Modern Languages

Your week’s work will include a tutorial in, or organised by, your college, language classes in the language(s) you study, and typically three to four hours of lectures for each subject. Tutorials are usually up to four students and a tutor. Seminar and language class sizes may vary depending on the options you choose or the language you are studying, but there would usually be no more than around 20 students and classes would often be much smaller.

Most tutorials, classes, and lectures are delivered by staff who are tutors in their subject. Many are world-leading experts with years of experience in teaching and research. Some teaching may also be delivered by postgraduate students who are usually studying at doctorate level. To find out more about how our teaching year is structured, visit our Academic Year page.

Your first year is closely structured. You will attend oral classes and courses on the grammatical structure of your language(s), translation into and out of the language(s) and, in some of the languages, comprehension. You will also attend typically three to four hours of introductory lectures and participate in seminars and/or tutorials on literature. If you study French, German, Spanish or Russian as a single language you will take a range of additional options in that language in the first year (see below). All other languages must be studied in combination with another language or another subject.

Your other years of study give you more freedom to choose the areas on which you wish to focus, from a very wide range of options. Students may take Polish as a subsidiary language, beginning in the second year. Catalan, Galician, Provençal, Yiddish and most of the Slavonic languages may also be taken as additional options. Deferred entry Students are welcome to apply for deferred entry for any language courses except those including Beginners’ Russian.

COURSES

• Two-language course
  • Practical language work
  • Study of important works and/or topics in the literature of each language
• One-language course, as above, plus:
  • For French, German, Russian and Spanish, additional options: film studies; literary theory (French); medieval studies (German/Spanish); key texts in French or German thought; short fiction (Spanish); Polish and Church Slavonic (Russian)

(Other languages must be studied in combination with another language or joint school.)

ASSESSMENT

First University examinations: seven or eight written papers, including translation and literature (language only for Beginners’ Russian)

COURSES

• Two-language course
  • Practical language work
  • A period of literature in each language
  • Optional subjects, including linguistics; medieval literature; detailed study of individual authors
• One-language course
  • As above, but including a greater range of optional subjects

Year 3: typically spent abroad (Beginners’ Russian: students spend the second year in Russia, and the third year in Oxford).

Year 4: continues the course from Year 2, plus special subjects across a wide range of options including film studies.

ASSESSMENT

Final University examinations: nine or ten written papers and an oral examination are taken, including unprepared translations, literature subjects, special subjects and linguistics. Some special subjects are examined by submitting a portfolio of essays.

The options listed above are illustrative and may change. More information about current options is available on the Modern Languages website.

COURSES

• Two-language course
  • Practical language work
  • Study of important works and/or topics in the literature of each language
• One-language course, as above, plus:
  • For French, German, Russian and Spanish, additional options: film studies; literary theory (French); medieval studies (German/Spanish); key texts in French or German thought; short fiction (Spanish); Polish and Church Slavonic (Russian)

(Other languages must be studied in combination with another language or joint school.)

ASSESSMENT

First University examinations: seven or eight written papers, including translation and literature (language only for Beginners’ Russian)

COURSES

• Two-language course
  • Practical language work
  • A period of literature in each language
  • Optional subjects, including linguistics; medieval literature; detailed study of individual authors
• One-language course
  • As above, but including a greater range of optional subjects

Year 3: typically spent abroad (Beginners’ Russian: students spend the second year in Russia, and the third year in Oxford).

Year 4: continues the course from Year 2, plus special subjects across a wide range of options including film studies.

ASSESSMENT

Final University examinations: nine or ten written papers and an oral examination are taken, including unprepared translations, literature subjects, special subjects and linguistics. Some special subjects are examined by submitting a portfolio of essays.

The options listed above are illustrative and may change. More information about current options is available on the Modern Languages website.

COURSES

• Two-language course
  • Practical language work
  • Study of important works and/or topics in the literature of each language
• One-language course, as above, plus:
  • For French, German, Russian and Spanish, additional options: film studies; literary theory (French); medieval studies (German/Spanish); key texts in French or German thought; short fiction (Spanish); Polish and Church Slavonic (Russian)

(Other languages must be studied in combination with another language or joint school.)

