Information about School Of Oriental And African Studies

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 Peter Robb
Students	4,525 [1]
Undergraduates	2,430 <ref name="HESA" />
Postgraduates	2,095 <ref name="HESA" />
Location	London, United Kingdom
UK University Ranking 2006	6th (Guardian) 11th (Daily Telegraph) 10th (2006 )THES'')
Affiliations	University of London ACU 1994 Group
Website	[1]
SOAS Crest

The School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS) is a specialist constituent of the University of London commited to the arts and humanities, languages and cultures, and the law and social sciences concerning Asia, Africa, and the Near and Middle East. SOAS currently offers over 300 undergraduate Bachelors 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]

Background

SOAS 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 June 5, 1916; admitted its first batch of students on January 18; 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 February 23, 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 bulding took a hit during the Blitz in September 1940. The School had, 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. 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. The SOAS Library, housed in Philips Building (designed at the beginning of the 1970s by Sir Denys Lasdun), is the UK's national resource for materials relating to Asia and Africa and is the largest of its kind in Europe.

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) which is located in Paris. INALCO is often considered the French equivalent of SOAS.

Campuses

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 Station.

The Vernon Square campus in Islington was opened in 2001. It is closer to the Kings Cross station and is only a few hundred yards from the 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 in 6th place in the United Kingdom with 76.47 percent.^[3] In the Guardian 2006 subject tables, 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.

In 2005 The School of Law was ranked 1st in the UK, however it dropped to 6th place in 2006.

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, however with popular electives like chinese the mode of teaching is by lecture with a ratio of 50:1. According to a 2004 survey conducted by a firm SOAS endorses on its website: Endsleigh Insurance([2] SOAS graduates had the highest graduate starting salaries in the United Kingdom. Male graduates expected to earn an average of £23,024 (depends on degree class), whereas female graduates earned £21,212 on average.^[4]

After five years as Director and Principal of SOAS (and three years as Deputy Vice-Chancellor of the University of London), Colin Bundy has accepted appointment as Warden of Green College, Oxford.^[5] Professor Bundy's immediate predecessor, Sir Tim Lankester KCB, was Director and Principal 1996-2000 and left the School to become President of Corpus Christi College, Oxford.^[6] His successor, Paul Webley, was Senior Deputy Vice Chancellor and Professor of Economic Psychology in the University of Exeter.

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. 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

• Department of Economics
• Department of Development Studies
• Department for Financial & Management Studies (Called CeFiMS also offers distance learning courses)
• Department of Politics and International Studies
• The School of Law

The Faculty of Arts and Humanities

The Faculty of Arts and Humanities contains five Departments

• Anthropology and Sociology
• Art and Archaeology
• History
• Music
• Study of Religions

The Faculty also administers the Centre for Media and Film Studies and MA in Gender Studies

Faculty of Languages and Cultures

The Faculty of Languages and Cultures consists of seven academic departments:

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

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.

Departamental and Other Centers

• AHRB Centre for Asian and African Literatures
• AHRB Research Centre In Cross-Cultural Music And Dance Performance
• Centre for Development Policy and Research (CDPR)
• Centre for Ethnic Minority Studies
• Centre for Finance and Management Studies
• Centre for Gender Studies
• Centre for International Studies and Diplomacy
• Centre for Jewish Studies
• Centre for Law and Conflict
• Centre for Media and Film Studies
• Centre for the Study of Japanese Religions
• Centre of Buddhist Studies
• Centre of East Asian Law
• Centre of Islamic and Middle Eastern Law
• Centre of Islamic Studies
• Centre of Jaina Studies
• Centre of Taiwan Studies
• Centre on International Law and Colonialism
• Contemporary China Institute
• Gender and Religion Research Centre
• International Foundation and English Language Courses
• Law, Environment and Development Centre (LEDC)
• Learning and Teaching Unit
• Poetry Translation Centre
• Sainsbury Institute for the Study of Japanese Arts and Cultures
• The Language 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. In recent years the Students' Union has been incredibly vocal in anti-war protests, and has also hosted talks from the RESPECT party MP George Galloway. 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. 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 alumnus 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.[3]

Notable students and alumni

See also:

Politics & Government

• Luisa Diogo, Current Prime Minister of Mozambique
• Bülent Ecevit, Former Prime Minister of Turkey
• Lord Wilson of Tillyorn, 27th Governor of Hong Kong
• Aung San Suu Kyi, Nobel Peace Prize laureate and elected Honorary President of the SOAS Students' Union
• David Lammy, British politician, Labour Member of Parliament and minister
• Emma McCune, an expatriate British foreign aid worker in Sudan who married guerrilla leader Riek Machar.
• Aaron Mike Oquaye, politician, Minister of Communication in Ghana
• Enoch Powell, British politician
• Idris Kutigi, Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of Nigeria.
• John Vinelott, lawyer and judge
• Varun Gandhi, politician, Bharatiya Janata Party youth leader
• Walter Rodney, historian and Guyanese political activist
• Alan Senitt, political activist
• Lord Jay of Ewelme, civil servant
• Jemima Khan, society figure and campaigner

