European and Middle Eastern Languages

Magdalen considers candidates for this Joint Honours School.  We have tutors in French, German, Spanish, Russian, and Italian (please refer to the entry under ‘Modern Languages’), and it is possible to read one of these languages with Arabic, Hebrew, Persian or Turkish.  Although we do not have any Tutorial Fellows in the Middle Eastern Languages and these subjects are taught outside the College in the University’s Oriental Institute, Professor Clive Holes, Professor for the Study of the Contemporary Arab World, oversees these students.

At Magdalen you can study most of the languages offered in Modern Languages with one of Arabic, Hebrew, Persian or Turkish. As most students taking this course are beginners at the Middle Eastern language, it is not a good idea to start the European language from scratch as well. You will normally have studied the European language at A2 level or equivalent. You spend the first year studying the Middle Eastern language intensively, but you keep the European language going by means of language work and a reduced amount of literature study. In the third and final years, the syllabus, as with other joint degree courses, allows you to bias the course slightly towards one language or the other, but both are kept at approximately the same level. It is normal to spend the second year abroad to study the Middle Eastern language in an appropriate country as part of the course (unlike Modern Languages, where it is the third year).

Candidates for this course should write to the Chairman of the Admissions Committee, The Oriental Institute, Pusey Lane, Oxford OX1 2LE, to obtain further information, indicating which subject interests them.

Open Days for potential candidates and teachers are held annually at the Oriental Institute in May and late June or early July.  Potential candidates wishing to see the College are welcome to come to our own Open Days, or look around on any afternoon when it is open to visitors.

Entry procedures

All candidates are required to take a language test on 7th November 2012 as part of your application. This will be a 30-minute long written test for the modern language you intend to study. The test will be taken in your school or college, or an approved test centre. Candidates for Beginners' Italian must take the Language Aptitude Test. During the interview period in December, short-listed applicants will take an Oriental Studies language aptitude test. Specific test requirements are explained on the Undergraduate Admissions pages at the following links: www.ox.ac.uk/admissions/undergraduate_courses/how_to_apply/tests/ml_tests.html, and www.admissions.ox.ac.uk/tests, where you will also find specimen test papers.

All candidates are required to submit three copies each of two pieces of school or college written work.  These should be essays or similar pieces of work which have already been written and marked with teachers' corrections.  At least one piece of work should be written in the relevant European language. These must be sent directly to Magdalen College, c/o Tutor for Admissions, by the 10th November. Each of the copies should be secured with a paperclip only and have a completed cover sheet.

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