Politics and Language (French, German, Italian, Spanish, Japanese, Korean, Chinese)

This BA Politics and Language offers you the opportunity to become competent in a modern language (French, German, Italian, Spanish, Japanese, Korean or Mandarin Chinese) while also acquiring advanced knowledge of a range of cultural topics and an understanding of the nature of politics and government in contemporary societies.

Why choose this course?

• This course equips you with the tools to understand the nature of politics in the modern world and a thorough grounding in one or more modern languages.

• It emphasises the interdisciplinary nature of the study of politics and languages, drawing on history, sociology, economics, anthropology, human geography and psychology as well as politics.

• You will be taught by politics and language specialists who pride themselves on research-led teaching.

What you will learn

This course provides you with a strong basis in British politics as well as encouraging you to think about politics from comparative and international perspectives. You will compare and contrast the institutions and practices of government in different societies and analyse different theories of politics and government. You can also choose from a number of cross-cultural modules across language-speaking areas.

The languages component is designed to give you the chance to become competent in a modern language and study the associated culture(s) of that language. You can choose French, German, Italian, Japanese or Spanish, starting at the level of language learning that suits you, whether you are a complete beginner or a native speaker. Korean and Mandarin Chinese are offered starting from beginner level.

How you will learn

This course is available to study full- or part-time. It is taught through lectures and seminars which 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

• Birkbeck is a distinguished centre of research and teaching excellence in politics. Our central London location puts us at the heart of the UK's political life and at the centre of academic London.

• Our courses are designed to encourage independent thinking and hone your argumentative, analytical and critical skills, while our teaching uniquely moves across the boundaries between subjects, encompassing, among others, economics, history and sociology.

• We have built up a strong reputation over more than 50 years for the excellence of our teaching and the international significance of our research in politics.

• You will also be taught by specialists from a centre of teaching and research excellence in languages, a community of scholars with shared interests in interdisciplinary topics and cross-cultural research. Our affiliated research centres, the Centre for French, Francophone and Comparative Studies and the Centre for Iberian and Latin American Visual Studies, provide an important platform for this exchange.

Careers and employability

On successfully graduating from this BA Politics and Language, you will have gained an array of important transferable skills, including:

• the ability to work as part of a team

• high-level oral and written communication skills in English and at least one other modern language

• research skills

• skills in evaluating and assessing types of information

• the ability to present yourself and make a compelling argument.

Graduates can pursue career paths in local and national government, policy work, research or education. Possible professions include:

• journalist

• charity officer

• diplomatic services operational officer

• civil service fast-streamer.

Course modules

For information about course structure and the modules you will be studying, please visit Birkbeck’s online prospectus.