LONDON'S GLOBAL UNIVERSITY
Language and Culture BA
UCAS code: R991
www.ucl.ac.uk/prospectus/elcs
Language and Culture BA
This distinctive programme provides enormous
flexibility for you to customise your degree
according to your linguistic and cultural
interests. You will combine the study of two
languages, with the possibility of changing
language after the first year. You will select a
focus in a chosen area of cultural studies:
cultural history; film studies; history of art;
linguistics or literary studies.
Degree summary
•
Choose from the exceptional range of languages taught at UCL,
including many of the less-spoken languages spoken in Europe and
beyond.
•
You will spend a year abroad in a country where your main language
is spoken.
•
Language learning takes place in small groups, with research-active
teachers, many of whom are native speakers. The learning is well
supported through the excellent facilities of the UCL Centre for
Languages and International Education.
•
You will benefit from the outstanding specialist library resources and
the enormous range of cultural experiences - such as exhibitions, film
festivals, concerts - that London has to offer.
In your first year, you will take two languages, one of which is nominated
as your main language (as specified in your application and offer letter).
You also take the Language and Culture Core Course (Language,
Culture and Representation) and select further cultural and linguistic
courses.
The degree offers a unique flexibility, whereby in your second year you
may confirm your initial choice of main language, and either keep your
other language as your second language, or drop this and replace it with
a further language. Alternatively, you may be able to nominate your
second language as your main language for the remainder of your
degree (subject to approval and availability).
Your third year is spent in a country where your main language is spoken.
In your final year at UCL you continue with your language studies in both
your main and second languages, or concentrate on your main language
only, and select specialist courses in your chosen cultural field.
You will initially choose two languages (one as a 'major' language, the
other as a 'minor' language) from the following wide range of languages
taught at UCL:
Ancient Greek; Arabic (may only be studied as a minor language);
Danish; Dutch; French; German; Hebrew; Icelandic; Italian; Latin;
Norwegian; Russian; Spanish; Swedish; Yiddish; a Central or East
European language (Bulgarian, Czech, Finnish, Hungarian, Polish,
Romanian, Serbian/Croatian, Slovak, Ukrainian) and Portuguese.
Please note: applicants who wish to combine Latin and Ancient Greek,
Latin and Arabic or Ancient Greek and Arabic should contact
selcs.admissions@ucl.ac.uk before applying.
Areas of cultural study offered include:
Cultural Studies; Film Studies; History of Art; Linguistics; Literary Studies;
Translation.
You will also choose School of European Languages, Culture and
Society (ELCS) courses, which may be from outside your subject area(s).
ELCS courses draw on the full range and diversity of expertise and
specialisms within the school.
Your learning
The programme and the first-year core course are run by the Language
and Culture BA Programme Tutor. Languages are taught intensively, and
you will be trained in speaking, reading, writingand translating in your
target languages. Students on this programme develop the interest and
ability of learning interdisciplinarity and cultural-based study.
Language courses are normally assessed by coursework, written and
oral examinations, and other courses through a combination of written
coursework and examinations. During your year abroad, you will prepare
a project on a topic of your choice.
Your career
On graduation from this BA you can expect to have excellent oral and
written language skills and breadth and depth in cultural knowledge. The
degree cultivates numerous transferable skills, such as the ability to
organise your time and work independently, to think critically and to
analyse and present information.
Graduates from the Language and Culture BA and related programmes
have entered a wide range of professions including: journalism, the civil
service, interpreting and translating, publishing, advertising, teaching, the
media and the arts. There is a demand for graduates proficient in several
languages, especially the less commonly-taught European languages.
First career destinations of recent graduates (2010-2013) of this
programme include:
•
•
•
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Audit Associate, Deloitte
Translator, Self-employed
Research Associate, Adamson and Partners
Accounts Executive, DLKW Low
Degree structure
In each year of your degree you will take a number of individual courses,
normally valued at 0.5 or 1.0 credits, adding up to a total of 4.0 credits for
the year. Courses are assessed in the academic year in which they are
taken. The balance of compulsory and optional courses varies from
programme to programme and year to year. A 1.0 credit is considered
equivalent to 15 credits in the European Credit Transfer System (ECTS).
