School of Oriental and African Studies
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The School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS)
Motto: Knowledge is Power
Established: 1916
Type: Public
Chancellor: HRH The Princess Royal (Chancellor of the University of London)
President: The Baroness Kennedy of The Shaws QC
Principal: Professor Paul Webley
Pro-Director: Professor Graham Furniss
Students: 4,525 [1]
Undergraduates: 2,430 [1]
Postgraduates: 2,095 [1]
Location: London, United Kingdom
UK University Ranking 2009: 8th (Independent)
9th (Guardian)
Affiliations: University of London
ACU
1994 Group
Website: http://www.soas.ac.uk
SOAS Crest

The School of Oriental and African Studies (commonly abbreviated to "SOAS", pronounced ['səuæs] (so as) or ['səuæz] (so az)) is a constituent of the University of London specialising in the arts, humanities, languages, cultures, law and social sciences concerning Asia, Africa, the Near East and the Middle East. SOAS currently offers over 300 undergraduate Bachelor's degree combinations and over 70 one-year intensively taught Master's degrees. MPhil/PhD research degree programmes are also available in every academic department. Located in the heart of London, SOAS describes itself as the "world's leading centre for the study of a highly diverse range of subjects concerned with Asia, Africa and the Middle East."[2]

Contents

Background

Russell Square campus.
Russell Square campus.

The institution was founded in 1916 as the School of Oriental Studies at 2 Finsbury Circus, London, England, the then premises of the London Institution. The School received its Royal Charter on 5 June 1916; admitted its first batch of students on 18 January; and was formally inaugurated by the King Emperor George V in the presence of Lord Curzon among other cabinet officials just a month later on 23 February 1917. Africa was added to the school's name and remit in 1938 and the school permanently shifted to Thornhaugh Street, which runs between Malet Street and Russell Square.

For sometime in the mid-1930s, the School was located at Vandon House, Vandon Street, London SW1. However, its move was held up by delays in construction and the half-completed building took a hit during The Blitz in September 1940. The School was, on Government's advice, evacuated to Cambridge and returned to London to resume work in July 1940. Most colleges of the University of London were evacuated from London in 1939 and billeted on universities all over the provinces. SOAS was transferred, but without its library, to Christ's College, Cambridge. When it became apparent that a return to London was possible, the School returned to the city and was temporarily housed for some months in 1940-41 in eleven rooms at Broadway Court, 8 Broadway, London SW1.

The institution's founding mission was primarily to train British administrators for overseas postings across the empire. Since then the school has grown into the world's foremost centre for the exclusive study of Asia and Africa.citation needed A college of the University of London, SOAS fields include Law, Social Sciences, Humanities and Languages with special reference to Asia and Africa. SOAS consistently ranks among the top twenty universities in the UK league tables and in 2004 was ranked 44th in the world, 7th in the UK and 11th overall in Europe according to The Times Higher Education Supplement.citation needed The SOAS Library, housed in Philips Building (designed at the beginning of the 1970s by Sir Denys Lasdun, and named after the then SOAS Director), is the UK's national resource for materials relating to Asia and Africa and is the largest of its kind in Europe.citation needed

The School has grown considerably over the past thirty years, from under 1,000 students in the 1970s to over 4,500 students today, nearly half of them postgraduates. SOAS is partnered with the Institut national des langues et civilisations orientales (INALCO) of Paris. INALCO is often considered the French equivalent of SOAS.citation needed

Campuses

The entrance to the Brunei Gallery.
The entrance to the Brunei Gallery.

SOAS is currently split into two campuses within 20 minutes walk of each other. The Russell Square campus is located in Bloomsbury, an area at the corner of the West End known to many tourists for its shops, theaters and nightlife. The main campus was moved there in 1938, and has much expanded since then. The closest Underground station is Russell Square tube station.

The Vernon Square campus in Islington was opened in 2001. It is closer to Kings Cross Station and is only a few hundred yards from Dinwiddy House and Paul Robeson House which are exclusive for SOAS students and are owned by Shaftesbury Student Housing.

The school also houses two galleries: the Percival David Foundation of Chinese Art, one of the foremost collections of Chinese ceramics in Europe, and the Brunei Gallery, completed in 1995, which stages temporary exhibitions of both historical and contemporary materials which reflect subjects and regions studied at SOAS. The present library building (by Sir Denys Lasdun) was added in 1973, the Brunei Gallery in 1995, and an extension to the library building opened in 2004 (the second phase of this expansion is due to be completed in 2006).

Reputation

In 2006, SOAS was placed in 6th place among United Kingdom universities in a Guardian poll.[3] In the subject tables of this poll, SOAS was placed 3rd for Anthropology, 4th for Economics, 3rd for History and History of Art, 6th for Law, 5th for Music, 3rd for Politics, and 3rd for Theology and Religious Studies. The History Department obtained a rare 6 research rating in the last government assessment, placing it as only one of three departments in the country to achieve such a status.citation needed

The Times Higher Education Supplement world rankings place SOAS 44th in the world, 7th in the United Kingdom, and 11th in Europe. SOAS is also regarded for its focus on small group teaching with a student-staff ratio of only 11:1 and some departments 6:1. SOAS currently features in the world's top 50 Universities for Arts & Humanities.[1]

Left politics, activism, various alternative lifestyles, and utter tolerance are said to flourish at SOAS, and multiculturalism is a given. The institution was for many years legendary for discretely tolerating the liberal consumption of cannabis in its student union bar, until the government's institution of a nationwide smoking ban. For these reasons, some pejoratively label SOAS an institution full of hippies and Islamic fundamentalists.

