SOAS MA Languages and Cultures of South Asia

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Programme specification 2012/2013

School of Oriental and African Studies

The following information forms the programme specification at the School of

Oriental and African Studies, University of London. It gives definitiveinformation relating to a programme of study and is written for a publicaudience, particularly prospective and current students. It is also used for otherpurposes such as initial programme approval, and is therefore produced at thestart of the programme development process. Once approved, it forms the base-line information for all statements relating to the programme and is updated asapproved amendments are made.

CORE INFORMATIONProgramme title MA Languages and Cultures of South

AsiaFinal award MAIntermediate awards N/AMode of attendance Full time (1 year) or part time (2 or 3

years)UCAS code N/AProfessional body accreditation N/ADate specification created/updated March 2011

WHY CHOOSE THIS PROGRAMME?

Why study at SOAS? SOAS is unique as the only highereducation institution in the UKspecialising in the study of Africa, Asiaand the Middle East. The School also hasthe largest concentration of specialistfaculty concerned with the study of theseareas at any university in the world.SOAS is consistently ranked among thetop higher education institutions in theUK and the world and it also offers afriendly, vibrant environment for studentsin a diverse and close-knit community.

What is special about this programme? The MA South Asian Languages andCultures provides a coherent combinationof courses in South Asian languages andtheir associated literatures and cultures; itleads to an advanced level of understanding of South Asiancivilization, together with a broaderappreciation of the linguistic diversityand the literary and performance culturesof the subcontinent. The DirectedReadings courses, available in severalmodern languages, have a flexible


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curriculum which allows them toaccommodate the interests of individualstudents or groups of students. It allowsthe student to draw upon SOASsunparalleled range of South Asian

languages that are taught nowhere else inBritain, both to work at an advanced levelor to undertake a new language.

Who would it suit? The MA will provide, inter alia, anappropriate training for students wishingto proceed to postgraduate research inSouth Asian studies; its focus on SouthAsian language, culture and literaturedistinguishes it from the interdisciplinaryperspective of the MA in South AsianArea Studies on the one hand and the MAin Comparative Literature on the other.The degree is not however restricted in itsinterest only to future academics; careerpaths include UK and South Asian media,

journalism, law, government, and non-governmental organisations.

Programme structure Students take three taught courses, one of which is considered a Major, andcomplete a 10,000-word dissertationrelated to the Major; all courses aredrawn from those offered in theDepartment of South Asian Languagesand Cultures. Candidates who wish totake a language at other than introductorylevel will be assessed at the start of theterm to determine the most appropriatelevel of study. Frequently, students withhigh levels of competence in a SouthAsian language opt for the course unitDirected Reading in the Literature of aModern South Asian Language, based on

their particular research interests. Assessment summary While it is difficult to generalise, mostpostgraduate course units rely on a mixedassessment, with assessed coursework during the year (typically essays forpostgraduate courses) combined with acomprehensive final examination. SouthAsian languages are now all assessed ona common pattern of in-class tests, oralexaminations and final examinationpapers.


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ENTRY REQUIREMENTS

SOAS has general minimum entrance requirements for registration for a postgraduatetaught degree and these can be viewed athttp://www.soas.ac.uk/admissions/pg/howtoapply/

PROGRAMME AIMSWhat will this programme give the student an opportunity to achieve?

Completing an intensive course of advanced study in a South Asian languageor languages

Acquiring a disciplinary proficiency in any of several South Asia-related fieldsof study, ranging from Sanskrit philology to film and media studies to post-colonial cultural theory

Participating in the ongoing research and cultural activities concerning SouthAsia offered through the SOAS South Asian Area Centre

Undertaking an extended piece of independent research and writing

PROGRAMME LEARNING OUTCOMESWhat will the student learn?Knowledge

1. How to assess data and evidence critically from printed and digital sources,solve problems of conflicting sources and interpretations, locate materials, useresearch sources (particularly research library catalogues) and other relevanttraditional sources.

2. Subject specific skills, for instance familiarity with a South Asian languageand the ability to read texts in that language, or advanced study of a SouthAsian literature in its original language.

3. Aspects of South Asian literary and cultural studies, ranging from the classicalto the contemporary.

Intellectual (thinking) skills1. Students should become precise and cautious in their assessment of evidence. 2. Students should question interpretations, however authoritative, and reassess

evidence for themselves. 3. Apply language learning skills to new linguistic challenges, or to new oral or

written texts.

Subject-based practical skillsThe programme aims to help students with the following practical skills:

1. Communicate effectively in writing. 2. Retrieve, sift and select information from a variety of sources. 3. Present seminar papers. 4. Participate constructively in the discussion of ideas introduced during

seminars. 5. Work to strict deadlines. 6. Use and apply foreign language skills in reading, writing, listening and

speaking.


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Transferable skillsThe programme will encourage students to:

1. Write good essays and dissertations 2. Structure and communicate ideas effectively both orally and in writing 3. Understand unconventional ideas 4. Study a variety of written and digital materials, in libraries and research

institutes of a kind they will not have used as undergraduates 5. Present (non-assessed) material orally 6. Communicate in a foreign language.

PROGRAMME STRUCTURE AND REQUIREMENTS FOR GAINING ANAWARD

Structure, duration and requirements for gaining an awardSOAS has standard requirements relating to the structure and duration of taughtpostgraduate programmes and for the award and classification of these programmes.Details can be found athttp://www.soas.ac.uk/registry/degreeregulations/file60379.pdf

Programme structure diagramPart-time students (two years) will take two courses in the first year (normally theirMinors) and the Major and dissertation in the second year; part-time students (threeyears) take one course per year, and their dissertation in the third year.

