School of Languages,

Cultures and Societies

FACULTY OF ARTS

Arabic, Islamic
and Middle
Eastern Studies
at Leeds
UNDERGRADUATE
PROGRAMMES

WHAT WILL I STUDY

For centuries a hub for high culture,
civilisation, art, architecture and
spirituality, the Middle East has long
been a fascinating region to study.
Today, given the economic importance
of the Middle East and its changing
political landscape since the Arab
Spring began in 2011, there is a
pressing need for experts who have
knowledge of the history, politics
and religious traditions of the region.
There is therefore no better time to be
considering a degree in Arabic, Islamic
or Middle Eastern Studies.
Current teaching areas include: Islamic
Civilisation, Islamic Law, History of
the Middle East, Arabic Literature,
Culture and Society in the Middle
East, Quranic Studies, Hadith Studies,
Issues in Middle East Politics, Media
Arabic, Arabic Stylistics, Arab Drama
on Stage and Screen, Arabic Grammar
and Translation.
BA Arabic and Islamic Studies

TVP6

This course embraces both language

study and the study of Islam in
terms of its rich theological,
philosophical and legal traditions.
A year abroad in Morocco or Egypt
enhances your language competence
and local knowledge. A wide range of
options allow you to select between
courses ranging from Quranic studies,
Turkish, Persian, literature, politics
and translation studies.

BA Arabic and Middle

Eastern Studies

QT46

Knowledge of Arabic and the Middle

Eastern region is of growing importance
in the modern world. This degree
is a language-based programme
that promises expertise in language,
literature and cultural awareness. You
will receive a thorough grounding in
spoken and written Arabic as well as
gaining substantial knowledge of Middle
Eastern cultural life. The year abroad
in the Middle East consolidates both
language learning and cultural studies.
BA Islamic Studies

BA Middle Eastern Studies

T600

This programme covers wide-ranging

aspects of the history, politics, culture
and society of the Middle East. Our
course provides you with an in-depth
understanding of the multi-ethnic and
multi-religious Middle East, through
exploration of its culture, politics and
society. You may wish to focus on the
key issues shaping the domestic and
regional politics of the Middle East,
study its diverse culture and people,
or explore how the Arab Spring has
affected the region. You can also
choose to study the Arabic language.

V622

This course offers deep understanding

and true appreciation of Islamic thought
and practice. It embraces traditional
Islamic sciences and provides insight
into the way modern Muslims interpret
Islam. This degree maximises the
opportunity to personalise your
studies through an exploration of
Islamic theology, law, philosophy and
spirituality. You may wish to broaden
your studies by examining how Islam is
practiced in different countries, review
Middle Eastern politics or build on your
introduction to Arabic language study.
Native Arabic speakers and those
with no prior knowledge of the
language may apply.

No knowledge of the Arabic

language is required, although
Arabic speakers are welcome
and it is possible to select Arabic
language as an option.

For centuries a hub

for high culture,
civilisation, art,
architecture and
spirituality, the
Middle East has long
been a fascinating
region to study.

JOINT HONOURS OPTIONS

Joint honours students study the same

core topics as their single honours
friends, but are required to choose
fewer options and Discovery Modules.
This is to allow space in their timetable
for both halves of their degree.
The intellectual range of such a degree,
together with the organisational skill in
combining two subject areas makes
you very attractive to employers. Our
courses allow you to study your chosen
subjects in depth, and to graduate
with an honours degree covering two
disciplines. All joint honours degree
courses with Arabic and Middle
Eastern Studies are parented and
administered by us in the School of
Languages, Cultures and Societies.
We are responsible for dealing with
admissions and for providing you with
administrative, academic, and pastoral
support during your time here. We will
allocate to you a personal tutor who will
help guide your module choices and
offer support, as well as act as a point
of contact for references.

Joint honours programmes available with

Arabic and Middle Eastern Studies are:
BA Arabic and Chinese

TT61

BA Arabic and Politics

TL62

BA Arabic and Classical Literature

QT86

BA Arabic and Portuguese

RT56

BA Arabic and English

QT36

BA Arabic and Russian A

RT76

BA Arabic and Film Studies

WR55

BA Arabic and Russian B

RTR6

BA Arabic and French

RT16

BA Arabic and Russian Civilisation

RTT6

BA Arabic and German

RT26

BA Arabic and Spanish

RT46

BA Arabic and International Development

LT26

BA Arabic and Theatre and Performance

T6W4

BA Arabic and International Business

1TN0

BA Arabic and International Relations

TLP2

BA Arabic and Theology

and Religious Studies

TV66

BA Arabic and Italian

RT36

BA French and Middle Eastern Studies

RTC6

BA Arabic and Japanese

TT62

BA Middle Eastern Studies

and Politics

TLQ2

BA Arabic and Linguistics

QT16

BA Arabic and Management

TN62

BA Middle Eastern Studies

and Sociology

TL6H

Study Abroad Options

My favourite part of
the course was my year
abroad in Morocco. I
studied in a university
there, improving my
Arabic and learning all
about the culture and
meeting new people.
It was great.
Hamzah Potia
BA Arabic and Middle Eastern Studies

The year abroad component of the

undergraduate degree undertaken in
an Arabic speaking country provides
an unforgettable experience, not only
enhancing your language skills but also
giving a greater understanding of the
Arab world.
It is designed to introduce you to Arabic
and Islamic culture, while strengthening
your language skills both in terms of
greater literacy and in the vernacular
Arabic of the country of study.
Our students are hosted by the Arabic
Language Institute in Fes, Morocco and
by the Alexandria Centre for Languages
(ACL) in Alexandria, Egypt. Past
activities have included regional tours
of the host-country and extracurricular
courses in calligraphy and music.

