BA (Hons) Languages and European Studies
- UCAS code: R900
- Mode of study: Full time with language year abroad
- Duration: 4 years
- Entry requirements 2013: 200-280 points from 3 A levels or equivalent.
- Please see details of the range of other qualifications that will also be considered on the 'Entry Requirements' tab below. Please do contact us for advice on other qualifications that aren't listed here.
Find out more:
Tel: +44 (0)23 9284 8299
Email: humanities.admissions@port.ac.uk
Department: School of Languages and Area Studies (SLAS)
Course overview
The European Union is the winner of the Nobel Peace Prize 2012, perhaps the world's most prestigious award. Does the EU deserve the prize or not? Why? What does it mean for Europe and the world? Study with us at Portsmouth to explore and debate the issues.
In our lifetime, the borders, economy, political identity and demography of Europe have all dramatically changed. The expanding European Union plays an increasingly important role in our lives, whether we live within or beyond Europe's frontiers. European Studies at Portsmouth will give you the tools to understand these transformations and their impacts. It is a rich and diverse course, linking together disciplines including history, politics, economics, law and cultural and social studies.
Your lecturers will be experts in the field with a wide range of specialist knowledge. All lecturers are members of the University's internationally-recognised Centre for European and International Studies Research (CEISR), which is the largest centre of its kind in the UK. The cutting-edge research conducted by CEISR members ensures that you will only be taught the most up-to-date material.
The course is very flexible and you can adjust the balance of study between languages and other subjects to suit your own needs and interests. You will study European History, focusing on the post-war period, and also learn about how the European institutions (the Commission, the Parliament, the Council of Ministers and the European Court of Justice) work and how European policies are developed and how they impact on all aspects of daily life.
And the great advantage of studying in Portsmouth is that it is situated on the South coast, excellent for students who want to cross the Channel to gain experience of the cultures they are studying.
Languages and European Studies also allows you to spend your third year either studying in one of the countries of the European Union or working in Brussels at the European Commission.
Note: if you are an overseas student taking as your language English as a Foreign Language, you may complete this degree programme in three years, without a year abroad, if you wish.
One of the UK's top universities for Languages and European Studies
In 2011's National Student Survey results for European Languages and Area Studies, Portsmouth came joint top nationally. Students’ responses show that they particularly appreciate staff availability and the pastoral support provided by staff in the School of Languages and Area Studies.
For further details on all language courses offered, visit the website of the School of Languages and Area Studies (SLAS). If you are interested in this course and would like further information please contact us (details below). You can also view a virtual tour of the School.
Course content
This is a four-year programme with a one year placement, giving you the exciting opportunity to experience first hand what you have learnt in the first two years of your studies whilst studying or working in Europe. Students on this course also have opportunities to experience Europe and its institutions first hand by attending organised field trips.
Year one
- Either General Language Grade 1 & 2
Or General Language Grade 3 & Language Project - The Making of Modern Europe: 1550 -1990
- Political & Social Change in Contemporary Europe
- Studying At University
- Developing Research Skills
Year two
- Either General Language Grade 3 & 4
Or General Language Grade 4 & Language for Professional Communication 1 - Foundations of the European Union
- Governing the EU: Institutions & Policies
- Options including:
- Comparing Extremism in European Liberal Democracies
- Business & Markets in a Global Environment
- Culture & Ideas in Twentieth Century Europe
- Nation, Language and Identity
- Managing Across Cultures
- Governing the EU: Institutions and Policies
- Foundations of the European Union
- France from the Colonial Exhibition to the Liberation 1931 - 1945
- Politics in Post-War Germany 1949 - 1990
- Golden Age Spain 1469 - 1700
- Representations of Italian National Identity
You may also take a beginner's course in a third language as part of your course if you so wish: we offer Arabic, French, German, Italian, Japanese, Portuguese, Spanish and British Sign Language in this format.
Year Abroad
Students on this degree programme have the opportunity to live and work or study in a foreign environment as the third year of the programme is spent in a country where their language of study is spoken. Normally students will pursue a course of study at one of our partner universities in the host country. We have well-established links with universities in France, Germany, Austria, Spain, Belgium, Italy as well as in West Africa and Latin America. Alternatively, with the University's approval, students may arrange work placements or work as English language assistants while abroad. Students taking French may also opt to also do a combined university study/work placement in Dakar (Senegal) and students doing Spanish may opt to do a placement in Central or Latin America.
