MA Arrabic and Comp Lit and Persian
About this course
Arabic, Comparative Literature, and Persian is a degree of exceptional intellectual ambition, bringing together two of the most significant languages and literary traditions of the Middle East and beyond with the broader analytical frameworks of comparative literary study. Arabic is by far the most commonly used language of the Middle East and is the liturgical language of Islam, as well as being the medium of an extraordinarily rich literary tradition stretching from pre-Islamic poetry to contemporary novels and journalism. Persian, spoken across Iran, Afghanistan, and parts of Central Asia, is the language of a classical literary tradition of world significance, including poets such as Rumi and Hafez. Comparative Literature extends the reach of the degree further, providing tools for reading and interpreting texts across cultures and traditions. At the University of St Andrews, this five-year, full-time degree allows you to develop serious linguistic and cultural competence in two languages that open access to parts of the world that are poorly understood yet enormously consequential for global politics, economics, and culture. Studying Arabic and Persian in combination offers exceptional opportunities for comparative analyses between different languages, literatures, cultures, histories, politics, and economies across the Middle East and wider Islamic world. Comparative Literature provides the critical methodology to place those traditions in dialogue with each other and with world literature more broadly. Graduates with this combination of Arabic, Persian, and comparative literary expertise are exceptionally well placed for careers in diplomacy, intelligence, journalism, international development, the civil service, academic research, and organisations working with or in the Middle East and Central Asia. Postgraduate study in Arabic, Persian, Middle Eastern studies, or comparative literature provides routes to further specialisation.
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