Arabic and Modern History
Arabic and Modern History is a combination that brings together the study of one of the world's most significant living languages and a rigorous discipline concerned with understanding how the contemporary world came to be. Arabic is the primary language of over 400 million people and the liturgical language of Islam, spoken across the Middle East, North Africa, and far beyond. Its study opens access to an enormous body of literature, scholarship, journalism, and political discourse, while also providing a practical communicative skill of considerable professional value.
Modern History trains you in the careful analysis of evidence, the interpretation of competing accounts, and the habit of situating events within broader structures of cause and consequence.
At the University of St Andrews, this four-year, full-time joint honours degree includes a year abroad, which is an essential part of developing genuine linguistic competence in Arabic. St Andrews offers Arabic in combination with other subjects precisely because its complexity and cultural richness make it a productive partner for almost any discipline, particularly one as concerned with societies, institutions, and change over time as modern history. You will build proficiency in Arabic from the foundations through to an advanced level, engaging with both Modern Standard Arabic and its contemporary written forms, while on the history side you will study the forces and events that have shaped the modern era.
The combination naturally lends itself to exploring the Middle East, colonialism, the Cold War, geopolitics, and the intersection of religion and political life, though the degree is broad enough to pursue many other historical themes alongside your language study.
Graduates of Arabic and Modern History are well placed for careers in diplomacy, international affairs, journalism, intelligence, development work, translation and interpretation, academia, and the civil service. Postgraduate study in area studies, international relations, history, or Arabic and Islamic studies is a common next step for those who wish to deepen their expertise.