POSTGRADUATE PROSPECTUS

DEPARTMENT OFPOLITICS ANDINTERNATIONAL STUDIESThe Department of Politics and International Studieshas been in existence for more than 30 years, andhas established itself in that time as the only universitydepartment in Britain which specialises in thecomparative study of the politics of Asia and Africa.NUMBER OF STAFF 18RAE 4DEPARTMENT WEBSITEwww.soas.ac.uk/politicsFACULTY Law and Social SciencesTAUGHT MASTERS DEGREESMSC AFRICAN POLITICSMSC ASIAN POLITICSMSC INTERNATIONAL POLITICSMSC MIDDLE EAST POLITICSMSC STATE, SOCIETY ANDDEVELOPMENT123Most members of the Department have regionalspecialisations, for example, West Africa, SouthAsia or China. At the same time, each hasspecialised interests in areas of the discipline. Atpresent, the Department as a whole has particularinterests in identity and modernity, state andsociety, international and regional politics inAsia and Africa, and politics and development.MSC POLITICS PROGRAMMESThe Department of Politics and InternationalStudies offers five linked Masters programmesin politics and in the international politics ofAsia, Africa and the Middle East. Two of theprogrammes might be classified as disciplinaryMScs – International Politics and State, Societyand Development. In these, the objective is togive the student the opportunity to undertake arigorous training in political theory, with specialreference to the study of politics outsideEurope and America.The remaining three programmes might bemore accurately described as regional specialistMScs, aiming to provide students with a detailedspecialist understanding of both domestic andinternational politics (and of the implications ofone for the other) in Africa, Asia and the MiddleEast. These regional MScs also introduce studentsto relevant bodies of theory and require them toconfront various theoretical issues.At Masters level, emphasis is placed on seminarwork as well as lecture attendance. Studentsmay be expected to make presentations, andare expected to write substantial assessedcoursework papers that often require significantindependent work.As well as being examined on three taughtcourses, the final quarter of a student’s degreemark comes from the writing of an independentlyresearched 10,000-word dissertation. Studentsare encouraged to take up topics which relate thestudy of a particular region to a body of theory,although they may also do purely disciplinarydissertations (in international relations theory, forexample). This dissertation is due for submissionin September of the year following admissionto the School.Courses on regional politics can also be takenas part of a Masters programme elsewhere inthe School, especially the Regional Studies andDevelopment Studies programmes.ENTRY REQUIREMENTSThe usual qualification for entry is a firstclass or upper-second class Honours degree(or equivalent) in some aspect of Politics orInternational Relations, or in a related socialscience discipline. Applicants without a politicsor social science background may in somecircumstances be considered for admissiondepending on the details of their academictraining and undergraduate performance.Students applying without a relevant backgroundshould make a case for admission in theirapplication based on the relevance of theacademic experience they do have for thestudy of Politics or International Relations. Insome circumstances, students may be asked toundertake a one-year qualifying course leading toa Certificate in Politics (see page 124). Completionof this Certificate does not guarantee entry to aMasters programme.POLITICS AND INTERNATIONAL STUDIES