BA Arabic - School of Orien

Tuition Fee

USD 26,450

Per year

Start Date

Medium of studying

On campus

Duration

48 months

Program Facts

About Program

About University

Admission Requirements

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Program Facts

Program Details

Degree

Bachelors

Major

Foreign Language | Indigenous Languages | Translation

Area of study

Langauges

Education type

On campus

Timing

Full time

Course Language

English

Tuition Fee

Average International Tuition Fee

USD 26,450

Intakes

Program start date	Application deadline
2023-10-10	-
2024-01-16	-
2024-04-24	-

About Program

Program Overview

The BA Arabic provides an intensive study of Modern Standard Arabic in its first year.

Students are free to choose a second module on Arabic culture, Middle Eastern literature or Islam as the year's minor component. The second year continues the study of Modern Standard Arabic and introduces the student to classical Arabic and modern Arabic literature. An appropriate fourth module is chosen from the list of approved optional modules.

The third year is spent at an Arab university or Language Institute in the Middle East, where students study the colloquial language as well as Modern Standard Arabic, and write an extended essay in Arabic.

In the final year, study of language and literature is continued at the advanced level. In addition, the freedom to select two other appropriate modules from the list of options gives students the opportunity of specialising in a field of particular interest.

Why study Arabic at SOAS?

SOAS is ranked 1st in London in the Complete University Guide 2021 for Middle Eastern and African Studies, and 6th in UK.

SOAS has an unrivalled reputation as the foremost provider of Near and Middle East studies.

Modern Languages and Linguistics at SOAS has been ranked 10th in the UK in the Research Excellence Framework (REF) 2021.

We've also been ranked 4th for research environment - with 100% of our research ranked as 'internationally excellent' and 85% as 'world-leading' - and 8th for research outputs in the REF 2021.

Our Language Centre is the sole provider of Arabic language teaching qualifications in the UK for teachers of Arabic language.

Students can develop a holistic and integrated approach to the study of Africa, Asia and the Middle East through their languages and cultures.

Students have the opportunity to study abroad for a year at one of our partner universities.

Program Outline

Students take modules to the value of

120 credits per year

. There is some element of choice to develop special interests.

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

Important notice

The information on the website reflects the intended programme structure against the given academic session. The modules are indicative options of the content students can expect and are/have been previously taught as part of these programmes.

However, this information is published a long time in advance of enrolment and module content and availability is subject to change.

Year 1

Compulsory modules

Module	Credits
Arabic 1 (UG)	30
Arabic 2 (UG)	30
The World in London	15
Languages of the World	15
The Art of Storytelling	15
Screen Cultures	15

Year 2

Compulsory modules

Module	Credits
Arabic 3 A (UG)	15
Arabic 3 B (UG)	15

Or

Module	Credits
Arabic 4 A (UG)	15
Arabic 4 B (UG)	15

And

Module	Credits
Arabic Dialects A	15

Or

And

Module	Credits
Introduction to Arabic Culture	15
Introduction to Arabic Literature A: Modern Trends	15
Understanding Texts	15

Year 2

Guided options

Students can select either or both of the modules below

Select 2 language modules (15 credits each)

Select 2 modules from list A (15 credits each)

Year 3 - Arabic year abroad

Students participate in the Arabic year abroad in one of our partner Institutions

Year 4

Compulsory modules

Module	Credits
Arabic 5 A (UG)	15
Arabic 5 B (UG)	15

Or

Module	Credits
Arabic 6 A (UG)	15
Arabic 6 B (UG)	15

Arabic language modules

Students select a further 60 credits either from the 'Arabic options list B' below or a 30 credit Independent Study Project in Arabic Studies or a Translation Project plus modules to the value of 30 credits from list C guided options

Module	Credits
Arabic 1 (UG)	30
Arabic 2 (UG)	30
Arabic 3 A (UG)	15
Arabic 3 B (UG)	15
Arabic 4 A (UG)	15
Arabic 4 B (UG)	15
Arabic 5 A (UG)	15
Arabic 5 B (UG)	15
Arabic 6 A (UG)	15
Arabic 6 B (UG)	15

Language options

Module	Credits
Amharic 1 A	15
Amharic 1 B	15
Hebrew 1 A	15
Hebrew 1 B	15
Hebrew 2 A (UG)	15
Hebrew 2 B (UG)	15
Hindi Language 1 A	15
Hindi Language 1 B	15
Hindi Language 2	30
Indonesian Language 1 A	15
Indonesian Language 1 B	15
Persian 1 A	15
Persian 1 B	15
Persian 2 A (UG)	15
Persian 2 B (UG)	15
Swahili 1 A	15
Swahili 1 B	15
Swahili 2a Intermediate	30
Swahili 1 B	15
Turkish 1 A	15
Turkish 1 B	15
Ottoman Turkish Language	30
Urdu Language 1 A	15
Urdu Language 1 B	15
Urdu Language 2	30
Vietnamese Language 1 A	15
Vietnamese Language 1 B	15
Zulu 1 A	15
Zulu 1 B	15

Year 2 - list A guided options

Module	Credits
Literatures of Love, Loss and Desire	15
Screen Cities	15
Beyond Regions: Cultures in the Diaspora	15
Literatures of the Islamic Near and Middle East	15
Decolonising Otherness	15
Language, Identity and Society in Africa	15

