Program Overview
BA Italian and Spanish
Overview
Our BA Italian and Spanish joint honours course will see you delve into the language and culture of two countries.
You will develop your language skills in Italian and Spanish while exploring the history, politics, literature and visual culture of the relevant regions through a range of course units. Linguistic options are available for those interested in the history of a particular language and its dialects.
Language courses are taught by native speakers and you will have a further opportunity to converse with Italian and Spanish speakers during your year abroad, which will be split between Italian and Spanish-speaking countries via a university exchange, work placement and/or teaching as an English language assistant.
Employers actively recruit our graduates for their excellent language and communications skills and in-depth intercultural understanding - each crucial in a range of sectors, from international business to relief work and development.
Aims
- Provide you with a comprehensive grounding in Spanish and Italian language, culture, linguistics, history and literature.
- Equip you with the skills and expertise needed to thrive in Spanish and Italian-speaking environments.
Special features
- Residence abroad: You can study and/or work for up to a year in a country or countries relevant to your chosen language(s) to improve your communicative language skills in a native-speaker environment.
- Collaborations and partnerships: The University has links with language and cultural institutions across the city, including:
- Instituto Cervantes - a centre for Spanish culture;
- HOME - international and contemporary art, theatre and film.
- Societies: The University is home to over 30 international and language-related student societies offering a breadth of cultural activities and experiences. These include the Spanish, Portuguese and Latin American Studies Student Society.
Teaching and learning
You will be taught through a mixture of formal lectures, seminars and tutorials.
You will spend approximately 12 hours each week in formal study sessions, and for every hour spent at the University you will be expected to complete a further 2-3 hours of independent study.
You will also need to study during the holiday periods.
The individual study component could be spent reading, producing written work, revising for examinations or working in the University's Language Centre.
We will provide individual learning support to help you take control of your learning and develop your confidence.
Language learning
In Year 1, language instruction is divided between 'ab initio' and post-A-level groups (with most students being beginners).
'Ab initio' students have a minimum of four contact hours per week with their nominated mother-tongue teacher as part of a course specifically designed to build confidence in comprehension, writing, speaking and listening skills.
Post-A-level students have three hours consolidating and building competency on specific language points.
In Years 2 and 4, the language component of the course includes three contact hours per week in addition to working on set assignments and undertaking private study.
Coursework and assessment
You will be assessed in various ways, including:
- written and oral examinations;
- presentations;
- coursework (which may include library research, linguistic fieldwork and data collection, or web-based research);
- in your final year, a dissertation based on a research topic of your choice.
Assessment methods vary from course unit to course unit - see individual course unit listings for more information.
Course content for year 1
You will study 60 credits from each discipline
Italian
- In Year 1 Italian language instruction is divided between 'ab initio' and post-A-level groups (with the majority of students being beginners). 'Ab initio' students have four contact hours per week with their nominated Italian teacher as part of a course specifically designed to build confidence in comprehension, writing, speaking and listening skills. Post-A-level students have 3 hours consolidating and building competency on specific language points.
- Culture units cover topics from the filmic and literary to the historic and linguistic, all of which reflect academic staff research interests. Year 1 is specifically designed to begin furnishing candidates with the tools to enable them to read cultural products with confidence, be they texts, pictures, buildings or linguistic constructions.
Spanish
- In the first year of your course, you are trained in the modern spoken and written Spanish language through compulsory core courses and you will learn about key developments in the history and culture of Spain and Latin America.
You will take only the language units relevant to your level of language in each year of study.
Course units for year 1
The course unit details given below are subject to change, and are the latest example of the curriculum available on this course of study.
| Title | Code | Credit rating | Mandatory/optional |
|---|---|---|---|
| Italian Cultural Studies | ITAL10300 | 20 | Mandatory |
| Reading Italy: Medieval to Modern | ITAL10500 | 20 | Optional |
| Italian Language 1 | ITAL51011 | 20 | Optional |
| Italian Language 2 | ITAL51022 | 20 | Optional |
| Italian Language 3 | ITAL51030 | 20 | Optional |
| Cultures of the Hispanic World | SPLA10410 | 20 | Optional |
| Themes in Spanish and Latin American Studies | SPLA10420 | 20 | Optional |
| Spanish Language 1 | SPLA51011 | 20 | Optional |
| Spanish Language 2 | SPLA51022 | 20 | Optional |
| Spanish Language 3 | SPLA51030 | 20 | Optional |
Course content for year 2
You may choose to study up to two thirds from either discipline or maintain equal weighting.
