BA Languages and Cultures and ...
SOAS University of London
Key Information
Campus location
London, United Kingdom
Languages
English
Study format
On-Campus
Duration
3 - 4 years
Pace
Full time
Tuition fees
GBP 9,250 / per year *
Application deadline
Request Info
Earliest start date
Request Info
* full-time fees per academic year: UK £9,250; Overseas £20,350
Introduction
Mode of Attendance: Full-time
Over the course of the degree, students will be introduced to the cultures and societies of Africa, the Middle East, South Asia and South-East Asia, through the study of literature, screen cultures and language.
In the first year, students are equipped with a broader understanding of these regions in order to gain a vital comparative perspective. This makes up half of the programme: the other half in their chosen combination subject.
Students will have the opportunity to explore particular regional interests through their language study, their selected optional modules and in their course work throughout the degree, culminating in the final year Study Project were guided by lecturers, they will draw on skills gained over the course of the degree to produce their own original research.
Language is crucial to the understanding of culture and therefore all students will be required to choose from a range of languages in their first year of study. We encourage students to further develop their language skills as the degree progresses.
For those students who choose to take a Language Year Abroad, the resulting improvement in all-around language skills will allow students to work at a more advanced range of linguistics competence in their final year of work back at SOAS. The culturally immersive experience of the year abroad equips students with key skills which are invaluable for those wishing to go on to work in the region.
Key critical thinking, project management and study skills are built into the programme to ensure that students graduate with a range of transferable skills ensuring they are prepared for a range of careers.
May be combined with:
- Arabic
- Development Studies
- Economics
- French
- History
- History of Art
- International Relations
- Law
- Linguistics
- Music
- Politics
- Social Anthropology
- World Philosophies
Gallery
Ideal Students
Who is this programme for?
This joint honours programme is designed for students who are interested in the languages and cultures of four of the key areas of SOAS specialisation: Africa, the Middle East, South Asia and South-East Asia, and want to pair this with another subject.
The BA Languages and Cultures programme provides students with an in-depth understanding of these key world regions and is grounded in the study of one or more of these regions’ languages (of the student’s choice).
At the same time, the programme gives students access to SOAS’s comprehensive cross-regional expertise and so provides them with an understanding of the interconnectedness of these regions in an increasingly globalised world. Students taking the two-subject degree take a combination of modules from BA Languages and Cultures and also from their other subject, allowing for a programme tailored to their skills and interests.
This combination degree programme provides students with a solid methodological, interdisciplinary foundation and allows them to develop a holistic and integrated approach to the study of Africa, Asia and the Middle East through their languages and cultures, complemented by another subject.
Admissions
Curriculum
Structure
Year 1 Guided Curriculum: Foundations
All students will take two 15 credit modules from the list of languages below and the following modules:
- Cultures of Africa, the Middle East, South and South-East Asia I: Basic Terms and Concepts
- Languages of the World
and
Second Subject
Students will choose modules to the value of 60 credits from their second subject
Year 2 Guided Curriculum: Momentum
All students will take two 15 credit modules from the list of languages and/or List A below and the following modules:
- Introduction to Research
- Beyond Regions: Oceans, Networks, Trajectories
and
Second Subject
Students will choose modules to the value of 60 credits from their second subject
- Films of Asia, Africa and the Middle East 2
and
Second Subject
Students will choose modules to the value of 60 credits from their second subject
Year 3 Optional Year Abroad
Year Abroad for Students taking the 4-year programme
Final Year 3/4 Guided Curriculum: Designing your own Pathway
Students have the option to take either a 15 credit Arabic module level 5 or 6 from the Language List below or
and
Students will take either a 30 credit Independent Study Project (ISP) or a 30 credit Translation Project.
