Pacific Asian Studies

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The region known as "Pacific Asia" can be defined in various ways, but the "core" countries are China, Japan, Korea and the ASEAN nations (Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand, Brunei, Vietnam, Laos, Myanmar and the Philippines). Together, they make up one of the most diverse and important regions in the world.
SOAS has more expertise in this part of the world than any other institution in Western Europe; indeed there are very few places anywhere in the world that can boast the same range of expertise.
This degree is a way of bringing together the large number of courses on Pacific Asia currently on offer in SOAS Masters programmes for Chinese Studies, Japanese Studies, South East Asian Studies, and Korean Studies.
The courses chosen must cover three of the four regions of China and Taiwan, Japan, Korea, Southeast Asia.

Teaching & Learning
Lectures and Seminars For most courses there is one 2-hour class each week. This may be an informal lecture followed by a discussion or student presentation. At Masters level there is particular emphasis on seminar work where students may be expected to make full-scale presentations for units they take.

Dissertation The 10,000-word dissertation on an approved topic linked with one of the taught courses.

Learning Resources SOAS Library is one of the world's most important academic libraries for the study of Africa, Asia and the Middle East, attracting scholars from all over the world. The Library houses over 1.2 million volumes, together with significant archival holdings, special collections and a growing network of electronic resources.

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

As a Regional Studies programme students will be expected to select their course from more than one discipline The two minor courses can be taken from the same discipline (but different to that of the major) or two different ones. The courses chosen must cover three of the four regions of China and Taiwan, Japan, Korea, Southeast Asia.

Anthropology (minor only) * Culture and Society of China - 15PANC089 (1 Unit) - Full Year
* Culture and Society of Japan - 15PANC086 (1 Unit) - Full Year
* Culture and Society of South East Asia - 15PANC088 (1 Unit) - Full Year
* Society and Culture in Taiwan - 15PCHH003 (0.5 Unit) - Term 1

Art and Archaeology * Ancient Chinese Civilisation - 15PARC026 (1 Unit) - Full Year
* Asia and Africa On Display: Objects, Exhibitions and Transculturism - 15PARH043 (0.5 Unit) - Term 2
* Ceramics in Chinese Culture: 10th - 18th Centuries - 15PARH046 (0.5 Unit) - Term 1
* Directed Readings in Art and Archaeology - 15PARH037 (0.5 Unit) - Full Year
* Popular Practice in the Edo Period Arts - 15PARH008 (0.5 Unit) - Term 2
* Shogunal Iconography in the Edo Period - 15PARH007 (0.5 Unit) - Term 1
* Art of monumental Southeast Asia - 15PARH049 (0.5 Unit) - Term 1
* Arts of contemporary and modern Southeast Asia - 15PARH050 (0.5 Unit) - Term 2

Cinema * Genders and Sexualities in South East Asian Film - 15PSEH011 (0.5 Unit) - Term 2 - Not Running 2012/2013
* Modern Chinese Film and Theatre (MA) - 15PCHH001 (0.5 Unit) - Term 2
* Modern Film from Taiwan and the Chinese Diaspora - 15PCHH002 (0.5 Unit) - Term 1
* Japanese Transnational Cinema: From Kurosawa to Asia Extreme and Studio Ghibli - 15PMSH017 (0.5 Unit) - Term 1
* Japanese Post-War Film Genres and the Avant-Garde - 15PMSH001 (0.5 Unit) - Term 2
* Post-crisis Thai Cinema (1997-2007) - 15PSEH008 (0.5 Unit) - Term 2 - Not Running 2012/2013
* (Post) Colonialism and Otherness in South East Asia on Screen - 15PSEH010 (0.5 Unit) - Term 2

Economics * The economic development of South East Asia - 15PECC004 (1 Unit) - Full Year

Available as a minor only * Economic development of modern Taiwan - 15PECH002 (0.5 Unit) - Term 2
* Economic problems and policies in modern China - 15PECC035 (1 Unit) - Full Year

Available as a major only * Economic dynamics of the Asia-Pacific region - 15PECC334 (1 Unit) - Full Year

History * Japanese Modernity I - 15PHIH013 (0.5 Unit) - Term 1
* Japanese Modernity II - 15PHIH014 (0.5 Unit) - Term 2
* Sex and Gender in the 20th Century: Contemporary Japan - 15PHIH010 (0.5 Unit) - Term 1 - Not Running 2012/2013
* Society and Politics in Late Colonial South East Asia - 15PHIC037 (1 Unit) - Full Year - Not Running 2012/2013
* The State and the Art: Photography and Nation Building in Burma - 15PHIH015 (0.5 Unit) - Term 1 - Not Running 2012/2013
* Histories of Ethnicity and Conflict in South East Asia I - Making States and Building Nations - 15PHIH011 (0.5 Unit) - Term 1
* Histories of Ethnicity and Conflict in South East Asia II - Non-National Perspectives - 15PHIH012 (0.5 Unit) - Term 2
* State and Culture in Mainland South East Asia in the Sixteenth to Nineteenth Centuries - 15PHIH016 (0.5 Unit) - Term 1 - Not Running 2012/2013
* World War II, Cold War, and the "War On Terror": the United States and South East Asia - 15PHIC059 (1 Unit) - Full Year

