POSTGRADUATE PROSPECTUS

and seminars, and in addition students arerequired to attend general lectures and seminarshosted by the Centre of South Asian Studies.STRUCTURE AND REQUIREMENTSStudents take three taught courses, one of which isdesignated a major, and complete a 10,000-worddissertation related to the major. Some disciplinessuch as politics, economics or social anthropologyrequire an appropriate qualification (such as allor part of a first degree) if any of their coursesare to be taken as the major subject. Students arerequired to attend general lectures and seminarshosted by the Centre of South Asian Studies.CHOOSING THE COURSESWhen applying, applicants are asked to specifytheir preferred major subjects and asked to givean alternative, as practical considerations such astimetabling and availability of courses may limitchoices. For further information on departmentsand courses listed, please refer to the relevantsections in the prospectus or visit www.soas.ac.ukMA SOUTH ASIAN AREA STUDIESNot 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.OPTIONAL COURSES (MAJORS AND MINORS)Anthropology- South Asian Culture and SocietyArt and Archaeology- The Arts of TibetCinema- Indian Cinema: its history and social context- Indian cinema: Key IssuesCultural Studies- Contemporary South Asia- Culture and Conflict in the Himalaya- Modern Bengal: the evolution of Bengali cultureand society from 1690 to the present day (Masters)- Pakistan: history, culture, Islam- Genders, sexualities and the study of Asianliterature and film- Postcolonial Theory and Practice157Naseem BhandariMA South Asian Area StudiesStudying at SOAS has expanded my creativityand my knowledge of ancient India and thecontemporary South Asian diaspora. I wasable to engage in many interdisciplinarycourses such as Indian Cinema and Literaturesof South Asia, explore my interests and gainspecialist knowledge.SOAS is also an excellent place for spiritualgrowth. I suppose it’s quite natural that a schoolproviding such diverse and extensive optionsfor its students takes on a unique mould foreach of them. However for me, it epitomisesself exploration, self expression and selfactualisation. The ability to encompass oneselfby a sophisticated, jovial, and cosmopolitanatmosphere is what sets SOAS apart.INTERDISCIPLINARY STUDIES