BA Modern Languages and International Relations
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UCAS code
R9L2 -
A level offer
BBB -
Year of entry
2024/25 -
Course duration
Full Time: 4 Years
-
Year of entry
2024/25 -
Course duration
Full Time: 4 Years
Study a modern language, and gain a broader view of the contemporary world’s most pressing problems, with our BA Modern Languages and International Relations degree.
This highly flexible degree enables you to study a modern language – choosing from our core languages of French, German, Italian and Spanish – alongside your studies in international relations.
Taught by experts from the Department of Languages and Cultures and the Department of Politics and International Relations, you’ll acquire transferable skills with an international focus.
Throughout, you’ll be encouraged to follow your interests as they develop and tailor your learning to your career goals.
Learn a language
At the University of Reading, you’ll join a lively, multilingual community and study alongside students from all over the world.
Learn from internationally recognised researchers whose wide-ranging expertise includes migration, literature, history, cinema, linguistics, publishing, and translation. 100% of our research is of international standing (Research Excellence Framework 2021, combining 4*, 3* and 2* submissions – Modern Languages and Linguistics). In the National Student Survey 2023, 98% of students in the Department of Languages and Cultures said our teaching staff were good or very good at explaining things.
These languages are offered at beginner’s, intermediate or advanced level, depending on your experience.
Our flexible, supportive teaching style will enable you to become confident and highly skilled in your chosen core language. You will master the fundamentals of the language – both written and spoken – graduating with a high level of proficiency.
Direct access to our staff for help and feedback ensures you develop your language skills to the best of your ability.
The study of language includes cultural modules that develop your understanding of the cultures of the countries in which the language is spoken, from their literary and cinematic traditions to their history, politics and linguistics. As well as complementing your joint studies, this enables you to develop as a specialist with an international, comparative approach.
Optional modules also include introductory study of one of the following languages (subject to approval and availability):
- Arabic
- British Sign Language
- Chinese (Mandarin)
- French
- German
- Italian
- Modern Greek
- Japanese
Overview
Study a modern language, and gain a broader view of the contemporary world’s most pressing problems, with our BA Modern Languages and International Relations degree.
This highly flexible degree enables you to study a modern language – choosing from our core languages of French, German, Italian and Spanish – alongside your studies in international relations.
Taught by experts from the Department of Languages and Cultures and the Department of Politics and International Relations, you’ll acquire transferable skills with an international focus.
Throughout, you’ll be encouraged to follow your interests as they develop and tailor your learning to your career goals.
Learn a language
At the University of Reading, you’ll join a lively, multilingual community and study alongside students from all over the world.
Learn from internationally recognised researchers whose wide-ranging expertise includes migration, literature, history, cinema, linguistics, publishing, and translation. 100% of our research is of international standing (Research Excellence Framework 2021, combining 4*, 3* and 2* submissions – Modern Languages and Linguistics). In the National Student Survey 2023, 98% of students in the Department of Languages and Cultures said our teaching staff were good or very good at explaining things.
Learning
These languages are offered at beginner’s, intermediate or advanced level, depending on your experience.
Our flexible, supportive teaching style will enable you to become confident and highly skilled in your chosen core language. You will master the fundamentals of the language – both written and spoken – graduating with a high level of proficiency.
Direct access to our staff for help and feedback ensures you develop your language skills to the best of your ability.
The study of language includes cultural modules that develop your understanding of the cultures of the countries in which the language is spoken, from their literary and cinematic traditions to their history, politics and linguistics. As well as complementing your joint studies, this enables you to develop as a specialist with an international, comparative approach.
Optional modules also include introductory study of one of the following languages (subject to approval and availability):
- Arabic
- British Sign Language
- Chinese (Mandarin)
- French
- German
- Italian
- Modern Greek
- Japanese
Entry requirements A Level BBB
Select Reading as your firm choice on UCAS and we'll guarantee you a place even if you don't quite meet your offer. For details, see our firm choice scheme.
Our typical offers are expressed in terms of A level, BTEC and International Baccalaureate requirements. However, we also accept many other qualifications.
Typical offer
BBB
International Baccalaureate
30 points overall
Extended Project Qualification
In recognition of the excellent preparation that the Extended Project Qualification (EPQ) provides to students for University study, we can now include achievement in the EPQ as part of a formal offer.
BTEC Extended Diploma
DDM
English language requirements
IELTS 7.0, with no component below 6.0
For information on other English language qualifications, please visit our international student pages.
Alternative entry requirements for International and EU students
For country specific entry requirements look at entry requirements by country.
