Arabic +\- Middle Eastern Studies

[Delphigirl]

Hi does anyone know anything about undergraduate Arabic/MES? My daughter (currently Y12/L6) is thinking about this for uni. She is doing Spanish Geog and economics at A level but also an Arabic club (3hrs/week) so she can read and is learning to write and speak Modern Standard Arabic for beginners level. She loves it.

So I would love to know anything about various uni departments at the moment. She doesn’t want to be in zlondon so SOAS is out. She doesn’t think she wants oxbridge. She has been to Edinburgh and St Andrews for a look and liked both, she is going to look at Exeter and maybe Manchester, also McGill in Canada.
She wants to get a high level of language acquisition, not keen on much literature analysis, likes the social science aspects of MES, not really interested in Islam as a religion. She would like the possibility of a choice of dialects, and perhaps of some Farsi teaching on the side. She has 8s and 9s at gcse and will get predicted all As and Astars. What are the best departments currently, and why?
Thanks

Very interesting!

Yes I must say it always puzzles me that how hard it is to get in plays any part in the rankings of a university faculty or department. I don’t normally get The Times or Sunday Times but will look out for their 2024 rankings. I think they typically come out in early to mid-September.

This article from Varsity about AMES at Cambridge has just popped up in my feed:

https://www.varsity.co.uk/features/25954

Hmm. How has this lazy author failed to note that oxford also changed its name from the Faculty of Oriental Studies to the Faculty of Asian and Middle Eastern Studies with effect from 1 August 2022?

Anyway - otherwise I think it reinforces what DD thought after the Cambridge open day - that certainly the Arabic/ME part is an understaffed, under-resourced and rather moribund department, with very few links into other disciplines like politics or history.

Indeed. The lazy author has also failed to notice that MML at Cambridge has become MMLL.

Anyway! DD has been looking at the Exeter courses since I was last on the thread, and is really inspired and excited. She’s leaning towards Arabic/French joint honours for now. I’m going to put down a marker here, for anyone interested, that this course and MArabic were (briefly) in clearing this summer at grades BCC.

@Delphigirl I hope you don’t mind if I follow your thread as things develop. We are 2 years behind, and keen to learn from those in the know.

I think it is just you and me at the moment @Marisquita, with guest appearances from @ealingwestmum , so delighted to have you here! With luck some others with dc already studying Arabic or thinking of studying Arabic will join us.

Hi @marisquita - the times good uni guide 2024 is out and has a subject ranking for Middle East studies - will post an image below. Exeter comes top…. St Andrews doesn’t feature at all which I am surprised to see.

No Durham either I’ve just noticed!
dd has put her UCAS choices in as Exeter Edinburgh Leeds St Andrews (although that is 5 years and she really doesn’t want that)

DD's friend went to Cambridge, Middle Eastern studies and Arabic, he's now employed as a "civil servant" officially but it's gchq or mi5/6 hes not allowed to say, but he was training with the military for a bit.

Thanks @Delphigirl - I was all set to get the Sunday Times for the pullout and then forgot! Yes, it’s interesting that neither Durham nor St Andrew’s features in these lists. Could it be that while they teach Arabic their offer is not expansive enough to count as AMES?

Maybe so for Durham as Arabic comes under the modern languages and cultures banner, but St Andrews has a very long established and well-respected Middle Eastern languages snd studies department. It is a bit difficult to understand really.

Interesting!

Waves at all the DC in Y13 selecting their uni options, or those considering languages like Arabic - good luck to those sitting exams this year!

All good here Delphigirl, though DD's uni is not on the ST list being in Ireland, I am too surprised St A's or Durham doesn't register in their ME table.

DD is in full throttle for Y2, where Arabic has now been introduced on top of a gruelling Spanish schedule where all modules are being taught in Spanish. And she's taken on French as an elective, but not quite being a beginner due to GCSE, so has joined intermediate, and struggling to keep up right now. Her head is toast :)

I think she'll be on Arabic catch up on year abroad (Y3) as both languages will continue to being taught, so her semester in Spain will include lessons in arabic vsv on her ME semester. May not make up for the lost year UK students get learning from Y1 but she may drop Spanish in Y4, subject to how it's all going.

Exeter's programme does sound very exciting!

Ahh so lovely to hear about your DD’s progress, thanks @ealingwestmum . Sounds like an exciting year for her and I’m sure she will do brilliantly, she’s a clever girl. I know she is raring to get her teeth into the Arabic.Sounds like even if she drops Spanish in year 4 she’ll be properly fluent by then. 👍👍😎

@Delphigirl A detail point really - but do you know whether there’s an easy way for the Exeter Arabists to secure accommodation for 3rd year, given that they are abroad in 2nd year?

Possibly too adventurous, but would going to a non-English speaking country be an option? Paris has some amazing universities and former Arabic colonies, as well as diversity. Of she's primarily learning Arabic it won't matter so much if teaching medium is French (plus she'll learn French!) Israel might also be an option, although I could imagine that would be a difficult decision.

I don’t, no, but I assumed they might take the place of linguists and others heading abroad in year 3. It would be a good q to ask at an open day though!

Only to add friend's dd is doing Arabic at Edinburgh and adores it!

Interesting thread. DS1 is looking at History, but has a very strong interest in the Near East/Middle East so we have been visiting those depts too as many offer the option to take electives in area studies/history but not within the school of history. He has St Andrews, Edinburgh, Manchester, Leeds which from reading this seem sensible and Liverpool, Birmingham as outliers. We've toyed with Exeter a lot and booked to go to Birmingham open day which is the same as Exeter and now I am wondering if we might be better placed at Exeter.

He is after a place that is going to allow him to do lots of modules on this area and not a cursory Timurids or similar.

@StColumbofNavron Might it be worth your DS considering either Liberal Arts or Flexible Combined Honours at Exeter, so as to achieve the flexibility he is looking for?

Good suggestion I will put it out there - I know he is very attached to the 'historian' label but he is adamant about wanting to have access to as much of his interests as possible. Thanks.

Warwick is another that does not seem to resonate with many on languages, though I am sure has a lot to offer. Arabic comes under the ML suite, but it doesn't look like there's a history/arabic JH combo. We didn't check it out so can't comment further.

StColumbo I can understand your DS's reluctance to not drop the History if you love it. many of the unis will have a detailed course handbook if you dig so you can see course detail per year in more detail, and what flexibility there is to pick modules to suit own interests. Mine loves DD too and has a lot of history content on her course that spans ancient and modern eras across the ME, in addition to the usual political and cultural modules. She's selected this year to meet her interests.

Yes, that’s exactly what we have done to come up with his shortlist.

Coming to the thread late but my DD is in her 3rd year at McGill (not Arts though) and loves it. PM me if you want any info

Hi everyone, just to let you know that DDs UCAS form is FINALLY in and she has put down Exeter, Edinburgh, St Andrews, SOAS and Leeds.

All for Arabic and ME studies except St A which is Arabic and Persian. Can’t do ME Studies there without History A level which she hasn’t got.

She has applied for deferred 2025 entry.

Her first choice is Exeter and 2nd Edinburgh. Will record here what offers she gets and how quickly in case it is helpful for others!

That’s a great mix Delphigirl, hope those offers come through quickly for her :)