Combining a difficult language ab initio with Politics/IR

[shockthemonkey]

Top student, predicted 17+ in her French bac OIB (which equates to roughly A*AA or better).

She wants to study Politics/IR, and wants to include Cambridge in her choices... so has found HSPS with a concentration on IR. So far, great. (She is aware there are many other great destinations out there btw but Cambridge is on her shortlist.)

Can she combine HSPS with Arabic ab initio at Cambridge? I am getting no answers from the uni or the few colleges I have tried to contact. Other sources (TSR) seem to suggest it's a possibility, but the uni website does not give clarity.

I know that in exceptional cases you can do your Part I in one subject area and your Part II in another, but doing Part I in HSPS and Part II in MML/Arabic (or the other way around) seems too much of a stretch.

Thanks if you can advise...

Hi. I can't give you the information you want, as I don't know anything about how it would work in Cambridge. However, in my (RG but not Oxbridge) institution, combining a 'difficult' (Arabic, Russian, or an East Asian language) with Politics/IR would be a fairly 'normal' combination, and we'd have lots of experience in supporting that programme. Obviously we're not Cambridge, but my own advice would be that if that's what she really wants to do then go for it.

Really hope someone with current info from Cambridge comes on here, mine is out of date and things change. Contra the above message, you didn't used to be able to do joint degrees in the normal sense (side-by-side), don't know if it still holds. It isn't rare to switch between Part 1 and 2, it's not automatic though (and don't tell them when you apply!). To switch into Arabic or any language (Arabic isn't in the MML faculty but I'm sure you've worked that out) I think you'd have to factor in the year abroad (year 3) - but that would allow Arabic to be picked up if the switch is allowed. An alternative option for Cambridge is that for some arts subjects at least you can 'borrow' a paper from other courses in Part 2 - so you might be able to borrow a paper from the 'Arabic' course and stay with HSPS Part 2 - subject to DoS and HSPS dep agreeing. To find out more, the best thing would be to email the relevant departments (use a pseudonym if worried about marking your card). A last idea, any student used to be able to study a foreign language as an 'extra' offered by the university but you'd need to check whether that still operates, whether Arabic is on offer and how frequently, and the level reached of course, but MML students use the system so presumably more than basic.

I did politics with a language at a RG uni.

I think you need to check whether you mean a joint honours degree, or a single politics/IR degree with a language as part of her options/electives. These are two different things and might be administered by different parts of the uni.

If I am reading their web site correctly, they offer Eygypian and Akkadian languages with this course (HSPS) so cannot really see how Arabic ab initio could possible fit into this mix. A step too far one would think. This course is very wide ranging so I would think it might be best to look at say Politics and Arabic. Where my DD studies, ab initio students on a joint degree were expected to do all the exams at the end of the 4 year degree. So what standard would your top student be aiming for? Could a year abroad be possible if the language tuition could be sorted out for the course?

MMM: "Where my DD studies, ab initio students on a joint degree were expected to do all the exams at the end of the 4 year degree. So what standard would your top student be aiming for?"
Part 1 subjects examined at the end of Part 1, Part 2 subjects end of Part 2 (and for some MMLs at least the oral exam is near the start of Year 4, i.e. before the Bubble saps fluency from year abroad). Mugging everything up at the end of 4 years might lead to higher standards but it might not, depends more I would have thought on what and how things are taught rather than when they are examined.
The OP has gone silent so your kind effort and time spent looking up the website may have been for nothing on that score, but as one who had no idea what HSPS was about, you've been a help! I can see why OP's DD wanted to add modern Arabic in though, and it may be something others have tried. Surprised there's been no response from the university - unless it's a gap during the Easter break.

Thank you everyone for commenting and helping! I am sorry I did not see these replies straight away -- somehow my notifications did not come through on email.

All very helpful and I have definitely taken careful note.