The Student Room Group
Carr Saunders Halls, LSE
London School of Economics
London

Gender Studies SOAS or LSE ?

I am currently finishing my last year of BA Language and Culture at UCL in London.
I have a conditional offer for the following masters:

BA Transnational Queer Feminist Politics at SOAS and
Msc Gender (Sexuality) at LSE

I know that LSE is far more reputable than SOAS, however, I liked more the modules at SOAS than the LSE's ones.
After 4 horrible years at UCL, I had enough of shite people and all the university bureaucracy, if you think you're the best one and know everything, how are you suppose to improve if you simply have nothing to learn ?! I know people that love UCL, I am not here to argue this.
Regarding the field, which university does better and why?

My main focus of interest is Queer nationalism and Queer statecraft.

Thank you very much for your opinion.
Original post by Walter Netto
I am currently finishing my last year of BA Language and Culture at UCL in London.
I have a conditional offer for the following masters:

BA Transnational Queer Feminist Politics at SOAS and
Msc Gender (Sexuality) at LSE

I know that LSE is far more reputable than SOAS, however, I liked more the modules at SOAS than the LSE's ones.
After 4 horrible years at UCL, I had enough of shite people and all the university bureaucracy, if you think you're the best one and know everything, how are you suppose to improve if you simply have nothing to learn ?! I know people that love UCL, I am not here to argue this.
Regarding the field, which university does better and why?

My main focus of interest is Queer nationalism and Queer statecraft.

Thank you very much for your opinion.

I'm in this exact dilemma, though I think I'm personally leaning slightly more to LSE. Though I love SOAS and everything it stands for, I'm quite anxious about their fiscal situation and how it might affect the degree....
Carr Saunders Halls, LSE
London School of Economics
London
Original post by Walter Netto
BA Transnational Queer Feminist Politics at SOAS and
Msc Gender (Sexuality) at LSE

I actually just had to do a quick google search of that degree title to satisfy myself that you weren't trolling... You're not.
That’s true, I forgot to mention that in my post. Intellectually speaking, SOAS is a far more suitable university to me. Let’s keep in contact here and any updates you have regarding the situation at Soas, please feel free to share it here. Thank you for getting in contact.
Original post by Donna Kebab
I'm in this exact dilemma, though I think I'm personally leaning slightly more to LSE. Though I love SOAS and everything it stands for, I'm quite anxious about their fiscal situation and how it might affect the degree....

That’s true, I forgot to mention that in my post.

Intellectually speaking, SOAS is a far more suitable university to me. Let’s keep in contact here and any updates you have regarding the situation at Soas, please feel free to share it here. Thank you for getting in contact.
I mean ultimately you should defo do the degree that you're going to be more interested in! Since I'm slightly more interested in the cultural side, LSE (weirdly) makes more sense for me, though I agree, SOAS's methodologies and outlook etc excite me way more.
Looking at LSE modules for the course I found them to be quiet generic, and in some cases it seems to me that it overlaps a lot with other studies, such as human rights, I found that doing a master in gender to end up studding HR that I would be better off studying HR instead ?!I am definitely more prone to challenge gender theory/ideology than really see its scope of action on the real world. Not sure if what I said make sense to you though. But this is how I "feel".

Which modules do you like most there ? and why ? maybe your opinion on the matter chan shed some light to all these questions.

In short, I wasn't impressed by LSE's module's description.
(edited 3 years ago)
No I totally get you, and that’s my one worry with LSE, because if the theory and stuff ain’t radical enough I’m not gonna be happy lol. 

That being said here’s my take on both degrees in how they relate to my personal interests:



Similarities:

So both seem to offer two compulsory modules to give a strong political and theoretical grounding to the field ‘(Gender Theories in the Modern World' and ‘Transnational Sexual Politics’ for LSE and ‘Gender theory and the study of Asia, Africa and the Middle East’ and either ‘Queer Politics in Asia, Africa and the Middle East’/’Transnationalising Queer, Trans and Disability Studies’ for SOAS). Both schools have a really international outlook which is why they’re more attractive to me than let’s say UCL. By and large I slightly prefer the indicative reading lists at SOAS, but the LSE reading lists aren’t bad by any means.

With LSE:
So personally, I actually quite like the interdisciplinary overlapping. For example, I wanted to study film/cinema to some capacity, and modules like 'Screening the Present' and ‘Film Theory and Word Cinema' give a pretty good founding from a political and critical perspective. My fave module however is 'Bodies Culture and Politics' with how it's intersectional study of the body (through theory, practice, culture, politics and so on). Currently that module alone is swaying me top LSE. I’m also potentially thinking of doing 'Anthropology of South East Asia' as an external option instead of 'Film Theory', but we'll see.

With SOAS:
Firstly it's a shame you have to choose between 'Queer Politics in Asia, Africa and the Middle East' and 'Transnationalising Queer, Trans and Disability Studies' because both look awesome. Regarding optional papers, I’d definitely take ‘Gender and Sexualities in South East Asian Film’ as it hits on my interests in SO MANY ways. Then I think the Work Experience module is particularly valuable, not only in terms of skills and career but also in regards to applying theory to practice (!!!). Then I’d take a language (either Thai or Sanskrit). 




