POSTGRADUATE PROSPECTUS

of undergraduate Korean language study. Studentsare required to take three taught courses and towrite a dissertation of 10,000 words.MA KOREAN LITERATURENot 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.CORE COURSESurvey of Korean LiteratureThis course aims to provide students with an overallhistory of Korean literature from the earliest timesup to the 20th century. In the first term, the coursewill focus on pre-modern/Sino-Korean literarytraditions up to the Choson period. The secondterm will be devoted to the introduction of literaryand social passages to modernity in 20th centuryKorea. Students will read a selection of primarytexts in English translation as well as secondarysources on literary history, theory and criticism.Topics in Korean LiteratureThis course aims to provide students with thehistory and evolution of the perception and practiceof literature in Korea based on works of diversegenres and traditional discourses on literaryconventions. This is a language-based coursethat largely involves reading prescribed texts inKorean and translating them into English. Tutorialsessions, in which students present their readingsand translations in finished form, form the corecomponent of this course.MINOR OPTIONSOne minor course must be selected from thefollowing options. Students with no prior backgroundin literary studies are strongly advised to select thefirst option.- Theories and Techniques of ComparativeLiterature- Korean Advanced Masters- Topics in History and Structure of the KoreanLanguage- Directed Readings in Korean StudiesIn very exceptional circumstances, if a studenthas sufficient background in Korean languageand literary studies, a minor option in Chineseor Japanese literature may be selected, providedthat the course is directly relevant to the student’sdissertation topic.89Lucien BrownPhD Language Researchin Japan and KoreaAfter completing my MA in Korean Studies,I was keen to continue pursuing my researchinterests in the Korean language and appliedlinguistics. SOAS offered me the programme,expertise and resources.The obvious highlight was being able to doextended research in Seoul during my secondyear. Doing overseas research is a fantasticlearning experience, which I recommendwholeheartedly.I feel Korean studies and applied linguistics havea big future at SOAS. The Korean section is smalland friendly, but also active and progressive.Good personal and professional relationshipswith my supervisor and other academics werea big help while I was writing my thesis.JAPAN AND KOREA