About the course

Our BA Modern Languages and English Language combines the study of one or two modern languages with a wide selection of English language or linguistics modules. The modern languages components of this course have a triple focus on developing language proficiency, cultural awareness and professional skills (not only translation/interpreting skills, but also web and publishing skills, film production and video-editing skills such as subtitling and voiceover). Our focus on skills helps you to acquire a wide range of employability skills which enhance your career prospects.

Your first, second and final years are spent at Essex, with your time split equally between studying English and studying your chosen modern language(s). In your first year of English, you take Foundations of Linguistics which looks at how sounds, words and sentences of languages are analysed in Linguistics. In your second and final year, you are able to choose from a wide range of options which include modules like: Conversation and Social Interaction, Media and Institutional Talk, Varieties of English, Language and Sex, Second Language Learning, Methodology of Teaching English as a Foreign Language (TEFL) and Lexical Change in the History of English.

In modern languages, we offer modules in French, German, Italian and Spanish at all six different proficiency levels recognised in the Common European Framework, and, provided that you complete your degree with a language module at Mastery level, you can start any of the languages you want to study at a range of different levels (beginners, post GCSE-level, post AS-level, or post A-level). Portuguese can be studied from scratch via a conversion module, provided you have an A-level in Spanish; Mandarin Chinese is offered at levels 1 and 2. Your third year is spent abroad experiencing, engaging with and integrating into another culture, either by a period of study at a partner institution offering the opportunity to operate in a different academic, linguistic and cultural environment, or by working as a language assistant and thereby acquiring valuable professional experience in an international context. Provided that this experience is part of a full year Erasmus exchange, your fees will be waived by the University.

Why study BA Modern Languages and English Language at Essex?

As a student of our Department of Language and Linguistics you will experience a lively, informal environment with many possibilities to pursue your own interests. There are number of societies within our Students’ Union which allow you to continue your interest in languages including; Modern Languages, French, German, Portuguese speaking, Spanish, Russian, and Chinese student scholars. In the most recent student satisfaction survey we received 96 per cent overall satisfaction for English Studies.

In the most recent Research Assessment Exercise (RAE, December 2008), we were rated as producing the highest proportion of world-leading linguistics research of any university in the UK. We are also responsible for some of the best-known textbooks in our areas of specialisation indicating that we are especially committed to teaching as a vital part of higher education. For modern languages our teaching focuses not only on developing your learning of languages but also providing you with practical skills for the application of your languages like interpretation and translation. All of this makes Essex a stimulating and exciting environment in which to study.

Why study this subject?

Our BA Modern Languages and English Language is the course for you if are interested in understanding more about the English language and learn up to two languages, developing key skills and cultural awareness. Our course could lead you to a career in education, administration, interpreting, media, marketing and tourism. You will develop a number of key skills which will improve your employability including; communication both in English and a foreign language, research and essay writing.

Our facilities

As a student on this course you will be able to take advantage of our extensive learning resources. You will have access to our library and network computer labs. Our Linguistics resource centre has four labs; a Eye tracking lab, a Psycholinguistics lab, a ‘Visual World’ Experimental lab and a Linguistics lab. You will have access to two multimedia language teaching labs which are equipped with state-of-the-art Sanako and Melissi Digital Classroom software. Our labs are also equipped with top of the range computers integrating audio-visual projectors and large screens. Our Open Access Lab has satellite TVs with DVD players so you can watch TV in the language you are studying. Our media studio is a recording studio equipped like a TV studio; we use this for role plays, news reading, presentations and debates.

Study abroad/placement opportunities

Within our Department of Language and Linguistics, we value the experience and opportunity that study abroad can give you. For our modern language courses, we offer two possibilities for your year abroad. The first allows you to teach English in a school, gaining valuable work experience and transferable skills whilst earning money. Alternatively you can study at one of the prestigious universities with which we have exchange links. These are: France (Lyon 3 and Nice), Quebec (Université Laval), Germany (Berlin FUB and Trier), Italy (Bologna, Trento and Urbino), Portugal (Coimbra) or Brazil (Florianopolis and Salvador), Spain (Murcia and Granada), Argentina (Córdoba), Cuba (Havana) or Mexico (Mérida and Monterrey). You may be eligible for an ERASMUS grant if you spend the year abroad at one of these European universities.

Hear what our students have to say

Introduction

As a new undergraduate, you may find university-level learning, assessment and studying differs to school or college. Here at Essex, we understand and recognise this by having support in place within our departments, schools and centres, particularly during your first year when you may notice the change more.

Your English language and linguistics teaching mainly takes the form of lectures and classes. A typical timetable includes a one-hour lecture and a one-hour class for each of your four modules every week. Your language modules will not have any lectures but will instead have three or four hours of classes, taking a practical approach to language.

Only the second and third years count towards your degree classification, however you must pass your first year in order to progress into your second year. If you do fail any of your first-year modules, then you are often allowed to re-sit exams in September.