Management

Outside the SOAS Faber Building, 24 Russell Square, commemorating T. S. Eliot's years at Faber and Faber.
Outside the SOAS Faber Building, 24 Russell Square, commemorating T. S. Eliot's years at Faber and Faber.

2006 - present Paul Webley is the current Director and Principal of SOAS. He was previously Senior Deputy Vice Chancellor and Professor of Economic Psychology in the University of Exeter.

2001-2006 Colin Bundy spent five years as Director and Principal of SOAS (and three years as Deputy Vice-Chancellor of the University of London). In 2006, he accepted appointment as Warden of Green College, Oxford.[4]

1996-2000 Professor Bundy's immediate predecessor was Sir Tim Lankester KCB, was Director and Principal 1996-2000 and left the School to become President of Corpus Christi College, Oxford.[5]

Department of Linguistics

The SOAS Department of Linguistics was the first ever linguistics department in United Kingdom, founded in 1932 as a centre for research and study in Oriental and African languages.citation needed J. R. Firth, known internationally for his original work in phonology and semantics, was Senior Lecturer, Reader and Professor of General Linguistics at the school between 1938 and 1956.

Faculties at SOAS

Faculty of Law and Social Sciences

The Faculty of Law and Social Sciences consists of five academic departments, one faculty centre and eight departmental centres:

Departments

  • Department of Development Studies
  • Department of Economics
  • Department of Financial & Management Studies (DeFiMS)
  • School of Law
  • Department of Politics and International Studies

Faculty Centres

  • Centre of Taiwan Studies

Departmental Centres

  • Centre for Development Policy and Research (CDPR)
  • Centre for Ethnic Minority Studies
  • Centre for International Studies and Diplomacy
  • Centre for Law & Conflict
  • Centre of East Asian Law
  • Centre of International Law and Colonialism
  • Centre of Islamic and Middle Eastern Law
  • Law, Environment and Development Centre

The Faculty of Arts and Humanities

The Faculty of Arts and Humanities contains five Departments, one faculty centre and nine departmental centres:

Departments

  • Department of Art and Archaeology
  • Department of Music
  • Department of History
  • Department of the Study of Religions (also administers the Centre for Media and Film Studies and MA in Gender Studies)
  • Department of Anthropology and Sociology

Faculty Centres

  • Centre for Media and Film Studies

Departmental Centres

  • Centre of Buddhist Studies
  • Centre of Eastern and Orthodox Christianity
  • SOAS Food Studies Centre
  • Centre for Gender and Religions Research
  • Centre of Jaina Studies
  • Centre for Migration and Diaspora Studies
  • Centre for Music and Dance Performance Research
  • Centre for the Study of Japanese Religions
  • Sainsbury Institute for the Study of Japanese Arts and Cultures

Faculty of Languages and Cultures

The Faculty of Languages and Cultures consists of eight academic departments, one faculty centre and four departmental centres:

Departments

  • Department of the Languages and Cultures of China and Inner Asia
  • Department of the Languages and Cultures of South Asia
  • Department of the Languages and Cultures of Japan and Korea
  • Department of Linguistics
  • Language Centre
  • Department of the Languages and Cultures of Near and Middle East
  • Department of the Languages and Cultures of Africa
  • Department of the Languages and Cultures of South East Asia

Faculty Centres

  • Centre for Gender Studies

Departmental Centres

  • Centre of Excellence in the Teaching and Learning of Languages of the Wider World
  • Centre of Islamic Studies (CIS)
  • Centre for Jewish Studies
  • London Confucius Institute

Note: At present, where The Language Centre employs its own staff and administers language only courses, the respective departments manage language acquisition in their courses. In the near future (the date is TBC), all language acquisition will be brought under the remit of the new School of Languages.

IFCELS

IFCELS (International Foundation Courses and English Language Studies), lies outside the university's faculty structure and runs a number of foundation courses for students wishing to enter higher education in the UK.

Located in the Faber building, this department is one of the largest departments in the school with currently over 250 foundation students as well as a large number of pre-sessional and in-sessional students.

Regional and interdisciplinary centres

SOAS also includes six regional and 28 interdisciplinary centres apart from its faculties and academic departments. These are responsible for many vigorous programmes of activities such as conferences, colloquia, seminars and publications.

