External summary

Arabic and French make a natural degree combination. Interaction between the two languages and cultures has taken place over many centuries and continues in the present day. This interaction is reflected as much in the cinema and music of contemporary Europe and North Africa as in the Chansons de Gestes of medieval times.

Arabic is the main language of over 250 million people in a huge swathe of land extending from the Atlantic to the Gulf Apart from opening the door to a fascinating and varied region, knowledge of Arabic provides access to the rich intellectual heritage of Islam.

French is the main language of about 100 million people, and is widely spoken in North America, North and West Africa and the Caribbean, as well as in Belgium and in France itself.

The Department of Islamic & Middle Eastern Studies in Edinburgh’s School of Literatures, Languages and Cultures is recognised in the UK and internationally as a leading institution for research and study of Arabic, Islam and the Middle East. Students studying Arabic and French will also benefit from the resources of the Department of European Languages, which has an excellent record in teaching and research. A year spent studying Arabic and French abroad provides complete immersion in both languages.

Educational aims of programme

The MA Honours Arabic and French degree programme at Edinburgh is designed to give students a thorough grounding in classical and modern Arabic, and a high standard of written and spoken French, enabling them to communicate in both languages and to access a wide range of original materials. Alongside knowledge of the written and spoken languages, students will also acquire a good knowledge of the literature, culture, history, religion and politics of relevant regions of the world. A year spent studying Arabic and French abroad provides complete immersion in both languages. The degree offers society the resource of intellectually trained individuals who are capable of acting as bridges of understanding and conduits of knowledge between cultures. Graduates enter employment in many different fields, including the Civil Service, industry, commerce and education.

Programme outcomes: Knowledge and understanding

Graduates from the Arabic and French degree will acquire knowledge and understanding of:

1  Arabic and French (written and spoken);

2  the linguistic structures of Arabic and French;

3  the literature, history and culture of the Arabic-speaking and French-speaking worlds;

4  the position of 3 in a world context;

5  key methods and concepts of linguistic, literary and historical analysis.

Acquisition of 1 and 2 is through classes, tutorials and regular coursework.  Additional support is provided through access to the facilities for language learning in the Language and Humanities Centre and to recommended materials on the Web.  The period abroad in the 3rd year provides total immersion in the two languages and two associated cultures.

Acquisition of 3-5 is through a combination of lectures/classes andtutorials in Years 1 and 2, and subsequently developed through small-group teaching in Years 3 and 4.

Throughout, students are encouraged to undertake independent readings to supplement and consolidate what is being taught/learnt and to broaden their individual knowledge and understanding of the subject.

Testing and consolidation of the knowledge base is through a combination of unseen written examinations (1-5), assessed coursework in the form of exercises (1-2) or essays (3-5), oral and aural examinations (1-2), and a dissertation (1-5).

Programme outcomes: Graduate attributes - Skills and abilities in research and enquiry

Arabic and French graduates will be able to:

• retrieve, sift, select and analyse and interpret information from texts and other media in Arabic, French and English;

• reason critically and cogently, assessing and applying critical methods, including those for historical, literary, cultural, political and religious analysis;

• identify and solve problems, especially in the fields of Arabic, Islamic and Middle Eastern Studies, and in French and associated subjects;

• work independently to plan, undertake and (in a scholarly and literate fashion) compose an extended piece of bibliographically-based research on aspects of Arabic, Islam and the Middle East or on aspects of French language, culture or history.

These intellectual skills are developed through the teaching and learning programme.  Each course, whatever the format of the teaching, involves discussion of key issues, practice in applying concepts both orally and in writing, analysis and interpretation of material, and feedback sessions on work produced.

Great emphasis is placed, in the various methods of assessment used, on the student’s ability to demonstrate the above skills (1-4) through the production of cogent and coherent written and oral responses to problems and tasks set. Students also submit a dissertation in their final year which is an ideal vehicle for demonstrating these skills (and especially 4), although they are constantly demonstrated also throughout their other work.

Programme outcomes: Graduate attributes - Skills and abilities in personal and intellectual autonomy

Graduates in Arabic and French will be:

1. able to work independently and be self-reliant;

2. open to new ideas, methods and ways of thinking;

3. intellectually curious and able to sustain intellectual interest;

4. able to demonstrate and exercise independence of mind and creativity in thought, especially in the fields of Arabic, Islamic and Middle Eastern Studies and in French (including history, literature, culture, politics and religion);

5. able to assess and respond to the ideas of others, constructing cogent arguments through critical reasoning and the application of linguistic, literary, historical and social concepts.

1-5 are all fostered throughout the curriculum. 1 is learned through the extensive independent study and self-discipline required in both language learning and the Humanities and Social Sciences. 2, 3, 4 and 5 are also developed throughout the programme. Formative and summative assessment is used to develop, consolidate and evaluate these skills. All five are particularly developed by the final-year dissertation.

Programme outcomes: Graduate attributes - Skills and abilities in communication

Graduates in Arabic and French will be able to:

• process, structure and communicate ideas effectively and at an advanced level of proficiency, both orally and in written form in Arabic, French and English;

• communicate clearly and accurately, constructing cogent arguments;

• participate constructively in group discussions, assessing and responding effectively to the ideas of others; and

• communicate effectively in English to inform others about aspects of Arabic and French language, culture, history, politics and literature.

All courses require regular written work, on which feedback is provided, so that students develop not only their understanding but also their powers of written expression, while tutorials and tutorial presentations allow development of oral expression, participation in groups and communication with others.

