Modern Languages

Our Modern Languages BA is unlike any course of this kind in the UK.

Not only will you achieve fluency in at least one language, but you’ll also understand the cultural, social, and political context of new cultures and the connections between them.

You’ll become an expert in the globalised world, ready to navigate mediate across borders, foster inclusive dialogue and contribute to solving complex problems, wherever your career takes you.

Kent offers unparalleled flexibility and personalised language learning paths tailored to your individual learning style, your strengths, and aspirations.

Whether you have studied a language previously or not, at Kent you can expand your skills and achieve fluency.

In your first year, you can refine existing language skills or explore one or several new languages. With options including Arabic, French, German, Italian, Japanese, Mandarin, and Spanish, you will begin at a level suited to you, making rapid progress and setting your own pace in your studies.

On graduation, you will be prepared to thrive in diverse career paths across the globe, from international business to diplomacy, education, and beyond.

Year 2

You'll choose 60 credits from a list of language modules. If you do not have prior knowledge of a foreign language, these will be modules in a language of your choice starting from beginners’ level in Autumn Term. If you do have some prior knowledge in a foreign language, you choose 20 credits from a list of modules in Linguistics, Comparative Literature and other relevant subject areas in Autumn Term. For the remaining 40 credits, you can choose either intermediate (level 5) and advanced (level 6) language modules in Spring and Summer Term or the Modern Languages Cultural Project module in the Summer Term.

Compulsory modules currently include the following:

• Cultures, Media and Technology

  Get a unique perspective on the cultural history of modern societies alongside key developments in technology and media. This module draws on cutting-edge research in Modern Languages as well as on history, philosophy and media theory. Topics span from the 1400s to the present day and may include: 1) How the invention of the printing press enabled the Protestant Reformation; 2) The relationship between literature and letter-writing; 3) The rise of the press and the emergence of nationalism in the nineteenth-century; 4) The impact of the press in Latin America on the abolition of slavery; 5) Social Media’s impact on popular movements such as the Arab Spring.

• Language, Culture and Environment

  What is the environment? What is ecology? What is sustainability? What are the origins of these terms, and how have the meanings evolved over time and across cultures? While the concepts have their roots in the natural sciences, it is becoming evident that related theories and practices are of relevance in social and cultural studies as much as biophysical relationships.

• Culture and Heritage

  This module provides students with a general introduction to the analysis of a variety of cultural forms from different national contexts, paying particular attention to the specificities of different media within the visual arts (e.g. paintings, photographs, classical and popular music), screen media (e.g. fiction films, documentaries, TV series) and literature (e.g., poems, short stories, novels). Lectures will introduce key theoretical and critical frameworks and seminars will consist of their application to specific texts from a variety of cultural contexts. The module also introduces you to some of the principal artistic movements at particular historical moments in the 19th and 20th centuries such as: impressionism, realism, surrealism, modernism and postmodernism.

Optional modules may include the following:

• French Beginners

• French Intermediate

• French Advanced

• German Beginners

• German Intermediate

• German Advanced

• Spanish Beginners

• Spanish Intermediate

• Spanish Advanced

• Italian Beginners

• Italian Intermediate

• Italian Advanced

• Mandarin Chinese Beginners

• Mandarin Chinese Intermediate

• Mandarin Chinese Advanced

• Japanese Beginners

• Japanese Intermediate

• Japanese Advanced

• Arabic Beginners

• Arabic Intermediate

• Arabic Advanced

• Modern Languages Cultural Project

Please see the course page on our website for full module details.

Year Abroad

Go Abroad

Taking a year abroad – whether you study at one of our prestigious partner universities or do an internship – is an amazing opportunity.

Any questions? We have the answers!

Is there any additional funding for the year abroad? You may be able to apply for funding; check with our Go abroad team.

Do I have to pay tuition fees for the year abroad? Yes, you’ll pay a substantially reduced fee. Fees for the current year (subject to changes) can be found on our tuition fees website. You don’t pay anything to the host uni.

Will I still get my maintenance loan? Yes.

When does the year abroad take place? Between your second and final year.

Do I have to learn a foreign language? You’re taught in English in many destinations, but you’ll get more out of your year if you learn the local language.

Does the University keep in touch? You have full access to all Kent’s support services as well as our dedicated Go abroad team.

Year 3

Compulsory modules currently include the following:

• Language Teachers at Work

  The module will explore principles of second language teaching. It will investigate issues of theory and methodology, whilst maintaining a strong practical focus with invited speakers and teaching observations in schools or departmental modules (subject to availability). The module’s main aims will be to explore topical ideas on language teaching and learning, and to appraise their strengths and weaknesses by considering those core assumptions, theories and practical classroom implications that underpin them.

