MA South Asian Area Studies

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.

The dissertation is a core component of all Masters programmes at SOAS. The supervised dissertation research requires the ability to work independently on an original piece of research, to demonstrate familiarity with the relevant literature and present the resulting dissertation in a clear and organised format. The research and writing of the Masters dissertation is a crucial component of Research-based Masters training.? The dissertation has a 10,000 word limit and counts for 33% of the overall degree.

This is a course on culture in contemporary South Asia that highlights the multiple forms, languages, and avenues of cultural production; the relationship between local, national, and transnational/global domains; and the remix and reuse of older repertoires and forms in contemporary situations. During the first half of the term the course will introduce key elements of cultural theory and their application to South Asian contexts and materials and problematise the notion of national culture, while noting the ways in which nation-states in South Asia produce and broadcast particular cultural models. During the second half of the term the course will focus on challenges to and complications of these models through instances of cultural and political activism, changing concepts of 'legitimate language', and non-state media production.

This module will introduce students to postcolonial literary studies through two key conceptions of identity: race and gender. The module will engage with the contemporary postcolonial novel (to be updated yearly), as it engenders critical insight into race and racism, gender and sexual identity and their intersections. It will introduce students to the vocabulary of critical race and gender theories as well as intersectionality as part of the development of literary analytic and critical reading skills. At the end of the module, students will be proficient in literary analysis and have a familiarity with key concepts in postcolonial studies.

The mandala is one of the most intriguing artistic expressions of Asian art due to its wide adoption and continuous reinterpretation. Of multivalent symbolism and meaning in religious practice, mandalas occur in numerous forms, formats and functions. This module examines the meanings and uses of the Buddhist mandala in the history of Buddhist art and architecture in Asia.

The creation of sacred images and sacred spaces has been a major feature of the Hindu tradition for the last two thousand years. This module examines key themes and issues in the study of Hindu art and visual culture. The material discussed may include images, sculptures, paintings and/or prints from the early centuries CE through to the 14th century in South and/or Southeast Asia, and/or c.1500 to the present in South Asia. Central issues addressed include: anthropomorphism and the Hindu image; iconography, aesthetics and Hindu imagery; body, gender and Hindu images; narratives in sculpture and painting; materials, media and methods; image, ritual and performance; art and pilgrimage; the historiography of Hindu art. Class teaching will be complemented by visits to museum collections. Students will acquire not only a wide-ranging knowledge of approaches to Asian religious art in general, but also a deep understanding of the role of the visual arts in the Hindu tradition.

This module will introduce students to the growing field of world literature. It will broadly survey contemporary theoretical discussions in the field through two major entry points: language and translation and movement and identity.

This module offers a thorough grounding in the origins and development of Cultural Studies as a field, as well as an exploration of the various methodologies employed in the study of cultural production, the media, and the construction of every-day life. The works of key thinkers and practitioners in the field will be examined, alongside their use of critical lenses including identity, race, ideology, power, class, and representation, as well as questions of institutionalisation and disciplinarity. The module aims to test the applicability of these theories and approaches in the contexts of Africa, Asia and the Middle East, as well as diasporic situations.

This module aims to introduce students to the major debates and topics in the fields of Comparative Literature. It aims to develop critical understandings of the field and its place alongside other theoretical approaches to the study of literature.

This module will continue the work from Comparative Literature: Methodology and Critique, although it is its own free-standing module. In this term, the focus will be on the various cutting edges of the field. To accommodate this, the module will be updated every year, but example topics might include themes such as: decolonization, queer theory; intermediality; and digital humanities.

This module builds on the insights gained in Cultural Studies: Origins, Development, Methodologies, by focusing explicitly on the ongoing development of Cultural Studies as a field in specifically non-Western contexts. It investigates the evolution of the field's critical mission and its originary focus on the cultural distribution of power, and the ethical, moral and political questions raised by that focus. It does so by offering a series of key case studies drawing on cutting-edge work in, from and on the cultures of Asia, Africa and the Middle East, as well as their diasporas around the world, and invites students to work and learn collaboratively and experientially, putting their analytical insights to use in novel and ground-breaking ways.

This module explores in an interdisciplinary fashion theoretical interrogations of relationships of power, domination and resistance in the context of imperialism and colonialism in the modern period (late nineteenth-century to the present). A range of literary and filmic works from Africa, East Asia, the Middle East, South Asia, South East Asia, the Caribbean and diaspora will inform engagement with postcolonial theoretical texts relevant to the concepts underpinning colonial and decolonial representation and practice, such as empire, colony, nation, race, indigeneity, class, gender, sexuality, and the 'sublatern'. These will address the intersection between epistomology and structures and power, and how this is manifest in literary and cultural expressions, representations of colonialism and decolonisation, neo-colonialism, allowing us to explore the heterogeneous meanings, intersections and strategies of analysis that have emerged with reference to postcolonial studies.

