MA Arabic and Comparative Literature and Russian
About this course
Arabic, comparative literature and Russian brings together three traditions that span the globe linguistically and culturally: the language and literary heritage of the Arab world, the practice of reading literature comparatively across all boundaries of culture and period, and the extraordinary literary and intellectual tradition of the Russian-speaking world. It is a combination that demands and rewards genuine intellectual ambition, equipping you to move fluently between languages, cultures and critical frameworks in ways that few other programmes make possible. At the University of St Andrews you will develop proficiency in both Arabic and Russian while engaging comparatively with literatures from across the world in English translation. Comparative literature at St Andrews opens up literary study across all boundaries of culture and language, considering the relationships between literatures around the globe and pushing at the limits of textual analysis. Arabic connects you to one of the most geopolitically significant linguistic communities in the world, while Russian opens a tradition that includes Pushkin, Dostoevsky, Tolstoy and the revolutionary innovations of the Soviet era. The programme runs over four years full time and includes a year abroad, giving you immersive linguistic and cultural experience. Graduates of this combination bring an exceptional range of linguistic, literary and cultural knowledge to professional life. Careers in academia, literary translation, diplomacy, journalism, intelligence, international organisations, cultural institutions and the arts all draw on these skills. The combination of Arabic and Russian with comparative literary thinking is genuinely unusual and valued wherever organisations engage with these linguistic communities or need people who can think across cultural boundaries with rigour and sensitivity. Postgraduate study in comparative literature, Arabic, Russian or Slavonic studies, or related disciplines, is a natural further route.
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