Year One
Compulsory courses
Courses in both your main language and a second language
Courses from a selection of cultural/linguistic options related to your main
language
ELCS Intermediate Level course
Language, Culture and Representation (Core Course)
Year Two
Compulsory courses
Courses in both your main language and a second language (and the
possibility of changing your main/second language, subject to approval)
Courses from a selection of cultural/linguistic options related to your main
language
Courses from a selection of cultural/linguistic options related to your
second language
ELCS Intermediate Level courses or options outside SELCS (subject to
approval)
Year Three
Year abroad in the country where your main language is spoken
You will complete a 4,000-word Year Abroad Project in your major
language (except those studying Hebrew, Ancient Greek, Latin or an East
European language as a major, where assessment methods may vary by
department), and any assessment required by a host university. You have
the option of spending one semester in a British Council Assistantship or in
a work placement.
Final Year
Compulsory courses
Courses in your main language (and second language, where possible)
Courses from a selection of cultural/linguistic options
Optional courses
Courses from a selection of cultural/linguistic options from your second
language or options outside of SELCS (subject to approval)
Dissertation in Language and Culture
ELCS Advanced Level courses
Entry requirements
A levels
A level grades
AAB
A level subjects
Foreign language required to include the
following if studied as the main language: Ancient
Greek, French, Latin or Spanish grade A.
AS levels
For UK-based students a pass in a further subject
at AS level or equivalent is required.
GCSE
English Language at grade B, plus Mathematics
at grade C. For UK-based students, a grade C or
equivalent in a foreign language (other than
Ancient Greek, Biblical Hebrew or Latin) is
required. UCL provides opportunities to meet the
foreign language requirement following
enrolment, further details at:
www.ucl.ac.uk/ug-reqs
IB diploma
art and other cultural subjects. Your application must state your chosen
main language, and, if decided, your second language.
If your application demonstrates that your academic ability and motivation
make you well-suited to our degree and you receive an offer, then we
shall invite you to a post-offer Open Day, where you can experience the
sort of teaching which we offer and life in SELCS.
Fees
UK/EU fee
£9,000 (2016/17)
Overseas fee
£16,130 (2016/17)
Notes
Details about financial support are available at:
www.ucl.ac.uk/study/ug-finance
Contacts
Contact
Mrs Jo Wolff
Admissions Officer
Email
selcs.admissions@ucl.ac.uk
IB points
36
Telephone
+44 (0)20 7679 3096
Subjects
A score of 17 points in three higher level
subjects, with no score lower than 5. Higher level
subjects to include the following if studied as
main languages: French, Greek, Latin or Spanish
at grade 6.
Prospectus entry
www.ucl.ac.uk/prospectus/elcs
Key facts
REF
74% rated 4* (‘world-leading’) or 3*
(‘internationally excellent’)
Other qualifications
Department
Full lists of all degree programmes and other entry requirements can be
found on our website at: www.ucl.ac.uk/otherquals
School of European Languages, Culture and
Society
Faculty
Arts & Humanities
Undergraduate Preparatory
Certificates
UCL's Undergraduate Preparatory Certificates (UPCs) are intensive
one-year foundation courses for international students of high academic
potential, who are aiming to gain access to undergraduate degree
programmes at UCL and other top UK universities.
For more information see our website: www.ucl.ac.uk/upc
Your application
Application for admission should be made through UCAS (the
Universities and Colleges Admissions Service). Applicants currently at
school or college will be provided with advice on the process; however,
applicants who have left school or who are based outside the United
Kingdom may obtain information directly from UCAS.
In assessing your application we are looking for evidence of your interest
in and aptitude for language learning, as well as interest in literature, film,
PDF Updated: February 19, 2016
Information correct at time of going to press. See website (www.ucl.ac.uk/prospectus/elcs) for latest information