BA Arabic

This is an intermediate language acquisition module, and builds on knowledge acquired in Arabic 1A, Arabic 1B, Arabic 2A, and Arabic 2B. Students study authentic Arabic texts of various writing genres and gain further knowledge of grammar (syntax and structure). The module develops students' competence equally in reading, writing, listening and speaking skills.

This is an upper intermediate language acquisition module that builds on Arabic 3A, providing students with a firmer foundation in Arabic grammar, and training them in the active use of the language through writing exercises that draw on and reinforce a number of skills including knowledge of grammar, syntax, phraseology and general and specialised terminology. Writing skills will also be further built through targeted translation exercises. The module also includes an oral component where students are trained in speaking the colloquial register of the language

This is an Intermediate course in Modern Standard Arabic. The main emphasis is on mastering the basic structures of Modern Standard Arabic as a means of communication, particularly in relation to journalism, with emphasis on reading, writing and listening. News broadcasts are introduced, and language competence is developed through through extensive use of different resources and inclusion of different language registers.

This is a Beginners course in Modern Standard Arabic.The main emphasis is on mastering the basic structures of Modern Standard Arabic as a means of communication, particularly in relation to journalism, with emphasis on reading, writing, and listening.

This is an introductory course to Arabic Culture with focus on the Modern Arab Middle East. On completion of this course, students will have gained basic knowledge of (1) theories and methods of studying culture and (2) history of development of Arabic culture as well as the major cultural institutions in the contemporary Arab World.

This module supports students with their transition to Higher Education. It delves into the study of Humanities, with a focus on questions concerning the colonial genealogy of Humanities and the ways of decolonising Humanities, and skills acquired in the various disciplines in the college. Students learn to identify and describe the skills they acquire in this module and during their studies in the Humanities. Students are introduced to research, reading, listening, writing, performance and communication skills through multiple disciplinary lenses, addressing the planetary questions of this age. They compare different disciplinary approaches and are encouraged to reflect on interdisciplinary approaches to studying the Humanities, grounded in different regions. This enables students to make more informed decisions in the designing of their individual educational journey. Students practice their skills and reflect on their skills through real-world projects, drawing on critical content from all disciplines in the College of Humanities at SOAS.

This is an introductory course to Arabic Culture with focus on the Modern Arab Middle East. On completion of this course, students will have gained basic knowledge of (1) theories and methods of studying culture and (2) history of development of Arabic culture as well as the major cultural institutions in the contemporary Arab World.

The primary objectives of the course are: to give students a basic understanding of the linguistics of the Arabic dialects, and of the theory and practice of Arabic dialectology; to give them a solid foundation for future in-depth study of Egyptian and/or Levantine Arabic; and to give them the tools to enable them to independently acquire communicative competence in other Arabic dialects they might encounter in the course of their studies and beyond.

This module combines an intermediate-advanced approach to Arabic dialectology with instruction in two different Arabic dialects at an intermediate level. It is specifically intended to prepare students for a period of study in an Arabic-speaking country. Each week students have a one-hour lecture on the Arabic dialects from a theoretical point of view, a one-hour lesson focusing on listening comprehension, and two hours of tuition in Arabic conversation. Where teaching capacity allows, students will have the opportunity to choose which of two widely spoken Arabic dialects (typically Egyptian and Levantine) they wish to focus on in the conversation classes. The primary objectives of the module are: to give students an in-depth understanding of the linguistics of the Arabic dialects, and of the theory and practice of Arabic dialectology; to bring them to an intermediate level in the dialect they choose to focus on; and to give them the tools to enable them to independently acquire communicative competence in other Arabic dialects they might encounter in the course of their studies and beyond.

This module supports students with their transition to Higher Education. It delves into the study of Humanities, with a focus on questions concerning the colonial genealogy of Humanities and the ways of decolonising Humanities, and skills acquired in the various disciplines in the college. Students learn to identify and describe the skills they acquire in this module and during their studies in the Humanities. Students are introduced to research, reading, listening, writing, performance and communication skills through multiple disciplinary lenses, addressing the planetary questions of this age. They compare different disciplinary approaches and are encouraged to reflect on interdisciplinary approaches to studying the Humanities, grounded in different regions. This enables students to make more informed decisions in the designing of their individual educational journey. Students practice their skills and reflect on their skills through real-world projects, drawing on critical content from all disciplines in the College of Humanities at SOAS.

This module introduces students to key topics in global linguistic diversity, enabling students to put into a global context the language, region or culture that their degree programme focuses on.

This module is an introduction to the history of the late medieval, early modern and modern era Middle East. It begins roughly around the time when Islamic empires became the dominant powers in the region and explores thenceforth the political, social, and cultural developments up to the present. While the module is structured around events that are primarily of military and political nature, it gives ample importance to the broad social and cultural currents, as well as the circumstances of everyday life as shaped by the former. Throughout the semester, we will also (re)visit, question, and complicate some of the main concepts and debates, such as modernity and the decline thesis, that have informed the field in the past decades.

