MA Religious Arts of Asia

SOAS, University of London

Master

In City of London

£ 9,225 + VAT

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Description

  • Type

    Master

  • Location

    City of london

  • Start date

    Different dates available

Start of programme: September intake only
Mode of Attendance: Full-time or Part-time
Introduction
This is the only history of art and archaeology degree in Europe focused on the great religious traditions of Asia. It includes within its scope diverse countries, regions and time periods from antiquity to the present, with a particular emphasis on Buddhism in South, Central and Southeast Asia, the Himalayas, China, Korea and Japan. Hinduism, Shinto and animistic and syncretic practices are also studied. Students consider iconography, ritual, faith and pilgrimage in their multiple regional and historical guises. They study temple buildings, statues and paintings, formal, informal and popular.
The Department of the History of Art and Archaeology contains some of the world’s leading experts in the art history and archaeology of Asia, many of whom are principally concerned with religious art. Their ground-breaking research informs and is informed by their teaching. Students benefit from the unparalleled knowledge and enthusiasm of staff. As members of the School of Arts, they profit from the insights of scholars and students working in other related fields, such as music and religion in Asia, historically and in the present. They can also select from modules in other departments, taking advantage of SOAS’s unrivalled expertise in the religions, languages, history and cultures of Asia.
A Masters from the Department of the History of Art and Archaeology provides students with expertise in the History of Art and/or Archaeology of Asia, Africa and the Middle East. Our postgraduates progress to work in arts, culture and heritage roles, including in galleries, museums, archives, conservation, publishing and arts administration. The large portfolio of transferable skills they acquire enables them to forge careers in a range of other fields across the world. Our Masters programmes are also an excellent foundation for MPhil/PhD research.
Convenors
Timon Screech

Facilities

Location

Start date

City of London (London)
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Start date

Different dates availableEnrolment now open
Different dates availableEnrolment now open

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2018

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Subjects

  • Music
  • Part Time
  • Art History
  • Options
  • Conflict
  • IT
  • Archaeology
  • Art
  • Architecture
  • Arts
  • Religious
  • Religious Arts
  • Transferable skills
  • History
  • Tibetan Art
  • Critical Themes

Course programme

Students must complete 120 credits of MA taught modules in addition to the compulsory dissertation (60 credits).

  • A minimum of 60 credits must be selected from the MA modules in the History of Art and Archaeology department related to Religious Arts of Asia listed below.
  • Up to 15 credits may be selected from the other MA modules in the department
  • Up to 45 credits from MA options offered by other SOAS departments, also listed below.Please note that not all option modules may run every year.
  • Students must complete the Dissertation in History of Art and Archaeology: Religious Arts of Asia (15PARC998).

Students may be allowed to study for the MA on a part-time basis.

