Modern European Studies

Do you feel there is more to the past than just the UK’s perspective? Are you ready to examine history through the lens of other cultures, other ideologies and other languages?

This course allows you to combine your passion for language learning with your curiosity for exploring the past. Through combining one or two European languages with history you’ll gain access not only to additional source texts, but also a whole new way of understanding the societies and cultures of contemporary Europe.

Many of our students say the year abroad is their course highlight. Not only do you have the opportunity to fully immerse yourself in the language and culture of your chosen country/countries, but spending time abroad can make you more independent and confident. Taking yourself out of your comfort zone won’t only benefit your degree, it’ll shape the person you are to become.

You’ll spend two thirds of your time in the Department of Modern Languages and Cultures studying your language(s). The final third will be spent on your selected modules in the Department of History.

During your first year you will study 120 credits, but what you study and how your time is broken down will vary depending upon your language ability.

If you are studying two languages:

You will take 40 credits worth of history modules,
In your post-A level language(s) you will take 20 credits of core language and 20 credits of core or optional modules per language,
If you are a beginner in French, German, Russian or Spanish, you will take 40 credits of core language modules per language,
If you are a beginner in Portuguese or Serbian/Croatian, you will take 20 credits of core language and 20 credits of core or optional modules per language.

If you are studying one language post-A level:

You will take 40 credits worth of history modules,
You will take 20 credits of core language and 60 credits of optional or core and optional modules in topics related to your chosen language.

If you are studying one language as a beginner:

You will take 40 credits worth of history modules,
You will follow an intensive language programme, including optional modules relating to the culture and history of your language totalling 80 credits.
You must successfully complete year one but it does not count towards your final degree classification.

Again in year two, you will study 120 credits, but what you study and how your time is broken down will vary depending upon your language ability:

If you are studying two languages:

You will study 40 credits of history,
You will study a 20 credit core language module for each of your languages and 20 credits of optional modules,

If you are studying one language:

You will take 40 credits worth of history modules
You will take 80 credits worth of modules from your chosen language, culture and history.
You must successfully pass year two and it counts as one third of your final degree classification.

In year three, you will spend the equivalent of two semesters abroad on placements in a country or countries where your language(s) are spoken. Depending on your language(s), you could study at one of our exchange universities, teach on the British Council assistantship programme (this option is not available in Russia), or undertake a work placement with a company (this option is not available in Russia).

Year Four
You'll study 80 credits within your chosen language(s) (split equally if studying two languages). During the year you will develop your command of your language(s), using these skills in increasingly sophisticated contexts, and study optional modules drawn from the areas of literature, history, politics, society, media and linguistics.

In History, you will study a 40-credit Special Subject, engaging with the latest research in your selected area.