and
Students will a 15 credit module from List B or Open Options
and
Second Subject
Students will choose modules to the value of 60 credits from their second subject
List A
- H211 Cities in History
- H215 Colonial curricula: empire and education at SOAS and beyond
- Comparative Ethics
- Cultural Studies of Island South-East Asia
- Introduction to Israeli Culture
- Cinemas of the Middle East and North Africa 1
- H213 Gender in History
- Introduction to Arabic Culture
- Introduction to Arabic Literature
- Language in Africa
- Literature of the Islamic Near and the Middle East
- Nation and Nationalism in Middle Eastern fiction (in Translation)
- H214 Violence in History
List B
- Cinemas of the Middle East and North Africa 2
- Classical Persian Poetry
- Classical Ottoman Texts
- Contemporary African literature
- Culture Society and Politics in Classical Arabic Literature
- Introduction to Translation Theory
- Jerusalem: City in Conflict (UG)
- Language, Society and Communication
- Perspectives on African experience
- Queer Cinema in Asia
- Under Western Eyes: European Writings on South East Asia
- War, Revolution and Independence in South East Asian Literatures in Translation
- Introduction to Yoga Studies
- R490 Zoroastrianism in the Ancient and Modern Worlds
List of Languages
Please note the 30 credit languages will be split into two 15 credit modules (A and B)
- Amharic 1 A
- Amharic 1 B
- Bengali Language 1 A
- Bengali Language 1 B
- Burmese Language 1 A
- Burmese Language 1 B
- Hausa 1 A
- Hausa 1 B
- Hebrew 1 A
- Hebrew 1 B
- Hebrew 2 A (UG)
- Hebrew 2 B (UG)
- Hindi Language 1 A
- Hindi Language 1 B
- Hindi Language 2
- Indonesian Language 1 A
- Indonesian Language 1 B
- Indonesian Language 2
- Khmer (Cambodian) Language 1 A
- Khmer (Cambodian) Language 1 B
- Nepali Language 1 A
- Nepali Language 1 B
- Ottoman Turkish Language
- Persian 1 A
- Persian 1 B
- Persian 2 A (UG)
- Persian 2 B (UG)
- Introduction to Prakrit
- Punjabi Language 1 A
- Punjabi Language 1 B
- Sanskrit Language 1 A
- Sanskrit Language 1 B
- Sanskrit Language 2
- Somali 1 A
- Somali 1 B
- Swahili 1 A
- Swahili 1 B
- Swahili 2a Intermediate
- Thai Language 1 A
- Thai Language 1 B
- Turkish 1 A
- Turkish 1 B
- Turkish 2 A (UG)
- Turkish 2 B (UG)
- Urdu Language 1 A
- Urdu Language 1 B
- Urdu Language 2
- Vietnamese Language 1 A
- Vietnamese Language 1 B
- Yoruba 1 A
- Yoruba 1 B
- Yoruba 2
- Zulu 1 A
- Zulu 1 B
Important notice
The information on the programme page reflects the intended programme structure against the given academic session.
Career Opportunities
Employment
After graduating, Languages and Cultures graduates, with regional specific expertise gained through this degree programme and enhanced by the year-abroad experience, are able to move between careers, using their language, communication and intercultural skills to adapt to different sectors and industries and become successful leaders, innovators and managers.
Languages and Cultures graduates are found throughout the creative industries and the cultural sectors, as well as in education, the media, policymaking and service industries where they apply the skills and knowledge of their disciplines more directly.
Language graduates not only have advanced linguistic skills, but also a high degree of cultural awareness, communicative competence and an easy way of adopting different perspectives and thinking outside the box. The BA Languages and Cultures provides a rich context for the development of higher-level skills and lifelong learning that will allow the workforce of the future to cope, adapt and thrive.
These are qualities highly valued in any professional context, and by employers from across the spectrum, and having proficiency in more than one language qualifies you to work for a much larger selection of clients and employers. Internationally oriented companies, in particular, recognise the significant importance of language knowledge at the recruitment stage and further into employment.
English Language Requirements
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