Film Studies and World Philosophies

Film studies and world philosophies is a combination that invites you to examine moving images and philosophical traditions that span multiple cultures and continents, resisting the tendency of both disciplines to be taught only through a Western European lens. Film studies approaches cinema as a significant intellectual and cultural form, asking how films construct meaning, how they participate in social and political life and how different cinematic traditions have developed their own aesthetics and conventions. World philosophies broadens the frame of philosophical inquiry beyond the Greek and European traditions, engaging with thought from South Asia, East Asia, Africa, the Islamic world and other traditions that have developed sophisticated responses to questions of knowledge, ethics, reality and the good life.

At SOAS, whose entire scholarly identity is built around the study of Asia, Africa and the Near and Middle East, this three-year, full-time combination has a distinctive character. You will study cinema and film theory alongside philosophical traditions from traditions that SOAS's specialist faculty engage with in depth. The programme includes a foundation year for those who would benefit from additional preparation before the main degree content, making it accessible to students with a wide range of prior backgrounds.

You will develop skills in close reading of film texts and philosophical argument, learning to move between the sensory and the conceptual, the particular work and the broader tradition.

Graduates of this combination pursue careers in education, journalism, arts programming, film curation, cultural criticism, publishing, the museum and heritage sector, broadcasting and international development. The ability to engage seriously with non-Western cultural and philosophical traditions is increasingly valued across a range of professional fields, particularly in roles involving cross-cultural communication, programming or research. Postgraduate study in film studies, philosophy, religious studies, cultural studies or area studies is a natural continuation for many graduates.