Global Development and Linguistics

Global development and linguistics is a combination that pairs the critical analysis of international development processes with the scientific study of language, creating a graduate who can engage with the relationships between language, power and inequality that are central to many of the most important questions in development studies. Development as a field examines the processes through which countries and communities improve their economic, social and human wellbeing, the obstacles they face, and the roles played by national governments, international organisations, NGOs and civil society in shaping development trajectories. Linguistics provides the tools to understand how language mediates all of these processes: how development interventions are communicated, how indigenous languages are marginalised by globalisation, and how linguistic diversity relates to cultural and social resilience.

At the School of Oriental and African Studies you will approach global development from the distinctive perspective of an institution whose academic focus is on the cultures, histories and languages of Asia, Africa and the Middle East, the regions where development questions are most pressing. You will study development theory and practice alongside linguistic theory, engaging with the structures of language, the social dimensions of language use and the political economy of language in global contexts. The programme includes a foundation year and runs over three years of degree study, making four years in total.

You will develop skills in development analysis, linguistic theory, critical reading, research methods and academic writing across two disciplines with different but complementary methodological traditions.

Graduates pursue careers in international development organisations, NGOs, multilateral institutions, policy research, journalism, education, refugee and migration services, and roles where an understanding of the relationship between language and development is directly relevant. Postgraduate study in development studies, linguistics or a related field is also a natural route.