This module will explore genres such as the oral epic, the graphic novel, puppet theatre, and internet literature with particular attention to the ways that texts interact with other forms of expression from music and dance to the visual arts. Each of the stories studied will be presented in its cultural context, and connections between cultures will be interrogated in an effort to solidify conceptions of the universal and the local.

This module introduces students to key topics in global linguistic diversity, enabling students to put into a global context the language, region or culture that their degree programme focuses on.

This module is an introduction to the history of the late medieval, early modern and modern era Middle East. It begins roughly around the time when Islamic empires became the dominant powers in the region and explores thenceforth the political, social, and cultural developments up to the present. While the module is structured around events that are primarily of military and political nature, it gives ample importance to the broad social and cultural currents, as well as the circumstances of everyday life as shaped by the former. Throughout the semester, we will also (re)visit, question, and complicate some of the main concepts and debates, such as modernity and the decline thesis, that have informed the field in the past decades.

This module will explore genres such as the oral epic, the graphic novel, puppet theatre, and internet literature with particular attention to the ways that texts interact with other forms of expression from music and dance to the visual arts. Each of the stories studied will be presented in its cultural context, and connections between cultures will be interrogated in an effort to solidify conceptions of the universal and the local.

This is a lower advanced language acquisition course that will reinforce competence in grammar and syntax, widen active vocabulary, and simultaneously develop listening and speaking skills.

This is a lower advanced language acquisition course that will reinforce competence in grammar and syntax, widen active vocabulary, and simultaneously develop listening and speaking skills. Letter writing skills will be introduced. Oral competence is developed in conversation classes and by using audio-video material.

This is an intermediate language acquisition module, and builds on knowledge acquired in Arabic 1A, Arabic 1B, Arabic 2A, and Arabic 2B. Students study authentic Arabic texts of various writing genres and gain further knowledge of grammar (syntax and structure). The module develops students' competence equally in reading, writing, listening and speaking skills.

This is an upper intermediate language acquisition module that builds on Arabic 3A, providing students with a firmer foundation in Arabic grammar, and training them in the active use of the language through writing exercises that draw on and reinforce a number of skills including knowledge of grammar, syntax, phraseology and general and specialised terminology. Writing skills will also be further built through targeted translation exercises. The module also includes an oral component where students are trained in speaking the colloquial register of the language

The primary objectives of the course are: to give students a basic understanding of the linguistics of the Arabic dialects, and of the theory and practice of Arabic dialectology; to give them a solid foundation for future in-depth study of Egyptian and/or Levantine Arabic; and to give them the tools to enable them to independently acquire communicative competence in other Arabic dialects they might encounter in the course of their studies and beyond.

This is an intermediate language acquisition module that complements Arabic 3 A and B, and/or Arabic 4 A and B, by familiarising students with pre-modern genres and styles of Arabic writing through reading authentic classical Arabic biography, history and travel. Course readings and discussions are guided by, but not exhaustive of, or exclusive to, the following major themes:

1. Excerpts from Arabic biography Sira, ?adith and biographical literature.

2. Classical Arabic travel writing, including geographical exploration, pilgrimage, the journey in search of knowledge, and adventures at sea and in the desert. Classical Arabic accounts of cities, regions, holy sites and scholarly networks and assemblies.

3. Universal histories and regional histories.

This module asks how we came to approach politics as the measuring of success according to a certain set of goals, such as development, peace, and security.

With its broad geographical and chronological span, the module offers students the opportunity to delve into the architectural histories of the Islamic world and encourages them to engage critically with a range of issues that link to those covered in other art history modules.

This module takes the specific topics of health, well-being, embodiment, resilience, human relations to the environment and questions of climate change and views and analyses them through the lens of culture studies. The module is team taught by lectures with expertise in language-based cultural studies with reference to Asia, Africa and the Middle East, whose research and teaching incorporates a focus on areas of health and well-being such as HIV-AIDS, cancer, Covid-19, public health discourses and their relation to difference cultural perspectives on embodiment. The module interweaves these concerns into the study of the need for human resilience in response to current global crises, first and foremost among which are questions of environmental destruction and climate change. The module concludes with an emphasis on the need for cross-cultural communication and intercultural understanding for global collaboration to find effective solutions to the problems of our times.

This module will examine a range of genres and forms, and aims to provide students with an insight into motif and interpretation of love and loss by looking at specific selection of texts in English translation (in poetry and prose) by different authors from across the regions of Africa, the Middle East, South and South East Asia, from the ancient times to the present day.

This module will examine the relationship between cities and film cultures in Africa, the Middle East, Asia and beyond. In addition to examining the city from a film studies perspective, the module will also draw on key ideas from geography, urban studies and cultural studies.

