Editing SOAS University of London (section)

===Colleges and departments===
SOAS, University of London is divided into three colleges.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.soas.ac.uk/academic/|title=Academic Departments, Institutes, Centres and Faculties at SOAS, University of London|website=Soas.ac.uk|access-date=16 July 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150722082922/https://www.soas.ac.uk/academic/|archive-date=22 July 2015|url-status=live}}</ref> These are further divided into academic departments. SOAS has many Centres and Institutes, each of which is affiliated to a particular faculty.

====College of Humanities====
The College of Humanities houses the School of Art, the School of History, Religions and Philosophies, and the School of Languages, Cultures and Linguistics. It offers courses at the undergraduate and postgraduate levels, with an emphasis on Asia, Africa, and the Middle East. A gift from the [[Alphawood Foundation]] in 2013 created the Hiram W. Woodward Chair in Southeast Asian art, the [[David Snellgrove]] Senior Lectureship in Tibetan and Buddhist art, and a Senior Lectureship in Curating and Museology of Asian Art, as well as a number of scholarships for students, making the Department of Art & Archaeology a key institution at a global level in the study of [[Southeast Asia]].<ref>{{Cite web| url = http://www.alphawoodfoundation.org/newsroom/2015/6/17/alphawood-foundation-announced-a-32-million-gift-to-soas| title = Alphawood Foundation announced a $32 million gift to SOAS| website = Alphawood Foundation Chicago| access-date = 26 February 2016| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20160304064147/http://www.alphawoodfoundation.org/newsroom/2015/6/17/alphawood-foundation-announced-a-32-million-gift-to-soas| archive-date = 4 March 2016| url-status = live}}</ref> The university is also a member of the [[Screen Studies Group, London]].

====Department of Linguistics====
The SOAS Department of Linguistics was the first ever linguistics department in the United Kingdom, founded in 1932 as a centre for research and study in Oriental and African languages.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://asiancorrespondent.com/2014/05/collaboration-for-language-preservation-and-revitalisation-in-asia/ |title=Collaboration for language preservation and revitalisation in Asia |work=Asian Correspondent |date=14 May 2014 |access-date=23 May 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160624232142/https://asiancorrespondent.com/2014/05/collaboration-for-language-preservation-and-revitalisation-in-asia/ |archive-date=24 June 2016 |url-status=live }}</ref> [[J. R. Firth]], known internationally for his work in phonology and semantics, was a Senior Lecturer, Reader and Professor of General Linguistics at the school between 1938 and 1956.

====College of Development, Economics and Finance====
The College of Development, Economics and Finance houses the departments of Development Studies, Economics, and Finance and Management.

====College of Law, Anthropology and Politics====
The College of Law, Anthropology and Politics houses the School of Law, the departments of Anthropology and Politics and International Studies, and the centres for Gender Studies, Media Studies, the London Asia-Pacific Centre for Social Science, the Centre for International Studies and Diplomacy, the Centre of Taiwan Studies and a number of department-specific centres. It offers courses at the undergraduate and postgraduate levels, many with an emphasis on Asia, Africa, and the Middle East.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.soas.ac.uk/lawsocialsciences/|title=Faculty of Law and Social Sciences (L&SS)|access-date=25 January 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170202034147/https://www.soas.ac.uk/lawsocialsciences/|archive-date=2 February 2017|url-status=live}}</ref>

====SOAS School of Law====
{{Main|SOAS School of Law}}
One of the largest individual departments, the '''SOAS School of Law''' is one of Britain's leading law schools and the sole law school in the world focusing on the study of Asian, African and Middle Eastern legal systems.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.topuniversities.com/university-subject-rankings/law-legal-studies?tab=indicators&search=soas&sort_by=rank&order_by=asc|title=QS World University Rankings for Law and Legal Studies 2024|date= 10 April 2024|access-date=23 July 2024}}</ref> The School of Law has more than 400 students. It offers programmes at the [[LL.B.]], [[LL.M.]] and [[MPhil]]/[[PhD]] levels. [[International students]] have been a majority at all levels for many years.

The SOAS School of Law has an unrivaled concentration of expertise in the laws of Asian and African countries, [[human rights]], transnational [[commercial law]], [[environmental law]], and [[comparative law]]. The SOAS School of Law was ranked 15th out of all 98 British law schools by ''[[The Guardian]]'' League Table in 2016.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.theguardian.com/education/ng-interactive/2015/may/25/university-guide-2016-league-table-for-law|title=University guide 2016: league table for law|website=[[TheGuardian.com]]|date=25 May 2015 |access-date=13 December 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161220203529/https://www.theguardian.com/education/ng-interactive/2015/may/25/university-guide-2016-league-table-for-law|archive-date=20 December 2016|url-status=live}}</ref>

Although many modules at SOAS embody a substantial element of English [[common law]], all modules are taught (as much as possible) in a comparative or international manner with an emphasis on the way in which law functions in society. Thus, law studies at SOAS are broad and comparative in their orientation. All students study a significant amount of non-English law, starting in the first year of the LL.B. course, where "Legal Systems of Asia and Africa" is compulsory. Specialised modules in the laws and legal systems of particular countries and regions are also encouraged, and faculty experts conduct modules in these subjects every year.