This course brings together expertise at St Anne’s in both Modern Languages and Oriental Studies.

On the European Languages side, first-year students at St Anne’s receive most of their language and literature work from the College Fellows and lecturers in their subjects. The second year is normally spent abroad, in order for students to gain competence in the Middle Eastern language, and the European Language. Students then return to take the Final Honours School in years three and four of the course. Generous College funding is available throughout so that students can go abroad and improve their language skills during the vacations. When students return to take the Final Honours School, they may be sent to tutors in other Colleges, international authorities in their areas, who will teach the subjects for the Finals course. College teaching is supported by lectures and seminars in the Modern Languages Faculty, and by language classes in the Language Centre. Both the Faculty and the Language Centre are five minutes’ walk from College, as is the Maison Française, the French cultural institute. St Anne’s also has the services of French and German native speakers for oral teaching.

Teaching in Middle Eastern languages is arranged centrally by the Faculty of Oriental Studies, and takes place in the Oriental Institute. Though Oriental Studies is not a College-based subject, St Anne’s offers particular advantages to students. Chief among them is the College library: we cater extremely well for Arabic, Hebrew, Jewish Studies and Turkish. The library can acquire new books requested by students, often at very short notice.

St Anne’s is also adjacent to St Antony’s College, which contains Modern Middle East Centre Library.

St Anne’s is one of the University’s largest and liveliest language colleges.

We take students who study a range of modern languages, from French, German and Spanish to Arabic, Turkish and Czech. In recent years, students of St Anne’s combining Spanish with a Middle Eastern language have received academic distinction at Prelims and Final Honours School. As a specialist in medieval Spanish literature, Dr Geraldine Coates has an interest in the influence of Arabic culture and literature upon medieval Iberia, and teaches a special subject for the Final Honours School on ‘The Literature and Culture of al-Andalus’.

A lively modern languages society organizes events and dinners every term, and the College benefits from hosting the Weidenfeld Professor of Comparative literature, whose recent holders have included Amos Oz, Umberto Eco and Mario Vargas Llosa.

St Anne’s European and Middle Eastern Languages students have gone to a wide variety of careers: the diplomatic service, translating and interpreting, media, acting, graduate work, banking, business, government, education, charities and publishing.

See also:

• Modern Languages
• Oriental Studies