BA History of Art and ...
SOAS University of London
Key Information
Campus location
London, United Kingdom
Languages
English
Study format
On-Campus
Duration
3 - 4 years
Pace
Full time, Part time
Tuition fees
GBP 9,250 / per year *
Application deadline
Request info
Earliest start date
Request info
* full-time fees per academic year: UK £9,250; Overseas £20,350
Introduction
Mode of Attendance: Full-time
The BA History of Art is an unrivalled opportunity to study the visual arts, architecture and material culture of Asia, Africa and the Middle East. In the first year, students are introduced to the art and archaeology of different regions. They also receive theoretical and methodological training to prepare them for the study of Asian and African art. In subsequent years students broaden and deepen their knowledge and have the chance to specialise in particular regions or themes. An emphasis is placed on training students’ visual memory through the study of images. Students are also provided with a critical introduction to the creative and cultural industries.
The Department of the History of Art contains some of the world’s leading experts in Asian and African art history and archaeology, whose ground-breaking research informs and is informed by their teaching. Students benefit from the unparalleled knowledge and enthusiasm of the staff. As members of the School of Arts, they profit from the insights of scholars and students studying the Music, Film and Media of Asia, Africa and the Middle East in historical and contemporary contexts. They can also select from courses in other departments, taking advantage of SOAS’s unrivalled expertise in the languages, history, religions and cultures of Asia and Africa.
A degree from the Department of the History of Art provides students with expertise in the History of Art and/or Archaeology of Asia, Africa and the Middle East. Our graduates work in arts, culture and heritage roles, including in galleries, museums, archives, conservation, publishing and arts administration. The large portfolio of transferable skills they acquire enables them to forge careers in a range of other fields across the world. Many graduates decide to pursue postgraduate study in the History of Art and Archaeology or a related discipline.
On the Combined Honours programme, the study of the History of Art is combined with another subject. Some two-subject programmes are completed in three years while others take four years and include a year abroad.
May be combined with:
- Arabic+, (TV63 BA/AHAA)
- Chinese+, (TV13 BA/CHAA)
- East Asian Studies
- History, (VV13 BA/HisHAA)
- Japanese+, (VT32 BA/HAAJ)
- Korean+, (VT34 BA/HAAK)
- Languages and Cultures
- Music, (VW33 BA/HAAM)
- Social Anthropology, (VL36 BA/HAASA)
+ 4-year degree with (compulsory) one year abroad
Gallery
Admissions
Curriculum
Structure
Occasionally the availability of optional modules changes as a result of staffing and other circumstances. Students who had signed up for such modules will be notified as soon as possible and given the opportunity to choose from available alternatives.
The structure and contents of modules reflect the importance given to conceptual and methodological clarity, and to the independent interests of students. Particular importance is given to the training of students’ visual memory through the study of visual images.
One purpose of the introductory year is to provide a basis for the student's selection of modules in the second and third years. The selection of modules in the third year is normally intended to develop the chosen specialisations of the second year. In addition, all third-year students are encouraged to write a 10,000 word Independent Study Project essay (on a subject of their choice) which counts as 30 credits.
Year 1
Core Module
- Theory and Method I
Compulsory Modules
Students will take the following compulsory module
- Great Works: art, films, literature, music
and
30 credits from the following list of "Themes in the Art and Archaeology of…" modules
- Themes in the Art and Archaeology of the Near and Middle East
- Themes in the Art and Archaeology of Africa
- Themes in the Art and Archaeology of South and Southeast Asia
- Themes in the Art and Archaeology of East Asia
Second subject
You can choose modules to the value of 60 credits from your second subject
Year 2
Compulsory Modules
Students will take modules to the value of 60 credits from list of Year 2/3 options in History of Art & Archaeology below
Second subject
You can choose modules to the value of 60 credits from your second subject
Year 3
Compulsory Modules
- Independent study project in History of Art
and
Students will take modules to the value of 30 credits from list of Year 2/3 options in History of Art & Archaeology below
Second subject
You can choose modules to the value of 60 credits from your second subject
List of modules (subject to availability)
Options in History of Art & Archaeology available in Year 2 or Year 3
- Visual Culture of Early-Modern Japan
- Art and Culture in Modern China
- Hindu Art in Medieval India
- Museums and Museology
- Ottoman Art and Architecture (14th-17th centuries)
- Collecting and Collections
- Visual Arts of Africa and The Atlantic World: History, Creativity and Agency
- Islamic Art Theories and Aesthetics
- Arts, Culture and Commodification: Themes in the Global Creative and Cultural Industries
- Key Concepts in Cultural Theory
- Curating Global Arts
- Theory and Method II
- Arts of Tibet
Options in History of Art & Archaeology available in Year 3
Important notice
The information on the programme page reflects the intended programme structure against the given academic session.
Career Opportunities
Employment
A degree from the Department of History of Art & Archaeology provides students with a number of transferrable skills that can be applied to other types of professions. These include research skills; written and oral communication skills; visual awareness; and specialist subject knowledge of Asian and African art. Former History of Art & Archaeology students have gone on to employment in a range of professional roles in business and public sectors, as well as continuing in the field of research either at SOAS or other institutions.
Careers include employment in museums, galleries, conservation organisations, commercial galleries, auction houses and art journalism. Other areas include the heritage industry, specialist travel companies, NGOs with cultural programmes such as UNESCO, UNOP, ICOMOS and the World Monuments Fund.
Studying a combined honours degree gives students to blend a solid grounding in another discipline or subject area which enables them to place the knowledge they gain as part of their degree within a specific regional, cultural or disciplinary context.
English Language Requirements
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