Our chosen institutions have been

carefully selected for their high quality
methods of teaching and success in
running TAFL (Teaching Arabic as a
Foreign Language) courses. You will be
provided with the essential skills needed
to communicate in Arabic effectively and
clearly. There is constant liaison between
the institutions and the University of
Leeds and these language skills will be
built on and taken further in the third
and fourth years of your degree.
Accommodation is either with a host
family or in specially provided student
accommodation. Host institutions take
the welfare of students very seriously
and there will be always someone to
offer help and guidance. There are many
opportunities to travel, either within
the country or further into other Arab
countries during the vacation period.

If you are studying a joint honours

degree combining Arabic with another
language, you will spend two periods
abroad. In most cases, you will spend
your second year in an Arabic speaking
country, and the third term of your
third year in a country where your other
language is spoken. However, a number
of programmes (mainly involving two of
Arabic, Chinese, Italian B, Japanese,
Russian and Thai) are five year degree
courses requiring two years abroad.
Please see the course details on
www.leeds.ac.uk/coursefinder
for further information.

Arabic, Islamic and Middle

Eastern Studies at Leeds

The information contained in this

brochure is accurate at the date
of publication. However, courses,
University services and the content
of this brochure remain subject to
change. Changes may be necessary
to comply with the requirements
of accrediting bodies or to keep
courses contemporary through
updating practices or areas of study.
Circumstances may arise outside the
reasonable control of the University,
leading to required changes. Such
circumstances include, industrial
action, unexpected student numbers,
significant staff illness (where a course
is reliant upon a persons expertise),
unexpected lack of funding, severe
weather, fire, civil disorder, political
unrest, government restrictions
and serious concern with regard to
the transmission of serious illness
making a course unsafe to deliver.
After a student has taken up a place
with the University, the University
will look to give early notification of
any changes and try to minimise
their impact, offering suitable
alternative arrangements or forms
of compensation where it believes
there is a fair case to do so. Offers
of a place to study at the University
will provide up to date information on
courses. The latest key information on
courses can be found at www.leeds.
ac.uk/coursefinder. Please check this
website before making any decisions.
The Universitys contract with its
students (following an acceptance by
a student of any offer of a place) does
not confer third-party benefits for the
purposes of the Contract (Rights of
Third Parties) Act 1999.

ARABIC, ISLAMIC AND MIDDLE

EASTERN STUDIES AT LEEDS
The 2016 Complete University Guide
places Leeds among the top 10 Middle
Eastern departments in the country.
Arabic, Islamic and Middle Eastern
Studies at Leeds always performs very
well in the National Student Survey.
Our degree programmes provide
intensive teaching of the Arabic
language, as well as courses on Islamic
and Middle Eastern Studies. We teach
Modern Standard Arabic, which is the
official written language used throughout
the Arab World in virtually all formal
circumstances (religious, political,
commercial, literary, media, etc.).
You will have the opportunity to study
Arabic to an advanced level, as well
as modules such Arab and Islamic
Civilisation, Modern History of the
Middle East, the Introduction to Modern
Arabic Literature, Arab Drama on Stage
and Screen, Culture and Society in
the Middle East, Issues in Middle East
Politics, Islam and Modernity and the
History of Islamic Legal Theory. We also
lay emphasis on practical language
skills, therefore students are taught to
speak as well as write in Arabic.
An important element of our language
degrees is the second year which is
spent at a language centre in an Arabic
speaking country.
Our active student society organises
film-screenings, dances and regular
socials. Our Middle Eastern Studies
student society offers practical study tips,
guest speakers and department socials.

Our student-led Islamic society is a

platform for students to gather, organise
and participate in social, cultural and
educational activities, as well as providing
a united voice in expressing the views
and aspirations of the Muslim student
community. These are just two of the
three hundred union societies at Leeds.

The 2016 Complete

University Guide places
Leeds among the top
10 Middle Eastern
departments in the country.
Our graduates demonstrate the
following highly valuable skills: expertise
within a high profile, contemporary
subject area; familiarity with an
economically expanding part of the
world; appreciation of other cultures
and points of view; communications
skills; project skills of research, analysis
and persuasion; workplace skills of
delegation, time-management and
negotiation. Language students also
demonstrate high-level expertise and
self-reliance from the year abroad.

ADMISSIONS AND CONTACTS

Access to Leeds
Access to Leeds is the University of
Leeds widening access scheme and
guarantees special consideration
for applicants whose personal
circumstances may affect their ability
to demonstrate their full potential
through grades alone.

Entry Requirements

Contact Us

The latest entry requirements for all

our programmes are listed online at
www.leeds.ac.uk/coursefinder

Tel: 0113 343 6533

lcsadmissions@leeds.ac.uk
www.leeds.ac.uk/lcs
www.leeds.ac.uk/arts/enquiries

Admissions information
Admission to our undergraduate
programme should be made through
UCAS (Universities and Colleges
Admissions Service)
www.ucas.com

Successful applicants receive an

alternative offer alongside a standard
offer. Applications are welcomed
from students who meet the eligibility
criteria and have the potential to study
at the University of Leeds.
For more information please go to
www.leeds.ac.uk and search
Access to Leeds or email
accesstoleeds@leeds.ac.uk

University of Leeds
Leeds, United Kingdom
LS2 9JT
Tel. 0113 243 1751
www.leeds.ac.uk