This module combines an intermediate-advanced approach to Arabic dialectology with instruction in two different Arabic dialects at an intermediate level. It is specifically intended to prepare students for a period of study in an Arabic-speaking country. Each week students have a one-hour lecture on the Arabic dialects from a theoretical point of view, a one-hour lesson focusing on listening comprehension, and two hours of tuition in Arabic conversation. Where teaching capacity allows, students will have the opportunity to choose which of two widely spoken Arabic dialects (typically Egyptian and Levantine) they wish to focus on in the conversation classes. The primary objectives of the module are: to give students an in-depth understanding of the linguistics of the Arabic dialects, and of the theory and practice of Arabic dialectology; to bring them to an intermediate level in the dialect they choose to focus on; and to give them the tools to enable them to independently acquire communicative competence in other Arabic dialects they might encounter in the course of their studies and beyond.

This is an intermediate language acquisition module that complements Arabic 3 A and B, and/or Arabic 4 A and B, by familiarising students with pre-modern genres and styles of Arabic writing through reading authentic classical Arabic biography, history and travel. Course readings and discussions are guided by, but not exhaustive of, or exclusive to, the following major themes:

1. Excerpts from Arabic biography Sira, ?adith and biographical literature.

2. Classical Arabic travel writing, including geographical exploration, pilgrimage, the journey in search of knowledge, and adventures at sea and in the desert. Classical Arabic accounts of cities, regions, holy sites and scholarly networks and assemblies.

3. Universal histories and regional histories.

This module asks how we came to approach politics as the measuring of success according to a certain set of goals, such as development, peace, and security.

With its broad geographical and chronological span, the module offers students the opportunity to delve into the architectural histories of the Islamic world and encourages them to engage critically with a range of issues that link to those covered in other art history modules.

This module takes the specific topics of health, well-being, embodiment, resilience, human relations to the environment and questions of climate change and views and analyses them through the lens of culture studies. The module is team taught by lectures with expertise in language-based cultural studies with reference to Asia, Africa and the Middle East, whose research and teaching incorporates a focus on areas of health and well-being such as HIV-AIDS, cancer, Covid-19, public health discourses and their relation to difference cultural perspectives on embodiment. The module interweaves these concerns into the study of the need for human resilience in response to current global crises, first and foremost among which are questions of environmental destruction and climate change. The module concludes with an emphasis on the need for cross-cultural communication and intercultural understanding for global collaboration to find effective solutions to the problems of our times.

This module will examine a range of genres and forms, and aims to provide students with an insight into motif and interpretation of love and loss by looking at specific selection of texts in English translation (in poetry and prose) by different authors from across the regions of Africa, the Middle East, South and South East Asia, from the ancient times to the present day.

This module will examine the relationship between cities and film cultures in Africa, the Middle East, Asia and beyond. In addition to examining the city from a film studies perspective, the module will also draw on key ideas from geography, urban studies and cultural studies.

Arabic 5 A

This module aims to utilize students' knowledge of syntax to develop their ability in comprehension and grammatical analysis as well as composition and translation into Arabic. The module is based on the reading and discussion of three types of written language: various literary texts, Arabic journalism and selected texts for translation. The module also caters for the oral aspect of language learning.

This is a high advanced language acquisition course.

This is a high advanced language acquisition course.

This module allows students to synthesise their learning in a single project that demonstrates their fulfilment of the programme’s learning outcomes. It integrates their academic knowledge with experiences beyond the classroom and combines their developing knowledge, skills, and personal interests. The project is conceived, designed, and carried out independently, with support and supervision.

At the end of the module students will have developed a distinct understanding of the historical and conceptual significance of the earliest Islamic scriptural sources: namely the Qur’an and Hadith and the role they play in the synthesis of Islamic faith and practice. Furthermore, s/he will also have obtained not only a firm grasp of the linguistic and structural features of the associated classical literature which developed around these sources but also the theoretical contexts which defined approaches to scripture and the academic frameworks within which these are gauged.

The module provides a guided inquiry into the history and development of modern Arabic literature in its poltical and cultural contexts, examining intersections of form and content in the creation of meaning. Students will critically examine themes and techniques across an array of genres and will become acquainted with the diversity and breadth of Arabic literary expression in the modern era. The module will familiarize students with the necessary theoretical tools and language for the socio-political analysis of modern Arabic literature.

The course will offer a survey of films from the Arab world, Turkey, Iran, and Israel, as well as an overview of the historical development of film in the region and a grounding in the socio-cultural contexts in which films have been produced. Films will be analysed aesthetically, with an awareness of multiple aspects of film technique, and meanings will be interrogated through a number of interdisciplinary and theoretical prisms.

In this module, selections of Palestinian writings in different genres will be read and analysed as exemplars of literary responses to a situation of alienation and displacement, with particular focus on tradition and innovation, the construction and maintenance of identity, coping strategies and the evolving social function of literature in the context of the current conflict.