Best uni for an ARABIC degree?!

I really want to study Arabic at university, but now I'm stressing about which university to pick if offered a place. At first I obviously wanted to apply to Oxford, but that was later ruined when I saw someone else say they focus on literature and almost not at all on speaking the language itself.
http://www.thestudentroom.co.uk/showthread.php?t=1489528
(First answer)

I was considering:
Oxford
Durham
Exeter
Edinburgh
UCL
SOAS
What are your views/experiences with these universities? Which is best for this degree??

Now, I'd also like your opinions on a joint degree of Arabic and Spanish. The reason I want to do one is because I really want to come out of uni with fluency in TWO languages. Will this make it harder to come out fluent in both? Or does it not affect anything?
The problem with this is I heard SOAS is best for Arabic as they specialise in it but they don't offer Spanish. I can't do French and Arabic at SOAS because I'm doing Spanish A level, not French :frown:

This is is all stressing me!!!
Please help me decide!

(edited 10 years ago)

Reply 1

._.

Arabic and Spanish? You trying to copy Freddie Highmore? But anyway, I wouldn't recommend any British university to study Arabic. I suspect they teach a highly unauthentic version of the Arabic language. Go to Arabia if you 'really want to study Arabic at university'. I recommend Morocco or Egypt.

Reply 2

User1280516

Original post by ._.

Unfortunately that's not an option for me.

Reply 3

stuffsgrooveyman

I would have thought SOAS but after reading that you are unable to do both Spanish and Arabic... :confused:

. Sorry, UCL and Edinburgh don't seem like bad options either :smile:

Reply 4

User1280516

Original post by Anatheme

Oh, so just because you 'suspect' universities in the UK to teach 'a highly unauthentic version of the Arabic languages' is a good enough reason to go to 'Arabia'…? And then you suggest the OP go to Morocco to learn Arabic, is that a joke?!

We're taught MSA and universities sometimes offer the chance to study dialectal Arabic (generally Egyptian or Levantine, but certainly not Moroccan Arabic, which is so far removed from other types of Arabic it's generally avoided entirely, unless the person has a particular interest in the area, but everyone doing Arabic knows that.)

You get the chance to study abroad for a semester or a year depending on your programme, and during that time you study more MSA in a formal context, and you pick up dialectal Arabic in your environment, both being useful for different things. It's no more "unauthentic" than a French or German course…

Check Manchester, they've got quite a good range of modules (history, politics) and it's very easy to avoid literature, particularly if you combine it with Spanish (which you can do). Also, UCL doesn't offer Arabic other than as evening classes or as a minor. :smile:

I did a joint honours degree including Arabic at Manchester, so if you've got questions about the place or what it's like to study Arabic, don't hesitate !

Thank you very much for your answer!

I was looking at the course on their website earlier and so far it seems quite good. If you could tell me a bit about your experience there and what the university is like that would be great :smile:

also, do you happen to know anything about the joint Arabic and Spanish degree? And what is the Arabic course itself like? What do you focus on and did you come out 100% fluent after studying there?

Thanks again :smile:

Reply 5

User1280516

Original post by stuffsgrooveyman

I would have thought SOAS but after reading that you are unable to do both Spanish and Arabic... :confused:

. Sorry, UCL and Edinburgh don't seem like bad options either :smile:

Yeah that sucks :/ thank you for answering!

Reply 6

georgiaabenham

Hi, Im applying to do history and arabic for both manchester and edinburgh. can you tell me a bit about the arabic course, if you enjoy it, how difficult it is, and graduate prosepcts etc. would be much appreciated thanks :smile: