Film Studies and Modern Languages

This course provides you with a thorough grounding in film history and key theoretical approaches to studying film, alongside learning French or Spanish. The course emphasises historical and theoretical approaches to studying film rather than practical production. Your integrated timetable enables you to take course units taught in two different departments – Film, and Modern Languages and Cultures.

Film Studies

You will expand your experience of film through taught units and screenings that focus on both classical and contemporary films, covering a wide range of film cultures from around the world. Through studying mainstream and non-mainstream films, you will broaden your understanding of the history of film, as well as the debates and issues that are both informing, and are generated by, current practice in film. As you enhance your skills of close analysis, you will also develop an understanding of how film engages with socio-cultural and political concerns, placing the films you study in their historical context as well as thinking about current debates and future challenges for cinema as a medium.

Language learning

You can choose to study French or Spanish. The language you choose will be reflected in your degree title. For example BA (Hons) Film Studies and Modern Languages (Spanish).

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 in Film Studies.

Timetable

Each year you take 120 credits of course units. In Year 1, these credits are divided between your chosen language (French or Spanish) and Film Studies. 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); Film Studies (60 credits)

Year 2: Languages (40 or 60 credits); Film Studies (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); Film Studies (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/2027/21906/ba-film-studies-and-modern-languages/