MA Modern Languages (Italian and Persian) and Latin
About this course
Italian, Persian, and Latin is a combination of languages that spans some of the most important literary and cultural traditions in the ancient and modern worlds, connecting the classical Latin inheritance of Rome with two of the languages that grew out of or were profoundly influenced by it. Italian, descended directly from Latin and carrying one of the richest literary traditions in European history, opens access to Dante, Petrarch, and the full range of Italian culture from the Renaissance to the present. Persian, spoken across Iran, Afghanistan, and Central Asia, draws on a quite different tradition but is one of the world's great literary languages, with poets including Rumi and Hafez who have shaped literatures far beyond the Persian-speaking world. Latin, the common ancestor of both Italian and many of the linguistic tools used in Persian scholarship, ties the three together. At St Andrews this four-year full-time programme develops your Italian and Persian language skills to a high level of proficiency, working across contemporary and literary registers, while your Latin studies train you in the close reading of classical texts across a range of genres and periods. You will engage with Italian literature, culture, history, politics, and film alongside Persian literary and cultural traditions, situating both in their historical and intellectual contexts. A year abroad is incorporated into the programme, giving you the chance to immerse yourself in one or both of your modern language areas and to develop cultural fluency through direct experience. Graduates with this combination of languages are exceptionally well placed for careers in translation, academic research, diplomacy, the foreign office, intelligence, international organisations, cultural institutions, and teaching. The combination of Italian, Persian, and Latin is genuinely rare, and the analytical and cultural depth it develops is a significant professional advantage in any context requiring engagement with the cultural heritage of Italy, the Persian-speaking world, or the classical tradition. Many graduates continue to postgraduate study in modern languages, classical studies, or area studies.
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