Learning outcomes - Bachelor in Ancient Languages and Literatures: Oriental Studies

The "Ancient Languages and Literatures: Oriental Studies" Bachelor's programme trains students seeking to become specialists in one or more of the following fields: the ancient Near East, ancient Egypt, Byzantium, the Christian East, Islam, the Arab world, India and the Far East. Working on original documentary sources written in one or more Oriental languages, students will gradually develop an ability to translate these texts clearly and accurately with a view to explaining their context and identifying their human values. The challenge for them, at the end of their degree course, is to be able to use all the knowledge they have acquired to write up an individual assignment of limited scope, applying a rigorous academic method.

On successful completion of this programme, each student is able to :

Specifically, graduates with a Bachelor in Ancient Languages and Literatures: Oriental Studies, will:
1. Apply the knowledge they have acquired in the field of humanities

1.1. Write a university-level text in French using precise and correctly spelled vocabulary, and applying the rules of grammar (morphology and syntax) and proper usage.
1.2. Understand the fundamentals of Western history, the history of thought, arts and literature (literary and linguistic theory).
1.3. Use the knowledge acquired in various humanities fields to analyse a fact, document, discourse or problem.
1.4. Apply heuristic tools essential in humanities by making regular use of the humanities library (bibliographies, encyclopaedias, dictionaries, monographs, periodicals and collections, electronic resources).
1.5. Consult specialized works and publications that are useful for research and are written in one of their two modern languages (reading level B2 of the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages).

2. Apply the knowledge they have acquired in the field of Oriental science.

2.1. Develop a good understanding of the civilizations of the Oriental world (geography, history and institutions, philosophy, religion and mythology).
2.2. Use the basic knowledge acquired in auxiliary Oriental science (evolution of scripts, transmission of literary sources, ecdotics, palaeography, codicology, epigraphy, papyrology, metrology, etc.).

3. Apply the knowledge they have acquired in the specific field of Oriental languages and literatures

3.1. Develop proficiency in reading several Oriental scripts of their choice.
3.2. Develop their knowledge of several Oriental languages of their choice, in terms of vocabulary, morphology and syntax.
3.3. Apply the lexical and grammatical knowledge they have acquired to Oriental texts in different activities (translation exercises, individual research).
3.4. Place Oriental works of literature in their historical and cultural context.
3.5. Transliterate and translate texts of intermediate difficulty, applying correct grammatical analysis and ensuring that the French translation is of a high standard.
3.6. Interpret these texts with a view to explaining their context and identifying their human values.
3.7. If need be, be receptive to learning a modern Oriental language.

4. Apply the knowledge they have acquired in the specific field of Oriental civilizations

4.1. Develop and apply a knowledge of several Oriental societies, with regard to their spatio-temporal frameworks, their history and their institutions.
4.2. Develop and apply a knowledge of several Oriental civilizations, with regard to their ways of thinking, their beliefs and their cultural expressions.

5. Carry out individual research in the field of Oriental languages and literatures and present the results in writing

5.1. Collect relevant information using appropriate heuristic tools with a view to creating a corpus of primary sources (in Oriental languages) and a bibliography of secondary sources.
5.2. Study a topic by examining one or more texts in at least one Oriental language: briefly introduce the topic and sources, personally transliterate and translate the texts, and present a structured, well-argued commentary highlighting the contribution of each text to our knowledge of the topic.
5.3. Develop a critical approach and deductive reasoning skills.
5.4. Produce a written report of the results of an individual research project of limited scope, meeting the formal drafting requirements (citations referenced, language and style, structure and layout).

As with all bachelors in the Faculty of Philosophy, Arts and Letters :
6. Have a fundamental understanding of the fields of philosophy, history, art history, archaeology and literature.

7. Be able to understand and write competently on academic topics.

8. Be responsible for their own learning: organize their own workload (prioritizing, anticipating and planning all their activities over time), take a step back to critically assess the knowledge they have gained, how they have gained it and the work they have produced, and take the initiative to gain new knowledge and learn other methods and skills.

9. Be able to use the subject-specific knowledge and skills they have acquired to open their minds to other cultures and develop a sense of social responsibility and a critical approach to themselves, society and knowledge.

10. Have written and spoken fluency in at least one modern language (English, Dutch or German) with the ability to communicate clearly, coherently and in a well-argued fashion on general topics and subjects relating to their field of study.

11. Demonstrate a critical understanding and in-depth knowledge of the discipline(s) of their chosen minor subject.