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In one academic year, I was familiarized with the cities and ruling structures of the Umayyads, Abbasids and other Muslim empires; I was invited to parse and analyse Arab poetry; I was asked to reflect on mazalim courts and Ottoman justice; and I was encouraged to debate topical concepts such as orientalism. The weekly lectures by the Faculty and its affiliated centres brought further diversity to my experience of the MPhil degree. This bustling academic life was made all the more enjoyable to me by the fact that there was still enough time to look after my research interests. A diverse student cohort made the social dynamic of the programme stand out: making contact with people from different parts of the world was particularly rewarding for me. The writing assignments, which range from book reviews to essays, constantly challenged me to write clearly and compendiously, but also trenchantly. For anyone wishing to expand on an academic interest in the Middle East, this is the optimal degree.
Samir Saad (April 2021)