Journalism and Language (French, German, Italian, Spanish, Japanese, Korean, Chinese) with Foundation Year

This BA Journalism and Language is ideal if you are an aspiring journalist keen to acquire professional journalistic skills and a sophisticated understanding of the fields of journalism and media, as well as engaging with international contexts and enhancing your linguistic skills.

Why choose this course?

• You will gain practical knowledge of the journalism field and the cutting-edge expertise needed to build, manage and navigate a career within today's media landscape.

• Studying a language allows you to better understand other people, cultures and the multilingual worlds in which we live. Developing advanced communication skills and intercultural awareness is also key to enhancing your employability.

• You will be taught by internationally renowned academics, researchers and writers in a school which prides itself on multidisciplinary excellence.

What you will learn

You will develop your own specialism along with an understanding of the political, historical, cultural and social contexts in which journalists operate. An academic emphasis is complemented by practical modules taught by established media professionals who will equip you with the skills to write, research and communicate as a journalist, and to design and produce print publications, audio and video.

The languages component will enable you to reach a high level of competence in a language of your choice. You can choose French, German, Italian, Japanese or Spanish, starting at the level of language that suits you. Korean and Mandarin Chinese are offered from beginner level.

How you will learn

You will be taught via lectures, seminars and workshops with an emphasis on interaction and engagement. Language teaching takes place in small-group seminars and the course is delivered in the target language.

It is available to study full- or part-time. Classes take place in the evening.

Foundation Year

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.

Highlights

• You will acquire up-to-date skills and knowledge from experienced practitioners at the heart of London's global media industry and leading academic researchers in the field.

• In our central London location in Bloomsbury we are surrounded by cultural institutes relevant to the study of languages and literature, such as the Institute of Languages, Cultures and Societies, the Goethe Institute, German Historical Institute, Institut Français, Instituto Cervantes, and Japan House London.

• You will have the chance to attend seminars, events and guest lectures organised by affiliated research centres and networks, including Birkbeck Interdisciplinary Research in Media and Culture, Birkbeck Institute for the Moving Image, Vasari Research Centre for Art and Technology, the Centre for French, Francophone and Comparative Studies and the Centre for Iberian and Latin American Visual Studies.

• Birkbeck was ranked as one of the top four universities in the UK for its Art and Design research in the 2021 Research Excellence Framework.

Careers and employability

On successfully graduating from this course you will have gained transferable skills important in working across a broad range of professional communication roles and settings, including:

• high-level communication expertise

• the use of theoretical concepts and perspectives

• research, analysis and project management

• fluency with academic concepts and theories, and how to develop original insights and arguments

• an enhanced ability to engage with the complexity of different cultural contexts and perspectives.

Graduates can pursue career paths in media and cultural institutions, journalism, public relations or professional communications.