Final year
- Dissertation/Major Project
- General Language
- Language for Professional Communication 2
- Protecting the Environment in Europe
- Political Economy of the EU
Teaching and assessment
We provide a varied, creative and stimulating learning environment. Our aim is to enable you to become an independent thinker equipped with skills that will continue to influence your experiences beyond your time at university.
Our staff are highly motivated and research active, ensuring that you are taught by enthusiastic specialists in their subjects. Many language teachers are native speakers. They will enthuse you about their specific fields of expertise, from Latin American Development to German History to Applied Translation Theory, provide advice and guide you to appropriate learning resources.
Blended learning means that through Moodle, your University interactive Intranet site, you will be given opportunities to develop and support your knowledge and skills acquired via traditional class contact. Classes include general lectures and seminars (i.e. interactive teaching with small groups of students). Most of our seminar teaching is undertaken in small groups so that students acquire skills and confidence in their analytical skills and are encouraged to ask questions and develop arguments and debates. Students are encouraged to work in small teams analysing primary documents and debating contemporary issues so that all students learn from a range of opinions and interpretations and increase their academic abilities in a genial environment. Emphasis is placed not just on what the student can take from the seminar but what they can bring to the experience and how they interact and learn from their peers.
Classes may also take the form of hands-on skills development sessions where you learn how to access electronic resources. Language is taught using the MELISSI multimedia digital classrooms (they are much more than 'language laboratories') or via small oral practice classes with Language Assistants.
Our assessment methods are varied, with relatively few formal examinations. The emphasis is on continuous assessment, with assessments designed to measure the learning outcomes of your various units. Most assessment is done through submission of essays, reports, case studies, book reviews or other pieces of written work. Some units are assessed by means of projects, which can be particularly useful to build up your career profile. Some language-based tests are oral presentations to measure your progress in oral communication.
Career prospects
Your time at University of Portsmouth will help you to develop a wide range of skills in analysis, criticism and argument. Students on our degree programmes often have a worldview and study experience abroad, which makes them flexible and adaptable and highly employable. During your course, you will have the opportunity to develop a range of capabilities that are valued by prospective employers. You will have many opportunities to develop transferable key skills such as:
- communication
- research
- time management
- team working
- problem solving
These transferable skills are used in many careers across the private, public and voluntary sectors. Allied with intellectual and academic development, they will provide a sound preparation for the world of work or further study.
Year abroad
Students who choose to study at one of our partner universities within the EU will do so as part of the EU Erasmus ‘student mobility’ programme. This means that you will not have to pay fees (they are waived) and that you will receive a grant from the EU (covering living costs). In addition you will benefit from an intensive language course at the beginning of your stay, which is in many cases provided free of charge as part of the Erasmus programme.
The period spent abroad enhances students’ intercultural awareness, which is a quality increasingly appreciated by employers in a globalised economy. View these videos to give you an idea of what you can expect on your period abroad.
Career paths
With excellent graduate employment rates, students who have graduated with a European Studies degree from Portsmouth have gone on to:
- be global business managers
- work in the European Commission
- become local government EU liaison advisors
- work in international organisations
- work in health administration
- work in banking
- work in teaching
- do postgraduate study
Facilities and features
The School is located in Park Building, just behind the Guildhall in the centre of the city. Park Building houses two large, modern, high-tech lecture theatres, a number of smaller but equally high-tech lecture theatres, four computer suites, multimedia digital classrooms and editing suites. The Learning Resource Centre provides facilities for independent study, including listening booths, video/DVD/ CD players and satellite TV monitors. You are encouraged to make effective use of information from a wide variety of sources, including audio-visual materials, satellite television, interactive video, CD-ROM and web searches.
You will also have access to the University Library. Open from 8am until midnight every day during term-time, it provides an abundance of information to help with study and research. It has also invested heavily in the purchase of electronic resources. There are thousands of electronic journals and ebooks, which can be accessed from anywhere with an internet connection.