Of the several Asian and Middle Eastern Studies (a.k.a. “AMES”) options taught by the Faculty at undergraduate level Univ offers two: Egyptology and Ancient Near Eastern Studies, and Chinese.
In Egyptology or Ancient Near Eastern Studies you can approach the subject in a variety of fascinating ways during your degree. The first year features introductory work in the cultures of Egypt or the Ancient Near East, to give you a basic grounding in the subject matter of the course, as well as introductory language teaching. In later years, there are a range of options as you go in further depth with historical and literary modules. Teaching is conducted through both intensive classes and artefact classes. Later in the degree you can choose to add either a second language or Archaeology and Anthropology modules.
Univ also offers the AMES course in Chinese. Many students on this course have never studied Chinese before, so you are able to learn the language from scratch while at Oxford. You will get to study both modern and classical Chinese as well as Chinese History and culture. This study begins in first year and then continued in third and fourth year while in the second year of your course you will spend a year abroad in China or Taiwan. Later in the degree you can tailor your course to suit your interests, for example by adding modules in other East Asian languages such as Korean, Japanese, Tibetan or even Sanskrit. Alternatively you can deepen your knowledge of China by taking one year options in modern literature, history, modern China and other subjects.
All AMES subjects typically have small intakes across the university. Here at Univ, we encourage inter-year collaboration and discussions to help you feel part of the larger community of students. Univ is located a short distance from the Ashmolean, where object handling classes are held, and just across the road from the dedicated Egyptology Library at Queen’s College. Univ also accepts students for Asian and Middle Eastern Studies with Classics and Classics with Asian and Middle Eastern Studies.
Resources
If you are considering applying for Asian and Middle Eastern Studies, a number of resources you might find useful to explore beyond the school curriculum can be found on Univ’s Staircase12 pages, including the Reading Bank and Resource Hub.
A History of the World in 100 Objects is a radio programme, website and now also a book. Explore it at bbc.co.uk
The University of Oxford has some fantastic museums, including the Ashmolean, a museum of Art and Archaeology. Its online collection, includes objects from both Chinese and Egypt and the Ancient Near East, explore it at collections.ashmolean.org