BA Arabic and Russian

Programme overview

Entry requirements

Entry Requirements are available on the Course Search entry

Programme specification

This programme equips students with the linguistic skills needed to understand a range of written, spoken and broadcast material in Arabic and Russian, and the ability to communicate effectively with Arabic and Russian speakers. The deliberately modern bias of the programme aims to produce graduates with an all-round proficiency in these two languages, along with a range of transferable skills and insights.

Students typically begin both languages from scratch, and where this is the case, they follow an intensive language programme in their first year. The programme includes provision for those with prior learning in Arabic and Russian where the first year consolidates this learning in dedicated modules. Students also receive training in crucial academic skills such as critical analysis, argumentation, research and academic writing.

Students undertake two Years Abroad in years two and three, one in an Arabic-speaking country and one in a Russian-speaking country. In each case students follow a prescribed course of study in language and, where offered, non-language courses. This compulsory period of residence abroad provides students with the unique opportunity to develop language skills in a rich and varied context of use, while engaging with other cultures and societies, thereby fostering intercultural awareness and pluricultural competence, self-reliance and flexibility.

Students return to Leeds in their fourth year to follow advanced upper-level language and non-language modules in both subjects. By the final year of the programme students should be able to interpret relevant material in a wider sense, fitting it into the broader social, political, economic and cultural context of present-day Russia, and the Arab World.

Students are expected to graduate with a strong command of both Arabic and Russian, enriched by immersive experiences in both linguistic regions, and a nuanced understanding of their diverse historical and cultural contexts. Throughout the programme, students will develop valuable interpretative, analytical and digital skills, as well as becoming confident researchers. Students will demonstrate these qualities when they undertake a Final Year Project on a topic of their choice in one of the language subjects they study.

Year 1

[Learning Outcomes, Transferable (Key) Skills, Assessment]
View Timetable

Compulsory Modules

Students will be required to study the following compulsory modules

Code	Title	Credits	Semester	Pass for Progression
ARAB1001	Beginning Arabic 1	20	Semester 1 (Sep to Jan)
ARAB1002	Beginning Arabic 2	20	Semester 2 (Jan to Jun)	PFP
ARAB1171	Studying the Middle East and North Africa	20	Semesters 1 & 2 (Sep to Jun)
SLAV1120	What is Russia? An Introduction to Russian Studies	20	Semesters 1 & 2 (Sep to Jun)

Optional Modules

Route A (Russian)

Students entering with A level Russian or equivalent will be required to study the following module:

Code	Title	Credits	Semester	Pass for Progression
SLAV1101	Core Russian Language 1	20	Semesters 1 & 2 (Sep to Jun)	PFP

Route H (Russian) 

Students entering with heritage knowledge of Russian language will be required to study the following module: 

Code	Title	Credits	Semester	Pass for Progression
SLAV1140	Russian Language for Heritage Speakers	20	Semesters 1 & 2 (Sep to Jun)	PFP

Route B (Russian) 

Students with no prior knowledge of Russian will be required to study the following modules: 

Code	Title	Credits	Semester	Pass for Progression
SLAV1010	Beginning Russian 1	20	Semester 1 (Sep to Jan)
SLAV1020	Beginning Russian 2	20	Semester 2 (Jan to Jun)	PFP

Routes A/H (Russian)

Students with prior knowledge of Russian (taking SLAV1101 or SLAV1140) may take up to 20 credits from the following modules:

Code	Title	Credits	Semester	Pass for Progression
MODL1050	Introduction to Audio-Visual Culture	20	Semesters 1 & 2 (Sep to Jun)
MODL1060	Language: Structure and Sound	20	Semester 1 (Sep to Jan)
MODL1070	World Histories	20	Semesters 1 & 2 (Sep to Jun)
MODL1090	Intercultural Competence: Theory and Application	20	Semester 2 (Jan to Jun)
MODL1100	Politics, Culture and Society	20	Semesters 1 & 2 (Sep to Jun)
MODL1150	Worlds of Literature	20	Semesters 1 & 2 (Sep to Jun)
MODL1401	Discourse, Culture and Identity	20	Semesters 1 & 2 (Sep to Jun)

Please note that optional modules run subject to enrolments. An optional module may not run if only a low number of students choose it.

Discovery Modules

Routes A/H (Russian)

Students with prior knowledge of Russian (taking SLAV1101 or SLAV1140) may take up to 20 credits of discovery modules.

Year 2

[Learning Outcomes, Transferable (Key) Skills, Assessment]
View Timetable

Students can choose to spend the second year of their programme in either a Russian-speaking country or an Arabic-speaking country.

Compulsory Modules

Students will be required to study the following compulsory module:

Code	Title	Credits	Semester	Pass for Progression
MODL9500	LCS Year Abroad	120	Semesters 1 & 2 (Sep to Jun)	PFP

Year 3

[Learning Outcomes, Transferable (Key) Skills, Assessment]
View Timetable

Students can choose to spend the third year of their programme in either a Russian-speaking country or an Arabic-speaking country. If year 2 is spent in an Arabic-speaking country, the third year will be spent in a Russian-speaking country, and vice versa.

Compulsory Modules

Students will be required to study the following compulsory module:

Code	Title	Credits	Semester	Pass for Progression
MODL9501	LCS Year Abroad 2	120	Semesters 1 & 2 (Sep to Jun)	PFP

Year 4

[Learning Outcomes, Transferable (Key) Skills, Assessment]
View Timetable

Compulsory Modules

Students will be required to study the following compulsory modules

Code	Title	Credits	Semester	Pass for Progression
ARAB2010	Advanced Arabic Grammar and Translation	20	Semesters 1 & 2 (Sep to Jun)
ARAB2020	Essential Skills in Practical Arabic	20	Semesters 1 & 2 (Sep to Jun)	PFP

Optional Modules

Students will be required to study 20 credits from the following list of optional modules:  

ARAB2312 - Islamic Law - 20 credits

Code	Title	Credits	Semester	Pass for Progression
ARAB2066	Palestine and the Arab-Israeli Conflict	20	Semesters 1 & 2 (Sep to Jun)
ARAB2091	Arab Media, Politics and Society	20	Semesters 1 & 2 (Sep to Jun)
ARAB2181	Cultures of the Arab Middle East and North Africa	20	Semester 1 (Sep to Jan)
ARAB2190	Global Jihad: From the Taliban to ISIS	20	Semesters 1 & 2 (Sep to Jun)
ARAB2310	Modern Middle Eastern History	20	Semesters 1 & 2 (Sep to Jun)

Please note that optional modules run subject to enrolments. An optional module may not run if only a low number of students choose it.

Route A/B (Russian)

Students who took SLAV1101 or SLAV1020 in Level 1 will be required to study the following module: 

Code	Title	Credits	Semester	Pass for Progression
SLAV2101	Core Russian Language 2	20	Semesters 1 & 2 (Sep to Jun)	PFP

Route H (Russian)

Students who took SLAV1140 in Level 1 will be required to study the following module: 

Code	Title	Credits	Semester	Pass for Progression
SLAV2230	Applied Russian Language for Heritage Speakers	20	Semesters 1 & 2 (Sep to Jun)	PFP

Route A/B 

Students taking SLAV2101 will be required to study a minimum of 20 credits and may take up to 40 credits from the following lists of optional modules, from Basket 1 AND Baskets 2/3. (Basket 2 and basket 3 are offered in alternate years).  

Basket 1 

Code	Title	Credits	Semester	Pass for Progression
SLAV2103	Applied Russian Language 2	20	Semesters 1 & 2 (Sep to Jun)

Please note that optional modules run subject to enrolments. An optional module may not run if only a low number of students choose it.

Basket 2 

Code	Title	Credits	Semester	Pass for Progression
SLAV2111	The Sounds of Russian	20	Semesters 1 & 2 (Sep to Jun)
SLAV2113	The Spaces of Russophone Literature	20	Semesters 1 & 2 (Sep to Jun)

Please note that optional modules run subject to enrolments. An optional module may not run if only a low number of students choose it.

Basket 3 

SLAV2114 - The Others of Russian, Soviet and Post-Soviet Culture - 20 credits

Code	Title	Credits	Semester	Pass for Progression
SLAV2120	The Structures of Russian	20	Semesters 1 & 2 (Sep to Jun)

Please note that optional modules run subject to enrolments. An optional module may not run if only a low number of students choose it.

Route H 

Students taking SLAV2230 will be required to study a minimum of 20 credits and may take up to 40 credits from the following lists of optional modules, from EITHER Basket 2 OR Basket 3. (Basket 2 and Basket 3 are offered in alternate years.)

Basket 1

Code	Title	Credits	Semester	Pass for Progression
SLAV2111	The Sounds of Russian	20	Semesters 1 & 2 (Sep to Jun)
SLAV2113	The Spaces of Russophone Literature	20	Semesters 1 & 2 (Sep to Jun)

Please note that optional modules run subject to enrolments. An optional module may not run if only a low number of students choose it.

Basket 2

SLAV2114 - The Others of Russian, Soviet and Post-Soviet Culture - 20 credits

Code	Title	Credits	Semester	Pass for Progression
SLAV2120	The Structures of Russian	20	Semesters 1 & 2 (Sep to Jun)

Please note that optional modules run subject to enrolments. An optional module may not run if only a low number of students choose it.

Students may study up to 20 credits from the following optional modules:  

Code	Title	Credits	Semester	Pass for Progression
MODL2001	Linguists into Schools	20	Semesters 1 & 2 (Sep to Jun)
MODL2003	Global Queer Politics and Cultures	20	Semester 1 (Sep to Jan)
MODL2015	Black Europe	20	Semesters 1 & 2 (Sep to Jun)
MODL2070	Reception, Transmission and Translation: The Global Circulation of Literature	20	Semesters 1 & 2 (Sep to Jun)
MODL2075	Global Environmental Humanities	20	Semester 2 (Jan to Jun)
MODL2250	Digital Communications Across Cultures	20	Not running in 202526

Please note that optional modules run subject to enrolments. An optional module may not run if only a low number of students choose it.

