Course summary

Do you consider yourself to be a European and global citizen? If the answer is yes, our Joint Honours degree in Italian and French is the course for you. Grasp this opportunity to gain an in-depth knowledge of the language and culture of two of the oldest civilisations in Mediterranean Europe. By studying for this degree, you will develop competence across the full range of linguistic skills in Italian and French. You will also explore the society and culture of Italy and France through our broad range of options. During your third year, you will embark on the biggest adventure of your life so far. You will live abroad and will be able to take advantage of a wealth of opportunities to hone your linguistic skills as you immerse yourself in the language and cultural richness of the Italian and French communities of your chosen destinations, and make new friends while you're at it. By the end of the course, you will have a portfolio of transferable skills that are highly valued by employers, and there will be a broad range of careers open to you at home and abroad. Why study Italian and French at Aberystwyth University? Aberystwyth is a small town with a big heart and a cosmopolitan outlook. As a vibrant and friendly University, we attract students from all corners of the world, and the intimate atmosphere makes it a great place to get to know people. We're a small, friendly department and we get to know our students well. All students in our department thrive in our multilingual environment. We teach most of our modules and classes through the target language, many of our teaching staff are native speakers and all are experts in their respective languages. This degree is available to students who wish to study Italian from complete Beginners level together with French post-A level. For the Italian half of the course you will receive intensive language classes to bring you up to post-A level standard in your second year. The highlight of this degree for all of our students is the year abroad. As you will study two languages, you will be required to spend your year abroad (your third year) split equally between Italy (or an Italian-speaking country) and France (or a French-speaking country). What will I learn? In each year you will take a core language module where you will develop your skills in reading, writing, speaking, listening and translating, and a number of optional modules. These may include: Introduction to European Film; Language, Culture and Identity in Europe; Introduction to French Studies; Images of France: The French Family; Extended Essay Module; Rethinking Late 20th Century Italy; Italian Cities; Narrating and Visualising French Colonialism; Modern Italy; Self-writing in France (18th-21st Century); Humour and Literature; Dissertation Module; Rethinking Late 20th Century Italy; the Language of Business and Current Affairs; Humour and Literature. How will I be taught? You will learn through a combination of small-group classes, lectures and a small number of seminars in Year 1, and increasingly seminar-based teaching in later years. Throughout, you will be encouraged to undertake independent reading both to supplement and to consolidate taught learning and to broaden your individual knowledge and understanding of the subject. You will receive additional support through both assisted and self-access facilities for language learning in the Language Resource Centre. How will I be assessed? You will be assesed through oral presentations, listening tests, written reports and increasingly complex translations in language classes, as well as through oral and written exams. In content modules, you might be asked to write an essay, undertake a research project, give an oral presentation, or sit an exam. In your third year, you will study or work abroad, sharing the time equally between an Italian-speaking and a French-speaking country.