International Foundation Programme
If you are an international or EU student and do not meet the requirements for direct entry to your chosen degree you can join the University of Reading’s International Foundation Programme. Successful completion of this 1 year programme guarantees you a place on your chosen undergraduate degree. English language requirements start as low as IELTS 4.5 depending on progression degree and start date.
Pre-sessional English language programme
If you need to improve your English language score you can take a pre-sessional English course prior to entry onto your degree.
Structure
Compulsory modules include:
Code | Module | Convenor |
---|---|---|
PO1ICD | Introduction to Contemporary Democracy | DR Kiwi Ting |
PO1IPI | Introduction to Political Ideas | DR Andrew Reid |
PO1IRS | Politics: International Relations and Strategic Studies | DR Amanda Hall |
Optional modules include:
Code | Module | Convenor |
---|---|---|
FR1IFC | Introduction to French Culture | DR Veronica Heath |
FR1L1 | Beginners French Language | MRS Celine Biart |
FR1L2 | Intermediate French Language | DR Marine Orain |
FR1L3 | Advanced French Language I | MRS Celine Biart |
FR1MMF | The Making of Modern France | DR Marjorie Gehrhardt |
GM1IMG | Icons of Modern Germany | DR Ute Wolfel |
GM1L1 | Beginners German Language | MS Regine Klimpfinger |
GM1L2 | Intermediate German Language | DR Claire Ross |
GM1L3 | Advanced German Language I | DR Alice Christensen |
GM1TG | German Texts and Genres | DR Ellen Pilsworth |
IT10MI | Making Italians: A Journey in the History and Culture of Modern Italy | PROF Daniela La Penna |
IT1IL | Introduction to Linguistics | PROF Federico Faloppa |
IT1L1 | Beginners Italian Language | MS Rita Balestrini |
IT1L2 | Intermediate Italian Language | MRS Enza Siciliano Verruccio |
IT1L3 | Advanced Italian Language I | DR Maria Laura Iasci |
ML1COMP | What is Comparative Literature? | DR John McKeane |
ML1GEC | Greats of European Cinema | DR Marta Simo-Comas |
ML1IL | Introduction to Linguistics | PROF Federico Faloppa |
ML1TRANS | Thinking Translation: History and Theory | DR John McKeane |
SP1I1 | Icons of Spain and Latin America: From conquest to independence; from revolution to globalisation | DR Camila Gonzalez Ortiz |
SP1L1 | Beginners Spanish Language | DR Denisse Lazo-Gonzalez |
SP1L2 | Intermediate Spanish Language | MR Oscar Garcia Garcia |
SP1L3 | Advanced Spanish Language 1 | MS Angela Mira Conejero |
SP1SLAC | Introduction to Spanish and Latin American Culture | DR Marta Simo-Comas |
These are the modules that we currently offer. They may change for your year of study as we regularly review our module offerings to ensure they’re informed by the latest research and teaching methods.
Compulsory modules
The Study of Politics
Learn how to identify different methods and approaches to the study of politics and international relations. You’ll study qualitative and quantitative methods of research, as well as methods of political theory, to prepare you for more advanced study in the subject.
Global Order
Discover what international order is, how orders function, and the variety of different ways that relations among political communities can be, and have been, organised. You’ll explore key dilemmas and trade-offs that characterise international relations and how contemporary problems are best addressed.
You'll also take at least one of the following:
Intermediate French, German, Italian or Spanish Language
Develop your language skills and advance your proficiency to undertake your final year. Upon successful completion, you’ll have achieved the equivalent of level B1 of the Common European Framework of Reference.
Advanced French, German, Italian or Spanish Language I
Develop your language skills to a level comparable to level B1.2/B2.1 of the Common European Framework of Reference. You’ll advance your written and spoken skills, enabling you to study the language to honours degree level.
Advanced French, German, Italian or Spanish Language II
Further develop your speaking and writing skills to achieve the language level required to your final year. Upon successful completion, you’ll achieve the equivalent of level B1.2/B2.1 of the Common European Framework of Reference.
Further compulsory modules will depend on your chosen core language(s), for example:
How to Think in French
Strengthen the links between the linguistic and cultural study of French language and achieve ‘thinking in French’. You’ll focus on French rhetoric and style and how writing and thinking are taught within the French education system. You’ll also explore the way ideas about the French have developed and have been debated over time.
Cinema of Germany
Cinema has become a site of identity discourse for many Germans. You’ll analyse and assess films produced between the First World War and unification, relating these to changing political regimes and the wider cultural context of Germany.
Optional modules
Science, Perversion and Dream in Global Fantastic Literature
You’ll examine how French, Hispanic, Italian, and German literary traditions have impacted global fantastic literature, considering the usage of Gothic, grotesque, supernatural and uncanny elements in selected key texts.
Society, Thought and Art in Modern Europe
Discover the birth of modern humanity in late 18th-century Europe and the revolutionary changes that Enlightenment and Romanticism intellectual movements brought in all spheres of thought and social life. You’ll also explore how different European nations contributed to innovation, how modernity diffused beyond the Western world, the transformations brought by non-European influences, and the leading role of art in the modernisation process.
Unity, Nationalism and Regionalism in Europe
Discover how modern ideas of nation, national identity, the nation-state and nationalism have shaped modern Europe and the rest of the world from the 18th century to the present day. You’ll examine the impact of the idea of the nation and the persistence and profound significance of regionalist tendencies across Europe. You’ll also explore the dynamic relationship between nationalism and other ideologies of community and identity.
Political Classics
Discover thinkers, ideas and traditions that have always played a central role in the study of politics. Through the writings of a selection of classic thinkers, you’ll explore difficult debates around private property, democracy, individual autonomy, and other topics that have never been resolved.
Contemporary Strategy
Explore a series of contemporary problems and how they stand in the field of modern strategy. Through examples and practical simulations, you’ll gain an understanding of strategic problems and their relevance in the contemporary world.
Global Politics and History
Learn how the study of history and the analysis of past events influence the study, contemporary debates, and practice of world politics.
British Government and Politics
Discover the workings of British government and parliament and explore a range of related topics, such as elections, political parties, and the relationship between government and the judiciary. You’ll discuss current events and put your knowledge into practice through a micro-placement.
The Media and Politics
Develop your understanding of the role and influence of media in contemporary politics and society through a combination of lectures and media. You’ll refine your ability to engage broad audiences in political debate by producing a pre-recorded documentary that you’ll present as part of a radio broadcast.
Global Ecologies: Discourse, Environment and Society
Explore case studies of climate discourse and activism from around the world. You’ll gain the skills needed to think critically about environmental issues and discourses and their wider implications.
Children’s Books in France
Discover some of the important texts, authors and themes in the study of children’s literature in modern France.
The First World War: Then and Now
To understand the French experience of the First World War and its wider impact on twentieth-century France, you’ll analyse experiences and responses to the conflict and consider representations and memory of the war.
Glorification, Denial and Contempt – Reconstructing Austria's Past
Critically examine discourses about Austrian identity and culture, while discussing key events and turning points in Austrian history. You’ll closely examines the commemoration, evaluation, and potential reinterpretation of these events by different generations or political groups.
'Apocalittici e integrati': Intellectuals and Society in Twentieth Century Italy
Gain insight into the conflicts between the intellectual class and state in Fascist and Republican Italy. Exploring case studies will reveal the relationships between key Italian intellectuals and institutions such as the state, universities, media, and the Mafia.
One Country, Many Languages. Linguistic Variety and Society in Contemporary Italy
Prepare for your year abroad in Italy and explore the linguistic complexity of the Peninsula, focussing on the socio-historical events that contributed to the spread of Italian as a standard language and to the survival of regional dialects and minority languages. You’ll be assessed through a variety of methods, familiarising yourself with techniques of oral assessment and independent study that you’ll use while preparing for exams in the Italian universities.
Modern and Contemporary Spanish Narratives
Discover pivotal narrative trends in modern and contemporary Spanish culture, including realism, the uncanny, the fantastic, metafiction, and symbolic representation. You’ll study various fictional works, including short stories, novels, and films from the late 19th century, exploring narrative devices and situating the texts within their intellectual and socio-cultural contexts.
Transatlantic Exchanges: Latin America in the Global Nineteenth Century
Explore how Latin America faced challenges in the nineteenth century such as wars of independence and the abolition of slavery, and how the period has left its political and cultural mark on the region today.
Culture and Revolution in Modern Latin America
Explore key moments of revolution and cultural policy in Latin America. You’ll examine how these events have been represented in different media, while developing an understanding of the various interactions and relationships between radical political change and culture.
These are the modules that we current offer for 2024/2025 entry. They may be subject to change as we regularly review our module offerings to ensure they're informed by the latest research and teaching methods.
Please note that the University cannot guarantee that all optional modules will be available to all students who may wish to take them.
You can also register your details with us to receive information about your course of interest and study and life at the University of Reading.
Study Year Abroad
Compulsory modules
You'll take at least one of the following:
Advanced French, German, Italian or Spanish Language I
Increase your competence in spoken and written language. Upon successful completion, you’ll achieve the equivalent of level B1.2/B2.1 of the Common European Framework of Reference.
Advanced French, German, Italian or Spanish Language II
Consolidate your language skills and achieve the equivalent of level B2.2 of the Common European Framework of Reference upon successful completion.
Advanced French, German, Italian or Spanish Language III
Advance the spoken and written language skills you developed during your year abroad to express yourself fluently. Upon successful completion, you’ll achieve the equivalent of level C1/C2 of the Common European Framework of Reference.
Further compulsory modules will depend on your chosen core language(s), for example:
Crisis, Change, Opportunity: Italy from 1968 to the Present
Discover themes and events that have contributed to change in modern Italian society. You’ll examine how moments of crisis engendered long-lasting change whilst fostering opportunity in terms of identity, citizenship, and nationhood.
Narrating the Colombian Conflict
Investigate the history of the Colombian armed conflicts, from the 1940s civil war to the present day war on drugs. Through the analysis of interdisciplinary historical and cultural texts, including essays, fiction, films and new media, you’ll explore the role stories play in both justifying conflict and creating the possibilities for peace.
Optional modules
Dissertation
Produce your own piece of work in consultation with an expert supervisor. You’ll plan and execute a project of your own devising, making use of ideas, materials and methods introduced in the first half of the year.
Dynamics of Civil Wars
Explore the dynamics of political violence in civil wars through theoretical and empirical analysis of key problems, such as participation, recruitment, organisation, external support, rebel diplomacy, and rebel governance.
International Terrorism
Learn what terrorism is and what distinguishes it from other forms of conflict and warfare in the international system. You’ll discover the causes and consequences of terrorism throughout history, which factors influence terrorist target selection and modus operandi, and the options available to counterterrorism.
British Foreign and Defence Policy since 1945
Learn the theory and practice of how foreign and defence policy is made and explore real-life examples of these policies, from the end of the British Empire to Brexit. You’ll also examine a series of post-war challenges, from the Suez crisis to the conflict in Ukraine, and UK’s role in the world today.
War, Peace and International Ethics
Examine the ethical questions involved in war through real-world case studies and philosophical thought-experiments. You’ll discuss different moral issues, such as humanitarian intervention, the role of individual and collective self-defence, civilian immunity, terrorism, torture, and the punishment of war crimes.
Introduction to Critical Security Studies
Explore the processes through which particular actors or practices are constructed as security issues and subjected to exceptional strategies. You’ll be introduced to the study of politics of identity, focusing on the relational construction of identities within popular media such as films.
US Foreign and Defense Policy since 1950
Analyse how American foreign policy decisions are made, who influences them, and how they have evolved over time. You’ll gain an understanding of crucial events such as the Vietnam War or the response to 9/11, while also exploring salient challenges faced by US foreign policymakers today.
The Politics of Nuclear Weapons
Examine the historical and political contexts for nuclear policy making, with an emphasis on the political and technical considerations affecting national choices. You’ll explore the issues surrounding non-proliferation strategies, nuclear security, and next steps for arms control.
Politics and International Relations of the Middle East
Gain a nuanced understanding of the politics of Middle Eastern states and how they relate with international tensions and conflicts of the region. You’ll study the history of these countries and their state-civil society relations, as well as the international politics, roles of superpowers, and their interests in the area.
International Political Economy
Explore the interaction between states and markets, and between winners and losers, at domestic and international levels. You’ll discover the major theoretical approaches to international political economy through a range of topics, including international trade and finance, development, the effects of globalisation on the welfare state and the environment, and the use of economic sanctions.
International Organisations in Global Politics
Develop your knowledge of international organisations, how they work, major challenges that they face and how they respond to them. This will also develop your employability skills for roles within this sector.
Philanthropy à la française: The History of Ideas and Practices in the French Third Sector
You’ll examine case studies that address the significant role that charity has played throughout French history and consider the social, economic, political, and cultural motivations and consequences of voluntary action.
The German Language and National Identity
Investigate debates around the German language including standardisation and codification, the uses and misuses of German, and the role it has played in the development of Germany as a nation.
Memory, Dictatorship and Cultural Resistance in the Southern Cone
Examine the politics and aesthetics of 1970s Latin America, when authoritarian rule took hold across the Southern Cone. You’ll consider factors that led to military dictatorship, cultural resistance, and representations in literature, film and collective memory.
Language and Power
Language is a powerful tool that can construe reality, challenge power, harm and discriminate individuals and foster social cohesion. You’ll investigate a range of genres, discourse, and theoretical approaches to disclose a text’s underlying ideological stance.
May '68
Investigate the events of May ’68 in France and put them in relation of the wider moment of global protest and counter-cultural turbulence. Through examining key texts, visual sources, ideas (and ideologies) from the period, you’ll explore the significant political, social and cultural change of these event and their legacy on contemporary French society.
French Popular Music and Society
Explore French popular music of the late 20th and 21st centuries, focusing on the development of the relevant genres and on music’s wider socio-cultural role. You’ll spend time looking at the texts, performances and personae of major artists in contemporary music genres including rap, rock, and electronica.
War on Screen - Germany and its Films about WWII
Analyse representative examples of German post-1945 war cinema and evaluate them as part of wider discourses about the legacy of the Nazi dictatorship in East, West, and unified Germany. You’ll compare war films from different post-war decades and German states, focusing on central ethical questions relating to guilt and atonement, resistance and participation as well as the representation of atrocities in a context of entertainment.
Language, Diversity, and Inclusion: The Representation of Otherness in the Italian Context
Explore how the concepts of identity, otherness, inclusion, and exclusion have been articulated and transmitted through the Italian language. You’ll examine case studies based on the Italian context, and look at issues around national stereotyping, diversity, representation of minorities, migrants and foreigners, gender, political correctness, cancel culture, and ‘inclusive language’.
Writers and Publishers in Spain
Explore how recent history, politics, society, ideology and technology have shaped Spain’s cultural landscapes. You’ll focus on critical episodes in Spanish history, like the rise of a parliamentary system, the Republic of 1931, the Civil War, the Francoist regime, and the Transition to democracy. This module is conducted in Spanish, but assessments can be done in either English or Spanish.
Future Worlds in Film
Explore genre features, contexts, and aesthetic genesis of science-fiction films from different traditions and periods. You’ll analyse formal and thematic features of the films and identify central ethical questions they raise, evaluating each film in its specific cultural, political, and social context.
Extended Essay
Prepare for postgraduate study and engage in extended research on a topic of your choosing, within the subject area and relevant to your degree programme.
Identity and Conflict in Modern Europe
Explore the diversification, evolution and fluidity of definitions of modern notions of race, gender, and how individual and collective identities have been redefined by intellectuals and ideologies. You’ll be encouraged to engage with competing and conflicting visions and values both through set case studies and group projects.
These are the modules that we current offer for 2024/2025 entry. They may be subject to change as we regularly review our module offerings to ensure they're informed by the latest research and teaching methods.
Please note that the University cannot guarantee that all optional modules will be available to all students who may wish to take them.
You can also register your details with us to receive information about your course of interest and study and life at the University of Reading.
Fees
New UK/Republic of Ireland students: £9,250
New international students: £22,350
*UK/Republic of Ireland fee changes
UK/Republic of Ireland undergraduate tuition fees are regulated by the UK government. These fees are subject to parliamentary approval and any decision on raising the tuition fees cap for new UK students would require the formal approval of both Houses of Parliament before it becomes law.
EU student fees
With effect from 1 August 2021, new EU students will pay international tuition fees. For exceptions, please read the UK government’s guidance for EU students.
Year abroad fees
If you spend a full year abroad, you will only pay 15% of your usual tuition fee for that year. For more information, please see our fees and funding pages or contact studyabroad@reading.ac.uk.
Additional Costs
Some courses will require additional payments for field trips and extra resources. You will also need to budget for your accommodation and living costs. See our information on living costs for more details.
Financial support for your studies
You may be eligible for a scholarship or bursary to help pay for your study. Students from the UK may also be eligible for a student loan to help cover these costs. See our fees and funding information for more information on what's available.
Careers
Overall, 89% of graduates from Politics and International Relations, and 93% of graduates from Languages and Cultures, are in work or further study within 15 months of graduation (based on our analysis of HESA data © HESA 2023, Graduate Outcomes Survey 2020/21; includes first degree Politics and International Relations and Languages and Cultures responders respectively).
Recent modern languages graduates have found careers in translation, teaching, business and finance, the arts, and marketing. Recent employers include:
- Sony Europe
- the Civil Service
- BBC
- BNP Paribas
- LEGO Group
- Vodafone
- PwC.
Past graduates have put their political analysis skills to use in various governmental departments, political research units, think tanks, non-governmental organisations, and parliament. Others have found careers in media, management consultancy, and banking.