MA South East and Pacific Asian Studies

Dissertation in South East and Pacific Asian Studies.

This is a basic introductory language acquisition module for absolute beginners in the written and spoken language. The module covers several basic constructions of the language, enabling students to acquire basic skills in reading, writing, comprehension and speaking. At the end of this module, successful students will be able to function at Lower A1 of CEFR or Band 1 of HSK.

This module aims to introduce students more basic vocabulary and grammar points at beginner and elementary level. At the end of the semester, successful students are expected to be able to read and write simple texts and communicate on basic everyday topics and function at A1 of CEFR or Band 2 of HSK.

In this module, students will learn how to communicate in very simple Japanese on concrete and familiar everyday topics. Both spoken and written Japanese will be taught from the very first day. On completion of this module, students should be able to convey very simple information about themselves, their family and friends, their belongings etc., and ask questions about others. They will also learn to socialise with Japanese-speaking people in familiar everyday contexts. From the beginning, they will be exposed to Japanese cultures as reflected in various situations and expressions used therein.

In this module, students will learn how to communicate in simple, but structured Japanese on concrete and general everyday topics. Both spoken and written Japanese will be taught, including more Kanji characters than those covered at Japanese 1A. On completion of this module, students should be able to convey simple information about them with some elaboration when asked, and to continue the conversation by asking about others

Korean 1A is available to students on a wide variety of programmes across SOAS. This module aims to offer opportunities for students to acquire introductory/basic communicative knowledge and skills needed to participate in the target language community so that they can apply these in the context of their academic or professional needs, regardless of their degree programme. Successful students will gain the ability to read and write short simple texts, and communicate on simple everyday topics.

Korean 1B is available to students on a wide variety of programmes across SOAS. This module aims to offer opportunities for students to acquire introductory/basic communicative knowledge and skills needed to participate in the target language community so that they can apply these in the context of their academic or professional needs, regardless of their degree programme. Successful students will gain the ability to read and write short simple sentences consisting of past and future tense, and honorifics, and communicate on familiar topics concerning their everyday life.

This is a basic introductory language acquisition module for absolute beginners in the written and spoken language; students are not assumed to have any previous knowledge of the language. It covers several basic constructions of the language, enabling students to acquire basic skills in reading, writing, comprehension and speaking.

This module develops knowledge of several basic constructions of the language, enabling students to develop their skills in reading, writing, comprehension and speaking. Successful students will gain the ability to read and write simple texts, and communicate on everyday topics.

The module covers several basic constructions of the language, enabling students to acquire basic skills in reading, writing, comprehension and speaking. Emphasis will be placed on good pronunciation and on the social and linguistic conventions of everyday conversation.

This module develops knowledge of several basic constructions of the language, enabling students to develop their skills in reading, writing, comprehension and speaking. Emphasis will be placed on good pronunciation and on the social and linguistic conventions of everyday conversation.

This module develops knowledge of several basic constructions of the language, enabling students to develop their skills in reading, writing, comprehension and speaking. Successful students will gain the ability to read and write simple texts, and communicate on everyday topics.

This module develops knowledge of several basic constructions of the language, enabling students to develop their skills in reading, writing, comprehension and speaking. Successful students will gain the ability to read and write simple texts, and communicate on everyday topics.

The module covers several basic constructions of the language, enabling students to acquire basic skills in reading, writing, comprehension and speaking.

This module develops knowledge of several basic constructions of the language, enabling students to develop their skills in reading, writing, comprehension and speaking.

This module takes the Area Studies of Asia, Africa and the Middle East (AAME) as a field to be pulled into focus through the lens of the regions themselves. It achieves this through attending to questions of what the concept of area/region/nation connotes in the context of AAME and, in particular, how that concept has been mediated through the effects of colonialism and colonial forms of knowledge production. With the objective of decolonising Area Studies of AAME and of looking at its transformation both conceptually and in practice, the module brings to the fore key texts that have emerged from AAME and examines them from the perspective of geographical spaces that provide alternatives to Area Studies in the Western world.

This module introduces students to fundamental concepts and approaches in the study of the links between language and society. Using numerous examples, students will learn about the interplay of language with social factors such as class, gender, ethnicity and age, including how language varies and changes.

This module will examine the key issues pertaining to the representation of war, revolution and independence in a selection of literary works in English translation by South East Asian authors. The module will encourage the critical appreciation of literary works, which range from poetry to novels and short stories.

The module will examine key issues pertaining to the representation of genders and sexualities in a selection of films made by South East Asian filmmakers.

Special Theme (2024/25): The Cultural Politics of Chinese Food

We explore key themes in the anthropology of Chinese societies through the lens of food and its cultural politics. In China, food figures prominently in the formation and expression of cultural identities, majority-minority interactions, political power, gender, religious practice, and everyday social relations. Longstanding concerns about food security have increasingly given way to anxieties about food safety and dietary health and renewed interest in culinary tourism and heritage. Food also mediates the relationship between China and the world and shapes the experiences of Chinese in the diaspora. The course addresses current issues and debates surrounding food systems and food practices, as they pertain to Chinese societies and peoples. Topics covered include: food safety and social trust; the culture and politics of banqueting; cultural understandings of body, health and nutrition; food and urban space; food and diasporas; ethnicity and nationalism; meat production, consumption, and avoidance; and famine, memory and moral economies.