Below is a structure diagram for this programme.Level Year of

studyCourse code Course title Credit Status Notes

7 1 n/a Course(s) from listA

45 Option 1 One of the twotaught coursesfrom list A isdesignated asMajor.

7 1 n/a Course(s) from listA

45 Option 2

7 1 n/a Language coursefrom list B

45 Option 3 Minor

7 1 15PSEC999 Dissertation in thelanguages andcultures of SouthAsia

45 compulsory

linked to theMajor course

The availability of optional/elective courses may vary in a given academic session dueto factors such as staff absence and student numbers. For an up to date list of courses running in a given academic session please refer to the degree structures aslisted on the SOAS website for the degree programmes taught by each Department.

The following is the full list of courses currently approved for the MA Languages and

Cultures of South Asia. There are no core courses. Students should note that not allcourses are offered every year.


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LIST A (Majors or Minors) Literatures of South Asia Modern Bengal: The Evolution of Bengali Culture and Society from 1690 to

the Present Day (MA) Directed Readings in the Literature of a Modern South Asian Language Sanskrit Literature Sanskrit texts from the Hindu tradition South Asian Cinema and the Diaspora (half-unit) MINOR ONLY

The following are half-courses and must be taken jointly: Indian Cinema: its history and social context (half-unit term 1) AND

Indian Cinema: key issues (half-unit term 2) Literature and Colonialism in North India (Masters) (half-unit term 1) AND

Narratives of Mobility in Contemporary Hindi Literature (Masters) (half-unitterm 2)

LIST B (one language option as a Minor only) Bengali Language 1 (PG) Bengali Language 2 (PG) Hindi Language 1 (PG) Hindi Language 2 (PG) Hindi Language 3 (PG) Readings in Contemporary Hindi (PG) Nepali Language 1 (PG) Nepali Language 2 (PG) Pali: Intermediate Level

Sanskrit Language 1 (PG) Sanskrit Language 2 (PG) Sinhala Language 1 (PG) Sinhala Language 2 (PG) Tamil Language 1 (PG) Urdu Language 1 (PG) Urdu Language 2 (PG) Urdu Literacy (PG) Elementary Written Persian (PG)

TEACHING, LEARNING AND ASSESSMENTWhat methods will be used to achieve the learning outcomes?Knowledge

Acquisition of points 1 and 3 through one-hour taught lectures, through one-hour or two-hour seminars and/or student-centred tutorials and throughlanguage classes (typically three or four hours per week). Students arerequired to attend all classes, study extensively on their own and prepare non-assessed work regularly.

Acquisition of points 2 and 3 through all courses, preparation for student-ledtutorials and presentations, through the use of library resources and through set

essays. Assessment: through unseen examinations, long essays, course work and a


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dissertation.

Intellectual (thinking) skills Acquisition of points 1 and 2 is fostered in all courses offered in the

Programme, in that all courses will introduce information that will need to beassessed critically and will demonstrate how conflicting interpretations canarise from the same information.

Acquisition of point 3 through language tuition and practice. Assessment: through unseen examinations, course work, long essays and a

dissertation.

Subject-based practical skills Acquisition of point 1 through the writing of long essays, course work and

dissertations. Acquisition of point 2 through guided and independent reading, web-based

research. Acquisition of point 3 through regular seminar presentations. Acquisition of point 4 through seminar discussion. Acquisition of point 5 through the setting of clear deadlines for the submission

of written work. Acquisition of point 6 through class tuition and practice. Assessment: by unseen examination, dissertation, long essays and course

work, and language oral exams.

Transferable skills Acquisition of point 1 through long essays, course work and dissertation. Acquisition of point 2 through seminar presentations, discussions and essays. Acquisition of points 3 and 4 through reading, long essays and class

discussion. Acquisition of point 5 through oral presentations in class with feedback from

tutor and peers. Acquisition of point 6 through class tuition and practice. Assessment: through unseen examinations, dissertation, long essays and

course work and language oral exams.

REFERENCE POINTS What has been the basis for the design of this programme?

School learning and teaching strategy Staff research QAA framework for higher education qualifications

QUALITY ASSURANCE AND ENHANCEMENT

SOAS has internal procedures to assure the quality of provision to be offered tostudents and to enhance the quality in the light of experience following delivery,taking into account the input of external experts and students. The procedures are set


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out in the Schools Quality Assurance Handbook and can be viewed athttp://www.soas.ac.uk/add/qualityassurance/quality-assurance-handbook/ .

SOAS is also subject to periodic external review from bodies such as the QualityAssurance Agency for Higher Education and relevant professional and statutory

regulatory bodies.

The procedures described in the Quality Assurance Handbook are in place to providea high quality student experience for those choosing to study at SOAS, and studentinput and evaluation of their experiences is greatly valued. Students make an input tothe ongoing development of their programmes, and the environment in which theyoperate, in a number of ways, including:

formal student evaluation as part of the annual programme review; student representation on School committees at various levels (through the

Students Union) where many relevant issues are discussed.

FURTHER INFORMATION

SOAS Vision and Strategy Statement ; Postgraduate Handbook; Quality Assurance Handbook ; UCAS website ; QAA website .

SOAS MA Languages and Cultures of South Asia

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