This module addresses central themes in the postcolonial histories of South Asian societies. It aims to historicise pressing political, social and cultural issues in the region that shape the lives of ordinary people today. The module explores themes across South Asia, including the diaspora, and thus challenges the ways that national and regional boundaries have commonly shaped approaches to these histories. It addresses India and Pakistan’s ‘long’ Partition; ethnicity, language and region; labour migration and the diaspora; the creation of Bangladesh and the Indian Emergency; the rise of middling castes and classes; urbanisation; gender and community; caste, secularism and people’s movements. The module provides a fresh, innovative approach to thinking about the field as well as the critical tools for students to understand South Asian history in the present. It pays particular attention to cultural and social history and will be of interest to students from all disciplinary backgrounds.

This module explores historical and contemporary dimensions of the relationship between International Law and colonialism/ imperialism.

In the first part of the course, we will consider the historical mappings of the colonial endeavour within international law as well as theoretical debates concerning colonialism, post-colonialism and neo-colonialism. In the second half, we will focus on a variety of contemporary international law issues – e.g., statehood and recognition; self-determination of peoples; failed states; administration of territory; racialisation and capitalism; and reparations- in light of the historical and theoretical perspectives introduced in the earlier part of the term.

North Indian classical music is venerated the world over as a historically rich form of art music. This module examines the history and evolution of this music system and considers how it has navigated significant social and political changes over time. We will explore the aesthetics and intellectual traditions of Indian music and the cultural history of Mughal and colonial India. We will also debate the meaning of “classical” in a global context, and critically listen to the major genres and the leading artists of this music. This module is suitable for all levels of experience, and there is no requirement for you to have studied music before.

This module is primarily an advanced language use course (MA In Theory and Practice of Translation [Asia & Africa]), however, the study of the literary history of Iran and the development of Persian poetry complements the study of Persian culture and the cultural characteristics of the wider region of Near & Middle East and Asia (MA in Cultural Studies).

The module examines the early modern and contemporary reformulations of Islamic thought and practices in response to modern challenges (19th, 20th & 21st centuries). The module will begin by examining the nature of these challenges, and how modern Muslims responded to them. The module will identify the similarities and differences between the premodern and modern reformist movements throughout Muslim-majority societies, and how Muslims have reformulated foundational dimensions of Islamic jurisprudence and theology in their efforts to adapted to modern developments. The module will also examine?the main features and characteristics of the prominent trends in contemporary Islamic thought (Islamist, Salafi, Progressive and Neo-Traditionalist), highlighting similarities and differences between them in relation to how they engage with the authoritative texts (Qur’an & hadiths), as well as the diversity of expressions within these trends. The module will identify how these diverse modern reformulations and trends are based on criticisms of classical developments in Islamic thought and practices, and how they attempt to ‘reform’ (i?la?) these using different methodologies. The module will also emphasise how these modern reformulations invoke the classical Islamic legacy of renewal (tajdid) in different ways resulting in different modern understandings of ‘Islam’. The module aims to develop a theoretical foundation for understanding these modern Islamic trends, and this foundation underpins the subsequent examination of expressions of these trends in relation to particular themes in the module convened in term two: Modern Trends in Islam (ii): Manifestations.

This term 2 module builds on and follows from the term 1 module: Modern Trends in Islam (i): Foundations (Modern Trends in Islam (i): Foundations is a pre-requisite for the Modern Trends in Islam (ii): Manifestations). It examines how the diversity of reformulations in Islamic thought and practices by the different modern trends (Islamist, Salafi, Progressive and Neo-Traditional) are expressed with reference to different themes that are significant for contemporary Muslims (and non-Muslims). Building on the theoretical framework examined in the term 1 module, this term 2 module will examine in significant detail how modern Muslims develop different methodologies and theories that give rise to different responses to contemporary challenges. It will also explore that diversity of views within the trends themselves (i.e. diversity of views and methodologies within Salafism). Each week there will be an examination of how the different trends reformulate Islamic thought and practices in relation to the theme in question, but there will also be further focus on how a specific trend develop these reformulations (for example, concerning the theme of gender relations there will be an examination of how the different trends like Salafism, Neo-traditionalism and Islamism develop reformulations in Islamic jurisprudence in the lecture, but there will be focus on how Progressives develop different methodologies in response to the challenge of patriarchy in the lecture and tutorial). Students will be able to examine in detailed and evaluate the different trends within the framework of specific themes (themes like gender relations, violence and terrorism, democracy and human rights). The module will also examine the significance of neo-theological reformulations beyond the jurisprudential ones.

