Program Overview

Modern Language Studies BA

Overview

This course is designed for true language lovers, giving you the opportunity to study three languages. If your passion is being able to communicate with people from around the globe, and you dream of having the opportunity to immerse yourself in other cultures – then this is course is for you!

Qualification and Entry Requirements

• Qualification: BA Hons
• Entry Requirements: ABB
• Start Date: September 2025
• UCAS code: T900
• Duration: 4 years full-time (year 3 abroad)
• Fees: £9,535

Course Information

Year One

• Core modules for the language pathways:
  • French 1: Beginners
  • French 1
  • Introduction to French and Francophone Studies
  • German 1: Beginners
  • German 1
  • Introduction to German Studies
  • Portuguese 1: Beginners
  • Culture and Society in Brazil, Portugal and Portuguese-speaking Africa
  • Russian 1: Beginners
  • Russian 1
  • The Clash of Empires: History of the Balkans from Alexander the Great to Napoleon
  • From Tsarism to Communism: Introduction to Russian History and Culture
  • The Soviet Experiment
  • Serbian / Croatian 1: Beginners
  • Spanish 1: Beginners
  • Spanish 1
  • Literature in Spanish
  • Modern Latin America

Year Two

• Core modules for the language pathways:
  • French 2 - Beginners
  • French 2
  • Introduction to French and Francophone Studies
  • French Cinema: The New Wave
  • Contemporary Francophone Cinema and Social Issues
  • On Location: Cinematic Explorations of Contemporary France
  • Literature and Politics in Modern France
  • Introduction to Contemporary Science Fiction
  • Huit Tableaux: Art and Politics in Nineteenth-Century France
  • Enlightenment Literature: An Introduction
  • La France en guerre: Memoires de la Premiere Guerre Mondiale
  • Varieties of French
  • Nineteenth Century French Narrative
  • Gender and Language in French
  • German 2 - Beginners
  • German 2
  • Leben und Arbeiten in Deutschland: Introduction to Contemporary Germany
  • Life and Demise of the GDR
  • Introduction to Literary Translation
  • Reason and its Rivals from Kant to Freud
  • Sex, Gender and Society in Modern Germany
  • From Dictatorship to Democracy
  • From Democracy to Volksgemeinschaft
  • Investigating the German Language
  • History of German language from early beginnings to the present day
  • Exploring the German Archive: Ideology and State in Newspaper Cuttings and Family Papers
  • Portuguese 2: Beginners
  • Nation Building and National Identities in the Lusophone World
  • Russian 2 - Beginners
  • Russian 2
  • Media in Russia
  • Gulag Archipelago: Stalin’s Prison Camps
  • Screening Russia: Film and Society from the Tsars to Putin
  • Yugoslavia from Creation to Collapse
  • The History and Culture of Early Rus' c.
  • Serbian / Croatian 2
  • Spanish 2: Beginners
  • Spanish 2
  • New World(s): Contacts, Conquests and Conflict in Early Modern Hispanic History and Culture
  • Modern Spanish and Spanish American Literature and Film
  • Luso-Hispanic Cinemas
  • Arts Work Placement Module

Year Three

• Year abroad:
  • Subject to you meeting the relevant requirements, your third year will be spent studying at one of our partner institutions.

Year Four

• Core modules for the language pathways:
  • French 3
  • The Everyday in Contemporary Literature and Thought
  • People and Propaganda: Representing the French Revolution
  • Citizenship, Ethnicity and National Identity in Post-War France
  • French Documentary Cinema
  • Difficult Women:
  • Contemporary Francophone Cinema: The Personal and The Political
  • Subtitling and Dubbing from French into English
  • Language Attitudes and French
  • German 3
  • Mythology in German Literature
  • Language and Social Media in Germany and Beyond
  • Widerstand und Opposition in der DDR
  • Portuguese 3
  • Brazilian Slave Society
  • Memory and the Future in Iberian and Latin American Culture and Politics
  • Russian 3
  • Russian Popular Music in the 20th and 21st Centuries
  • The World of Orthodox Sainthood
  • Serbian / Croatian 2
  • Myths and Memories: Histories of Russia's Second World War
  • Language Project in Russian and Slavonic Studies
  • Serbian / Croatian 3
  • Spanish 3
  • Spanish American Narrative and Film
  • Politics and Literature in Contemporary Spain
  • Business and Society in Spain
  • Making the Cuban Revolution: Ideology, Culture and Identity in Cuba since 1959
  • Literature and Film under Franco
  • Translation, Power and Gender in the Spanish-speaking World
  • Interpreting

How You Will Learn

• Lectures
• Oral classes
• Seminars
• Tutorials
• Workshops

How You Will Be Assessed

• Dissertation
• Essay
• In-class test
• Oral exam
• Presentation
• Written exam
• Commentary

Contact Time and Study Hours

• As well as scheduled teaching you’ll carry out extensive self-study such as preparation for seminars and assessments, as well as language practice.
• As a guide 20 credits (a typical module) is approximately 200 hours of work (combined teaching and self-study).
• An average week will have between 14 and 20 hours of classes.

Careers Overview

• Studying languages can open up a world of opportunities.
• From banking to charities and from teaching to MI5, businesses and organisations across the globe seek to employ language specialists.
• During this degree you’ll be able to choose from a wide range of modules, allowing you to tailor your studies around personal interests.
• In doing so you’ll start to identify potential career paths and begin to discover your areas of professional interest.
• In addition to language skills, you’ll develop transferable skills highly sought after by employers such as confident communication skills, strict attention to detail and the ability to work within different cultures and organisational styles.

Job Prospects

• Average starting salary and career progression:
  • 78.8% of undergraduates from the Faculty of Arts secured graduate level employment or further study within 15 months of graduation.
  • The average annual starting salary for these graduates was £23,974.
• HESA Graduate Outcomes (2017 to 2021 cohorts).
• The Graduate Outcomes % is calculated using The Guardian University Guide methodology.
• The average annual salary is based on graduates working full-time within the UK.

Careers Advice

• Studying for a degree at the University of Nottingham will provide you with the type of skills and experiences that will prove invaluable in any career, whichever direction you decide to take.
• Throughout your time with us, our Careers and Employability Service can work with you to improve your employability skills even further; assisting with job or course applications, searching for appropriate work experience placements and hosting events to bring you closer to a wide range of prospective employers.
• Have a look at our careers page for an overview of all the employability support and opportunities that we provide to current students.

Your Campus - University Park

• University Park Campus covers 300 acres, with green spaces, wildlife, period buildings and modern facilities.
• It is one of the UK's most beautiful and sustainable campuses, winning a national Green Flag award every year since 2003.