ABOUT SOAS
SOAS is a remarkable institution.With our vast repository of knowledge and expertise on our specialist regions, we are particularly well-placed to inform and shape current thinking about the economic, political, cultural, security and religious challenges of our world. Our programmes are taught by respected academics engaged in fieldwork and research which influences government policies and the lives of individuals across the globe. SOAS scholars engage with the pressing issues confronting humankind today: democracy, development, economy, finance, language, public and corporate policy, human rights, migration, identity, legal systems, poverty, religion, and social change. SOAS is home to some of the world’s leading experts and researchers in these regions who are regularly interviewed by the international media including the BBC, ITN, Reuters and CNN. They act as advisors, commentators and consultants to government departments and non- governmental organisations, as well as the private sector and multinational companies. Through its research excellence, the School has gained a global reputation as a leading institution for the study of these regions, a reputation which is reflected in its diverse staff and student community.
The library is one of just five National Research Libraries in the country and houses the world’s largest concentration of scholarly works on Asia, Africa and the Middle East. Amongst its 1.5 million items, the library has many treasures including a 9th century Tibetan prayer book, priceless Japanese scrolls and original colonial maps of Africa drawn in the 19th century. Approximately 5,200 students from 133 countries study at undergraduate and postgraduate level, 40 per cent of whom are from outside the UK. 4,000 students around the world study through distance learning programmes. We have a well-established and active alumni community in more than 180 countries who are involved in hosting events around the world each year. The many high-profile alumni include world leaders, human rights lawyers, politicians, diplomats, journalists, museum curators, philosophers, and writers, many of whom have helped bring about change to improve the world in which we live. As an institution set up 100 years ago with a clear colonial mission, SOAS has been leading work, towards decolonising education, by reviewing its curricula and tackling the awarding gap for BAME students. Further information about SOAS can be obtained from our website at www.soas.ac.uk .
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