Modern Languages (French, German, Spanish, Portuguese) with a year abroad

Course detail Description

Teaching

Modules are taught by leading academics through a combination of lectures, small seminars or tutorials, and expert one-to-one supervision. Language classes involve in-depth work with different kinds of media, literary and academic texts. Teaching is in both English and the language(s) studied, according to the subject area. Our teaching style is interactive; you will participate informally in small group discussions, in seminars or online discussion platforms, and formally through seminar presentations and oral assessments.

Typically, one credit equates to 10 hours of work.

You will encounter a variety of methods of summative (for credit) assessments during your studies, which may typically include coursework and assessed essays; language assignments (written, oral, aural); individual or group-based presentations; year abroad project work; examinations; and a dissertation. You will also have a variety of formative assessments (not for credit) throughout your programme. The feedback you receive will be key to provide guidance and inform the assignments you go on to do subsequently.

This course is taught on our King’s College London Strand Campus, located in the heart of London.

Our Modern Language Departments can draw on unparalleled print, audio-visual and online resources, including the King’s Maughan Library and Senate House Library, the Institute of Modern Languages Research, the British Film Institute and the British Library. All are within easy walking distance of the Strand Building. The Goethe-Institut, Austrian Cultural Forum, Institut français, Camoes Centre , Instituto Cervantes, and Canning House also have extensive media and library holdings, and run lively courses including films, readings, seminars and exhibitions which complement our Departments’ internal film screenings, open seminars, exhibitions, and annual departmental play.

London is also a city of music and arts. You will have easy access to London’s endless live music performances at the South Bank arts complex, at the Barbican Centre, at London opera houses. West End Theatres, Cinemas, Art Galleries are all a short walk away.

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Structure

• Year 1
• Year 2
• Year 3
• Year 4

Year 1 Required Modules

You are required to take the following module:

• Cultural Transformations: An Introduction to Modern Languages (15 credits)

French pathway

• French Core Language (First Year) (30 credits)
• Critical Reading and its Pleasures: Approaching French Literature and Film (15 credits)

German pathway

Non-native German speakers

• German Language and Culture I (30 credits)
• Texts and Contexts (15 credits)

Native German speakers

• Translation from and into German (15 credits)
• Texts and Contexts (15 credits)

Spanish pathway

• Spanish Language I (30 credits)
• Global Iberias: Perspectives - An Introduction to the Spanish and Portuguese Speaking Worlds (15 credits)
• Global Iberias: Themes - Rethinking the Spanish and Portuguese Speaking Worlds (15 credits)

French and German pathway

Post-A Level French

• French Core Language (First Year) (30 credits)
• Critical Reading and its Pleasures: Approaching French Literature and Film (15 credits)

Ab initio French

• Introductory French (30 credits)
• Critical Reading and its Pleasures: Approaching French Literature and Film for ab initio (15 credits)

Non-native German speakers

• German Language and Culture I (30 credits)
• Texts and Contexts (15 credits)

Native German speakers

• Translation from and into German (15 credits)
• Texts and Contexts (15 credits)

Ab initio German

• Introductory German (30 credits)
• Texts and Contexts for ab initio (15 credits)

French and Portuguese pathway

Post-A Level French

• French Core Language (First Year) (30 credits)
• Critical Reading and its Pleasures: Approaching French Literature and Film (15 credits)

Ab initio French

• Introductory French (30 credits)
• Critical Reading and its Pleasures: Approaching French Literature and Film for ab initio (15 credits)

Post-A Level Portuguese

• Portuguese Language 1A (30 credits)
• Global Iberias: Perspectives - Introduction to the Spanish and Portuguese Speaking Worlds (15 credits)

Ab initio Portuguese

• Introductory Portuguese (30 credits)
• Global Iberias: Perspectives - Introduction to the Spanish and Portuguese Speaking Worlds (15 credits)

French and Spanish pathway

Post-A Level French

• French Core Language (First Year) (30 credits)
• Critical Reading and its Pleasures: Approaching French Literature and Film (15 credits)

Ab initio French

• Introductory French (30 credits)
• Critical Reading and its Pleasures: Approaching French Literature and Film for ab initio (15 credits)

Post-A Level Spanish

• Spanish Language I (30 credits)
• Global Iberias: Perspectives - An Introduction to the Spanish and Portuguese Speaking Worlds (15 credits)

Ab initio Spanish

• Introductory Spanish (30 credits)
• Global Iberias: Perspectives - An Introduction to the Spanish and Portuguese Speaking Worlds (15 credits)

German and Portuguese pathway

Non-native German speakers

• German Language and Culture I (30 credits)
• Texts and Contexts (15 credits)