This is a course on culture in contemporary South Asia that highlights the multiple forms, languages, and avenues of cultural production; the relationship between local, national, and transnational/global domains; and the remix and reuse of older repertoires and forms in contemporary situations. During the first half of the term the course will introduce key elements of cultural theory and their application to South Asian contexts and materials and problematise the notion of national culture, while noting the ways in which nation-states in South Asia produce and broadcast particular cultural models. During the second half of the term the course will focus on challenges to and complications of these models through instances of cultural and political activism, changing concepts of 'legitimate language', and non-state media production.

The module will examine an array of examples and forms of resistance literature from South Asia, and may include anticolonial, Dalit, feminist and LGBTQ narratives, political satire and protest literatures, across both prose and poetry.

The course explores the transition of Indian Buddhist meditation practices to Tibet and the ways in which they found accommodation in their new geographic and cultural setting. It will commence with a study of issues at stake in the Great Debate of Lhasa and then proceed with an analysis of the advanced systems of meditation cultivated by the rDzogs chen communities.

This course focuses on the development of yoga techniques and philosophy within the brahmanical and tantric traditions of ancient and early medieval India. It will consider the iconographic evidence from the Indus Valley civilisation and the oft-repeated argument that yogic postures and symbols are found there.

This module is designed to provide students with an understanding of key theoretical approaches to the interpretation of yoga and meditation. It will focus on the study of experience, while exploring categories of the emic and the etic, which provide accounts of cultural behaviour and belief from the standpoint of the insider and the outsider respectively.

This module examines the relationship between philosophical thought and religious practice. It is often assumed, without due interrogation, that philosophical insight springs from religious experience, that religion possesses the capacity to construe cognitive gateways through which philosophical understanding emerges. Thus, on the one hand, the module seeks to establish the soteriological dynamics that shape the processes leading to philosophical insight. On the other hand, it explores the ways in which philosophical systems shaped religions practice. These two areas of investigation focus on the experience of the individual. Third, the module maps the interconnections between communal religious practice in ritual and philosophical theory. It sets out the processes and stages through which philosophical structures emerge as a result of collective religions experience.

The course offers an introduction to yoga and meditation in the context of the Jaina path of liberation. The historical roots of contemporary Jaina practices of asceticism and meditation will be explored with reference to their metaphysical and soteriological rational and institutionalisation in Jaina mendicant and lay traditions in India and the UK.

‘Buddhist Meditation in Ancient India’ constitutes one of four major modules that make up the MA Traditions of Yoga and Meditations. It explores the nature, application and interpretations of meditation practice from the 500 BCE to 500 CE. The module serves also a conceptual, typological and chronological link between yoga in the brahmanical traditions of Ancient India and the forms of yoga/meditation developed within in the Jaina tradition. Together, these three areas span the whole spectrum of the traditions of meditation and yoga in South Asia. Each of the three is crucial to achieve a comprehensive course of study of the subject. ‘Buddhist Meditation in India and Tibet’ sets out to provide a systematic account of the origins, features, phasing and roles of meditation techniques on the Buddhist path to liberation. Broadly speaking, it falls into three segments. (1) At first, the module explores the role of meditation on the early Buddhist path and maps its practices as described in the discourses of the historical Buddha. (2) It then identifies the doctrines and practices that connect the brahmanical and Buddhist schools of meditation leading up the beginning of the common era; (3) Finally, the modules turns to the meditation practices developed within the Mahayana traditions. Here, it discusses the considerable innovation in the application of meditation that we encounter in Mahayana sources and sketches their relationship to early Buddhism. Together, these three segments provide robust preparation to allow us to understand contemporary meditation practices and their roles in society.

This module is designed to map the role and application of Buddhist meditation practices in modernity. Meditation today reaches into the life of many people irrespective of ther religious orientation. Meditation has become a modern tool to help us deal better with the pressures in our lifes. The module discusses the ways in which our attitudes to meditation has been transformed as a result of cultural alignment in the 1980s and 1990s and became subsequently  repurposed. In particular, the module examines the sanitisation of meditation practice away from religious aspiration as a therapeutic tool and its politicisation. Then we investigate the ways iw hichg Modern Mindfulness and Modern Vipassana have become the standard platforms for the dissemination of Buddhist thought, and the degree to which they modified the role of meditations in the process. Finally, we turn to context. Historically, Buddhist meditation was the reserve of the religious elites, resident in its monastic institutions. Since the 1950s, in response to Buddhist reform movements sponsored by a select group of monks and their western disciples, meditation practices were opened up to the laity. This introduced perhaps the most significant change in Buddhist institutional organisation in the 20th century. The impact on meditation was profound and widespread since it led to changes in meditative interpretations and applications well beyond the original remit.

