University undergraduates attending a languages seminar in the Monica Partridge building. Friday November 5th 2021.Jade Holden (red hair) and Molly Hawksley (curly hair/black jumper).

Modern Languages BA

University Park Campus, Nottingham, UK

Course overview

 

Study two languages. Studying languages is both fascinating and challenging. They break down barriers, allowing us to connect globally and share experiences. In an ever more complex world, language skills are more relevant than ever.


During this degree, you will have the opportunity to hone these skills by spending a year abroad immersing yourself into both your chosen languages and cultures. Many of our students say the year abroad is their course highlight and find that they return more independent and confident with experiences and skills which make them stand out to future employers.


You may choose two languages from: Mandarin Chinese, French, German, Russian, Spanish (all post-A Level or from beginners' level); and Serbian/Croatian and Portuguese (from beginners' level only). If you would like to study three languages, please see our Modern Language Studies BA.

Indicative modules

Optional

Year 1

French 1: Beginners

Optional

Year 1

French 1

Optional

Year 1

France: History and Identity

Optional

Year 1

Contemporary France

Optional

Year 1

Introduction to French and Francophone Studies

Optional

Year 1

Introduction to French Literature: Landmarks in Narrative

Optional

Year 1

Introduction to French Literature: Representations of Paris

Optional

Year 1

German 1: Beginners

Optional

Year 1

German 1

Optional

Year 1

Introduction to German Studies

Optional

Year 1

Deutschland Heute

Optional

Year 1

Sex, Gender and Society in Modern Germany

Optional

Year 1

From Dictatorship to Democracy

Optional

Year 1

Language Meaning, Variation and Change

Optional

Year 1

Spanish 1: Beginners

Optional

Year 1

Spanish 1

Optional

Year 1

Literature in Spanish

Optional

Year 1

Modern Latin America

Optional

Year 1

Portuguese 1: Beginners

Optional

Year 1

Culture and Society in Brazil, Portugal and Portuguese-speaking Africa

Optional

Year 1

Russian 1: Beginners

Optional

Year 1

Russian 1

Optional

Year 1

Serbian / Croatian 1: Beginners

Optional

Year 1

The Clash of Empires: History of the Balkans from Alexander the Great to Napoleon

Optional

Year 1

From Tsarism to Communism: Introduction to Russian History and Culture

Optional

Year 1

The Soviet Experiment

Optional

Year 1

Mandarin Chinese for Beginners

Optional

Year 1

Mandarin Chinese for Intermediate Level

Optional

Year 1

Mandarin Chinese for the Advanced Level

Optional

Year 1

Culture and Society of Contemporary China

Optional

Year 2

French 2 - Beginners

Optional

Year 2

French 2

Optional

Year 2

Introduction to French Literature: Landmarks in Narrative

Optional

Year 2

Introduction to French and Francophone Studies

Optional

Year 2

La France en guerre: Memoires de la Premiere Guerre Mondiale

Optional

Year 2

Enlightenment Literature: An Introduction

Optional

Year 2

Gender and Language in French

Optional

Year 2

Varieties of French

Optional

Year 2

Nineteenth Century French Narrative

Optional

Year 2

Introduction to Contemporary Science Fiction

Optional

Year 2

Huit Tableaux: Art and Politics in Nineteenth-Century France (1799-1871)

Optional

Year 2

French Cinema: The New Wave

Optional

Year 2

Contemporary Francophone Cinema and Social Issues

Optional

Year 2

On Location: Cinematic Explorations of Contemporary France

Optional

Year 2

Literature and Politics in Modern France

Optional

Year 2

German 2 - Beginners

Optional

Year 2

German 2

Optional

Year 2

Leben und Arbeiten in Deutschland: Introduction to Contemporary Germany

Optional

Year 2

Reason and its Rivals from Kant to Freud

Optional

Year 2

From Dictatorship to Democracy

Optional

Year 2

Hitler and the Third Reich

Optional

Year 2

History of German language from early beginnings to the present day

Optional

Year 2

Life and Demise of the GDR

Optional

Year 2

Investigating the German Language

Optional

Year 2

Exploring the German Archive: Ideology and State in Newspaper Cuttings and Family Papers

Optional

Year 2

From Democracy to Volksgemeinschaft

Optional

Year 2

Teaching and Learning Foreign Languages

Optional

Year 2

Contemporary Translation Studies

Optional

Year 2

The Language of German Media - Linguistic and Journalistic Perspectives

Optional

Year 2

Introduction to Literary Translation

Optional

Year 2

Spanish 2: Beginners

Optional

Year 2

Spanish 2

Optional

Year 2

Portuguese 2: Beginners

Optional

Year 2

Nation Building and National Identities in the Lusophone World

Optional

Year 2

New World(s): Contacts, Conquests and Conflict in Early Modern Hispanic History and Culture

