Arabic

Whilst St Andrews does not offer Arabic as a single Honours degree, you can take Arabic in combination with a wide variety of other subjects as part of a joint Honours degree. It is useful to study Arabic, by far the most commonly used language of the Middle East, alongside almost any subject as it offers the opportunity for comparative analyses between different languages, literatures, cultures, histories, politics and economics.

By choosing to study Arabic, you will learn the language of the Arabic media as well as classical and modern Arabic languages and literature. All Arabic modules prioritise building a high level of competence in language skills, and after completing the first two years of your course, you will be able to read, write and converse in basic Modern Standard Arabic.

Careers

Graduates in Arabic go on to a wide range of careers for which an Arts degree is a recognised qualification. Graduates of the Department have become:

• academics in international institutions
• civil servants in government departments (notably the British Foreign and Commonwealth Office and the US State Department)
• employees in non-governmental organisations and international companies
• human rights lawyers
• journalists.

The Careers Centre offers one-to-one advice to all students as well as a programme of events to assist students to build their employability skills.

Comparative Literature

Comparative Literature at St Andrews opens up literary study across boundaries of culture and language. It offers students the chance to read texts of any genre, of any period, and written in a multitude of languages, all in English translation. Drawing on expertise from across modern languages and beyond, the programme considers the relationships that exist between literatures around the world, allowing students to push at the boundaries of textual analysis and read without borders.

As well as exploring the different cultural, socio-political, and historical forces that have helped form national and transnational canons, the course also focuses on close reading and introduces you to comparative methodologies and literary theories, developing your analytical, descriptive, and evaluative skills. You will have the opportunity to read, discuss, and present reasoned arguments, and work on writing with precision, clarity and creativity.

Whilst St Andrews does not offer Comparative Literature as a single Honours degree, you can take it in combination with a wide variety of other subjects as part of a joint Honours degree.

If you are taking Comparative Literature with a modern language, you will have the opportunity to take an integrated year abroad between second and third year in a country in which the language you study is spoken.

International relations

The MA (Hons) in International Relations will teach you to explore issues such as the origins of war and peace, the making of foreign policy, trade regimes, international terrorism, human rights, international law, and the interaction of political and economic development.

Students will develop the skills to:

• assess developments in the international system and specific geographical regions
• analyse the ways in which states relate to other international actors
• develop normative theories that relate the world as it is to the world as it might be.