Art and Visual Culture of Modern and Contemporary China

This module addresses the development of Korean art and visual culture in the 20th and 21st centuries.

The material may address a particular theme or period and may assess art produced on the Korean peninsula – North and South - as well as that by the Korean diasporas in Asia, Europe and the USA. By placing local production of the arts within a wider understanding of key issues, such as modernity, nationalism, globalisation and gender, the development of a Korean visual aesthetic will be addressed.

The material examined may include paintings, sculpture, textiles and/or ceramics, produced in North and South Korea as well as by the Korean diaspora in addition to recent developments within the art world including the use of performance, installation and video art.

This module covers the period from the 5th century of the Common Era through to the collapse of the Yuan dynasty in the 14th century . It focusses primarily on the overland routes (Silk and Steppe) that connected China with Central Asia and also Northern India and Persia. Using both archaeological and textual materials, it examines the role of contact, interaction and exchange on the development of material culture (tombs, architecture, textiles, metalwork, ceramics, painting, sculpture, glass) in Central Asia and China.

This module aims to provide students with a broad knowledge base to understand Taiwan's culture and society. Because of its multifaceted cultural and ethnic mix and the complex colonial history, the module looks at Taiwan’s contemporary culture, unpicks the various dimensions of the complicated social change, and considers the colonial legacy and the impact of globalization. The focus of the module is placed on the highly contentious issue of identity politics of the post-war era. By exploring contemporary Taiwanese cultural change and social development, this course facilitates a solid understanding of the complexity of this place, offers an interesting reference point to think about China and Japan, and provides a better understanding of the greater East Asian society. Because most courses cover China, Japan and Korea, this module can connect the dotted line to form a more complete picture of East Asia.

This course provides an introduction to the post-1950 evolution of the main economies of the Asia-Pacific region (comprising Northeast and Southeast Asia). It looks at macroeconomic issues, with a particular focus on growth, trade and investment flows, and fluctuations in economic indicators since the middle of the 1990s.

This module addresses the historical emergence of the ‘Chinese nation’. It focuses on socio-cultural identity as well as the ideological frameworks which were employed by different political regimes to promote the concept of China as a modern nation state. It begins with an analysis of the changing relationship between the Han majority, the ruling Manchu elite and the other major ethnic groups forming the Qing empire (1644-1911). It subsequently examines the panoply of new intellectual currents at the turn of the twentieth century, and political responses to the volatile situation following the transition to the Republic of China. The module analyses the tension between socialist internationalism, modern nationalism and traditional Chinese values, while focusing on differing interpretations of ‘Chinese tradition’ during the early People’s Republic.

This module explores the interrelationship of gender and empire in China's early modern history. The term 'early modern' is an undefined concept in Chinese history, but our focus will be on the sixteenth to eighteenth centuries, straddling the transition from the Ming to Qing dynasties. This period saw significant territorial expansion by the Chinese state, a process we study through the lens of gender. This includes aspects such as the political appropriation of social customs by the state (the cult of chastity being a prime example), the social world of the patriarchal family, and the cultural realm of courtesans and male scholars. Linked to these areas of enquiry are questions about homoeroticism, non-normative gender expressions, transactions in people, and changing views on female suicide. Key themes we explore relate to how these different gendered experiences were intertwined with the history of state building and imperial expansion.

This module uses diverse legal, historical, anthropological and sociological literature to introduce the dynamic region of Southeast Asia to SOAS postgraduate students. We are guided by a law and society approach, which places an emphasis on empirical, interdisciplinary understandings of the historical and present-day Southeast Asian polities; their social, religious and legal regimes; and the ways they have interacted with one another. You are not required to possess any prior knowledge of legal studies or, indeed, of Southeast Asia. Your weekly classes will be led by experts in the field of Southeast Asian Studies, and you will be able to learn a great deal about the historical, social and legal dimensions of life across Southeast Asia.

This course examines the origins, characteristics and dynamics of the political systems of Northeast Asia (Japan, South Korea, Taiwan) and how they cope with the dilemmas of economic and social sustainability. This module will examine why the economic and social dilemmas of affluence” are particularly acute in Northeast Asia given their recent histories as miraculous economies (characterised by “growth with equity”). It will also reveal whether Northeast Asia is generating its own distinctive responses to these dilemmas.

This module explores religion in Japan in its historical context, focusing on topics that are relevant for a critical understanding of the role of religion in shaping Japanese culture, society and politics.

This module explores religion in Japan in its contemporary context, focusing on topics that are relevant for a critical understanding of the role of religion in shaping Japanese culture, society and politics.