BA Arabic and... (a language) SOAS University of London

Mode of Attendance: Full-time

At SOAS the study of Arabic can be combined with Hebrew, Indonesian, Persian and Turkish. For the BA Arabic and French UCL is the admitting institution.

Combined-honours degrees in Arabic are intended to give students a solid grounding in Modern Standard and Classical Arabic, as well as conversational ability in Colloquial Arabic, in combination with an advanced command of the second language. Students are required to spend the third year of studying Arabic and the other language abroad at a university in the Middle East.

May be combined with:

• French (at UCL)

Structure

Students take modules to the value of 120 credits per year. There is some element of choice to develop special interests.

Year 1

Core Module

Must be passed with an overall mark of 50 to proceed to the following year of study.

Compulsory Module

Choose one of the following modules:

• Introduction to Arabic Culture
• Literatures of the Near and Middle East
• H130 Introduction to the History of the Near and Middle East

or

Second Language

Choose a second language module to the value of 30 credits.

Year 2

Core Module

Compulsory Modules

Choose one of the following modules

• Introduction to Arabic Literature
• Introduction to Arabic Dialects

plus

Second Language

Choose a second language module to the value of 60 credits.

Year 3

Students have the choice to spend the Arabic Language Year Abroad at one of the following institutions:

1. The Alexandria School of Languages (ACL) in Alexandria, Egypt
2. The Alif Institute in Fez, Morocco
3. The Qasid Institute in Amman, Jordan

Year 4

Compulsory Modules

Choose a module from List A to the value of 30 credits.

plus

Choose a module from List A to the value of 30 credits

or

Open Option

Choose related Language or Non-Language open option modules to the value of 30 credits.

• Language Open Option Modules
• Non-Language Open Option Modules

plus

Second Language

Choose a second language module to the value of 60 credits.

List A (subject to availability)

• Arabic Women's Writing
• Politics and Aesthetics in Modern Arabic Literature
• Culture Society and Politics in Classical Arabic Literature
• Reading Classical Arabic historians
• Language and Oral Literature of an Arabic Vernacular
• Quran and Hadith Studies
• Independent Study Project in Arabic Studies (using Language sources)

Learn a language as part of this programme

Degree programmes at SOAS - including this one - can include language courses in more than forty African and Asian languages. It is SOAS students’ command of an African or Asian language that sets SOAS apart from other universities.

Important notice

The information on the programme page reflects the intended programme structure against the given academic session.

Employment

As a student specialising in Arabic and a language, you will gain competency in language skills and intercultural awareness and understanding. Familiarity with the region will have been developed through a combination of the study of language, literature and culture (which can include literature, film, music, art and religion) of various parts of the Middle East.

Graduates leave SOAS not only with linguistic and cultural expertise but also with a portfolio of widely transferable skills which employers seek in many professional and management careers in both business and the public sector. These include written and oral communication skills, attention to detail, analytical and problem-solving skills, and the ability to research, amass and order information from a variety of sources.

Students graduating with this degree have opportunities to work in further research in Arabic or Islamic Studies, Education, the Arab and Islamic media, Islamic centres, the BBC, in the Press, the Civil Service and non-governmental organisations.