Arabic and Politics

Arabic and politics is a combination that makes profound sense given the centrality of the Arab world to the most significant geopolitical questions of the contemporary era. Arabic is spoken by more than 400 million people as a first language across 22 countries from Morocco to Iraq, and it is the working language of a region whose political dynamics, from the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and the aftermath of the Arab Spring to the role of the Gulf states in global energy and finance, are inseparable from a serious understanding of contemporary world politics. The ability to engage with Arabic sources, media, and interlocutors directly, rather than through translation, is a significant and rare asset in policy, research, journalism, and international work.

At the University of Exeter, this four-year full-time programme develops both strands at depth. You will build genuine linguistic competence in Modern Standard Arabic, engaging with classical texts as well as contemporary media, literature, and political discourse. The politics strand covers political theory, comparative politics, international relations, and the specific political dynamics of the Middle East and North Africa as a region, combining theoretical frameworks with substantive knowledge of the area.

Exeter has a well-regarded Institute of Arab and Islamic Studies, giving the Arabic strand particular depth and research grounding.

A typical entry tariff of 152 points reflects the combined academic demands of the programme. Graduates work in government, foreign ministries, intelligence services, international organisations, journalism, NGOs, and academic research. The combination of Arabic language proficiency and political understanding is rare and distinctively valuable in any professional context dealing with the Middle East or the broader Arab world.

Postgraduate study in Middle East politics, Arabic studies, international relations, or security studies is a natural progression.