Languages and Cultures of South Asia

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This degree provides a coherent combination of courses in South Asian languages and their associated literatures and cultures; it leads to an advanced level of understanding of one aspect of South Asian civilization, together with a broader appreciation of the linguistic and literary culture of the subcontinent.

The Directed Readings courses, available in several modern languages, have a flexible curriculum which allows them to accommodate the interests of individual students or groups of students. The MA will provide, inter alia, an appropriate training for students wishing to proceed to postgraduate research in South Asian studies; its focus on South Asian language, culture and literature distinguishes it from the interdisciplinary perspective of the MA in South Asian Area Studies on the one hand and the MA in Comparative Literature on the other.

Students take three taught courses, one of which is considered a major, and complete a 10,000 word dissertation related to the major.

Candidates who wish to take a language at other than introductory level will be assessed at the start of the term to determine the most appropriate level of study.

Part-time students (two years) will take two courses in the first year (normally their Minors) and the Major and dissertation in the second year; part-time students (three years) take one course per year, and their dissertation in the third year.

Choosing the Courses Applicants are asked to specify their preferred major subject and to give an alternative, as not all courses are available every year and practical considerations such as timetabling may limit choices.

Once enrolled, students have two weeks to finalise their choice of subjects, during which time they may sample different subjects through attending lectures etc.

Students must take TWO courses from List A of which one must be the major and ONE language course from List B.

LIST A Majors or Minors * Literatures of South Asia - 15PSAC284 (1 Unit) - Full Year
* Modern Bengal: the Evolution of Bengali Culture and Society from 1690 to the Present Day (MA) - 15PSAC289 (1 Unit) - Full Year - Not Running 2012/2013
* Directed Readings in the Literature of a Modern South Asian Language - 15PSAC016 (1 Unit) - Full Year
* Sanskrit Literature - 15PSAC003 (1 Unit) - Full Year
* Sanskrit Texts from the Hindu Tradition - 15PSAC014 (1 Unit) - Full Year - Not Running 2012/2013
* Culture and Conflict in the Himalaya - 15PSAC291 (1 Unit) - Full Year
* The Politics of Culture in Contemporary South Asia - 15PSAC314 (1 Unit) - Full Year
* Buddhist Meditation in India and Tibet - 15PSRC172 (1 Unit) - Full Year
* The Origins and Development of Yoga in Ancient India - 15PSRC173 (1 Unit) - Full Year

This course is available as a minor only * South Asian Cinema and the Diaspora (MA) - 15PSAH009 (0.5 Unit) - Term 1

Majors together/ Minors individually These courses can be considered as majors only if both half-unit courses are taken together. Separately they will be considered as minors.

* Indian Cinema: Its History and Social Context - 15PSAH001 (0.5 Unit) - Term 1 - Not Running 2012/2013
* Indian Cinema: Key Issues - 15PSAH002 (0.5 Unit) - Term 1 - Not Running 2012/2013

Majors together/ Minors individually These courses can be considered as majors only if both half-unit courses are taken together. Separately they will be considered as minors.

* Literature & Colonialism in North India (Masters) - 15PSAH005 (0.5 Unit) - Term 1
* Narratives of Mobility in Contemporary Hindi Literature (Masters) - 15PSAH006 (0.5 Unit) - Term 1

LIST B Minors only * Bengali Language 1 (Postgraduate) - 15PSAC303 (1 Unit) - Full Year
* Bengali Language 2 (Postgraduate) - 15PSAC304 (1 Unit) - Full Year
* Hindi Language 1 (Postgraduate) - 15PSAC295 (1 Unit) - Full Year
* Hindi Language 2 (Postgraduate) - 15PSAC296 (1 Unit) - Full Year
* Hindi Language 3 (Postgraduate) - 15PSAC297 (1 Unit) - Full Year
* Hindi Language 4 (Postgraduate) - 15PSAC308 (1 Unit) - Full Year
* Readings in Contemporary Hindi (Postgraduate) - 15PSAC305 (1 Unit) - Full Year
* Nepali Language 1 (Postgraduate) - 15PSAC298 (1 Unit) - Full Year
* Nepali Language 2 (Postgraduate) - 15PSAC299 (1 Unit) - Full Year
* Basic Pali - 155900948 (1 Unit) - Full Year
* Pali: Intermediate Level - 15PSRC053 (1 Unit) - Full Year - Not Running 2012/2013
* Prakrit Language 1 (Postgraduate) - 15PSAC309 (1 Unit) - Full Year
* Sanskrit Language 1 (Postgraduate) - 15PSAC294 (1 Unit) - Full Year
* Sanskrit Language 2 (Postgraduate) - 15PSAC306 (1 Unit) - Full Year
* Sinhala Language 1 (Postgraduate) - 15PSAC310 (1 Unit) - Full Year - Not Running 2012/2013
* Sinhala Language 2 (Postgraduate) - 15PSAC307 (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
* Urdu Language 2 (Postgraduate) - 15PSAC301 (1 Unit) - Full Year
* Urdu Literacy (Postgraduate) - 15PSAC302 (1 Unit) - Full Year
* Elementary Written Persian - 15PNMC387 (1 Unit) - Full Year
* Persian Language 2 - 155900801 (1 Unit) - Full Year
* Persian Language 3 - 155900802 (1 Unit) - Full Year

Minimum upper second class honours or equivalentEnglish 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)