BA History and Arabic

BA History and Arabic provides you with the opportunity to study aspects of history that interest you most, from ancient, medieval, modern, and economic and social history, to the history of science, technology and medicine.

You will also develop a comprehensive grounding in Arabic language, literature, culture, history and linguistics, enabling you to become proficient enough in Arabic to live and work effectively in an Arabic-speaking environment.

History

We offer one of the most diverse history courses in the UK, with our course units covering almost all of human history, including British, European, American, Asian and African history, and ranging from the classical era (Greece and Rome), through the medieval and modern periods, to the late 20th century.
We offer a wide variety of approaches to history, from political and economic history, to gender, social, cultural, and colonial history.
You will benefit from studying in the historically rich city of Manchester; itself is a living history book - from Peterloo to the anti-slavery movement, and from Roman and Anglo-Saxon forts to medieval monuments.
You can draw on the abundant library, archive and museum holdings of the local area, including Chetham's Library, The Museum of Science and Industry, The People's History Museum and the Working Class Movement Library.
You will also have access to one of only five National Research Libraries, including the special collections of The John Rylands Library, as well as the exclusive holdings of Manchester Museum.
Our course content is directly informed by our world-leading research - the 2014 Research Excellence Framework (a UK-wide benchmark for research excellence) ranked History at Manchester 4th in the UK for the quality of our research outputs, with 82% of our overall research activity recognised as 'world leading' (4*) or 'internationally excellent' (3*).
Arabic

You have the opportunity to achieve near-native proficiency in modern Arabic while studying the language within its cultural and historical context
You will also look more widely at Arab culture and literature from the medieval period to the present day, and be introduced to social and cultural trends in the Arab Middle East and beyond.
The range of culture units offered across all years of the programme combine the study of the history, politics, literary, and visual culture of the Arab world and are taught by a range of specialists within these fields.
The course is carefully structured so you can measure your progress step by step. Learning modern Arabic also opens the door to the vast literature of classical Arabic, including religious and secular texts, and provides a perfect platform from which to learn one or more of the colloquial dialects.
You will spend your third year studying abroad at an academic institution in an Arab country such as Jordan, Egypt or Morocco, an ideal way to improve your fluency in the language while gaining a fascinating first-hand experience of the Arab world.