Native German speakers

• Translation from and into German (15 credits)
• Texts and Contexts (15 credits)

Ab initio German

• Introductory German (30 credits)
• Texts and Contexts for ab initio (15 credits)

Post-A Level Portuguese

• Portuguese Language 1A (30 credits)
• Global Iberias: Perspectives - Introduction to the Spanish and Portuguese Speaking Worlds (15 credits)

Ab initio Portuguese

• Introductory Portuguese (30 credits)
• Global Iberias: Perspectives - Introduction to the Spanish and Portuguese Speaking Worlds (15 credits)

German and Spanish pathway

Non-native German speakers

• German Language and Culture I (30 credits)
• Texts and Contexts (15 credits)

Native German speakers

• Translation from and into German (15 credits)
• Texts and Contexts (15 credits)

Ab initio German students

• Introductory German (30 credits)
• Texts and Contexts for ab initio (15 credits)

Post-A Level Spanish

• Spanish Language I (30 credits)
• Global Iberias: Perspectives - An Introduction to the Spanish and Portuguese Speaking Worlds (15 credits)

Ab initio Spanish

• Introductory Spanish (30 credits)
• Global Iberias: Perspectives - An Introduction to the Spanish and Portuguese Speaking Worlds (15 credits)

Spanish and Portuguese pathway

• Global Iberias: Perspectives - An Introduction to the Spanish and Portuguese Speaking Worlds (15 credits)
• Global Iberias: Themes - Rethinking the Spanish and Portuguese Speaking Worlds (15 credits)

Post-A Level Portuguese

• Portuguese Language 1A (30 credits)

Ab initio Portuguese

• Introductory Portuguese (30 credits)

Post-A Level Spanish

• Spanish Language I (30 credits)

Ab initio Spanish

• Introductory Spanish (30 credits)

French pathway

You will then select further French Department modules to bring your total credits to 120 for the year from a range of optional modules, that may typically include:

• Narrative in French Literature and Film (15 credits)
• Revolution and Reaction in Modern France: an introduction to Modern French History (15 credits)
• French Political Thought (15 credits)
• Text and Performance: an introduction to French and Francophone Theatre and Film (15 credits)
• You may replace one 15-credit optional module with a module in the Modern Language Centre in another language at credit level 4.
• You may also, with approval, select 15 credits at credit level 4 from outside the Department of French.

German pathway

You will then select further German Department modules to bring your total credits to 120 for the year from a range of optional modules, that may typically include:

• Medieval Germany: Language, Literature & Society (15 credits)
• Milestones of German History (15 credits)
• One Hundred and Twenty Years of German Cinema (15 credits)
• An Introduction to German Politics (15 credits)
• You may replace one 15-credit optional module with a module in the Modern Language Centre in another language at credit level 4.
• You may also, with approval, select 15 credits at credit level 4 from outside the Department of German.

Spanish pathway

You will then select further Spanish modules in the Department of Spanish, Portuguese and Latin American Studies to bring your total credits to 120 for the year from a range of optional modules, that may typically include:

• Image: Visual Culture in the Global Iberias (15 credits)
• Music of the Lusophone & Hispanic Worlds (15 credits)
• Introduction to Modern Hispanic Culture (15 credits)
• From Frontier to Empire: Cultures in Contact in the Medieval & Early Modern Iberian Worlds (15 credits)
• You may replace one 15-credit optional module with a module in the Modern Language Centre in another language at credit level 4.
• You may also, with approval, select 15 credits at credit level 4 from outside the Department of Spanish, Portuguese and Latin American Studies.

French and German pathway

Native German speakers

You will select a further module in the German Department from a range of optional modules, that may typically include:

• Medieval Germany: Language, Literature & Society (15 credits)
• Milestones of German History (15 credits)
• One Hundred and Twenty Years of German Cinema (15 credits)
• An Introduction to German Politics (15 credits)

All students on pathway

You will then select a further module to bring your total credits to 120 for the year from a range of optional modules, that may typically include:

• Narrative in French Literature and Film (15 credits)
• Revolution and Reaction in Modern France: an introduction to Modern French History (15 credits)
• French Political Thought (15 credits)
• Text and Performance: an introduction to French and Francophone Theatre and Film (15 credits)
• Medieval Germany: Language, Literature & Society (15 credits)
• Milestones of German History (15 credits)
• One Hundred and Twenty Years of German Cinema (15 credits)
• An Introduction to German Politics (15 credits)
• A module in the Modern Language Centre in another language at credit level 4.