• Modern Languages Big Project

  This is your chance to formulate and deliver a research project of your own making, whether it be a dissertation, a portfolio of texts, a publication, a podcast, a documentary, a short film, a performance, an app, or another form of public interaction derived from research and knowledge of modern foreign languages and cultures and advanced intercultural competence.

  Supported by appropriate instruction, you'll develop independent research skills and creative practices as you engage with material of personal and/or professional interest. Benefit from the opportunity to devote a sustained period of time to an area for which you feel enthusiasm, curiosity, and passion, and independently immerse yourself in the modern foreign language(s) you're studying.

• Intercultural Communication 1

  Delve into the intricate dynamics of cross-cultural interactions and global communications through a blend of lectures, case studies, role-plays, and interactive discussions Emphasis is placed on honing linguistic skills and cultural competence to navigate diverse contexts effectively. By analysing real-world scenarios, you will develop a nuanced understanding of verbal and nonverbal communication across cultures. Ethical considerations are paramount as we explore strategies to bridge cultural divides in various spheres, from business to education. Ultimately, you emerge equipped with the critical tools to foster harmony and understanding in our globalised society.

• Intercultural Communication 2

Optional modules may include the following:

• French Beginners

• French Intermediate

• French Advanced

• German Beginners

• German Intermediate

• German Advanced

• Spanish Beginners

• Spanish Intermediate

• Spanish Advanced

• Italian Beginners

• Italian Intermediate

• Italian Advanced

• Mandarin Chinese Beginners

• Mandarin Chinese Intermediate

• Mandarin Chinese Advanced

• Japanese Beginners

• Japanese Intermediate

• Japanese Advanced

• Arabic Beginners

• Arabic Intermediate

• Arabic Advanced

• Modern Languages Cultural Project

Please see the course page on our website for full module details.

Year 1

The following modules are what students typically study, but this may change year to year in response to new developments and innovations:

Compulsory modules currently include the following:

• Introduction to Cultural Analysis

  Gain the essential analytical tools and methodologies to critically assess cultural artifacts, texts, and practices. Through lectures, seminars, in-class discussions and independent study, you'll develop a sophisticated comprehension of cultural phenomena across the globe, with a particular focus on cultural expressions in French, German, Italian, and Spanish language. By engaging with examples from literature, music, film, and television, but also from advertising, politics and everyday culture, you'll explore and apply methodologies from philosophy, linguistics, literary, media, and gender studies and other relevant fields. This will provide you with a solid foundation to develop a nuanced understanding of the complexities of cultural dynamics in today’s interconnected world.

• Politics and Societies

  Explore the political and cultural history of several countries – and of increasingly globalising contexts – through the prism of a number of frequently related social, cultural and political processes: resistance, revolution, contestation. From political revolutions, industrial revolutions and cultural revolutions to digital revolutions, critical analysis of each case study in the module interrogates the (often violent) formation of states, the origins of modernity, and the understandings and limits of freedom and power.

• Global Cultures of Business

  Explore the historical geopolitical, economic and cultural relations between nations which shape the contemporary context of globalised business. We focus on the political, economic, and cultural exchanges that have shaped the contemporary world through a specific lens: the production, circulation, and consumption of commodities.

• Studying Languages

  Develop the fundamental skills for your future studies in languages, intercultural communication and beyond. Through lectures, hands-on language labs, and dynamic seminars, you'll build a solid foundation in language acquisition, cross-cultural understanding, and linguistic analysis. Explore how language shapes identities, perceptions, and social interactions, preparing them for intercultural communication challenges. Equipped with these foundational insights and analytical tools, you are primed to pursue further studies in languages, intercultural communication, and related fields, armed with an understanding of the complexities of human communication.

• Languages Lab Project 1

  The Languages Lab Project 1 is the inaugural module in a series designed to empower you with the tools and skills to delve into the intricacies of any language of your choosing. Serving as the foundation for the Languages Lab project 2 module, and for subsequent modules in the series in stages 2 and 3, this module gives you the opportunity to embark on a language project tailored to your interests and aspirations.

• Languages Lab Project 2

  Building upon the foundational knowledge and skills acquired in Language Lab Project 1, the second iteration of our language exploration series sets the stage for academic language learning in stages 2 and 3. In this module students delve into the intricacies of their chosen language(s), building an appreciation for the nuances of language acquisition and cross-cultural communication.

Please see the course page on our website for full module details.