Teaching methods and styles

Within our Department of Language and Linguistics, the modules you take employ a variety of teaching methods.

Your English language and linguistics modules have lectures that inform you of the most important topics and classes, which allow you to consolidate your learning through discussion. We believe that one of the best ways to learn about the English language is to research it yourself – our modules are designed to equip you with a wide range of practical and transferable skills. You might find yourself digitally recording dialect speakers in a small traditional fishing community or scouring digitised child language databanks to see how children acquire the sounds and structures of English.

In your study of modern languages we use a wealth of activities designed to develop your practical language skills. We combine traditional methods with state-of-the-art technologies and materials to create an ideal learning environment. Cultural and social themes are explored through film, music, the internet, theatre and literature.

Methods of assessment

Within our Department of Language and Linguistics, we use a variety of assessment methods depending on your course.

For English language and linguistics courses, your modules are most often assessed by written coursework and an examination at the end of the year. Your language modules assess you using role-play activities, class presentations, essays, book reports, translations, project work, web-based assignments, as well as class tests and you will have an exam in the summer. Usually, coursework grade and examination results are equally weighted in calculating the grade for your module.

Career destinations

At a time when companies and organisations in the UK and abroad are struggling to find university graduates who are fluent in at least one other language, apart from English, being an Essex modern languages graduate places you in a very advantageous position. You will be able to speak and write fluently, or to a very competent standard, in up to four languages. Our courses provide you with sought-after skills such as communication – both written and spoken – critical thinking, presentation and team work.

Studying at a university abroad, or working as a language assistant in your third year, provides you with insights into other cultures and enables you to adapt to new and changing surroundings. These skills have value in a job market that is becoming increasingly global and will be appreciated by employers, whatever career path you follow.

In your final year, you acquire translation, interpreting and subtitling skills which have led our recent graduates to go on to postgraduate studies in these fields. Language skills are in scarce supply and can be used in almost any job. Our graduates become teachers, translators, administrators and journalists. Their valued language skills have enabled them to work in diverse fields including banking, entertainment, media, education and tourism, as well as for a host of UK and international companies.

Your employability and Essex

At Essex we take your employability seriously, helping you become a rounded individual with the ability to succeed, whatever your plans. You’ll find your department works with our Employability and Careers Centre to inform you about options to study or work overseas, your Faculty Employability Coordinator finds degree-related work placements, and our Students’ Unions ensures that, annually, over 700 students volunteer and more than 4,000 get involved in sports, clubs and societies.

At Essex you can gain new skills that look good on your CV, like paid placements through our frontrunners scheme, graduate-level paid internships, and opportunities to develop discipline-specific skills as part of your studies.

We help you understand your skills, and how to demonstrate these to an employer. You can get our extra-curricular employability award – the Big Essex Award – recorded on your transcript, receive one-to-one advice on careers, use our Essex CV guides on applying for work, learn from famous entrepreneurs and take part in workshops, and meet employers through on-campus events.

We develop your employability through fantastic opportunities, and give you the tools to explore the meaning of your unique experiences, so you are ready for your future.

Global employability

Here at Essex, our students can undertake period of study or work abroad specifically tailored to his/her academic interests and future career plans. You are taught and assessed by your host university, so assessment may be in the form of written papers, oral or written exams, lab or project work, research, or work-based learning. All successfully completed pre-approved modules will be credited towards your Essex degree.

Study abroad is an excellent opportunity for personal development. It affords you the chance to become immersed in another culture over a sustained period, coming to know a country and its people in a way that you could not hope to as a tourist. It is also an opportunity to experience a different educational system and develop different skills. You learn to view the world (and your academic discipline) from another perspective, becoming more independent and confident.

Study abroad also enhances your employability. It helps your CV stand out from other candidates and signals to an employer that you have maturity, adaptability and organisational skills. As the world of business is becoming increasingly international, the experience of living abroad is, in itself, attractive to many employers. Depending upon your study abroad destination, you may also gain fluency in another language, which is a highly attractive skill to have as you enter the employment market.

If you are interested in learning another language then our Languages for All programme enables you to study a language, alongside your course, at no extra cost. You can take one of 50 taught language modules on a part-time day-time basis, or undertake flexible web-based learning, or opt for a language module taught in the evening. As employers can struggle to find graduates able to speak more than one language, Languages for All places Essex graduates in a very advantageous position.

Postgraduate opportunities

Within our Department of Language and Linguistics, we offer taught Masters courses and research supervision for PhD and MPhil. Our taught courses typically consist of eight one-term modules assessed by coursework and a 16,000-word dissertation, which allows you to focus in depth on a topic of special interest from April onwards. The flexible modular structure means that our MAs can be followed on a 12-month full-time and a 24-month part-time basis.

Comprising 24 academic staff, we offer teaching and research supervision in: language acquisition, language learning and language teaching; culture and communication; psycholinguistics; language disorders; sociolinguistics; and theoretical and descriptive linguistics.