This module gives an overview of the historical development of yoga in South Asia and maps the proliferation of its practice across its religious traditions. To begin with, it focuses on Vedic, epic, and classical textual accounts of yoga, and considers how Vedic elements of ritual and speculative poetry gradually adapted to new theoretical and philosophical frameworks to integrate into a systems of ‘classical’ practice. In the second part,  it moves to the Tantric and Ha?ha yoga traditions where it traces developments in postural yoga, meditation, subtle physiology, and metaphysics, as reflected in diverse Siddha, Saiva, Sakta, and Vai??ava communities.

This module examines the roles of yoga in the contemproray world. It addresses issues such as Gender, Race, Class, Power, Sexuality, Media, Identity  and New Age Societal Withdrawal as factors that emerge within, and shape modern yoga practice, both within the studio and in conception. The lectures and seminars set out to frame yoga as it is taught and practiced today within the values and societal forces that dominate present-day public disourse.

This module will introduce students to postcolonial literary studies through two key conceptions of identity: race and gender. The module will engage with the contemporary postcolonial novel (to be updated yearly), as it engenders critical insight into race and racism, gender and sexual identity and their intersections. It will introduce students to the vocabulary of critical race and gender theories as well as intersectionality as part of the development of literary analytic and critical reading skills. At the end of the module, students will be proficient in literary analysis and have a familiarity with key concepts in postcolonial studies.

This course offers an exploration of the formation of diasporas and their cultural politics. It looks at how diasporic subjectivities are formed through gendered aesthetic practices and performances, which can take on and signify religious, cultural, political meanings, which are in turn constantly negotiated, hybridised and re-fashioned across bodies, times and spaces.

The mandala is one of the most intriguing artistic expressions of Asian art due to its wide adoption and continuous reinterpretation. Of multivalent symbolism and meaning in religious practice, mandalas occur in numerous forms, formats and functions. This module examines the meanings and uses of the Buddhist mandala in the history of Buddhist art and architecture in Asia.

The creation of sacred images and sacred spaces has been a major feature of the Hindu tradition for the last two thousand years. This module examines key themes and issues in the study of Hindu art and visual culture. The material discussed may include images, sculptures, paintings and/or prints from the early centuries CE through to the 14th century in South and/or Southeast Asia, and/or c.1500 to the present in South Asia. Central issues addressed include: anthropomorphism and the Hindu image; iconography, aesthetics and Hindu imagery; body, gender and Hindu images; narratives in sculpture and painting; materials, media and methods; image, ritual and performance; art and pilgrimage; the historiography of Hindu art. Class teaching will be complemented by visits to museum collections. Students will acquire not only a wide-ranging knowledge of approaches to Asian religious art in general, but also a deep understanding of the role of the visual arts in the Hindu tradition.

This module will introduce students to the growing field of world literature. It will broadly survey contemporary theoretical discussions in the field through two major entry points: language and translation and movement and identity.

This module offers a thorough grounding in the origins and development of Cultural Studies as a field, as well as an exploration of the various methodologies employed in the study of cultural production, the media, and the construction of every-day life. The works of key thinkers and practitioners in the field will be examined, alongside their use of critical lenses including identity, race, ideology, power, class, and representation, as well as questions of institutionalisation and disciplinarity. The module aims to test the applicability of these theories and approaches in the contexts of Africa, Asia and the Middle East, as well as diasporic situations.

This module aims to introduce students to the major debates and topics in the fields of Comparative Literature. It aims to develop critical understandings of the field and its place alongside other theoretical approaches to the study of literature.

This module will continue the work from Comparative Literature: Methodology and Critique, although it is its own free-standing module. In this term, the focus will be on the various cutting edges of the field. To accommodate this, the module will be updated every year, but example topics might include themes such as: decolonization, queer theory; intermediality; and digital humanities.

