Japanese and Korean Studies

The Japanese and Korean Studies programme from SOAS University of London is based on literary, documentary, and archive material available at SOAS and also gathered during fieldwork in Japan and Korea.

The Japanese and Korean Studies programme from SOAS University of Londo,Japan and Korea Department is able to supervise MPhil and PhD degrees by research and thesis in a wide range of cultural and linguistic subjects.

Intending research students should not feel constrained to limit their choice of topics to those indicated against the names of current staff members (postgraduate students have recently been working on a range of topics that include Japanese cinema, Kabuki texts, modern Japanese linguistics and literature, Meiji historical texts, Korean linguistics and literature, Korean colonial and eighteenth century history).

Employment

Graduates from the Department of East Asian Languages and Cultures develop competencies in intercultural awareness, analysis and communication. Demand for specialists with advanced proficiency in the languages of China, Japan and Korea has significantly increased in recent years, and graduates with these skills are highly sought after by employers.

Recent graduates have been hired by organisations including:

• Accenture

• Amazon

• Bloomberg LP

• Department for Work and Pensions

• European Alliance for Human Rights in North Korea

• European Commission

• Google

• ITN

Courses include:

• In the first year, students prepare for research by following a research training seminar series (RTS) convened at the Faculty level by the Associate Dean for Research and supported by the generic training on offer in the Doctoral School.

• The second year (or Part Timeequivalent) is normally spent engaged in research. This may be by any combination of fieldwork and research in libraries and material collection as agreed between the student and the supervisor(s).

• The third year (or Part Timeequivalent) is devoted to writing up research for the PhD thesis. During this time, students will normally give a presentation in a research seminar organised by the Departmental Research Tutor, comprising a select number of staff members with special expertise in the topic and other research students.