The courses present both the major traditions of the regions studied and, in most cases, their modern developments. Oriental Studies at Oxford Oriental Studies has a long history in Oxford. The Bodleian and other libraries have acquired magnificent collections. The Oriental Institute, Institute for Chinese Studies, Bodleian Japanese and Indian Institute Libraries offer loan collections in their respective fields. Adjacent to the Institute is the Ashmolean Museum, which not only houses superb collections, but also has fine libraries, including the principal library for Egyptology and Ancient Near Eastern Studies, soon to be housed in the new Sackler Library.
Most courses offer the opportunity to spend time in the region being studied.
The Arabic course includes a year in the Middle East, the Persian and Turkish courses a year in Iran or Turkey respectively, and the Chinese course includes four months on a course of language study in East Asia. Students of Japanese spend the third term of their first year in Japan and may also spend an optional further year there between years 3 and 4 of the course, taking advantage of work placements and opportunities for further study at Japanese Universities. Although linguistic ability is essential for success in Oriental Studies, it is not necessary to have studied languages at A-level. These should be essays or similar pieces of work which have been marked with teachers' corrections. Each subject within Oriental Studies has its own methods of testing for relevant skills.