This module builds on the insights gained in Cultural Studies: Origins, Development, Methodologies, by focusing explicitly on the ongoing development of Cultural Studies as a field in specifically non-Western contexts. It investigates the evolution of the field's critical mission and its originary focus on the cultural distribution of power, and the ethical, moral and political questions raised by that focus. It does so by offering a series of key case studies drawing on cutting-edge work in, from and on the cultures of Asia, Africa and the Middle East, as well as their diasporas around the world, and invites students to work and learn collaboratively and experientially, putting their analytical insights to use in novel and ground-breaking ways.

This module explores in an interdisciplinary fashion theoretical interrogations of relationships of power, domination and resistance in the context of imperialism and colonialism in the modern period (late nineteenth-century to the present). A range of literary and filmic works from Africa, East Asia, the Middle East, South Asia, South East Asia, the Caribbean and diaspora will inform engagement with postcolonial theoretical texts relevant to the concepts underpinning colonial and decolonial representation and practice, such as empire, colony, nation, race, indigeneity, class, gender, sexuality, and the 'sublatern'. These will address the intersection between epistomology and structures and power, and how this is manifest in literary and cultural expressions, representations of colonialism and decolonisation, neo-colonialism, allowing us to explore the heterogeneous meanings, intersections and strategies of analysis that have emerged with reference to postcolonial studies.

This module addresses central themes in the postcolonial histories of South Asian societies. It aims to historicise pressing political, social and cultural issues in the region that shape the lives of ordinary people today. The module explores themes across South Asia, including the diaspora, and thus challenges the ways that national and regional boundaries have commonly shaped approaches to these histories. It addresses India and Pakistan’s ‘long’ Partition; ethnicity, language and region; labour migration and the diaspora; the creation of Bangladesh and the Indian Emergency; the rise of middling castes and classes; urbanisation; gender and community; caste, secularism and people’s movements. The module provides a fresh, innovative approach to thinking about the field as well as the critical tools for students to understand South Asian history in the present. It pays particular attention to cultural and social history and will be of interest to students from all disciplinary backgrounds.

This module explores historical and contemporary dimensions of the relationship between International Law and colonialism/ imperialism.

In the first part of the course, we will consider the historical mappings of the colonial endeavour within international law as well as theoretical debates concerning colonialism, post-colonialism and neo-colonialism. In the second half, we will focus on a variety of contemporary international law issues – e.g., statehood and recognition; self-determination of peoples; failed states; administration of territory; racialisation and capitalism; and reparations- in light of the historical and theoretical perspectives introduced in the earlier part of the term.

North Indian classical music is venerated the world over as a historically rich form of art music. This module examines the history and evolution of this music system and considers how it has navigated significant social and political changes over time. We will explore the aesthetics and intellectual traditions of Indian music and the cultural history of Mughal and colonial India. We will also debate the meaning of “classical” in a global context, and critically listen to the major genres and the leading artists of this music. This module is suitable for all levels of experience, and there is no requirement for you to have studied music before.

This module is primarily an advanced language use course (MA In Theory and Practice of Translation [Asia & Africa]), however, the study of the literary history of Iran and the development of Persian poetry complements the study of Persian culture and the cultural characteristics of the wider region of Near & Middle East and Asia (MA in Cultural Studies).

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. The module covers several basic constructions of the language, enabling students to acquire basic skills in reading, writing, comprehension and speaking. Successful students will gain the ability to read and write short simple texts, and communicate on simple everyday topics.

This is a language acquisition module for students who have already studied the Language A equivalent in the previous term, or who have equivalent knowledge. Students are therefore assumed to have some basic knowledge of the language or its script. This module develops knowledge of several basic constructions of the language, enabling students to develop their skills in reading, writing, comprehension and speaking.

The module is a supervised independent study in a language of study which is taught in the School of Languages Cultures and Linguistics. Students with advanced language skills will have the opportunity to explore readings in a language based on a specific area of interest (e.g. literature, history, film, linguistics, culture). Students will be asked to choose and develop an independent study in their language of study with the help of a supervisor. At the end of the module, student will gain a deeper knowledge of their chosen subject as well as hone and develop their language skill. This module requires students to have intermediate to advanced level language skills in one of the department’s languages. A suitable programme of readings in the relevant language will be agreed in consultation between the supervisor and the student to match the interests and abilities of the student. Anyone wishing to take a Directed Readings module should contact the relevant convenor and identify a potential supervisor well in advance to discuss the feasibility of their proposed topic.

The course provides for the teaching and learning of lower-intermediate level Persian language with emphasis on practical written and spoken Persian. The course introduces complex sentence structures including relatives clauses, as well as more focused use of idiomatic structures in Persian writing and discourse. By the end of this module students should be able to describe experiences, events, plans, hopes and concerns in both spoken and written language with ease and confidence. Furthermore, they should be able to interact on topics of everyday work, leisure and travel.

