Social Anthropology and Korean

Social anthropology and Korean is a combination that pairs one of the social sciences' richest and most globally oriented disciplines with one of the world's most distinctive and dynamically influential national languages and cultures. Social anthropology is the comparative study of human societies and cultures, examining how people organise their social lives, make meaning, practise religion, structure kinship, manage economies and engage with difference across the extraordinary diversity of human experience. Korean studies provides linguistic competence in Korean alongside engagement with the history, literature, society and contemporary culture of Korea, one of East Asia's most significant and rapidly evolving societies.

At the School of Oriental and African Studies you will study both disciplines within an institution whose global and cross-cultural perspective is central to its academic identity. Social anthropology at SOAS draws on a deep tradition of ethnographic fieldwork and theoretical engagement with cultures across Asia, Africa, the Middle East and the Pacific. Korean studies benefits from the school's specialist language-teaching and area studies resources.

The programme includes a foundation year, providing a pathway into degree-level study, and runs over four years full time in the standard entry configuration.

You will develop skills in ethnographic research, social theory, Korean language, area studies analysis, critical reading and academic writing. The combination of anthropological method and linguistic cultural competence is a powerful one for careers that require both deep cultural understanding and the ability to communicate across difference.

Graduates from social anthropology and Korean programmes move into careers in international organisations, NGOs, government, journalism, international business, cultural diplomacy, education and research. The combination of area expertise, language skills and anthropological training is particularly valued in roles involving Korea and East Asia. Postgraduate study in anthropology, Korean studies or a related area studies field is also a natural route.