School of Languages, Cultures and Linguistics

Welcome

The School of Languages, Cultures and Linguistics, with its focus on Africa, the Near and Middle East, South Asia, Southeast Asia and East Asia, takes culture - both contemporary and traditional - as the principal lens through which to understand a region. 

Our expertise in the languages and cultures of Africa, the Near and Middle East, and Asia, will open the doors to some of the most economically vibrant, and culturally exciting regions of the world through the study of literature, TV and film, food, fashion, and computer games. 

We see knowledge of the languages of these regions as central to our understanding of culture. Our remit also, therefore, includes the study of linguistics. Our Departmental Centres of Translation Studies, of Islamic Studies, and of Cultural, Literary and Postcolonial Studies are home to postgraduate taught programmes and research degrees, focusing on literature, religion, cinema and popular culture. 

The School of Languages, Cultures and Linguistics offers unparalleled disciplinary expertise and access to language study for anyone interested in Asia, Africa and the Middle East. 

 

Our world-class scholars lead their fields in the study of literature and film, linguistics and poetry, and our students graduate from their language programmes prepared to work all over the world. 

— Dr Ilana Webster-Kogen, Head of the School of Languages, Cultures and Linguistics

Studying at the SLCL

If you have ever wanted to understand culture, history, and society in depth, or if you dream of working in Africa, the Near and Middle East, and Asia, our degrees will provide you with all the tools you need. We offer a full range of undergraduate and postgraduate programmes on Africa and the African diaspora, the Middle East, China, Japan, Korea, South Asia and Southeast Asia that will provide you with a wealth of transferable skills, paving the way for exciting career opportunities with both domestic and international companies operating in the regions we teach and research.  

Our degrees offer both intensive and less intensive language study options, allowing you to gain an advanced level of proficiency in Chinese, Japanese, Korean, or Arabic, or in a language you might not find at other universities such as Swahili, Amharic, Indonesian, Hindi, Persian, or Turkish. Our four-year undergraduate degrees and intensive language MA degrees include periods of study at one of our partner universities, providing a rich, immersive learning experience.

Dr Ida Hadjivayanis discusses the role of art and language in preserving traditions, history and memory

Meet our academics

Academic expertise at the School covers a range of topics and disciplines.