Italian
- In Year 2, the core language component builds on the grammar topics covered in Year 1, in order to prepare you for the year abroad. Both the post-beginners and post-A-level language modules have three contact hours per week in addition to working on set assignments and undertaking private study.
- Your course units in second year are more specialized than in first year, allowing you to explore a diverse range of subjects and approaches. Current options include the Italian Renaissance and Italian Fascism.
- All our culture units have three contact hours per week and are augmented by materials and content placed in the units' Blackboard virtual learning environment.
- Our modules are assessed by a variety of different coursework assessment types, including essays and commentaries, book reviews, reports, presentations, and innovative digital projects such as group curated exhibitions.
Spanish
- You follow a compulsory Spanish language course unit, refining your skills in written and spoken Spanish.
- You can take units in the culture and history of the Spanish-speaking world chosen from a list, which includes options such as the study of Latin American History, writing women in the Spanish Golden Age, the Cold War in Latin America, and visual cultures in Modern Spain.
Course units for year 2
The course unit details given below are subject to change, and are the latest example of the curriculum available on this course of study.
| Title | Code | Credit rating | Mandatory/optional |
|---|---|---|---|
| Aesthetics and Politics of Italian Fascism | ITAL20502 | 20 | Optional |
| The Italian Renaissance | ITAL21011 | 20 | Optional |
| Global Italian Narratives Across Media and Genres (1960s-present). | ITAL21102 | 20 | Optional |
| Italian Language 4 | ITAL51040 | 20 | Optional |
| Italian Language 5 | ITAL51050 | 20 | Optional |
| Visual Culture in Modern Spain: Film, Painting and Photography | SPLA20062 | 20 | Optional |
| Writing Women in the Spanish Golden Age | SPLA20161 | 20 | Optional |
| History of Latin America | SPLA20362 | 20 | Optional |
| Spanish Linguistics | SPLA20772 | 20 | Optional |
| Culture and Cold War in Latin America | SPLA20872 | 20 | Optional |
| Modern Latin American Literature | SPLA20881 | 20 | Optional |
| Spanish Language 4 | SPLA51040 | 20 | Optional |
| Spanish Language 5 | SPLA51050 | 20 | Optional |
| Catalan Language & Culture 1 | SPLA53010 | 20 | Optional |
| Catalan Language & Culture 2 | SPLA53020 | 20 | Optional |
Course content for year 3
Your third year of study is spent abroad under approved conditions.
Course content for year 4
You may choose to divide your studies equally between both languages or study up to two thirds from either language.
Italian
- In Year 4, you build on the linguistic authenticity acquired abroad in the core language unit, and can choose from a range of specialized content course units. The final year language course develops your core skills to an advanced level, including translation into English, writing different kinds of target-language texts, and oral work including discussion of texts, debates, and presentations. The language component of the course comprises three contact hours per week, in addition to working on set assignments and undertaking private study.
- Course units available in final year are closely related to the research interests of individual members of staff, in areas such as romance linguistics, Renaissance Florence, Italy and the Grand Tour, book history, and the political and cultural history of Italy.
- You will also be able to undertake a research-orientated dissertation in Italian (often using the primary sources held in the Rylands Library, which has outstanding Italian holdings) and to participate in the Italian department's mentoring and outreach programmes.
Spanish
- Continue your studies of the Spanish language and perfect your writing and oral skills.
- Choose from a wide range of options, including the study of the supernatural in Latin American literature and film, the multi-ethnic condition of Latin American societies, and visual culture from the early modern Hispanic world.