  • The part-time MA may be taken over two years, in which case the student takes two 30 credits modules (or equivalent 15 credits modules) in the first year, and two 30 credits modules (or equivalent 15 credits modules) and the dissertation in the second year.
  • Alternatively, it can be taken over three years, in which case the student can distribute the 120 credits modules evenly in each of the three years. The dissertation can be written in year two or three, but it is strongly recommended that this be undertaken in the final year of the programme. It must be submitted in September of the year in which the student registers for it.
  • Dissertation in History of Art and Archaeology: Religious Arts of Asia
Options in Religious Arts of Asia
  • Art and Archaeology of the Silk Road
  • Art And Religious Experience In Premodern Japan
  • Arts of the Tamil Temple
  • Buddhist and Hindu Art of the Maritime Silk Route
  • China and the Silk Road: Art and Archaeology
  • Collecting and Curating Buddhist Art in the Museum
  • Critical Themes in Tibetan Art
  • Monuments and sculpture of Angkor
  • Illustrated Manuscript Cultures of Southeast Asia
  • Interpreting Visual Expressions of the Mandala
  • Sacred Art and Architecture of Ancient Korea
  • The Silk Road and its Origins: Art and Archaeology
  • Shogunal Iconography in the Edo Period
  • Southeast Asia's Art Histories
  • The Figure of the Buddha: Theory, Practice and the Making of Buddhist Art History
  • The Indian Temple
  • Tibetan Buddhist Monuments in Context
Other Options in the History of Art and Archaeology
  • Arab Painting
  • Architectural Boundaries and the Body
  • Art and Architecture of the Early Ottomans and the Beyliks (13-15th centuries)
  • Art and Architecture of the Fatimids
  • Arts of Koryo and Chosen Korea
  • Arts of Modern and Contemporary China (since 1800)
  • Ceramics in Chinese Culture: 10th - 18th Centuries
  • Chinese Porcelain: Trade, Transfer and Reception
  • Critical Theory in Art History and Material Culture
  • Cross-Cultural Approaches to Aesthetics
  • Diaspora Contexts and Visual Culture
  • (En)gendering Southeast Asia: Aesthetics and Politics of Sexual Difference
  • Imag(in)ing Buddhahood in South Asia (1)
  • Islam and the West: Artistic and Cultural Contacts
  • Islamic Archaeology
  • Islamic Art and Architecture of Eastern Mediterranean of the Period of the Crusades (11th-14th centuries)
  • Islamic Art & Architecture of Medieval Anatolia and the South Caucasus (11-13th centuries)
  • Issues in Contemporary Southeast Asian Art
  • Modern and Contemporary Arts in Africa
  • Modern and Contemporary Korean Art
  • Visuality and Islamic Art
  • Persian Painting
  • Photography and the Image in Africa
  • Popular Practice in the Edo Period Arts
  • Representing Conflict: A Cross-Cultural and Inter Disciplinary Approach
  • Visual Arts of Dynastic China (to 1800) (Cohort A)
Options in Other DepartmentsAnthropology
  • Culture and Society of South Asia
  • Culture and Society of South East Asia
History
  • Histories of Ethnicity and Conflict in South East Asia 1 - Making States and Building Nations
  • Histories of Ethnicity and Conflict in South East Asia 2 - Non-National Perspectives
Media StudiesStudy of Religions
  • Avestan I
  • Buddhism in Tibet
  • Buddhist Meditation in India and Tibet
  • Imag(in)ing Buddhahood in South Asia (2)
  • Jainism: History, Doctrine and the Contemporary World
  • Non-Violence in Jain Scriptures, Philosophy and Law
  • Pahlavi Language
  • The Origins and Development of Yoga in Ancient India
  • Zoroastrianism: Historical and Contemporary Perspectives
Music
  • Aspects of Music and Religion in South East Asia
  • Popular and Fusion Music in South East Asia (PG)
  • Raga: concept and practice (PG)
South Asia
  • Bengali Language 1 (PG)
  • Bengali Language 2 (PG)
  • Hindi Language 2 (PG)
  • Hindi Language 3 (PG)
  • Indian Cinema: Its History and Social Context
  • Indian Cinema: Key Issues
  • Literature & Colonialism in North India (Masters)
  • Literatures of South Asia
  • Nepali Language 1 (PG)
  • Nepali Language 2 (PG)
  • Sanskrit Language 1 (PG)
  • Sanskrit Language 2 (PG)
  • The Politics of Culture in Contemporary South Asia
  • Urdu Language 1 (PG)
  • Urdu Language 2 (PG)
Southeast Asia
  • Burmese Language 1 (PG)
  • Burmese Language 2 (PG)
  • Genders and Sexualities in South East Asian Film
  • Indonesian Language 1 (PG)
  • Indonesian Language 2 (PG)
  • Jawi and the Malay Manuscript Tradition (Masters)
  • Khmer (Cambodian) Language 1 (PG)
  • Thai Language 1 (PG)
  • Thai Language 2 (PG)
  • Vietnamese Language 1 (PG)
  • Vietnamese Language 2 (PG)

This is the structure for 2018/19 applicants

If you are a current student you can find structure information on Moodle or through your Department.

Programme Specification
  • Programme Specification - MA Religious Arts of Asia 2017-18 (pdf; 59kb)
  • Programme Details - MA Religious Arts of Asia 2017-18 (pdf; 128kb)
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Important notice regarding changes to programmes and modules

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MA Religious Arts of Asia

£ 9,225 + VAT

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