Discovery Modules

Students may take up to 20 credits of discovery modules. 

Year 5

[Learning Outcomes, Transferable (Key) Skills, Assessment]
View Timetable

Students are required to take a minimum of 40 credits in each subject. Overall, students must take 100 credits across their two subjects. All students must take 40 credits as a Final Year Project module, which can be taken in - and count towards - either of their two subjects (EITHER Arabic OR Russian).     

The remaining 20 credits should be taken in either of the named subjects or taken as MODL or Discovery modules.  

Compulsory Modules

Students will be required to study the following compulsory modules

Code	Title	Credits	Semester	Pass for Progression
ARAB3020	Advanced Skills in Arabic Language	20	Semesters 1 & 2 (Sep to Jun)	PFP
MODL3050	Final Year Project	40	Semesters 1 & 2 (Sep to Jun)	PFP
SLAV3101	Core Russian Language 3	20	Semesters 1 & 2 (Sep to Jun)	PFP

Optional Modules

Students who take their FYP in Russian are required to take a minimum of 20 credits and may take up to 40 credits from the following list of optional modules.  

Students who take their FYP in Arabic may take up to 20 credits from the following list of optional modules.   

ARAB3090 - The Quran and Hadith  - 20 credits

[Title to be defined: module about cinemas and audio-visual cultures in the Middle East and North Africa]  

Code	Title	Credits	Semester	Pass for Progression
ARAB3072	Islam and Modernity	20	Semester 1 (Sep to Jan)
ARAB3090	The Qur’an and the Hadith: Muslim Scriptural Sources	20	Semesters 1 & 2 (Sep to Jun)
ARAB3110	Middle Eastern Politics: Regimes, Societies and Conflict	20	Semester 2 (Jan to Jun)
ARAB3888	Advanced Media Arabic: Translation Skills in Text Typology	20	Semesters 1 & 2 (Sep to Jun)

Please note that optional modules run subject to enrolments. An optional module may not run if only a low number of students choose it.

Students who take their FYP in Arabic are required to take a minimum of 20 credits and may take up to 40 credits from the following optional modules, from Basket 1 AND Baskets 2/3. (Baskets 2 and 3 are offered in alternate years). 

Students who take their FYP in Russian may take up to 20 credits from the following optional modules, from EITHER Basket 1 OR Baskets 2/3. (Baskets 2 and 3 are offered in alternate years). 

Basket 1 

Code	Title	Credits	Semester	Pass for Progression
SLAV3114	Russian Advanced Translation	20	Semesters 1 & 2 (Sep to Jun)

Please note that optional modules run subject to enrolments. An optional module may not run if only a low number of students choose it.

Basket 2

SLAV3118 - The Spaces of Russophone Literature - 20 credits

Code	Title	Credits	Semester	Pass for Progression
SLAV3117	The Sounds of Russian	20	Not running in 202526
SLAV3118	The Spaces of Russophone Literature	20	Semesters 1 & 2 (Sep to Jun)

Please note that optional modules run subject to enrolments. An optional module may not run if only a low number of students choose it.

Basket 3 

SLAV3119 - The Others of Russian, Soviet and Post-Soviet Culture - 20 credits

Code	Title	Credits	Semester	Pass for Progression
SLAV3119	The Others of Russian, Soviet and Post-Soviet Culture	20	Semesters 1 & 2 (Sep to Jun)
SLAV3120	The Structures of Russian	20	Semesters 1 & 2 (Sep to Jun)

Please note that optional modules run subject to enrolments. An optional module may not run if only a low number of students choose it.

Students may study up to 20 credits from the following optional modules: 

Code	Title	Credits	Semester	Pass for Progression
MODL3200	Representing the Holocaust: Transgression and the Taboo	20	Semester 1 (Sep to Jan)
MODL3410	Contemporary World Literature	20	Semesters 1 & 2 (Sep to Jun)
MODL3600	Material Cultures and Cultures of Consumption	20	Not running in 202526
MODL3610	Adventures of the Imagination: Crime and the Fantastic Across Continents	20	Semester 1 (Sep to Jan)
MODL3620	Decolonial Approaches	20	Semester 1 (Sep to Jan)
MODL3630	Social Movements across Cultures	20	Semester 2 (Jan to Jun)
MODL3650	Minoritised Languages, Dialects and Cultures from Past to Present	20	Semester 1 (Sep to Jan)
MODL3800	Linguists into Schools	20	Semesters 1 & 2 (Sep to Jun)

Please note that optional modules run subject to enrolments. An optional module may not run if only a low number of students choose it.

Discovery Modules

Students may take up to 20 credits of discovery modules 

Last updated: 21/03/2025 11:54:30

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