Asian and Middle Eastern Studies

Ever thought of learning a language spoken by one fifth of the world’s population or studying the cultural history and politics of a part of the world home to three of the world’s great religions? Whether you choose to read Arabic, Chinese, Hebrew, Japanese or Persian studying at the Faculty of Asian and Middle Eastern Studies gives you the opportunity to join a small number of people with expertise in languages and societies that are increasingly of global importance. Clare welcomes applicants committed to the enterprise of getting to know about and understand the languages and cultures of a vital part of our world outside Europe. No prior knowledge of the language is required or expected, but imagination, perseverance and a sense of adventure will be essential.

The Cambridge course offers an intensive grounding in one or two of the major languages and cultures of East Asia or the Middle East. Subjects offered include Arabic, Chinese, Japanese, Hebrew (Biblical and Modern) and Persian. Except for Chinese and Japanese these may be taken as half subjects in combination with another half subject in the Faculty or a modern European language. Apart from these combinations we do not offer joint honours courses (e.g. with History, Law, Economics or Politics) but it is possible to change to a different subject after taking Part IA of the Tripos at the end of the first year or Part IB at the end of the second. Part II takes one or two years, depending on the course, making a three- or four-year course in all.

All courses are built on the achievement of a high level of competence in the language(s) concerned, and this needs a strong commitment and regular attendance from the student. The courses also cover history, literature, religion and a range of other subjects such as politics, economics, sociology, archaeology, or film, depending on the language being studied. The first year generally focuses on language work, with broad introductions to the culture and history of the regions concerned, and there is little or no room for choice. In the second year there is some choice among a small range of courses, and at Part II more specialisation is possible and a few courses in other faculties may be taken. In four-year courses involving modern languages, the third year is spent abroad in an appropriate country. In some cases, students follow specific courses while abroad; in others they are helped with arranging their own chosen courses or work placements.

Further detailed information on each subject is available on the website of the Faculty of Asian and Middle Eastern Studies (http://www.ames.cam.ac.uk). Chinese and Japanese are offered by the Department of East Asian Studies (http://www.ames.cam.ac.uk/departments/deas/) and Arabic, Hebrew and Persian by the Department of Middle Eastern Studies (http://www.ames.cam.ac.uk/departments/dmes/).

Studying Asian and Middle Eastern Studies at Clare

Clare has a strong commitment to the study of Asian and Middle Eastern languages. It has two Fellows in these languages: a Senior Language Teaching Officer in Arabic and the Professor of Chinese. A special fund, the Evelyn Laing Bursary, has been established to support undergraduates reading Chinese. In University terms Asian and Middle Eastern Studies is a relatively small subject, with an average annual intake of fifty to sixty students, but so far as the College is concerned this does not imply any upper limit on the number it admits in any particular year. We aim to admit the best students available to us each year, and if several of those turn out to wish to take the course, they would all be accepted. Typically we have two to three students a year. It is a small but very friendly group.

If you have particular questions, please feel free to contact either of the Clare Fellows by letter or by email: Dr Rachael Harris (Middle Eastern Studies - Arabic, Hebrew, Persian) rmh1001@cam.ac.uk; or Prof Roel Sterckx (East Asian Studies – Chinese and Japanese) rs10009@cam.ac.uk.

Admissions Requirements

Offers for studying Asian and Middle Eastern Studies at Clare are based on A2 level or equivalent examination results, a typical offer being AAA or the equivalent from other school systems. An A in a language at A2 level is desirable, or some other indication of a good track record in language learning.

Interviews

Most applicants are interviewed in the first or second week of December. Each candidate normally has two interviews. This may include an interview with someone from a second college. If you wish to combine Asian and Middle Eastern Studies with a modern European language, you will also be interviewed in that language (for details see the information on studying Modern and Medieval Languages at Clare). Candidates will be asked to send in two school essays before the interviews, at least one of them written in English. These essays may be related to the proposed course of study, but since applications come from a wide variety of subject backgrounds, we do not make specific stipulations.

Fellows in Asian and Middle Eastern Studies

Dr Rachael Harris, Senior Language Teaching Officer in Arabic, is also Director of Studies. Her research work focuses on Arabic conversation and cross-cultural communication problems.

Prof Roel Sterckx, Needham Professor of Chinese, works on Chinese thought, religion and cultural history and teaches classical and literary Chinese.

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Guide to Subjects

Faculty of AMES