Media

• Mirza Tahir Ahmad, fourth Head of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community and founder of Muslim TV Ahmadiyya (world's first Muslim satellite television network)
• Zeinab Badawi, newsreader
• Fatima Bhutto, author and journalist
• James Brandon, newspaper journalist
• Martin Bright, journalist, Political Editor of the New Statesman
• Dom Joly, television comedian and journalist
• Khyentse Norbu, film-maker and Tibetan Buddhist lama
• Andrew Robinson, author and journalist
• Saira Shah, journalist and film-maker

Academia

• Antony Flew, philosopher
• Fred Halliday, academic, Professor of International Relations at the London School of Economics
• Robert Graham Irwin, historian and writer on Arabic literature
• James R. Russell, academic, Mashtots Professor of Armenian Studies at Harvard University
• Ivan van Sertima, historian and anthropologist, professor of African studies at Rutgers University
• Patrick Sookhdeo, theologian and Anglican canon
• Romila Thapar, historian, Professor Emerita of Ancient Indian History at the Jawaharlal Nehru University
• Thomas Trautmann, historian
• Konrad Tuchscherer, academic, Associate Professor of History and Director of Africana Studies at St. John's University (New York City)
• Ehsan Yarshater, academic, Hagop Kevorkian Professor Emeritus of Iranian Studies at Columbia *University
• William Montgomery Watt, historian and Islamic scholar
• Than Tun, historian of Burma
• Ed Husain, writer, author of The Islamist

Music & the Arts

• Cheng Yu, musician
• Paul Robeson, musician, writer and civil rights activist
• Raman Mundair, writer, artist, poet and playwright

Finance

• Chief Dr. (Mrs.) Cecilia Ibru, Managing Director and CEO - Oceanic International Bank Plc

World Royalty

• Mette-Marit, Crown Princess of Norway
• Sultan Salahuddin, King of Malaysia

Notable academics

See also:

Faculty of Law and Social Sciences

• Ben Fine Economics
• Philip Stott Biogeography
• Charles R. H. Tripp Middle East Politics
• W. B. Henning Politics
• Jan Toporowski Economics

Faculty of Arts and Humanities

• Arthur Llewellyn Basham History
• Patricia Crone Islamic History
• Lucy Duran Music
• Nasser David Khalili Islamic Art
• Vladimir Minorsky Persian Literature and History
• Gerald Hawting History of the Near Middle East
• Alexander Piatigorsky History of South Asia
• Roland Oliver African History
• Charles R. H. Tripp Middle East History
• John Wansbrough Islamic History

Faculty of Languages and Cultures

• Wendy Doniger Sanskrit, Indian Studies
• Mary Boyce Persian, Iranian Studies
• J. R. Firth Phonetics
• Paul Gifford African Christianity
• A.C. Graham Chinese
• Michel Hockx Chinese
• Alfred Guillaume Islamic Studies
• Reginald Johnston Chinese (tutor to Puyi, the last emperor of China)
• Ann Lambton Persian
• Hamilton Gibb Islam
• Bernard Lewis, Middle East Studies
• David Marshall Lang Caucasian Studies
• Shirin Akiner Central Asian Studies
• Xiao Qian Modern Chinese
• William Radice Bengali
• Ralph Russell Urdu
• Lao She Chinese
• Nicholas Sims-Williams Iranian and Central Asian Studies
• A. S. Tritton Arabic
• Edward Ullendorff Ethiopian Studies and Semetic Languages
• Arthur Waley Sinology
• Paul Thompson, Sinology
• Richard O. Winstedt Malay
• TH Barrett The Study of Religions
• Michael Bacon African Studies
• George Hewitt Caucasian Languages

''' Other'''

• Colin Bundy Former principal

References

External links

• School of Oriental and African Studies website
• Game, John 'The origins of SOAS as a colonial institution, training district'
• SOAS Student Union website

•  • [ e] Universities in the United Kingdom
England	Anglia Ruskin University of the Arts Aston Bath Bath Spa Bedfordshire Birmingham UCE Birmingham (Birmingham Conservatoire) Bolton Bournemouth Bradford Brighton Bristol Brunel Buckingham Cambridge Canterbury Christ Church Central Lancashire Chester Chichester City Coventry Cranfield Cumbria De Montfort Derby Durham East Anglia East London Edge Hill Essex Exeter Gloucestershire Greenwich Hertfordshire Huddersfield Hull Imperial Kent Keele Kingston Lancaster Leeds Leeds Metropolitan Leicester Lincoln Liverpool Liverpool Hope Liverpool John Moores London (Birkbeck Central School of Speech and Drama Courtauld Institute of Art Goldsmiths Heythrop Institute of Cancer Research Institute of Education King's London Business School LSE LSHTM Queen Mary Royal Academy of Music Royal Holloway Royal Veterinary College St George's SOAS School of Pharmacy UCL) London Metropolitan London South Bank Loughborough Manchester Manchester Metropolitan Middlesex Newcastle Northampton Northumbria Nottingham Nottingham Trent Oxford Oxford Brookes Plymouth Portsmouth Reading Roehampton Royal College of Art Salford Sheffield Sheffield Hallam Southampton Southampton Solent Staffordshire Surrey Sunderland Sussex Teesside Thames Valley Warwick UWE Westminster Winchester Wolverhampton Worcester York York St John
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Northern Ireland	Queen's Ulster
Non−geographic	Open University

•  • [ e] The 1994 Group of smaller British research 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