Regional centres

  • Centre of African Studies (CAS)
  • Centre of Chinese Studies (CCS)
  • Centre of Contemporary Central Asia & the Caucasus (CCCAC)
  • Centre of Korean Studies (CKS)
  • Centre of South Asian Studies (CSAS)
  • Centre of South East Asian Studies (CSEAS)
  • Japan Research Centre (JRC)
  • London Middle East Institute (LMEI)

Departmental and other centres

  • Centre for Development, Environment and Policy (CeDEP)
  • Centre for Development Policy and Research (CDPR)
  • Centre for Ethnic Minority Studies (CEMS)
  • Centre for Financial and Management Studies (CeFiMS)
  • Centre for Gender and Religions Research (GRR)
  • Centre for Gender Studies
  • Centre for International Studies and Diplomacy (CISD)
  • Centre for Jewish Studies (CJS)
  • Centre for Law and Conflict
  • Centre for Media and Film Studies
  • Centre for Migration and Diaspora Studies
  • Centre for Music and Dance Performance Research
  • Centre for the Study of Japanese Religions (CSJR)
  • Centre of Buddhist Studies
  • Centre of East Asian Law (CEAL)
  • Centre of Eastern and Orthodox Christianity
  • Centre of International Law and Colonialism (CILC)
  • Centre of Islamic and Middle Eastern Law (CIMEL)
  • Centre of Islamic Studies (CIS)
  • Centre of Jaina Studies (CoJS)
  • Centre of Taiwan Studies
  • Contemporary China Institute
  • International Foundation Courses and English Language Studies (IFCELS)
  • Languages of the Wider World CETL (LWW-CETL)
  • Law, Environment and Development Centre (LEDC)
  • London Confucius Institute
  • Sainsbury Institute for the Study of Japanese Art
  • SOAS Food Studies Centre

Students' accommodation

Many SOAS students are accommodated in the college's own halls of residence: Dinwiddy House (located on Pentonville Road in Kings Cross and Paul Robeson House, a block away from Dinwiddy House, on Penton Rise; SOAS students are also eligible to apply for places in the University of London intercollegiate halls of residence, such as Connaught Hall.

Most students in college or university accommodation are first-year undergraduates. The majority of second and third-year students and postgraduates find their own accommodation in the private sector.

Students' Union

Main article: SOAS Students' Union

SOAS has an active Students' Union, which is seen among the students' movement to be radically left-wing.citation needed In recent years the Students' Union has been incredibly vocal in anti-war protests, and been active in reducing its carbon footprint. Recent campaigns by the union have involved campaigning for extended library opening hours, against closure of the Hindi and Tibetan courses, and for fairer pay for the SOAS cleaners and staff, to prevent further walk out strike action like the walk out in 2005. It has also gone through an environmental audit and has started to actively tackle environmental issues within its student union and in the university. Adopted motions are decided upon by vote at a UGM, usually held at least twice a term.

The union elects 3 full-time co-presidents a year, who have separate responsibilities; and there are many part-time officers working with them who have specific briefs. Since a revision of the Union's constitution it has been possible for a Union General Meeting to elect an honorary president to serve a one-year term. The post has previously been held by Mayor of London Ken Livingstone whilst the current Hon. President is Burmese political activist and SOAS alumna Aung San Suu Kyi.

OpenAir Radio

SOAS runs its own radio station, OpenAir Radio, based on the 5th floor of the Russell Square Building. The initial Restricted Service Licence ran from November until 16 December 2005, and broadcast on 101.4FM over a three mile radius in the Camden/Central London area. The remit of the station is world music, culture and current affairs, with programmes focusing on Africa, Asia, the Middle East and Latin America. OpenAir programmes include everything from local news to international media analysis, and cookery programmes to DJ sets.

OpenAir Radio is currently webcasting service and is applying for a Restricted Service Licence to broadcast on FM in the near future.[2]

Notable students and alumni

See also: Category:Alumni of the School of Oriental and African Studies

Royalty

Government and politics

Media/writers

Academia

Music and the arts

Business and finance

Religion

Notable academics

See also: Category:Academics of the School of Oriental and African Studies

Principals

Faculty of Law and Social Sciences

Faculty of Arts and Humanities

Faculty of Languages and Cultures

References

  1. ^ a b c "Table 0a - All students by institution, mode of study, level of study, gender and domicile 2005/06". Higher Education Statistics Agency online statistics. Retrieved on 2007-03-31.
  2. ^ "home page". Retrieved on 2007-10-03.
  3. ^ "Institution-wide". The Guardian (2006). Retrieved on 2006-08-10.
  4. ^ "Oxford Blueprint, Vol 6, Issue 11". University of Oxford (1 June 2006). Retrieved on 2006-08-10.
  5. ^ "About SOAS: Sir Tim Lankester KCB". School of Oriental and African Studies. Retrieved on 2006-08-13.
  6. ^ "Sufiah Yusof - child genius revealed as prostitute". The Guardian (2008-04-01). Retrieved on 2008-04-08.
  7. ^ "Does Mandelson have a female love rival?". Daily Mail (2005-09-01). Retrieved on 2008-06-08.

External links

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Recognised bodies of the University of London
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The 1994 Group of research-led British universities

Bath • Birkbeck • Durham • East Anglia • Essex • Exeter • Goldsmiths College • Lancaster • Leicester • Loughborough • Queen Mary • Reading • Royal Holloway • School of Oriental and African Studies • St Andrews • Surrey • Sussex • Warwick • York
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