Basically LSE would allow me to more widely explore my interests, whereas SOAS would probably give me a broader variety of skills (radical thinking, language and work experience etc.). However, I’m also able to take a language at the SOAS Language centre so… The other thing I would say though, is that I prefer the assessment style of LSE. I'm excited more by the idea of writing an in-depth 4,000/5,000 word essay per unit than lots of smaller ones. But that's just a personal thing. 

What about you? Which are the modules from both courses that you like the look of?
Original post by Donna Kebab
No I totally get you, and that’s my one worry with LSE, because if the theory and stuff ain’t radical enough I’m not gonna be happy lol. 

That being said here’s my take on both degrees in how they relate to my personal interests:



Similarities:

So both seem to offer two compulsory modules to give a strong political and theoretical grounding to the field ‘(Gender Theories in the Modern World' and ‘Transnational Sexual Politics’ for LSE and ‘Gender theory and the study of Asia, Africa and the Middle East’ and either ‘Queer Politics in Asia, Africa and the Middle East’/’Transnationalising Queer, Trans and Disability Studies’ for SOAS). Both schools have a really international outlook which is why they’re more attractive to me than let’s say UCL. By and large I slightly prefer the indicative reading lists at SOAS, but the LSE reading lists aren’t bad by any means.

With LSE:
So personally, I actually quite like the interdisciplinary overlapping. For example, I wanted to study film/cinema to some capacity, and modules like 'Screening the Present' and ‘Film Theory and Word Cinema' give a pretty good founding from a political and critical perspective. My fave module however is 'Bodies Culture and Politics' with how it's intersectional study of the body (through theory, practice, culture, politics and so on). Currently that module alone is swaying me top LSE. I’m also potentially thinking of doing 'Anthropology of South East Asia' as an external option instead of 'Film Theory', but we'll see.

With SOAS:
Firstly it's a shame you have to choose between 'Queer Politics in Asia, Africa and the Middle East' and 'Transnationalising Queer, Trans and Disability Studies' because both look awesome. Regarding optional papers, I’d definitely take ‘Gender and Sexualities in South East Asian Film’ as it hits on my interests in SO MANY ways. Then I think the Work Experience module is particularly valuable, not only in terms of skills and career but also in regards to applying theory to practice (!!!). Then I’d take a language (either Thai or Sanskrit). 




Basically LSE would allow me to more widely explore my interests, whereas SOAS would probably give me a broader variety of skills (radical thinking, language and work experience etc.). However, I’m also able to take a language at the SOAS Language centre so… The other thing I would say though, is that I prefer the assessment style of LSE. I'm excited more by the idea of writing an in-depth 4,000/5,000 word essay per unit than lots of smaller ones. But that's just a personal thing. 

What about you? Which are the modules from both courses that you like the look of?

I see, you're more into the cultural aspect of gender, I am more into the political and revolutionary side of it, which is basically NO gender.

It is indeed a shame that we have to chose between Queer Politics and Transnationalising Queer, Trans and Disability Studies, I am still not sure which one would I chose. '

LSE's modules I liked most:
1-Globalisation, Gender and development
2-Gender postcoloniality and development
3-Gender Theories in the Modern World; an interdisciplinary approach

1 &2, goes hand on hand to my personal interests; the intersection between queer politics and post-colonial politics, it is interesting to remember that 35 out of 70 previous British colonies still have to this day anti-gay laws that were inherited from colonial times. Also, what is it to be queer outside the Western hemisphere ? ...Which takes me to number 3: "modern world " is that another way to call the Western World ? Or is it really encompassing the whole world ? In that point, I believe SOAS would offer a better option than LSE.

SOAS' modules I liked most:
1- Queer Politics / Transnationalising Queer ( the core modules)
2- Queer migrations and Diaspora - "diaspora" here treats queer individuals as belonging to the same people, I really like that, which falls perfectly into my next point:
3- Judaism and Gender- Diaspora, Zionism, and the creation of Israel can all be off a good experience/example to the future creation of a Queer nation.
4- Work placement- Totally agree with you, this is a ++
5- other modules I like that may offer a more "grounding" knowledge are those modules with law such as: Gender, armed conflict and law & Gender, Peace and International Law ( I would def chose one of them)

Overall, SOAS aligne better with my personal interests and also with the sort of environment I would like to be at.

Regarding the learning of a language, I didn't even know that it was actually possible, in that case I would probably pick Hebrew or Arabic, do you have a link to this info ?

My only concern is if SOAS will be able to overcome its financial situation, do you have any updates on this ?
(edited 3 years ago)
Ultimately it sounds like SOAS is a really good fit for you. If finances of the institution are the only thing holding you back then I guess that's your call to make. I personally don't have any updates on the situation, but I reckon the school will continue throughout the next year at the very least. IMHO it sounds like SOAS is made for you.

Regarding languages, you're able to take up to 30 credits from the Open Options, and included in that is a vast range of languages. Pretty spicy. Here's a link to all the open options: https://www.soas.ac.uk/students/modulesignup/pg-open-options/

Also everything you're talking about re what you want to work on is all SUPER important and sounds like you're gonna do some pretty awesome stuff wherever you end up.

Quick Reply