Asian & Middle Eastern Studies
University Website: http://www.ames.cam.ac.uk/
Director of Studies: Dr Qian Kan
A Day in the Life of a Christ's AMES student (opens in new window)
Introduction
Christ's College regularly admits students to study the subjects offered by the Faculty of Asian and Middle Eastern Studies. Whether you choose to read Arabic, Chinese, Hebrew, Japanese or Persian, it will give you the opportunity to join a small number of people with expertise in languages and societies that are increasingly of global importance. Christ’s welcomes applicants who are committed to the study of the languages and cultures of a vital part of our world outside Europe .
Although it is an area with increasing interest, in University terms Asian and Middle Eastern Studies is a relatively small subject, with an average annual intake of fifty to sixty students. The College does not have fixed subject quotas for admission in any subject but a typical first-year entry for Asian and Middle Eastern Studies would be between 2 to 3.
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. No prior knowledge of the language is required or expected, but imagination, perseverance and a sense of adventure will be essential.
For Chinese and Japanese, a GCSE or A-level in an East Asian Language does not give applicants any particular advantage nor disadvantage in terms of admission since the course consists of a wide range of cultural, historical, and literary papers that require analytical skills beyond basic language training. At present the East Asian Department advises applicants wishing to take Chinese or Japanese at A-level to do so only as one out of four A-level subjects, keeping in mind that the balance of admission is likely to depend on performance in the other three A-level examinations.
Except for Chinese and Japanese these other languages may be taken as half subjects in combination with another half subject in the Faculty or a modern European language. Apart from these combinations joint honours courses are not offered (e.g. with History, Law, Economics or Politics).
All the courses in Asian and Middle Eastern Studies are four-year courses including Year Abroad. In addition to language studies, 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. 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.
Further detailed information on each subject is available on the website of the Faculty of Asian and Middle Eastern Studies. Chinese and Japanese are offered by the Department of East Asian Studies and Arabic, Hebrew and Persian by the Department of Middle Eastern Studies. Please note that students wishing to study Assyriology and Egyptology should apply to study Human, Social and Political Sciences.
Studying Asian and Middle Eastern Studies at Christ’s
Christ’s College welcomes applications for Asian and Middle Eastern Studies. The College provides students with further academic as well as pastoral support; for many students it is also the centre of their social life and leisure time. The College Director of Studies helps and guides students throughout their course. It is the Director of Studies who arranges with the Faculty each student's individual teaching through the supervision system. Christ's Director of Studies in Asian and Middle Eastern Studies is Dr Qian Kan. Dr Kan is a linguist and she taught Chinese at the Faculty of Asian and Middle Eastern Studies for 11 years. She is currently lecturer and head of Chinese at the Open University.
Admissions Requirements
Offers for studying Asian and Middle Eastern Studies at Christ’s are based on A - Level or equivalent examination results, a typical offer being A*AA at A2 level or 7,7,6 (40-42 points overall) in the IB or the equivalent from other educational systems.
Interviews
Most applicants are interviewed in the second or third week of December. Each candidate normally has two interviews – a college interview and a subject interview. If you wish to combine Asian and Middle Eastern Studies with a modern European language, you need to apply for Asian and Middle Eastern Studies, and will need to have an A-level or equivalent in the European language. You will be interviewed in that language (for details see the information on studying Modern Languages at Christ’s). Candidates will be asked to send in two marked 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 applicants come from a wide variety of subject backgrounds, we do not make specific stipulations.
Reading Lists
Click on the name of the department for a list of recommended books:
