Politics and Modern Languages & Cultures, BA (Hons)

By bringing together your study of politics and languages and cultures, you'll deepen your understanding of European culture and world affairs. You'll study in one of the top UK departments for research in politics and international relations (ranked 3rd in the Research Excellence Framework 2014). Our teaching is highly innovative, and draws directly on our world-leading research. You'll take at least three politics modules each year, choosing from a wide range of options across British politics, comparative politics, international relations, political economy, political theory and security studies. In the final year you'll carry out your own research project, individually supervised by one of our academics. The flexibility of the modern languages part of the degree means you have the option to study either one or two of the 10 different languages we have on offer: Catalan, Czech, Dutch, French, German, Italian, Luxembourgish, Portuguese, Russian and Spanish. In your first year, you can take any language from beginner's level, and you can take French, German, Russian or Spanish post-A Level (or equivalent). You'll develop your communication skills in your chosen language or languages to a high level. Optional modules include linguistics, literature, society and politics, history, philosophy and film studies. We have recommended pathways through the languages and modules to enable you to create combinations that work well together. However, our flexible approach means you are not constrained by those pathways and we'll help you make the choices that are best for you. You'll spend the third year of your course abroad. We have a wide range of destinations on offer, both within Europe and beyond. You can choose to study at a leading university, carry out an approved work placement, or in some cases take part in exciting volunteering opportunities. This degree opens up a wide range of career opportunities, close to home and further afield. You'll get extensive training in analytical writing and techniques, as well as other transferable skills. You'll develop highly valuable language skills, and you'll gain a sophisticated understanding of the countries where your chosen language or languages are spoken. The course prepares you for a variety of professions in the UK and abroad, including law, teaching, translating, journalism, broadcasting, accountancy, or working with governments, international organisations or business.