All our languages are available to beginners, and our modern languages programmes offer the opportunity to take one of your languages from beginners' level and reach degree level at the end of the four years. We also develop your expertise in the culture and history that is bound up with the language. In the different courses, the emphasis can be on literature, history, linguistics or society.
We attach great importance to contact time, and much of our language teaching takes place in small classes. Language study is complemented by modules in culture, history, linguistics, literature or society, which are usually taught through a combination of lectures and small-group seminars. In this way, we aim to develop your intellectual abilities and to train you in a range of transferable skills.
Language learning is supported by the Self-Access Centre which houses a range of resources for independent study, including networked PCs, digital TV, CDs, DVDs and reference books. The facility is also available to all University staff and students.
Assessment
Assessment is based on a mixture of coursework and exams. In addition to writing coursework essays, you might deliver a presentation in the target language, make a poster, or a podcast, or compile a portfolio. As you move from the first to the final year of study, your assignments will become more research- and project-based, and you may opt to undertake a dissertation.