOH025 (0.5 Unit) - Term 2

D. ONE of the following Courses focussed on Asia in a Cognate Discipline: * Modern Chinese law and human rights - 15PLAC139 (1 Unit) - Full Year
* Culture and Conflict in the Himalaya - 15PSAC291 (1 Unit) - Full Year
* The economic development of South East Asia - 15PECC004 (1 Unit) - Full Year
* Economic problems and policies in modern China - 15PECC035 (1 Unit) - Full Year
* Islam in South Asia - 15PHIC042 (1 Unit) - Full Year
* Japanese Modernity I - 15PHIH013 (0.5 Unit) - Term 1
* Japanese Modernity II - 15PHIH014 (0.5 Unit) - Term 2

(Students wishing to take 15PHIH013 must also take 15PHIH014) Language courses: students should chose the language they wish to take from the list below. They should then make contact with the relevant Course Convenor during welcome week who will assess which level of course would be appropriate, and will advise re. changing course enrolments if necessary. * Elementary Spoken Cantonese (Postgraduate) - 15PCHC006 (1 Unit) - Full Year
* Elementary spoken Hokkien (Minnanyu, Taiwanese) (Postgraduate) - 15PCHC007 (1 Unit) - Full Year
* Special Course in Chinese 1 (Postgraduate) - 15PCHC008 (1 Unit) - Full Year
* Intensive Elementary Tibetan (Postgraduate) - 15PCHC018 (1 Unit) - Full Year
* Basic Japanese 1 (Postgraduate) - 15PJKC008 (1 Unit) - Full Year
* Elementary Korean (Postgraduate) - 15PJKC015 (1 Unit) - Full Year - Not Running 2012/2013
* Bengali Language 1 (Postgraduate) - 15PSAC303 (1 Unit) - Full Year
* Hindi Language 1 (Postgraduate) - 15PSAC295 (1 Unit) - Full Year
* Nepali Language 1 (Postgraduate) - 15PSAC298 (1 Unit) - Full Year
* Sinhala Language 1 (Postgraduate) - 15PSAC310 (1 Unit) - Full Year - Not Running 2012/2013
* Tamil Language 1 (Postgraduate) - 15PSAC311 (1 Unit) - Full Year - Not Running 2012/2013
* Urdu Language 1 (Postgraduate) - 15PSAC300 (1 Unit) - Full Year
* Burmese Language 1 (Postgraduate) - 15PSEC039 (1 Unit) - Full Year
* Indonesian Language 1 (Postgraduate) - 15PSEC032 (1 Unit) - Full Year
* Khmer (Cambodian) Language 1 (Postgraduate) - 15PSEC043 (1 Unit) - Full Year - Not Running 2012/2013
* Thai Language 1 (Postgraduate) - 15PSEC040 (1 Unit) - Full Year
* Vietnamese Language 1 (Postgraduate) - 15PSEC036 (1 Unit) - Full Year

E. Dissertation: This would focus on some aspect of Asian Politics.

* Dissertation in Political Studies - 15PPOC999 (1 Unit) - Full Year

The qualification for entry is normally a first or upper-second class honours degree (or equivalent) in Politics or International Relations, or a related social science discipline. Applicants without such a background may be considered for admission depending on their academic training and undergraduate performance.English language requirementsIn order to ensure that SOAS students have a sufficient standard of English to study effectively, we require overseas students to submit evidence, during the application process, of their current level of proficiency.Score for Unconditional Entry * IELTS: Overall 7+ with at least 7 in all sub scores * TOEFL: iBT105+ with at least 25 in all sub scores * Pearson Test of English - Academic: Score of 75 or above with at least 70 in all sub scores English Language Requirements IELTS band: 7 TOEFL iBT® test: 105 IMPORTANT NOTE: Since April 2014 the ETS tests (including TOEFL and TOEIC) are no longer accepted for Tier 4 visa applications to the United Kingdom. The university might still accept these tests to admit you to the university, but if you require a Tier 4 visa to enter the UK and begin your degree programme, these tests will not be sufficient to obtain your Visa. The IELTS test is most widely accepted by universities and is also accepted for Tier 4 visas to the UK- learn more.

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Scholarships and Bursaries

There are some scholarships and bursaries available for postgraduate students. These are very competitive and early application is advised.

· The Ahmad Mustafa Abu-Hakima Bursary (programme must include studying the history of the modern Arab world)

· AKS Postgraduate Bursary (in Korean Studies)

· Bernard Buckman Scholarship (MA Chinese Studies, for UK/EU fee paying students)

· The Canon Collins Scholarships at SOAS. There are two scholarships available available in 2013-14 for study at SOAS. These scholarships are for Masters study in any subject field. Open a national of and resident in one of the following countries:
Angola, Botswana, Lesotho, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, South Africa, Swaziland, Zambia, Zimbabwe. The application process normally opens in December and closes in February, for study commencing in September the following year. Please go to the Canon Collins website and click "Apply for A Scholarship" and then "Canon Collins Scholarship for Masters Study in the UK" for further information on how to apply.

· Commonwealth Shared Scholarship (for students from African Commonwealth countries)

· D.G.Hall Scholarship (Taught Masters programmes at SOAS, for applicants holding a Burma/Myanmar passport)

· Felix Scholarships (for Indian students)

· Ferguson Scholarships (for African nationals from an African Country)

· HSBC SOAS Scholarships (MA Sinology & MA Chinese Literature, for UK/EU fee paying students)

· Kamran Djam Scholarships (MA Iranian Studies)

· Professor Stuart Wilson Scholarship (MA South East Asian Studies)

· Standard Chartered Scholarships (for a range of full-time Taught Masters programmes. The programmes relate to Asia, Africa, and the Middle East/NorthAfrica)

· Tibawi Trust Awards (for Palestinian students currently enrolled in a programme at SOAS)

· SOAS Master's Scholarships - Faculty of Arts & Humanities - (for any full-time taught masters programme in the Faculty of Arts & Humanities)

· SOAS Master's Scholarships - Faculty of Language & Cultures (for the full-time MA Gender Studies, MA Postcolonial Studies, MA Linguistics, MA Applied Linguistics & Language Pedagogy, MA Language, Documentation and Description, MA Translation Theory and Practice (Asian and African Languages)

· SOAS Master's Scholarships- Faculty of Law and Social Sciences (for any full-time master's programmes in the Department of Development Studies, Economics, Law, Politics & International Studies and Financial & Management Studies)

· Tallow Chandlers and M. W Beer scholarship (MA) (MA Anthropology of Food, for UK/EU fee paying students)

· William Ross Murray Scholarship (LLM, for students from a developing country)