ASSESSMENT

First University examinations: seven or eight written papers, including translation and literature (language only for Beginners’ Russian)

COURSES

• Two-language course
  • Practical language work
  • Study of important works and/or topics in the literature of each language
• One-language course, as above, plus:
  • For French, German, Russian and Spanish, additional options: film studies; literary theory (French); medieval studies (German/Spanish); key texts in French or German thought; short fiction (Spanish); Polish and Church Slavonic (Russian)

(Other languages must be studied in combination with another language or joint school.)

COURSES

• Two-language course
  • Practical language work
  • Study of important works and/or topics in the literature of each language
• One-language course, as above, plus:
  • For French, German, Russian and Spanish, additional options: film studies; literary theory (French); medieval studies (German/Spanish); key texts in French or German thought; short fiction (Spanish); Polish and Church Slavonic (Russian)

• Practical language work
• Study of important works and/or topics in the literature of each language

• For French, German, Russian and Spanish, additional options: film studies; literary theory (French); medieval studies (German/Spanish); key texts in French or German thought; short fiction (Spanish); Polish and Church Slavonic (Russian)

(Other languages must be studied in combination with another language or joint school.)

ASSESSMENT

First University examinations: seven or eight written papers, including translation and literature (language only for Beginners’ Russian)

ASSESSMENT

First University examinations: seven or eight written papers, including translation and literature (language only for Beginners’ Russian)

COURSES

• Two-language course
  • Practical language work
  • A period of literature in each language
  • Optional subjects, including linguistics; medieval literature; detailed study of individual authors
• One-language course
  • As above, but including a greater range of optional subjects

COURSES

• Two-language course
  • Practical language work
  • A period of literature in each language
  • Optional subjects, including linguistics; medieval literature; detailed study of individual authors
• One-language course
  • As above, but including a greater range of optional subjects

COURSES

• Two-language course
  • Practical language work
  • A period of literature in each language
  • Optional subjects, including linguistics; medieval literature; detailed study of individual authors
• One-language course
  • As above, but including a greater range of optional subjects

• Practical language work
• A period of literature in each language
• Optional subjects, including linguistics; medieval literature; detailed study of individual authors

• As above, but including a greater range of optional subjects

Year 3: typically spent abroad (Beginners’ Russian: students spend the second year in Russia, and the third year in Oxford).

Year 4: continues the course from Year 2, plus special subjects across a wide range of options including film studies.

ASSESSMENT

Final University examinations: nine or ten written papers and an oral examination are taken, including unprepared translations, literature subjects, special subjects and linguistics. Some special subjects are examined by submitting a portfolio of essays.

Year 3: typically spent abroad (Beginners’ Russian: students spend the second year in Russia, and the third year in Oxford).

Year 4: continues the course from Year 2, plus special subjects across a wide range of options including film studies.

Year 3: typically spent abroad (Beginners’ Russian: students spend the second year in Russia, and the third year in Oxford).

Year 4: continues the course from Year 2, plus special subjects across a wide range of options including film studies.

ASSESSMENT

Final University examinations: nine or ten written papers and an oral examination are taken, including unprepared translations, literature subjects, special subjects and linguistics. Some special subjects are examined by submitting a portfolio of essays.

ASSESSMENT

Final University examinations: nine or ten written papers and an oral examination are taken, including unprepared translations, literature subjects, special subjects and linguistics. Some special subjects are examined by submitting a portfolio of essays.

The options listed above are illustrative and may change. More information about current options is available on the Modern Languages website.

The options listed above are illustrative and may change. More information about current options is available on the Modern Languages website.

The options listed above are illustrative and may change. More information about current options is available on the Modern Languages website.

The content and format of this course may change in some circumstances. Read further information about potential course changes.

The content and format of this course may change in some circumstances. Read further information about potential course changes.

The content and format of this course may change in some circumstances. Read further information about potential course changes.

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