Programme outcomes: Graduate attributes - Skills and abilities in personal effectiveness

Graduates in Arabic and French will be able to:

1. work autonomously, setting their own goals, self-motivating and organising their own learning;
2. manage their time and priorities and work to self-imposed and external deadlines;
3. collaborate effectively and productively with others in the process of learning and presenting conclusions;
4. confidently rely on their own intellectual capacities;
5. exercise sensitivity to ambiguity and multiplicity of meanings; and
6. confidently interact with, and think about, cultural difference.

All skills (1-6) are acquired throughout the degree programme. Skills 3-6 are particularly acquired through interactions with fellow students, tutors and lecturers. The time spent studying abroad also contributes very significantly to 1, 2 and 6.

Programme outcomes: Technical/practical skills

Expertise in the Arabic and French languages is by far the most important technical skill acquired in the course of the Arabic and French degree. Students will be able to:

1. read, write and speak Arabic and French at a high level of proficiency;

2. translate from and into Arabic and French;

In addition, graduates will also develop:

1. IT skills—the ability to use computers for word-processing, information storage and for retrieving information from the worldwide web; and

2. library skills—the ability to use libraries for the recovery of information, and related research skills, including the ability to discriminate between different types of information.

Throughout their studies, students take classes and receive instruction in Arabic and French.  The period abroad further promotes active engagement with the two languages and native speakers of them. Skills are assessed by class and home exercises, tests and degree examinations (including oral and aural examination). Likewise IT and library skills are fostered throughout the degree programme and are tested in coursework and examinations, especially the final year dissertation.

Programme structure and features

Full details of the degree programme and structure can be found at:
http://www.drps.ed.ac.uk/16-17/dpt/drps_llc.htm

Courses are taught through a combination of lectures and tutorials.

Details of courses can be found at:
http://www.drps.ed.ac.uk/16-17/dpt/cx_colhss.htm

Entrance Requirements: http://www.ed.ac.uk/studying/undergraduate/degrees

Progression Requirements: Students are normally expected to have gained 120 credits from each year of study.

Students who do not progress into Honours may graduate after three years of full-time study, or a longer prescribed period of part-time study, with a B.A. in Arts, Humanities and Social Science.

Teaching and learning methods and strategies

Teaching and Learning strategies employed at the University of Edinburgh consist of a variety of different methods appropriate to the programme aims.  The graduate attributes listed above are met through a teaching and learning framework (detailed below) which is appropriate to the level and content of the course.

Teaching and Learning Activities

In Year 1

Lectures

Tutorials

Seminars

Self-Access to the Languages Microlab

Film Screenings

In Year 2

Lectures

Tutorials

Seminars

Self-Access to the Languages Microlab

Film Screenings

In Year 3 (Study Abroad)

Lectures

Work Experience

Erasmus/Independent Study

Dissertation

Year Abroad Work

In Year 4

Seminars

Lectures

Tutorials

Self-Access to the Languages Microlab

Festival of Creative Learning
The University of Edinburgh Festival of Creative Learning is scheduled in Week 6 of Semester 2. During this week ‘normal’ teaching is suspended which provides space outwith the curriculum for staff and students to explore new learning activities

Assessment methods and strategies

Courses can be assessed by a diverse range of methods and often takes the form of formative work which provided the student with on-going feedback as well as summative assessment which is submitted for assessment.

In Year 1

Language Exercises

Classwork Presentation

Written Examination

Coursework Essays

Oral Examinations

Class Tests

In Year 2

Language Exercises

Classwork Presentation

Written Examination

Coursework Essays

Oral Examinations

Class Tests

In Year 3

Extended Essays

Coursework/Examinations

Dissertation

In Year 4

Language Exercises

Classwork Presentation

Written Examination

Coursework Essays

Extended Essays

Oral Examination

Dissertation

Class Tests

Career opportunities

The Middle East is one of the UK’s major trading partners so there is a high demand for graduates who speak Arabic. The degree programme will also prepare you for careers in the Diplomatic Service, the Civil Service or non-government organisations. Graduates also enter teaching, the media or continue with postgraduate study.

French graduates from the University of Edinburgh enjoy excellent career prospects. Language and analytical skills developed in analysing cultural and political documents can open careers in teaching and translating in the UK or abroad. Your skills will also be valued in worldwide business and administration.

Other items

1. All students are assigned a Personal Tutor on admission to the degree programme, who oversees the course of the student’s degree programme, offers advice on academic matters and should be the student’s first point of contact for course-related worries or concerns.

2. The School of Literatures, Languages and Cultures has a student support office, where students can go for advice on degree transfers, course changes, authorised interruption of studies, confirmation letters and general support. Information can be found at:

http://www.ed.ac.uk/schools-departments/literatures-languages-cultures/current-students/undergraduate-support

3. Student opinion is actively sought through participation in Staff-Student Liaison Committees, through the election of class- and tutorial-representatives, and by the wide circulation and review of detailed student questionnaires each semester.

4. Arabic may be also studied on its own in a single Honours degree or combined with other subjects in a Joint Honours degree.  These joint degrees currently include:

Arabic and Ancient Greek

Arabic and Business Studies

Arabic and Economics

Arabic and History

Arabic and History of Art

Arabic and Persian

Arabic and Politics

Arabic and Social Anthropology

Arabic and Spanish

5. More detailed information on these programmes, and the department of Islamic and Middle Eastern Studies, can be found at:

http://www.imes.ed.ac.uk/

Further information about Division of European Languages and Cultures can be found at http://www.delc.ed.ac.uk/