Art History and Modern Languages

Art History

Art History is known for its strong interdisciplinary character. Students explore subjects, objects and texts from different cultures and different historical periods. At Manchester, our expertise lies in Medieval, Renaissance, Post-Renaissance, Modern, Contemporary, and global art history. We also benefit from the expertise of faculty members within the Institute of Cultural Practice, who lead on teaching that covers the study of museums as institutions, collecting, practical aspects of curating and exhibition-making, and art writing.

Teaching takes place in a variety of formats, and many course units benefit from unrivalled access to The John Rylands Library and The Whitworth, which contain world-famous works by Bacon, Blake, Gauguin, Munch, Picasso, Rembrandt, Turner, Van Gogh and other major artists. Teaching is supported by cutting-edge research and we have been recognised as one of the top Art History Departments in the UK thanks to our research community.

Language learning

You will choose one language, French or Italian, and this choice will be reflected in your degree title, for example BA Art History and Modern Languages (Italian).

You will join one of the language learning pathways:

• The beginner pathway is for students, who do not have any foundation in the language. Some students are complete beginners. Some students may have undertaken some language learning. For example, a UK student who studied a language in Years 7 and 8 at secondary school.

• The intermediate pathway is for students, who have a good foundation in the language, and have the equivalent of an A-level in their chosen language.

The language learning course units are designed to develop your skills of reception (reading and listening), production (speaking and writing), and translation. Class sizes are small and led by academics, who are a mix of native speakers, and English speakers who are fluent in the language. Using your language throughout the week really accelerates your learning and we encourage you to use it socially. For example, by joining student societies that enable you to meet students from different countries and following social media influencers and media channels for your chosen language.

World cultures

Alongside your language learning, you’ll also attend lectures and seminars that explore the history, literature, politics, and current affairs of your chosen country. Our students find that this part of their degree really broadens their understanding of where different languages are spoken and their cultural resonance, as well as complementing their studies from the History of Art.

Timetable

Each year you take 120 credits of course units. In Year 1, these credits are divided between your chosen language (French or Italian) and art history. In Years 2 and 4, you can include 20 credits, per year, as a ‘free choice’. This free choice can be a course unit from another subject area in the School of Arts, Languages and Cultures or the University College of Interdisciplinary Learning.

• Year 1: Languages (60 credits); Art History (60 credits)

• Year 2: Languages (40 or 60 credits); Art History (40 or 60 credits); Free choice unit (0 or 20 credits)

• Year 3: Residence Abroad. You will spend a year living in a country where your chosen language is spoken.

• Year 4: Languages (40 or 60 credits); Art History (40, 60 or 80 credits); Free choice unit (0 or 20 credits)

Course Units

Please visit the subject guides for more information about the course units for each year of study.

https://www.manchester.ac.uk/study/undergraduate/courses/2027/21903/ba-art-history-and-modern-languages/