Masters Degrees in East Asian Society & Culture

Students gain expertise on East Asian contemporary history, politics and societies and learn social science research methods to become area specialists on East Asia.

The last 20 years have been a period of transition for Japan. The abrupt end in the early 1990s of Japan’s seemingly unstoppable economic growth plunged the nation into two decades of recession, which has in turn brought to the fore a range of social and political issues accumulated since the Second World War.

The Korean peninsula lies at the centre of key geopolitical developments in the early 21st century. North Korea’s nuclear weapons programme and tensions between the two Koreas serve as stark reminders of how fragile regional and global orders are.

The Korean peninsula lies at the centre of key geopolitical developments in the early 21st century. North Korea’s nuclear weapons programme and tensions between the two Koreas serve as stark reminders of how fragile regional and global orders are.

The SOAS MA programme in Taiwan Studies is the first postgraduate degree focussing on contemporary Taiwan in the English speaking world.

On this course we focus on business practices and systems in East Asia, namely China, Japan and Korea. You’ll develop a thorough understanding of the Asian business environment and how it is shaped by domestic and social change, globalisation and political developments.

How will East Asia accommodate the rise of a more economically and militarily assertive China? Is the US declining as a superpower in the region, or will it maintain its regional dominance? Does Japan still have designs upon regional economic leadership, and will it come to play a bigger military role in the region? How does a ‘non-state’ conduct international relations?.

SOAS offers the most comprehensive MA in Japanese Studies available anywhere in Europe. Students are able to choose modules that cover all of Japan’s historical periods, from the earliest to the present and ranging over the social and political sciences as well as humanities.

This degree is designed either to prepare the student for advanced graduate work in a wide range of subjects related to Korea or as an end/qualification in itself.

The region known as "Pacific Asia" can be defined in various ways, but the "core" countries are China, Japan, Korea and the ASEAN nations (Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand, Brunei, Vietnam, Laos, Myanmar and the Philippines).

The thematic components and cross-regional perspectives typically suit students with the following interests and/or aspirations. Experienced practitioners of yoga and meditation who wish to gain a deeper understanding of the historical and cultural contexts that shaped their traditions.

As a student on this programme, you will explore the development of East Asia within the wider context of global economy and development.

The Japanese Studies MLitt comprises taught and research-based elements and is well suited as preparation for PhD research. We place a high emphasis on excellent supervision, researcher training and development.

The MA North Korean Studies provides the only dedicated master’s degree in this subject area outside South Korea.

The Master of Arts in Asian and Asian American Studies (AAAS) enhances intercultural understanding and promotes rigorous scholarly study of Asian societies, political economies, cultures, histories, linguistics, migrations, etc.