Year 2 - list B Arabic related modules

Module	Credits
Arabic Dialects A	15
Introduction to Arabic Culture	15
Introduction to Arabic Literature A: Modern Trends	15

Year 4 - list C Arabic related options

Module	Credits
Arabic Womens' Writing	15
Culture Society and Politics in Classical Arabic Literature	15
Politics and Aesthetics in Modern Arabic Literature	15
Quran and Hadith Studies	15
Reading Classical Arabic historians	15
Independent Study Project in Arabic Studies	30
Translation Project	30

Year 4 - list D guided options

Module	Credits
Social and Political Dimensions of Modern Arabic Literature (UG)	15
Modern Palestinian Literature (UG)	15
Cinemas of the Middle East and North Africa 1	15
Cinemas of the Middle East and North Africa 2	15
Jerusalem: City in Conflict (UG)	15
From Palestine to Israel (UG)	15
Classical Persian Poetry	15
Contemporary African literature	15
Introduction to Translation Theory	15
Language, Society and Communication	15
Literatures of Resistance in South Asia (UG)	15
Perspectives on African experience	15
Translation Project	30
Independent Study Project in Arabic Studies	30

Year 4 - list E open options (suggested)

Module	Credits
H211 Cities in History	15
Comparative Ethics	15
H214 Violence in History	15

Year 1:

the programme's major component is the intensive study of Modern Standard Arabic; an introductory module in the study of Islam makes up the year.

Year 2:

students continue the study of Modern Standard Arabic and at the same time this year introduces students to Islamic texts.

Year 3:

year spent at an Arab university or Language Institute in the Middle East (see below), where students study the colloquial language as well as Modern Standard Arabic, and write an extended essay in Arabic.

Year 4:

language study is continued at the advanced level. To carry on with first-hand experience of the primary sources the choice of one of two modules in Islamic text-reading is compulsory. The remaining modules are selected from the list of options. There is also an opportunity to write an Independent Study Project (ISP).

Contact hours

All full-time undergraduate programmes consist of 120 credits per year, taught in modules of 30 credits (taught over 20 weeks) or 15 credits (taught over 10 weeks). The programme structure shows which modules are compulsory and which optional.

As a rough guide, 1 credit equals approximately 10 hours of work. Most of this will be independent study. It will also include class time, which may include lectures, seminars and other classes. Some subjects, such as learning a language, have more class time than others.

In the School of Languages, Cultures and Linguistics, undergraduate modules take various forms. Modules may be taught through 1 or 2 hours of lectures a week, and some may have an additional 1-2 hours of weekly seminars. Languages classes may be 4-5 hours per week in the first and second year, typically less at higher levels.

Year Abroad

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

Qasid Institute

in Amman, Jordan

Arabic for non-Native Speakers Institute, An-Najah National University

in Nablus

Year Abroad programmes run from September to May of the following year and involve 16 hours of instruction per week. While the syllabus differs somewhat from one institution to the other, the prime focus throughout is on enhancing the students’ reading, writing, speaking and listening skills in Modern Standard Arabic as well as on imparting an advanced level of competence in the local form of Colloquial Arabic.

Independent Study Project (ISP)

Towards the end of their stay students are expected to write an Arabic Independent Study Project (ISP) in Arabic of some 3,000-3,500 words on a subject of their choice. Supervision and guidance will be supplied by designated staff at the year abroad institution.

In order to be admitted to the final year of their degree, students will need to have passed the final language examinations at the year abroad institution and to have submitted their ISP by the specified deadline. The ISPs will be marked by the year abroad institution and reviewed by members of the SOAS Arabic Section.

Students who fail the year abroad examinations or fail to submit their ISPs are deemed to have failed the year abroad. In order to be admitted to the final year of their degree they will need to repeat the language year abroad programme in one of the four designated locations.

For general advice on tuition fees, travel arrangements, health and insurance issues see

Study abroad and exchange

The SOAS Arabic Section arranges year abroad meetings and briefing sessions where second year students are informed in detail about the year abroad locations and have the chance to meet and consult with returning students.

In determining the safety of year abroad locations SOAS is guided by the relevant Travel Advice published by the Foreign and Commonwealth Office. During their stay abroad it is recommended that students subscribe to the relevant

FCO website

Approximate living costs (rent, plus food and travel) will typically be between £350 and £500 per month.

SOAS Library

is one of the world's most important academic libraries for the study of Africa, Asia and the Middle East, attracting scholars from all over the world. The Library houses over 1.2 million volumes, together with significant archival holdings, special collections and a growing network of electronic resources.

Graduates of the School of Languages, Cultures and Linguistics leave SOAS not only with linguistic and cultural expertise, but also with skills in written and oral communication, analysis and problem solving.

Recent graduates have been hired by:

Africa Matters

Amnesty International

Arab British Chamber of Commerce

BBC World Service

British High Commission

Council for British Research in the Levant

Department for International Development

Edelman

Embassy of Jordan

Ernst & Young

Foreign & Commonwealth Office

Google

Institute of Arab and Islamic Studies

Middle East Eye

Saïd Foundation

TalkAbout Speech Therapy

The Black Curriculum

The Telegraph

United Nations Development Programme

UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency

Wall Street Journal

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