The module provides for the teaching and learning of upper-intermediate level Persian language with emphasis on practical as well as nuianced written and spoken Persian. The course introduces complex sentence structures including conditional sentences, as well as more use of abstract or technical terminology in Persian writing and discourse. By the end of this module students should be able to relate detailed experiences, as well as discuss and understand concrete and abstract topics, in both spoken and written language with ease and confidence.

The module provides for the teaching and learning of upper-intermediate level Persian language with emphasis on practical as well as nuanced written and spoken Persian. The course introduces complex sentence structures including conditional sentences, as well as more use of abstract or technical terminology in Persian writing and discourse.

The module will be focused on the teaching and learning of Persian language at lower-advanced level with emphasis on practically competent aural and oral skills, as well as nuanced writing ability and dexterity in reading comprehension.

The module examines the early modern and contemporary reformulations of Islamic thought and practices in response to modern challenges (19th, 20th & 21st centuries). The module will begin by examining the nature of these challenges, and how modern Muslims responded to them. The module will identify the similarities and differences between the premodern and modern reformist movements throughout Muslim-majority societies, and how Muslims have reformulated foundational dimensions of Islamic jurisprudence and theology in their efforts to adapted to modern developments. The module will also examine?the main features and characteristics of the prominent trends in contemporary Islamic thought (Islamist, Salafi, Progressive and Neo-Traditionalist), highlighting similarities and differences between them in relation to how they engage with the authoritative texts (Qur’an & hadiths), as well as the diversity of expressions within these trends. The module will identify how these diverse modern reformulations and trends are based on criticisms of classical developments in Islamic thought and practices, and how they attempt to ‘reform’ (i?la?) these using different methodologies. The module will also emphasise how these modern reformulations invoke the classical Islamic legacy of renewal (tajdid) in different ways resulting in different modern understandings of ‘Islam’. The module aims to develop a theoretical foundation for understanding these modern Islamic trends, and this foundation underpins the subsequent examination of expressions of these trends in relation to particular themes in the module convened in term two: Modern Trends in Islam (ii): Manifestations.

This term 2 module builds on and follows from the term 1 module: Modern Trends in Islam (i): Foundations (Modern Trends in Islam (i): Foundations is a pre-requisite for the Modern Trends in Islam (ii): Manifestations). It examines how the diversity of reformulations in Islamic thought and practices by the different modern trends (Islamist, Salafi, Progressive and Neo-Traditional) are expressed with reference to different themes that are significant for contemporary Muslims (and non-Muslims). Building on the theoretical framework examined in the term 1 module, this term 2 module will examine in significant detail how modern Muslims develop different methodologies and theories that give rise to different responses to contemporary challenges. It will also explore that diversity of views within the trends themselves (i.e. diversity of views and methodologies within Salafism). Each week there will be an examination of how the different trends reformulate Islamic thought and practices in relation to the theme in question, but there will also be further focus on how a specific trend develop these reformulations (for example, concerning the theme of gender relations there will be an examination of how the different trends like Salafism, Neo-traditionalism and Islamism develop reformulations in Islamic jurisprudence in the lecture, but there will be focus on how Progressives develop different methodologies in response to the challenge of patriarchy in the lecture and tutorial). Students will be able to examine in detailed and evaluate the different trends within the framework of specific themes (themes like gender relations, violence and terrorism, democracy and human rights). The module will also examine the significance of neo-theological reformulations beyond the jurisprudential ones.

This is a basic introductory language acquisition module for absolute beginners in the the language; students are not assumed to have any previous knowledge of the language or its script. The module covers several basic constructions of the language, enabling students to acquire basic skills in reading, writing,and comprehension. Successful students will gain the ability to read simple original texts and to write short simple sentences.

This is a basic language acquisition module for students who have already studied the language 1A equivalent in the previous term, or who have equivalent knowledge. Students are therefore assumed to have some basic knowledge of the language or its script. This module develops knowledge of some of the several basic constructions of the language, enabling students to develop their skills in reading, writing, and comprehension. Successful students will gain the ability to read simple original texts and write simple sentences.

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

The module covers all the major tenses and significant grammatical constructions of the language, enabling successful students to develop their skills in reading, writing, comprehension and speaking. Students will gain the ability to use a wide range of grammatical constructions and tenses, acquire vocabulary on a variety of every day topics, read and write short texts, and communicate in a number of practical situations.

The module covers several basic constructions of the language, enabling students to acquire basic skills in reading, writing, comprehension and speaking. Successful students will gain the ability to read and write short simple texts, and communicate on simple 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.

