Chinese/Japanese with Korean at SOAS

Hi - thank you so much for your response

So in the third year I would only be able to take Elementary Korean 1+2, as well as an Intermediate Chinese + another chinese module? (e.g. Cantonese)
Then, I presume in the FOURTH year I would take the THIRD year Korean modules, and the fourth year Chinese modules as usual.
In other words, Chinese/Korean students don't ever study fourth year Korean modules, no? I guess Korean is the minor, after all.
How is the Chinese/Korean unit ratio for the fourth year? Perhaps two Chinese fourth year units and two Korean third year units?

I hope you don't mind all these questions >.<

Oh wow, Korean is really increasing in popularity : o

Do you study Korean or Chinese/Korean?

I graduated in Japanese and Korean at SOAS and I wouldn't have been able to take Korean units in my first year, but as I had previously studied Japanese I went into the second year. I can't comment on Chinese but in Japanese there is a compulsory J2 module which is language based and worth 2 units, leaving two remaining units, which I chose as two other Korean language modules. I went to Japan for the third year, and there is no compulsory study abroad in Korea. In the fourth year, I took two Japanese and two Korean units, but there isn't anything stopping you doing all of one or the other. Personally I did my dissertation and advanced practical Japanese on the Japanese side and intermediate Korean and 20th century Korea in the fourth year. it takes some discipline keeping up the Korean though, as a lot can be forgotten on tvhe year abroad in Japan, or in China too as I would imagine.

I found the Japanese workload higher and more strict than Korean, which, while it was also high in workload, was much more lenient in terms of marking and general level of difficulty, particularly in the language courses. The history modules are also not too bad, as the actual work that goes towards the final grade were only two essays and a final exam, at least when I was there anyway.

No thats ok, happy to answer any questions.

Im currently studying BA Chinese & Korean - in my 3rd year now and back from my year abroad in Beijing.

Yup that is how 3rd year would work. You have 2 modules you must take for korean, 1 intermediate chinese and then your 4th unit can be from either degree course. In my case, I have to take 3 korean units this year because I only switched to Chinese & korean THIS year and now have to make up for the 1 korean module I missed in my first year of study.

Yeah Korean is the minor, so you wont get to do up to year 4 unless your korean is super good. Generally most combined students will only reach intermediate korean in 4th year. And though we dont get the year abroad in Korea, they have offered a 6 week summer school for joint students to go to learn at a uni in Seoul. I think they said tuition is free, though not sure about that, we wont get details till nxt year.

For 4th year the chinese/korean ratio is really up to you. As long as you have a minimum of 5 korean units over your 4 years. Assuming you've taken 3 units up to year 3 (1 in 1st year, 2 in 3rd year), then you'll have to do 2 korean units in 4th year. And the rest can be chinese. But then again, if you've completed 8 chinese modules already over 3 years, you could in theory not take any more chinese in 4th year.

Hope this isnt too confusing to understand ><

That summer school thing sounds amazing *-*
You said that you COULD do fourth year Korean modules if you're good enough.. What decides that you're good enough? The exams for Elementary Korean? Or do you take a proficiency test before even beginning Korean (like the advanced entry - I don't think they have this for Korean, no?) I'm not advanced at Korean haha, but I've studied it for a bit and -think- I'm at intermediate level. But, then again, the Elementary Korean could be really intense at SOAS, because I've heard some stories about the Chinese :'D Thus, I could end up exceeding my current level anyway.. I'll probably just do the elementary >< (if I get into SOAS..I don't even apply this year)
Hmm ok, one last thing xD
How many non-Chinese/Korean floaters could you take, if you wanted?
Thank you for your response and time!

Yeah, its definitely a great opportunity for joint language students.
Not quite sure on this point but i would assume your exams results for elementary korean will definitely help in convincing your tutor to let you do 4th year korean modules but really its about everything, how they've assessed you in class, your speaking, etc.
Im not sure if soas will offer a proficiency test, you would have to look into that. But I think generally if you start out doing EK in 3rd year and dont find its extremely easy, then its not likely that over 1 summer, you'll be at the same level as single korean degree students who have spent a year abroad and then take those modules.
Its just a very unlikely situation because if your korean was good enough to take 4th yr modules in your 2nd year of korean study, then I would think there'd be no point doing EK because it'd be too easy.

How long exactly have you studied korean? for chinese I had a year or study before I started 1st year so prob about lower intermediate, and while it was quite easy for me compared to other people, there was still a lot I didnt know.

I've definitely found korean a lot more intensive than chinese though in terms of teaching, hwk and studying. While Chinese is quite strict on hwk deadlines, I never found the workload overbearing. It was manageable.
Whereas for Korean, because we are following quite a big textbook (2 actually in 1 year), we go at such a fast pace, loads of vocab each week to learn, weekly tests, presentations etc. And a lot of it you just have to self study because its not all covered in class. And seems to me no matter how much Im doing, Im always playing catch up with hwk. lol. But good thing that they're quite lenient with when you give in hwk.

Its usually one floater. I definitely do not recommend doing more than that, the workload would be a nightmare.

Thank you for the info! May I ask, why did you go to Japan in the third year?
edit: instead of the second year, I mean.

Ahh I understand. I've been studying it for about a year, but I don't think I'd be as good as the third year korean students! I was just worrying that it would be a waste of a year to go over loads of stuff that I've already learnt. However, if you say yourself that you learned a lot more new stuff for Chinese, then I'd stick with the EK anyway xD Actually, while I may know quite a bit of grammar, my communication skills are absolutely dire, and that also goes for my listening skills haha.
The Korean sounds really intense..presentations? D: the bane of my life!
Yes of course. I think I'm being a bit too ambitious now xD