BA Middle Eastern Studies / Course details

The study of the Middle East has grown into a multi-disciplinary and cross-cultural academic area of specialisation, attracting strong interest for political, cultural and social reasons.

Your studies will benefit from academic developments in fields such as Islamic studies, globalisation, cultural identity, diaspora and migration studies, gender studies, and post-colonial studies, all of which are based on techniques in the analysis of evidence across several societies of the Middle East and North Africa region, and uses original sources in English translation as well as secondary sources in English.

Through the interplay of disciplines and theoretical approaches, the course will enable you to undertake balanced study of the history, literatures, cultures and religions of the Middle East in broad and complex ways.

Core course units and a wide range of optional units will equip you with a thorough and sufficiently specific yet language-independent understanding of the Middle East, alongside key contemporary methods in the study of culture, religion, literature and history.

It is also possible to get to know the basics of more than one Middle Eastern language, or to study one language all the way through until the end of the second year.

Placement year option

Apply your subject-specific knowledge in a real-world context through a placement year in your third year of study, enabling you to enhance your employment prospects, clarify your career goals and build your external networks.

Collaborations and partnerships

The University has links with language and cultural institutions across the city, including:

• Instituto Cervantes - a centre for Spanish culture;
• HOME - international and contemporary art, theatre and film;
• Manchester China Institute - promoting mutual understanding in UK-China relations through research, teaching, and activities;
• Alliance Française - home of French language and culture.

Societies

The University is home to over 30 international and language-related student societies offering a breadth of cultural activities and experiences.

You'll learn through a mixture of formal lectures, seminars and tutorials, spending approximately 12 hours a week in formal study sessions.

For every hour of university study, you will be expected to complete a further 2-3 hours of independent study. You will also need to study during the holiday periods.

The individual study component could be spent reading, producing written work, revising for examinations or working in the University's Language Centre .

You will be assessed in various ways, including:

• written and oral examinations;
• presentations;
• coursework (which may include library research, linguistic fieldwork and data collection, or web-based research);
• in your final year, a dissertation based on a research topic of your choice.

Assessment methods vary from course unit to course unit - see individual course unit listings for more information.

The  University Language Centre  is home to language resources, including a new interpreting suite, purpose-built recording rooms and resources for over 70 languages.

The Centre also offers multilingual word processing, language learning software, off-air recording and AV duplication, multilingual terrestrial and satellite TV, and extensive support and advice for learners.

Learn more on the  Facilities  page.