POSTGRADUATE PROSPECTUS

142 with one of the taught courses selected from- Basic Japanese 1Major Options and constituting the student’s- Basic Japanese 2major subject. The remaining two taught courses- Intermediate Japanesewhich count as Minor Options may be selected- Advanced Japanesefrom either Major or Minor Options. The studentis allowed to take only one language.STUDY OF RELIGIONSMA STUDY OF RELIGIONSDURATIONOne calendar year (full-time)Two or three years (part-time, daytime only)START OF PROGRAMMESeptember intake onlyENTRY REQUIREMENTSMinimum upper second class honours degree(or equivalent)PROGRAMME CONVENORDr Sian HawthorneSEE ALSO:MA Indian Religions,MA Japanese Religions,MA Christianities of Asia and Africa,MA Buddhist Studies,MA Gender Studies and ReligionThe degree aims to offer a wide range of courses inthe study of Asian and African religions. The widescope of this degree permits students to focus onone specific religion or region, or to study morethan one religious tradition. Such flexibility in thechoice of courses provides a variety of options andways in which different courses may be packagedtogether for specific purposes be it postgraduateresearch or relevant careers. In addition totaught courses, the degree also offers a numberof relevant languages. Although knowledge of arelevant language is not required for this degree,certain taught courses may only be taken bystudents with language competence. When alanguage component is selected as part of thisdegree, the student is permitted to study onlyone language in conjunction with a religioustradition to which the language relates.STRUCTURE AND COURSESThe student is required to take one major courseand two minor courses from the lists below, andto submit a dissertation of 10,000 words on anapproved topic. The dissertation must be linkedMA STUDY OF RELIGIONSNot all courses listed below may be available everyyear. For courses being offered in 2008/09, pleasevisit the relevant departmental website or contactthe Faculty office. Some courses may be taught inother departments of the School.Choose one major and two minor courses from thelists belowMAJOR OR MINOR OPTIONS- Theory and method of the study of religion- Gender, Post-colonialism and the Study ofReligions- Mystical Traditions- Taoism and the Religions of China- Death and ReligionMINOR OPTION ONLYIslam- The Origins and Early Development of Islam inthe Middle East: Problems and Perspectives- Modern Trends in Islam- Muslim Britain: perspectives and realitiesJudaism- Judaism in the Hellenistic and Roman Period- The Holocaust in Theology, Literature and Art(half unit)- Judaism and Gender (half unit)- Family, Work and Leisure in Ancient Judaism(term 1) (half unit)- Judaism and Modernity (half unit)Chinese and East Asian Religions- Locating China I: China and Other Worldviewsbefore ‘Westernisation’* (half unit)- Locating China II: Missionaries and Misfits in theBritish Construction of China* (term 2) (half unit)- History of Religion in Imperial China- Translation of Chinese Canonical Texts- East Asian Buddhist Thought (half unit)- Japanese New Religions (Masters) (half unit)- Archaeology of the Japanese Archipelago (half unit)- Material Culture of Early Japan (half unit)- Art and Religious Experience in Premodern Japan(half unit)* Students wishing to take this course as a majorsubject must select the other half of the course