SOAS, University of London (The School of Oriental and African Studies)

Structure

Students take 4 units per year; there is some element of choice to develop special interests.

Language courses at an advanced level are also available to students who have the necessary background.

Year 1

1.Core Course

Must be passed in order to proceed to the following year of study

• Arabic 1 - 155900896 (3 Unit) - Full Year

2. Choose one of the following

• Introduction to Arabic Culture - 155901205 (1 Unit) - Full Year
• Literatures of the Near and Middle East - 155900991 (1 Unit) - Full Year
• Introduction to Islam - 157400020 (1 Unit) - Full Year

Year 2

1.Core Course

• Arabic 2 - 155900897 (1 Unit) - Full Year

2. Compulsory Course

• Introduction to Modern Arabic Literature - 155900901 (1 Unit) - Full Year

3. Choose one of the following

• Introduction to Early IslamicTexts - 155901115 (1 Unit) - Full Year
• Introduction to Classical Arabic Literature - 155901236 (1 Unit) - Full Year
• Introduction to Arabic Dialects - 155901396 (1 Unit) - Full Year

4. Option Unit

One unit from the lists of Arabic-related options (lists B or C) OR one other unit (open option) at an approved level.

Year 3

Year abroad in Amman, Alexandria or Nablus. Students will develop their Arabic language skills, learn colloquial language and write an extended essay in Arabic.

Year 4

1. Core Course

• Arabic 4 - 155900899 (1 Unit) - Full Year

2. Choose one of the following

Cinema 1 and Cinema 2 must be taken together to gain a full unit

• Politics and Aesthetics in Modern Arabic Literature - 155901382 (1 Unit) - Full Year - Not Running 2012/2013
• Reading Classical Arabic historians - 155901334 (1 Unit) - Full Year
• Language and Oral Literature of an Arabic Vernacular - 155901376 (1 Unit) - Full Year
• Arabic Cinema (1) - 155901208 (0.5 Unit) - Term 1
• Arabic Cinema (2) - 155901209 (0.5 Unit) - Term 2 - Not Running 2012/2013
• Quran and hadith Studies - 155900734 (1 Unit) - Full Year
• Islamic Texts - 155900356 (1 Unit) - Full Year

3. Choose one of the following

OR one unit from the list of Arabic-related options (List B) at an approved level.

• Independent Study Project in Arabic Studies (using Language sources) - 155901344 (1 Unit) - Full Year
• Independent Study Project in Arabic Studies - 155900733 (1 Unit) - Full Year

4. Option Unit

One unit from the lists of Arabic-related options (Lists B or C) OR one other unit (open option) at an approved level.

(List A) Compulsory Arabic courses

• Arabic 1 - 155900896 (3 Unit) - Full Year
• Arabic 2 - 155900897 (1 Unit) - Full Year
• Introduction to Modern Arabic Literature - 155900901 (1 Unit) - Full Year
• Arabic 4 - 155900899 (1 Unit) - Full Year

(List B) Arabic-related options

Year 2 Arabic Related Options

• Introduction to Early IslamicTexts - 155901115 (1 Unit) - Full Year
• Introduction to Sufism - 155901375 (1 Unit) - Full Year
• The Muslim World: Unity in Diversity - 155901258 (1 Unit) - Full Year

Year 4 Arabic Related Options

• Politics and Aesthetics in Modern Arabic Literature - 155901382 (1 Unit) - Full Year - Not Running 2012/2013
• Reading Classical Arabic historians - 155901334 (1 Unit) - Full Year
• Arabic Cinema (1) - 155901208 (0.5 Unit) - Term 1
• Arabic Cinema (2) - 155901209 (0.5 Unit) - Term 2 - Not Running 2012/2013
• Quran and hadith Studies - 155900734 (1 Unit) - Full Year
• Islamic Texts - 155900356 (1 Unit) - Full Year
• Sufism: Texts and History - 155901381 (1 Unit) - Full Year - Not Running 2012/2013
• Independent Study Project in Arabic Studies (using Language sources) - 155901344 (1 Unit) - Full Year
• Independent Study Project in Arabic Studies - 155900733 (1 Unit) - Full Year

(List C) Other approved options (not all are available every year)

Before selecting a course, student's must first check that the course is at the correct level. They must also ensure that they meet any pre-requisites.

• Introduction to Arabic Culture - 155901205 (1 Unit) - Full Year
• Elementary Written Persian - 155901053 (1 Unit) - Full Year
• Elementary Written Turkish - 155901051 (1 Unit) - Full Year
• Elementary Hebrew - 155900916 (1 Unit) - Full Year
• Introductory Akkadian - 155900426 (1 Unit) - Full Year - Not Running 2012/2013
• H130 Introduction to the History of the Near and Middle East - 154800230 (1 Unit) - Full Year
• H248 The Making of the Modern Middle East - 154800227 (1 Unit) - Full Year
• Introduction to the Art and Archaeology of the Near and Middle East - 154900101 (0.5 Unit) - Term 2
• Islamic Architecture - 154900107 (1 Unit) - Full Year
• Islamic Painting - 154900009 (1 Unit) - Full Year
• The Sources of Islamic Art and Architecture - 154900108 (1 Unit) - Full Year - Not Running 2012/2013
• Art and Material Culture of the Islamic World: 7th to 14th Centuries - 154900138 (1 Unit) - Full Year - Not Running 2012/2013
• Mosaics, Manuscripts, and Wall Painting in Islamic Art - 154900134 (1 Unit) - Full Year - Not Running 2012/2013
• Music of the Middle East and North Africa - 155800068 (1 Unit) - Full Year
• Islamic law - 155200037 (1 Unit) - Full Year
• Government and politics of the Middle East - 153400060 (1 Unit) - Full Year
• Economic development of the modern Middle East - 153400031 (1 Unit) - Full Year

Programme Specification

• BA Arabic- Programme Specifications 2012/13 (pdf; 39kb)

Teaching & Learning

Year abroad

Students spend the 3rd year in Damascus or Alexandria

Destinations

As a graduate who specialised in the Arabic, you will have gained 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, history, cinema, politics, economics or law. 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, both in business and in 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.

Because the Middle East occupies a place of major importance in global politics and economics graduates of Arabic have a considerable range of career opportunities. SOAS alumni with degrees in 
Arabic have found jobs in business, finance and diplomacy, as well as in humanitarian aid, higher education and the media. There is also an increasing need for graduates of Arabic in Arab companies with subsidiaries in the East and the West.

Graduates have gone on to work for a range of organisations including:

Policy Advisor Production Manager Teacher HM Ambassador to Beirut British High Commissioner Senior Advisor Political Analyst, East and Central Africa Press Attache

Journalist/Author Delegate Senior Research Fellow Paralegal Professor, Social Psychology Associate, Emerging Markets Professor of Islamic Studies

Types of roles that graduates have gone on to do include:

Amnesty International Arab British Chamber of Commerce British High Commission Capital Advisory Group CNBC Dept for International Development Embassy of Jordan Foreign & Commonwealth Office

House of World Cultures ICRC Institute of Arab and  Islamic Studies Middle East International National Center for Social and Criminal Research Royal United Services Institute Saïd Foundation United Nations

For more information about Graduate Destinations from this department, please visit the Careers Service website.

How to apply

How to apply

• How to Apply
• UCAS website
• Funding options
• English language requirements
• Tuition Fees
• Admissions Contacts

Scholarships

For further information visit the Scholarships section