Our course gives you access both to this and to the modern societies, cultures and thought fed by this heritage.
Our course is flexible and numerous options and combinations are available.
You should indicate which language(s) you’re interested in studying in your Supplementary Application Questionnaire (SAQ) – the choice isn’t absolute and some students change direction before they start or as they progress. You encounter a sophisticated civilization and the most vibrant economy in the world today.
You delve into its 3,500 years of recorded history, poetry and philosophy to understand how they shaped the tumultuous changes of modern times, and to engage with contemporary society.
In Japanese, you master the spoken and written forms of the modern Japanese language.
You also get unique training in reading pre-modern Japanese.
You gain a comprehensive understanding of Japan, its history, its rich and varied culture, its politics and society, and its vital role in world affairs and the often fraught diplomacy of Northeast Asia.
Arabic and Persian, the languages of the Qur’an and of a rich literature covering domains as diverse as scientific treatises and, are the keys to a medieval culture which kick-started the European Renaissance.
You don’t need any prior knowledge of Arabic, Chinese, Hebrew, Japanese or Persian to study them here but you do need imagination, perseverance, curiosity and a sense of adventure.
You can also combine Arabic, Hebrew or Persian with a modern European language.
The area we study stretches from Japan in the East to Morocco in the West, and from classical times to the present day.
To study one of these cultures through its language is not only to develop a set of practical skills and knowledge that can be used later in many different ways, but also to engage with different ways of understanding our shared world.