Program Overview

Key Information

Duration

14 – 25 July 2025 / 13 - 24 April 2026

Attendance Mode

In-Person

Course Overview

Offered as part of the SOAS-Alphawood Postgraduate Diploma in Asian Art, this course is an intensive 2-week immersion in object-based study of Asian art, run annually each July.

You will explore a range of objects and artworks in situ, predominantly in the British Museum and Victoria and Albert Museum, meeting with the curators who care for these collections.

Structure

The course is built around eight focused case studies, each consisting of a lecture, seminar, and related gallery or reserve collection visit.

Case studies are drawn from the full range of regions and contexts covered in the SOAS-Alphawood Postgraduate Diploma in Asian Art: South Asia, China, Japan, Korea, Southeast Asia, the Islamic world and the Buddhist world. Each of the two weeks focuses on a single theme or topic that is central to art history and/or museum curation today. You will contextualise the objects encountered on this course within the diverse geographies, cultures and contexts from which the objects you study originate, and through which they have travelled to arrive in London today.

You will actively contribute to class discussions and informal presentations in museums and galleries.

This course provides an immersive introduction to the object-based study of Asian art. It is an ideal compliment to students studying any of our online distance learning modules who wish to acquire hands on experience of object based learning.

Ways to Join

• Prior to your first module: Begin your journey on the SOAS-Alphawood Postgraduate Diploma in Asian Art by joining us for Asian Art in the Museum. This will count as your first supporting course (as an alternative to the Independent Study Project) and you will earn 15 credit points at FHEQ level 6.
• After your final module: Culminate your journey on the SOAS-Alphawood Postgraduate Diploma in Asian Art by completing Asian Art in the Museum. This will count as your second and final supporting course (as an alternative to the Independent Study Project) and you will earn 15 credit points at FHEQ level 7.
• As an independent programme: Asian Art in the Museum is available to take independently of further study and you will earn 15 credit points at FHEQ level 6.

Teaching and Learning

Assessment Methods

Halfway through the course you will submit a short reflection on your experience of direct study of objects in museum galleries and stores. Feedback on this short assessment will help you to hone your final submission: either an analytical essay or a curatorial proposal.

Fees and Funding

The cost of joining Asian Art in the Museum independently is: £2,290

When taken as part of a Postgraduate Diploma or Certificate in Asian Art, the fee is £970.

Accommodation

Please note that accommodation is not provided and must be arranged at your own expense.

Related Content

SOAS-Alphawood Postgraduate Diploma in Asian Art

Object-based study of the arts of Asia, run in association with the British Museum and Victoria and Albert Museum. Available in-person and online.

Specialist Art Short Courses

In-person and online short courses specialising in the arts of Asia.

Online Postgraduate Diploma in Asian Art

Offered by the SOAS-Alphawood Postgraduate Diploma in Asian Art, in association with the British Museum and Victoria and Albert Museum. Join us from anywhere in the world for a fully-online pathway of study.