Classics and Asian and Middle Eastern Studies (Classics and Oriental Studies)

This course allows you to combine the study of an Asian or Middle Eastern language and culture with Latin and/or Greek and the study of the ancient world. This degree provides an exciting opportunity for students who want to focus on interdisciplinary studies. Here are just a few examples of possible reasons to study this degree:

• You want to immerse yourself in a broader range of languages, both Indo-European and non-Indo-European.
• You have an interest in Judaeo-Christianity and would appreciate the chance to learn more about the relationship between the languages and cultures of the great monotheistic religions in their various (e.g. Greek and Roman) contexts.
• You are fascinated by e.g. Egypt, Mesopotamia, Persia or India, and by their relations with the Greek and Roman world.

There are two options within the Classics and Asian and Middle Eastern Studies degree: Classics with Asian and Middle Eastern Studies (Q8T9) and Asian and Middle Eastern Studies with Classics (T9Q8). In each case the subject mentioned first is the main subject (about two-thirds of the degree) and the second is an additional subject (about one-third of the degree).

• Classics with Asian and Middle Eastern Studies (Q8T9) is a four-year degree. You spend the first five terms of the course working towards the first public examination, Honour Moderations in Classics, and for these five terms the course is identical to the single-honours Classics course. In the remaining seven terms you work towards the final examination, and for these seven terms the course closely resembles single-honours Classics, except except that you will choose five subjects in Classics, and three in your chosen Asian or Middle Eastern language (such as Akkadian, Arabic, Aramaic and Syriac, Armenian, Coptic, Egyptian, Hebrew, Early Iranian, Pali and Prakit, Persian, Sanskrit, or Turkish).
• Asian and Middle Eastern Studies with Classics (T9Q8) is a three-year degree, though the duration of the degree may be extended by one year if your chosen Asian or Middle Eastern language offers the possibility of a year abroad. There are six main Asian and Middle Eastern languages or subjects you can take as part of the degree: Arabic, Egyptology and Ancient Near Eastern Studies (with Akkadian or Egyptian), Hebrew, Persian, Sanskrit and Turkish.You spend the first year of the course working towards the Preliminary Examination in Asian and Middle Eastern Studies, and the second and third years working towards the final examination. In the final two years you continue with your Asian and Middle Eastern Studies options (five to seven papers), but you also study three Classics papers.

You can choose from a wide range of options from the Classics (Literae Humaniores) syllabus, with a few exceptions, the main one being that most of the modern Philosophy options are not available to Classics and Asian and Middle Eastern Studies. You can offer a thesis, either as one of your main Classical subjects or as an optional extra subject. If you were on a single-language stream for Honour Moderations in Classics you can take up a second classical language at finals, which is examined in two written papers and counts as two of your finals options.

For more information about the papers that you can study at Mods and Finals, please follow the links above. Further information on the languages that you can study may be found on the Faculty of Asian and Middle Eastern Studies' website.

UCAS Course Code: Classics with Asian and Middle Eastern Studies: Q8T9, Asian and Middle Eastern Studies with Classics (T9Q8)
Course length: Usually 4 years; 3 for those taking Asian and Middle Eastern Studies as their main subject but not having a year abroad.
Course requirements: There are no specific subject requirements, though Latin, Ancient Greek, Classical Civilisation, Ancient History or a modern language can be helpful to students in completing this course.
University Propectus: https://www.ox.ac.uk/admissions/undergraduate/courses/course-listing/classics-and-asian-and-middle-eastern-studies

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There are two versions of the course: Classics with Asian and Middle Eastern Studies (Classics with Oriental Studies) (4 years) and Asian and Middle Eastern Studies with Classics (Oriental Studies with Classics (3 years). Depending on your choice of oriental language, there may be an opportunity for you to spend a year abroad, extending the length of the degree course by one year.

If you take Classics with Asian and Middle Eastern Studies (Classics with Oriental Studies), you sit Honour Moderations in Classics at the end of the fifth term. In your sixth term, you begin working towards the final examination. You make contact with the Asian and Middle Eastern Studies (Oriental Studies Faculty) and come to meet your instructors in Trinity Term, and begin formal teaching in your Oriental language in Michaelmas Term of your third year. In finals, you are examined in eight subjects, five in Classics and three in your Oriental language.

If you take Asian and Middle Eastern Studies with Classics (Oriental Studies with Classics), you spend the first three terms working towards the Preliminary Examination in your chosen Asian and Middle Eastern (Oriental) language. The remaining six terms of the course are spent working towards the final examination, which comprises eight to ten subjects: three in Classics and five to seven in your Asian and Middle Eastern (Oriental) language.

You can choose from a wide range of options from the Classics (Literae Humaniores) syllabus, with a few exceptions, the main one being that most of the modern Philosophy options are not available to Classics and Oriental Studies students. Course II students can take up a second classical language at finals, which is examined in two written papers and counts as two of your finals options. In addition, you can offer a thesis, either as one of your main Classical subjects or as an optional extra subject.

For comprehensive details of the papers available, and the rules on which combinations of papers students may take, please refer to the Examination Regulations. Detailed descriptions of the papers on offer, and information about teaching provision, can be found in the course handbook.