Course units for year 4
The course unit details given below are subject to change, and are the latest example of the curriculum available on this course of study.
| Title | Code | Credit rating | Mandatory/optional |
|---|---|---|---|
| Italian Language 6 | ITAL51060 | 20 | Mandatory |
| Spanish Language 6 | SPLA51060 | 20 | Mandatory |
| Introduction to Interpreting: Context, Skills and Modes | ELAN30241 | 20 | Optional |
| Introduction to Professional Translation | ELAN31182 | 20 | Optional |
| Political and Cultural History of Italy | ITAL30342 | 20 | Optional |
| Travellers' Tales: Italy in the British Imagination | ITAL30582 | 20 | Optional |
| Narratives of Conflict After 1968 | ITAL31001 | 20 | Optional |
| Topics in Romance Linguistics | ITAL32001 | 20 | Optional |
| Dissertation in Modern Languages and Cultures | LALC30000 | 40 | Optional |
| Imagining the Amazon: Culture and Environment | SPLA30801 | 20 | Optional |
| Modern Spanish Music: A Cultural History | SPLA31081 | 20 | Optional |
| The Politics of Business in Latin America | SPLA31092 | 20 | Optional |
| The Supernatural in Latin American Literature and Film | SPLA31132 | 20 | Optional |
| History of the Spanish Atlantic World: Empire, Trade, War | SPLA31151 | 20 | Optional |
| Conquest and Resistance in the Spanish Golden Age | SPLA31162 | 20 | Optional |
| Migration, Identity and Environment in Portuguese and Spanish Film | SPLA31172 | 20 | Optional |
| Catalan Language & Culture 1 | SPLA53010 | 20 | Optional |
| Catalan Language & Culture 2 | SPLA53020 | 20 | Optional |
Facilities
The University Language Centre is home to language resources, including a new interpreting suite, purpose-built recording rooms, and resources for more than 70 languages.
The Centre also offers multilingual word processing, language learning software, off-air recording and AV duplication, multilingual terrestrial and satellite TV, and extensive support and advice for learners.
Disability support
Practical support and advice for current students and applicants is available from the Disability Advisory and Support Service. Email: dass@manchester.ac.uk
Careers
Career opportunities
A degree in Modern Languages and Cultures paves the way for a broad range of careers. You'll develop intercultural awareness and enhanced communication skills - both highly valued by employers.
You'll also acquire transferable expertise at the very heart of language learning, including enhanced powers of perception and interpretation and advanced decision-making and multitasking skills.
You'll develop independence and self-confidence during your residence abroad, and your intercultural communication skills will make you a strong contender for media, journalism and PR roles.
Many of our graduates go straight into business services, marketing, advertising, management, banking or communications.
Others pursue postgraduate study or further vocational training to become accountants, lawyers, teachers (both in the UK and overseas) or to enter the Civil Service.
The University of Manchester has an excellent reputation for employability, and we are the second most targeted universities by the nation's top employers (The Graduate Market in 2024, High Fliers Research).
Our Italian graduates have gone on to work at companies such as Zalando, Greenpeace, NHS, Barclays, Roblenko, Alfred H Knight, Fresh Direct, P&A Receivables, Connexity Europe, Sane Communications, Benchmark International, Wellocks, Cognolink and Penguin Random House.
Employers who have taken on graduates of our Spanish courses in the past include Amaze PR, Asos, Ernst &, Eversheds, Kinetic, NHS, Procter and Gamble, JD Sports, Future First, Northern and Shell, Goldstar Brand, Rolands Dransfield, Oxfam, Teach First, Majestic Wine, Greenpeace, LakestarMcCann, The Co-operative, PartelLaw, Virgin, The Big Word and IGA Securities.
The University has its own dedicated Careers Service that you would have full access to as a student and for two years after you graduate.
At Manchester you will have access to a number of opportunities to help boost your employability.
Regulated by the Office for Students
The University of Manchester is regulated by the Office for Students (OfS). The OfS aims to help students succeed in Higher Education by ensuring they receive excellent information and guidance, get high quality education that prepares them for the future and by protecting their interests. More information can be found at the OfS website.
You can find regulations and policies relating to student life at The University of Manchester, including our Degree Regulations and Complaints Procedure, on our regulations website.
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