Asian & Middle Eastern Studies

The Asian & Middle Eastern Studies course is a chance for you to study the ancient languages, literature and history of a range of cultures spanning from North Africa to East Asia. In previous years, participants have focused on sources such as the scripts of Egypt and Iraq/Mesopotamia (Akkadian). You will experience lectures on various topics from the undergraduate course such as poetry, folk tales, religion and economy. You don’t need to have any previous knowledge of these languages or subjects before the course.

 

During the week, you will have language classes and engage with texts – including poetry, folk-tales, liturgies, hymns, legal documents, and letters – making these cultures come to life. Through such texts and their contexts we will explore areas from social structure and economy to religion and ideologies. These themes will be introduced to you through lectures, interactive talks, and study sessions.

 

In this way, we hope to give you a taste of the many fascinating aspects of a degree in Asian and Middle Eastern Studies at Oxford.