Arabic and History - MA (Hons)

The University of Edinburgh

Arabic is the main language of more than 250 million people inhabiting a huge swathe of land extending from the Atlantic to the Persian Gulf. It is the fifth most widely spoken language in the world and is one of the six official languages of the United Nations. Apart from opening the door to a fascinating and varied region, knowledge of Arabic provides access to the rich intellectual heritage of Islam. The discipline of history involves study of the human past, adopting a critical approach to evidence relevant to that enquiry. Work in history takes the form of interaction with the evidence in primary form and sceptical reading of a wide body of historical writing. Arabic and history make an excellent combination, allowing you to situate your understanding of the Arabic language, the Middle East and the Islamic world in the wider context of human history. Our Arabic and history programme is designed to give you a thorough grounding in both classical and modern Arabic and a good knowledge of the Arabic-speaking world, past and present, alongside a thorough understanding of the problems of historical interpretation as applied to a wide range of periods and geographical areas, including the Middle East. A year spent studying Arabic abroad provides complete immersion in Arabic language and culture. The University of Edinburgh is recognised, both in the UK and internationally, as a leading institution for the study of Islamic and Middle Eastern studies, within the School of Literatures, Languages & Cultures, and of history, within the School of History, Classics & Archaeology.