Course summary

The BA Languages and Cultures (Middle Eat, Africa, South and Southeast Asia) degree introduces students to the cultures and societies of Africa, the Middle East, South and South East Asia through the study of languages, film, literature and cultural studies. In the first year, students are equipped with a broader understanding of these regions in order to gain a vital comparative perspective. Students will have the opportunity to explore particular regional interests through their language study, selected optional modules and in their course work throughout the degree, culminating in the final year Study Project where, guided by lecturers, they will draw on skills gained over the course of the degree to produce their own original research. Language is crucial to the understanding of culture and therefore all students will be required to choose from a range of languages in their first year of study. We encourage students to further develop their language skills as the degree progresses. Students will have the option to spend a year abroad or a summer abroad to gain cultural and linguistic fluency in languages including Swahili, Turkish, Hebrew, Persian, Arabic, Hindi, Urdu, Sanskrit, Indonesian and Vietnamese.