Optional

Year 2

Modern Spanish and Spanish American Literature and Film

Optional

Year 2

Luso-Hispanic Cinemas

Optional

Year 2

Teaching English as a Foreign Language

Optional

Year 2

Russian 2 - Beginners

Optional

Year 2

Russian 2

Optional

Year 2

Serbian / Croatian 2

Optional

Year 2

Media in Russia

Optional

Year 2

The History and Culture of Early Rus' c.800-1400

Optional

Year 2

Gulag Archipelago: Stalin’s Prison Camps

Optional

Year 2

Yugoslavia from Creation to Collapse

Optional

Year 2

Mandarin Chinese for Intermediate Level

Optional

Year 2

Mandarin Chinese for the Advanced Level

Optional

Year 2

Mandarin Chinese for Proficiency Level

Optional

Year 2

Mandarin Chinese for Research

Optional

Year 2

China Beyond the Headlines

Optional

Year 2

Arts Work Placement Module

Mandatory

Year 3

Year abroad

Optional

Year 4

French 3

Optional

Year 4

Translation into French

Optional

Year 4

Dissertation in French Studies

Optional

Year 4

Subtitling and Dubbing from French into English

Optional

Year 4

Difficult Women: 1789-1945

Optional

Year 4

Contemporary Francophone Cinema: The Personal and The Political

Optional

Year 4

Communicating and Teaching Languages for Undergraduate Ambassadors

Optional

Year 4

Citizenship, Ethnicity and National Identity in Post-War France

Optional

Year 4

Contemporary Representations of Travel

Optional

Year 4

French Documentary Cinema

Optional

Year 4

Translation from French

Optional

Year 4

Language Attitudes and French

Optional

Year 4

People and Propaganda: Representing the French Revolution

Optional

Year 4

The Everyday in Contemporary Literature and Thought

Optional

Year 4

German 3

Optional

Year 4

Exploring the German archive: ideology and state in newspaper cuttings and family papers

Optional

Year 4

Widerstand und Opposition in der DDR

Optional

Year 4

Mythology in German Literature

Optional

Year 4

Language and Social Media in Germany and Beyond

Optional

Year 4

German Studies Dissertation

Optional

Year 4

Russian 3

Optional

Year 4

Serbian / Croatian 3

Optional

Year 4

Russian Interpreting

Optional

Year 4

The World of Orthodox Sainthood

Optional

Year 4

Russian Popular Music in the 20th and 21st Centuries

Optional

Year 4

Dissertation in Russian and Slavonic Studies

Optional

Year 4

Language Project in Russian and Slavonic Studies

Optional

Year 4

Spanish 3

Optional

Year 4

Portuguese 3

Optional

Year 4

Dissertation in Hispanic Studies

Optional

Year 4

Brazilian Slave Society

Optional

Year 4

Business and Society in Spain

Optional

Year 4

Making the Cuban Revolution: Ideology, Culture and Identity in Cuba since 1959

Optional

Year 4

Spanish American Narrative and Film

Optional

Year 4

Politics and Literature in Contemporary Spain

Optional

Year 4

Memory and the Future in Iberian and Latin American Culture and Politics

Optional

Year 4

Literature and Film under Franco

Optional

Year 4

Translation, Power and Gender in the Spanish-speaking World

Optional

Year 4

Mandarin Chinese for the Advanced Level

Optional

Year 4

Mandarin Chinese for Proficiency Level

Optional

Year 4

Mandarin Chinese for Research

Optional

Year 4

China in the Media: A Clash of Narratives

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About modules

The above is a sample of the typical modules we offer, but is not intended to be construed or relied on as a definitive list of what might be available in any given year. This content was last updated on Thursday 6 March 2025. Due to timetabling availability, there may be restrictions on some module combinations.

Undergradute student studying in the George Green library, University Park. November 5th 2021.

Studying more than one language is challenging, but it’s definitely rewarding. The workload is quite heavy, but manageable, and I have plenty of time for extracurriculars. I would say that beginners’ languages require a lot of work, but the pace at which you learn means that you are always engaged and kept interested. I really enjoy splitting my time between the two – I never get bored and there’s always variety in what I’m studying. 

Lucy Cooper

Modern Languages BA (French and Spanish)

Course data

85%of students say teaching staff have supported their learning well.

Data for courses in Others in language and area studies at University of Nottingham, the

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Open Day June 2022