Course summary

Our Modern Languages programmes are designed to be as flexible as possible, so that you can study one, two, or three languages in practically any combination that timetabling allows. The principal languages you can choose to study at Exeter are: •Chinese •French •German •Italian •Portuguese •Russian •Spanish You will learn to read, speak, and write the language(s) of your choice to an advanced level, and you’ll also study the cultures where these languages are spoken in depth, examining literature, politics, cinema, national and regional identities and more through an array of optional modules based on the research of our academics. As well as covering the cultures of the major European nations and China, we have substantial expertise in the postcolonial nations where our core languages are spoken, particularly Latin America and Francophone Africa. In your final year you will have the opportunity to practise specialist language skills such as language for business or professional translation skills, in preparation for employment. In addition to the optional modules listed with each language in the programme structure, we also offer modules that are open to students of any language. These include modules on linguistics, literature, visual arts and Chinese culture. These modules allow you to study other cultures even if you are not studying the language itself, giving you a global outlook and making you even more attractive to employers. Very often our students have lived or received their education outside of the UK and may already speak one of our languages to native or near-native standard. In these cases we can make it possible for you to spend less time on basic language training in the first and second years and more time on academic study of the relevant culture.