Languages and Cultures and History

Languages and cultures combined with history is a degree that takes seriously both the linguistic engagement with another society and the historical understanding of how that society has developed over time. Language study at degree level means more than acquiring fluency; it means engaging with the literature, thought and cultural production of a people in the language in which they expressed themselves. History provides the temporal dimension, examining how societies, states and cultures have been shaped by events, structures and forces over time.

The combination produces graduates who can read a society in depth, both synchronically through cultural analysis and diachronically through historical understanding.

At SOAS, which specialises in the study of Africa, Asia and the Middle East, this three-year full-time programme includes a foundation year, providing an accessible academic entry route. The foundation year builds the linguistic, historical and analytical skills needed for degree-level study in these fields. SOAS's particular focus means that the languages and cultures available span Arabic, Chinese, Japanese, Korean, Persian, Swahili and many other traditions, each studied in connection with the specific historical and cultural contexts of the regions where they are spoken.

This depth of specialist expertise is what distinguishes SOAS as an environment for this kind of study.

You will develop linguistic proficiency alongside historical analysis and cultural understanding, graduating with a combination of skills that is rare and valuable in a globalised world.

Graduates of languages, cultures and history programmes at SOAS move into diplomacy, international development, journalism, the civil service, international business, cultural organisations, NGOs, research and education. Postgraduate study in area studies, history, international relations or languages is a natural option.