Course summary

The BA Linguistics and Culture allows you to study linguistics together with a range of cultural topics associated with, or comparing, French, German, Italian, Japanese, Spanish and Latin American cultures.  In the linguistics component of the degree, you will learn about the structure and functions of language and how people use language to communicate information and meaning about themselves and their identity. You will learn how to construct and evaluate linguistic arguments and how to compare and evaluate different ways of analysing data. You will also explore the nature and limitations of various theoretical frameworks. By studying linguistics, you can develop a scientific, critical approach to understanding how language works and how it functions within society. A unique feature of the course is that you will learn how to apply linguistic methods and models to real-world problems and contexts.  At the same time, you will gain advanced knowledge of the culture of one or more language areas (French, German, Italian, Japanese, Spanish and Latin American), including literature, thought and cinema. You can also choose to explore comparative and cross-cultural elements.  If you opt for the Foundation Year route, this will fully prepare you for undergraduate study. It is ideal if you are returning to study after a gap, or if you have not previously studied the relevant subjects, or if you didn't achieve the grades you need for a place on your chosen undergraduate degree. This course has an evening timetable with lectures, seminars and classes taking place in the evening. Highlights

• Applied linguistics has been taught at Birkbeck since 1965, so you will be taught by experienced specialists from a centre of teaching and research excellence.

• Ours is a community of scholars with shared interests in interdisciplinary topics and cross-cultural research. Our affiliated research centres, the Centre for French, Francophone and Comparative Studies (CFFCS) and the Centre for Iberian and Latin American Visual Studies (CILAVS), provide an important platform for this exchange.

• If you choose the four-year full-time International Experience route, you will have the opportunity to spend a year at a partner institution.

• translator

• English as a Foreign Language teacher

• publishing copy editor/proofreader

• civil service fast-streamer

• editorial assistant.