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. The module covers several basic constructions of the language, enabling students to acquire basic skills in reading, writing, comprehension and speaking. Successful students will gain the ability to read and write short simple texts, and communicate on simple everyday topics. Emphasis will be placed on good pronunciation and on the social and linguistic conventions of everyday conversation.

This is a language acquisition module for students who have already studied the Language A equivalent in the previous term, or who have equivalent knowledge. Students are therefore assumed to have some basic knowledge of the language or its script. 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. Emphasis will be placed on good pronunciation and on the social and linguistic conventions of everyday conversation.

This is a course on culture in contemporary South Asia that highlights the multiple forms, languages, and avenues of cultural production; the relationship between local, national, and transnational/global domains; and the remix and reuse of older repertoires and forms in contemporary situations. During the first half of the term the course will introduce key elements of cultural theory and their application to South Asian contexts and materials and problematise the notion of national culture, while noting the ways in which nation-states in South Asia produce and broadcast particular cultural models. During the second half of the term the course will focus on challenges to and complications of these models through instances of cultural and political activism, changing concepts of 'legitimate language', and non-state media production.

The aims of this module are to introduce students to a variety of original Sanskrit texts. We will read passages from the Epics, poetry, dharmasasatras and philosophical texts. The readings are combined with a thorough revision of Sanskrit grammar, to which approximately half of the class hours are dedicated. Students taking this module are strongly encouraged to continue with Sanskrit 2B in term 2.

The aims of this module are to introduce students to a variety of original Sanskrit texts. We will read passages from the Epics, poetry, dharmasasatras and philosophical texts. The readings are combined with a thorough revision of Sanskrit grammar, to which approximately half of the class hours are dedicated. Students taking this module are strongly encouraged to continue with Sanskrit 2B in term 2.

The module will examine an array of examples and forms of resistance literature from South Asia, and may include anticolonial, Dalit, feminist and LGBTQ narratives, political satire and protest literatures, across both prose and poetry.

The module aims to develop students’ language skills through grammar work, translation, prose composition, and conversation at the lower-intermediate level. Previous knowledge of the language is consolidated and developed by further class work on linguistic structures, sentence construction, and conversation. Students are introduced to a wide range of language using diverse materials from contexts such as journalism, literature, recorded conversations, social media and so forth. Regular homework tasks reinforce the class learning, encouraging students to read, write and speak the language with more accuracy and confidence.

The module aims to develop students’ language skills through grammar work, translation, prose composition, and conversation at the lower-intermediate level. Previous knowledge of the language is consolidated and developed by further class work on linguistic structures, sentence construction, and conversation. Students are introduced to a wide range of language using diverse materials from contexts such as journalism, literature, recorded conversations, social media and so forth. Regular homework tasks reinforce the class learning, encouraging students to read, write and speak the language with more accuracy and confidence.

The module is a supervised independent study in a language of study which is taught in the School of Languages Cultures and Linguistics. Students with advanced language skills will have the opportunity to explore readings in a language based on a specific area of interest (e.g. literature, history, film, linguistics, culture). Students will be asked to choose and develop an independent study in their language of study with the help of a supervisor. At the end of the module, student will gain a deeper knowledge of their chosen subject as well as hone and develop their language skill. This module requires students to have intermediate to advanced level language skills in one of the department’s languages. A suitable programme of readings in the relevant language will be agreed in consultation between the supervisor and the student to match the interests and abilities of the student. Anyone wishing to take a Directed Readings module should contact the relevant convenor and identify a potential supervisor well in advance to discuss the feasibility of their proposed topic.

The course explores the transition of Indian Buddhist meditation practices to Tibet and the ways in which they found accommodation in their new geographic and cultural setting. It will commence with a study of issues at stake in the Great Debate of Lhasa and then proceed with an analysis of the advanced systems of meditation cultivated by the rDzogs chen communities.

This course focuses on the development of yoga techniques and philosophy within the brahmanical and tantric traditions of ancient and early medieval India. It will consider the iconographic evidence from the Indus Valley civilisation and the oft-repeated argument that yogic postures and symbols are found there.

This module is designed to provide students with an understanding of key theoretical approaches to the interpretation of yoga and meditation. It will focus on the study of experience, while exploring categories of the emic and the etic, which provide accounts of cultural behaviour and belief from the standpoint of the insider and the outsider respectively.

