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UCL or Durham for French and Arabic?

I have offers from both, and unsure which one to go for? Course-wise does anyone know which one's better because the league tables basically mean nothing because they just keep on fluctuating so much? Any help guys?

Reply 1

Snufkin

Universities Forum Helper

The Arabic half of the UCL course is taught at SOAS which is certainly one of the best places in Europe to study the language and the Middle East in general.

Have you looked at the specific modules involved at each university? The UCL/SOAS course is quite different to Durham's, for example in the first year you spend 3/4 of your time studying Arabic and 1/4 of your time on French whereas at Durham your time is equally split between both subjects. Another key difference is that in the first year at UCL/SOAS you only study the Arabic language whereas at Durham you also study Middle Eastern politics and culture. In years 2 and 4 however UCL/SOAS offers many more modules, so if you are particularly interested in studying Arab Women's Literature or Sufism then UCL/SOAS is the better choice.

The Year Abroad is another consideration. Durham's website says their Arabic students go to either Alexandria, Damascus or Cairo. I imagine that these days Damascus isn't an option so you would in effect have no choice about which variant of Arabic you studied. At UCL/SOAS you can go to Amman, Alexandria or Nablus so you can choose between learning Egyptian or Levantine Arabic.

If I were you, I would carefully research the structure of each degree and think about what modules you would take. If one university caters to your interests and another doesn't, you have your answer.