French and Portuguese pathway

You will then select a further module to bring your total credits to 120 for the year from a range of optional modules, that may typically include:

• Narrative in French Literature and Film (15 credits)
• Revolution and Reaction in Modern France: an introduction to Modern French History (15 credits)
• French Political Thought (15 credits)
• Text and Performance: an introduction to French and Francophone Theatre and Film (15 credits)
• Image: Visual Culture in the Global Iberias (15 credits)
• Music of the Lusophone & Hispanic Worlds (15 credits)
• From Frontier to Empire: Cultures in Contact in the Medieval & Early Modern Iberian Worlds (15 credits)
• A module in the Modern Language Centre in another language at credit level 4.

French and Spanish pathway

You will then select a further module to bring your total credits to 120 for the year from a range of optional modules, that may typically include:

• Narrative in French Literature and Film (15 credits)
• Revolution and Reaction in Modern France: an introduction to Modern French History (15 credits)
• French Political Thought (15 credits)
• Text and Performance: an introduction to French and Francophone Theatre and Film (15 credits)
• Image: Visual Culture in the Global Iberias (15 credits)
• Music of the Lusophone & Hispanic Worlds (15 credits)
• Introduction to Modern Hispanic Culture (15 credits)
• From Frontier to Empire: Cultures in Contact in the Medieval & Early Modern Iberian Worlds (15 credits)
• A module in the Modern Language Centre in another language at credit level 4.

German and Portuguese pathway

Native German speakers

You will select a further module in the German Department from a range of optional modules, that may typically include:

• Medieval Germany: Language, Literature & Society (15 credits)
• Milestones of German History (15 credits)
• One Hundred and Twenty Years of German Cinema (15 credits)
• An Introduction to German Politics (15 credits)

All students on pathway

You will then select a further module to bring your total credits to 120 for the year from a range of optional modules, that may typically include:

• Medieval Germany: Language, Literature & Society (15 credits)
• Milestones of German History (15 credits)
• One Hundred and Twenty Years of German Cinema (15 credits)
• An Introduction to German Politics (15 credits)
• Image: Visual Culture in the Global Iberias (15 credits)
• Music of the Lusophone & Hispanic Worlds (15 credits)
• From Frontier to Empire: Cultures in Contact in the Medieval & Early Modern Iberian Worlds (15 credits)
• A module in the Modern Language Centre in another language at credit level 4.

German and Spanish pathway

Native German speakers

You will select a further module in the German Department from a range of optional modules, that may typically include:

• Medieval Germany: Language, Literature & Society (15 credits)
• Milestones of German History (15 credits)
• One Hundred and Twenty Years of German Cinema (15 credits)
• An Introduction to German Politics (15 credits)

All students on pathway

You will then select a further module to bring your total credits to 120 for the year from a range of optional modules, that may typically include:

• Medieval Germany: Language, Literature & Society (15 credits)
• Milestones of German History (15 credits)
• One Hundred and Twenty Years of German Cinema (15 credits)
• An Introduction to German Politics (15 credits)
• Image: Visual Culture in the Global Iberias (15 credits)
• Music of the Lusophone & Hispanic Worlds (15 credits)
• Introduction to Modern Hispanic Culture (15 credits)
• From Frontier to Empire: Cultures in Contact in the Medieval & Early Modern Iberian Worlds (15 credits)
• A module in the Modern Language Centre in another language at credit level 4.

Spanish and Portuguese pathway

You will then select a further module to bring your total credits to 120 for the year from a range of optional modules, that may typically include:

• Image: Visual Culture in the Global Iberias (15 credits)
• Music of the Lusophone & Hispanic Worlds (15 credits)
• Introduction to Modern Hispanic Culture (15 credits)
• From Frontier to Empire: Cultures in Contact in the Medieval & Early Modern Iberian Worlds (15 credits)
• A module in the Modern Language Centre in another language at credit level 4.

Year 2 Required Modules

French pathway

• Core Language (Second Year) (15 credits)
• The Practice of Translation (15 credits)

German pathway

Non-native German speakers

• German Language and Culture II (15 credits)
• Translation from and into German II (15 credits)

Native German speakers

• Translation from and into German II (15 credits)

Spanish pathway

• Spanish Language 2 (30 credits)

French and German pathway

Post-A Level French

• Core Language (Second Year) (15 credits)
• The Practice of Translation (15 credits)

Ab initio French

• Intermediate French (30 credits)

Non-native German speakers

• German Language and Culture II (15 credits)
• Translation from and into German II (15 credits)

Native German speakers

• Translation from and into German II (15 credits)

Ab initio German students

• Intermediate German (30 credits)

French and Portuguese pathway

Post-A Level French

• Core Language (Second Year) (15 credits)
• The Practice of Translation (15 credits)

Ab initio French

• Intermediate French (30 credits)