This module constitutes the core course for the MA Buddhist Studies. It is designed to provide students with a broad understanding of the major processes and dynamics at work in the growth and development of Buddhism as a pan-Asian religion and with the key methodological tools required to approach this major cultural force in its fascinating diversity. This course is co-taught by the four key scholars of Buddhism in the Department of the Study of Religions at SOAS, whose regional and disciplinary expertise fully complement each other, thereby offering the course its unique breadth. As a foundation in Buddhist Studies, the course will offer the necessary background to the other courses of the MA, which possess a more regional, thematic or disciplinary focus.

This module examines the relationship between philosophical thought and religious practice. It is often assumed, without due interrogation, that philosophical insight springs from religious experience, that religion possesses the capacity to construe cognitive gateways through which philosophical understanding emerges. Thus, on the one hand, the module seeks to establish the soteriological dynamics that shape the processes leading to philosophical insight. On the other hand, it explores the ways in which philosophical systems shaped religions practice. These two areas of investigation focus on the experience of the individual. Third, the module maps the interconnections between communal religious practice in ritual and philosophical theory. It sets out the processes and stages through which philosophical structures emerge as a result of collective religions experience.

The course offers an introduction to yoga and meditation in the context of the Jaina path of liberation. The historical roots of contemporary Jaina practices of asceticism and meditation will be explored with reference to their metaphysical and soteriological rational and institutionalisation in Jaina mendicant and lay traditions in India and the UK.

‘Buddhist Meditation in Ancient India’ constitutes one of four major modules that make up the MA Traditions of Yoga and Meditations. It explores the nature, application and interpretations of meditation practice from the 500 BCE to 500 CE. The module serves also a conceptual, typological and chronological link between yoga in the brahmanical traditions of Ancient India and the forms of yoga/meditation developed within in the Jaina tradition. Together, these three areas span the whole spectrum of the traditions of meditation and yoga in South Asia. Each of the three is crucial to achieve a comprehensive course of study of the subject. ‘Buddhist Meditation in India and Tibet’ sets out to provide a systematic account of the origins, features, phasing and roles of meditation techniques on the Buddhist path to liberation. Broadly speaking, it falls into three segments. (1) At first, the module explores the role of meditation on the early Buddhist path and maps its practices as described in the discourses of the historical Buddha. (2) It then identifies the doctrines and practices that connect the brahmanical and Buddhist schools of meditation leading up the beginning of the common era; (3) Finally, the modules turns to the meditation practices developed within the Mahayana traditions. Here, it discusses the considerable innovation in the application of meditation that we encounter in Mahayana sources and sketches their relationship to early Buddhism. Together, these three segments provide robust preparation to allow us to understand contemporary meditation practices and their roles in society.

This module is designed to map the role and application of Buddhist meditation practices in modernity. Meditation today reaches into the life of many people irrespective of ther religious orientation. Meditation has become a modern tool to help us deal better with the pressures in our lifes. The module discusses the ways in which our attitudes to meditation has been transformed as a result of cultural alignment in the 1980s and 1990s and became subsequently  repurposed. In particular, the module examines the sanitisation of meditation practice away from religious aspiration as a therapeutic tool and its politicisation. Then we investigate the ways iw hichg Modern Mindfulness and Modern Vipassana have become the standard platforms for the dissemination of Buddhist thought, and the degree to which they modified the role of meditations in the process. Finally, we turn to context. Historically, Buddhist meditation was the reserve of the religious elites, resident in its monastic institutions. Since the 1950s, in response to Buddhist reform movements sponsored by a select group of monks and their western disciples, meditation practices were opened up to the laity. This introduced perhaps the most significant change in Buddhist institutional organisation in the 20th century. The impact on meditation was profound and widespread since it led to changes in meditative interpretations and applications well beyond the original remit.

This module gives an overview of the historical development of yoga in South Asia and maps the proliferation of its practice across its religious traditions. To begin with, it focuses on Vedic, epic, and classical textual accounts of yoga, and considers how Vedic elements of ritual and speculative poetry gradually adapted to new theoretical and philosophical frameworks to integrate into a systems of ‘classical’ practice. In the second part,  it moves to the Tantric and Ha?ha yoga traditions where it traces developments in postural yoga, meditation, subtle physiology, and metaphysics, as reflected in diverse Siddha, Saiva, Sakta, and Vai??ava communities.

This module examines the roles of yoga in the contemproray world. It addresses issues such as Gender, Race, Class, Power, Sexuality, Media, Identity  and New Age Societal Withdrawal as factors that emerge within, and shape modern yoga practice, both within the studio and in conception. The lectures and seminars set out to frame yoga as it is taught and practiced today within the values and societal forces that dominate present-day public disourse.