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Is it worth doing MA Japanese Studies at SOAS with my goals?

I applied for this course as I have recently returned from studying at Keio. My aim is to work in an international law firm, preferably in Asia or Australia but with my N3 Japanese and experience living there, I want to get fluent.

I have an LLB already and want to do a further law degree abroad but will use the Masters Loan in the UK for another more selfish course of my choice.

SOAS has a great international relations and foreign studies department which is why I have chosen the course however I am concerned about the name being 'Japanese Studies' when I will be studying mostly Chinese politics by choice with Japanese language. I'm concerned the name of the course combined with my past experience will make me appear too insular.

I have had a burning thesis idea in my head since my time at Keio that I wasn't able to explore and want to revisit at Masters level. If it was not for the scholarship options and the option to go to Sophia, I would choose 'Chinese Studies' with the exact same modules.
Original post by strtouttabrum
I applied for this course as I have recently returned from studying at Keio. My aim is to work in an international law firm, preferably in Asia or Australia but with my N3 Japanese and experience living there, I want to get fluent.
I have an LLB already and want to do a further law degree abroad but will use the Masters Loan in the UK for another more selfish course of my choice.
SOAS has a great international relations and foreign studies department which is why I have chosen the course however I am concerned about the name being 'Japanese Studies' when I will be studying mostly Chinese politics by choice with Japanese language. I'm concerned the name of the course combined with my past experience will make me appear too insular.
I have had a burning thesis idea in my head since my time at Keio that I wasn't able to explore and want to revisit at Masters level. If it was not for the scholarship options and the option to go to Sophia, I would choose 'Chinese Studies' with the exact same modules.
Hi there - with a degree in Japanese Studies at SOAS, you can still explore aspects of China and its relation with Japan. Our MA programmes are flexible, and will enable you to build your interdisciplinary curriculum, making the most of the expertise on East Asia in and across the department.

We have an Open Evening this week (13th March), so would definitely recommend registering to meet with academic staff to discuss the course content further: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/postgraduate-open-evening-tickets-787968423767

I hope this helps!
The name of the degree is not important, it's the content that matters. If you would otherwise be doing the same modules on a Chinese studies course then what does it matter?
Reply 3
Original post by artful_lounger
The name of the degree is not important, it's the content that matters. If you would otherwise be doing the same modules on a Chinese studies course then what does it matter?

It matters because recruiters are lazy. They'll just see 'Japanese Studies' on my CV and not look any further. I'm saying this from experience with them - they only skim read what they're given. A former friend of mind had a similar issue with their masters degree. They suggested I change the name of my degrees on my CV to match what I specialised in instead.

It's only a minor gripe of mine though. I'm more concerned about whether the course itself will help me achieve my goal of becoming a solicitor at a global firm. The website mentions alumni work at a couple of firms but none of the international ones surprisingly.
Original post by strtouttabrum
It matters because recruiters are lazy. They'll just see 'Japanese Studies' on my CV and not look any further. I'm saying this from experience with them - they only skim read what they're given. A former friend of mind had a similar issue with their masters degree. They suggested I change the name of my degrees on my CV to match what I specialised in instead.
It's only a minor gripe of mine though. I'm more concerned about whether the course itself will help me achieve my goal of becoming a solicitor at a global firm. The website mentions alumni work at a couple of firms but none of the international ones surprisingly.
What kind of jobs would you be applying to where having a Japanese studies degree vs a Chinese studies degree would matter though?
Reply 5
Original post by artful_lounger
What kind of jobs would you be applying to where having a Japanese studies degree vs a Chinese studies degree would matter though?

If I was applying for a law firm that offered a specific career route to those who spoke Mandarin and/or had knowledge or Chinese business practices, it wouldn't be smart to apply saying 'well, I did Japanese Studies and lived in Japan!'. I could know everything about China but it doesn't hurt to have that reflected on my CV. Same way I wouldn't want to use a degree in French History to work in Germany.

A lot of law firms have bases in China and Mandarin is becoming more desirable these days. There are training contracts I will be a much better candidate for if I had that background. And since I'm putting in the effort to study these things, I want that acknowledgement in the hiring process.
Original post by strtouttabrum
If I was applying for a law firm that offered a specific career route to those who spoke Mandarin and/or had knowledge or Chinese business practices, it wouldn't be smart to apply saying 'well, I did Japanese Studies and lived in Japan!'. I could know everything about China but it doesn't hurt to have that reflected on my CV. Same way I wouldn't want to use a degree in French History to work in Germany.
A lot of law firms have bases in China and Mandarin is becoming more desirable these days. There are training contracts I will be a much better candidate for if I had that background. And since I'm putting in the effort to study these things, I want that acknowledgement in the hiring process.
I suspect the language side they would want you take a standardised exam for it (akin to the JLPT for Japanese or TestDAF for German). The other parts of the degree are transferable skills anyway.

Personally I think you're reading too much into the degree title.
Reply 7
Original post by artful_lounger
I suspect the language side they would want you take a standardised exam for it (akin to the JLPT for Japanese or TestDAF for German). The other parts of the degree are transferable skills anyway.
Personally I think you're reading too much into the degree title.

Did/do you study at SOAS?
Original post by strtouttabrum
Did/do you study at SOAS?

Yes, I did study there :smile:
Reply 9
Original post by artful_lounger
Yes, I did study there :smile:

What would you say is the best thing about SOAS compared to the other UoL unis?
Original post by strtouttabrum
What would you say is the best thing about SOAS compared to the other UoL unis?

Well bear in mind most people won't have studied at more than one of them (although in my case, I am currently at UCL so have studied at two so do have some sense of comparison :wink: granted at UG level only).

I would say in general my experience was that teaching at SOAS was really very excellent, and also the lecturers were invested in teaching for the purpose of teaching (whereas at other unis in general it's not uncommon for lecturers to be more interested in their research than in teaching). So they were very invested in the students and supporting them, at least in my subject area there. That said I was in a pretty small/niche area there (I was studying South Asian Studies/Sanskrit at SOAS)

At UCL I would say though my experience of teaching has mostly been pretty positive and the lecturers are generally also quite invested in it, although again I'm in a fairly small subject area there (a different but similar humanities field).
Original post by artful_lounger
Well bear in mind most people won't have studied at more than one of them (although in my case, I am currently at UCL so have studied at two so do have some sense of comparison :wink: granted at UG level only).
I would say in general my experience was that teaching at SOAS was really very excellent, and also the lecturers were invested in teaching for the purpose of teaching (whereas at other unis in general it's not uncommon for lecturers to be more interested in their research than in teaching). So they were very invested in the students and supporting them, at least in my subject area there. That said I was in a pretty small/niche area there (I was studying South Asian Studies/Sanskrit at SOAS)
At UCL I would say though my experience of teaching has mostly been pretty positive and the lecturers are generally also quite invested in it, although again I'm in a fairly small subject area there (a different but similar humanities field).

Thanks for the insight! I'm almost dead-set on going to SOAS at some point whether it's this year's intake or later because of my interest in cultural (and language) study. I just want to be sure my timing's right.
Original post by strtouttabrum
Thanks for the insight! I'm almost dead-set on going to SOAS at some point whether it's this year's intake or later because of my interest in cultural (and language) study. I just want to be sure my timing's right.

Honestly if you can afford it I don't think there's a wrong time per se and I really don't think there's any issue with going there after you graduate :smile:

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