Language (one language option as a minor only) * Special Course in Chinese 1 - 155900828 (1 Unit) - Full Year
* Special Course in Chinese 2 - 155900829 (1 Unit) - Full Year
* Special Course in Chinese 3 - 155901097 (1 Unit) - Full Year
* Special Course in Chinese 4 - 155901144 (1 Unit) - Full Year
* Special course in Chinese: Reading Classical and Literary Chinese - 155901234 (1 Unit) - Full Year
* Elementary Spoken Hokkien (Minnanyu, Taiwanese) - 155901249 (1 Unit) - Full Year
* Elementary Korean - 155900842 (1 Unit) - Full Year
* Intermediate Korean - 155900843 (1 Unit) - Full Year
* Korean Advanced (Masters) - 15PEAC018 (1 Unit) - Full Year
* Basic Japanese 1 - 155900874 (1 Unit) - Full Year
* Basic Japanese 2 - 155900875 (1 Unit) - Full Year
* Intermediate Japanese 1 - 155901345 (1 Unit) - Full Year
* Intermediate Japanese 2 - 155901346 (1 Unit) - Full Year
* Intermediate Japanese 3 - 155901255 (1 Unit) - Full Year
* Burmese Language 1 - 155900910 (1 Unit) - Full Year
* Burmese Language 2 - 155900997 (1 Unit) - Full Year
* Indonesian Language 1 - 155900448 (1 Unit) - Full Year
* Indonesian Language 2 - 155901022 (1 Unit) - Full Year
* Indonesian Language 3 - 155901023 (1 Unit) - Full Year
* Indonesian Language 4 - 155901024 (1 Unit) - Full Year
* Vietnamese Language 1 - 155900704 (1 Unit) - Full Year
* Vietnamese Language 2 - 155900705 (1 Unit) - Full Year
* Thai Language 1 - 155901366 (1 Unit) - Full Year
* Thai Language 2 - 155901367 (1 Unit) - Full Year

Law * Modern Chinese law and human rights - 15PLAC139 (1 Unit) - Full Year
* Foundations of Chinese law - 15PLAC110 (1 Unit) - Full Year
* Chinese commercial law - 15PLAC106 (1 Unit) - Full Year
* Islamic law (MA/LLM) - 15PLAC121 (1 Unit) - Full Year
* Migration, gender and the law in South East Asia and beyond - 15PLAH023 (0.5 Unit) - Term 1

Literature Appropriate language skills are required.

Available as a minor only * Jawi and the Malay Manuscript Tradition (Masters) - 15PSEH006 (0.5 Unit) - Term 1 - Not Running 2012/2013

Literature No language requirement.

* The Urban/Rural Divide in South East Asian Literature - 15PSEH012 (0.5 Unit) - Term 1
* War, Revolution and Independence in South East Asia Literatures in Translation (Masters) - 15PSEH009 (0.5 Unit) - Term 1 - Not Running 2012/2013

Available as a minor only * Pre-Modern historical Texts of Java, Bali and the Malay World in English Translation (Masters) - 15PSEH007 (0.5 Unit) - Term 1 - Not Running 2012/2013

Music * Aspects of Music and Religion in South East Asia - 15PMUH017 (0.5 Unit) - Term 2 - Not Running 2012/2013

Available as a minor only * Pop and Politics in East Asia (Masters) - 15PMUH014 (0.5 Unit) - Term 1
* Musical Traditions of East Asia (Masters) - 15PMUH016 (0.5 Unit) - Term 2

Politics * State and society in the Chinese political process - 15PPOC012 (1 Unit) - Full Year
* China and international politics - 15PPOC018 (1 Unit) - Full Year
* International politics of East Asia - 15PPOC251 (1 Unit) - Full Year
* Government and politics of modern South East Asia - 15PPOC247 (1 Unit) - Full Year
* Taiwan's politics and cross-strait relations - 15PPOC252 (1 Unit) - Full Year
* Northeast Asian politics: Japan, Korea and Taiwan - 15PPOC253 (1 Unit) - Full Year

Minimum upper second class honours (or equivalent)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.

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)