Outreach and Widening Participation
Languages open doors to new cultures, perspectives, and opportunities. To help students explore these possibilities, we offer a series of free online masterclasses, workshops, and taster sessions. Designed to support language learning and complement the KS5 curriculum, these sessions seek to consolidate prior learning and introduce new languages and ideas. For those considering languages at university, they also provide a valuable opportunity to engage in subject enrichment and demonstrate supercurricular engagement.
Accessible, engaging, and easy to fit into the school day, we aim to demonstrate the value and excitement of language learning while showcasing the wide range of opportunities that accompany language learning.
What We Offer
Our sessions cover the full range of languages taught within the Department of Modern Languages, Translation and Interpreting. These include French, German, Spanish, Catalan, Italian, Chinese, and Portuguese.
Alongside language tasters, we offer specialist sessions on topics related to language, culture, society, translation, and linguistics. Many sessions are designed to complement the A-level curriculum, while others introduce students to the themes and perspectives which they may not encounter in school.
Specifically, sessions cover topics such as:
- French: la langue inclusive; pronunciation; poetry; the French-speaking World; Indila; post-colonialism, memory and identity; La Rafle; Un Secret; La Haine
- German: life in the GDR; business German; German language tasters and pronunciation masterclasses; Udo Lindenberg; Die Verwandlung
- Spanish: the two Spains; plurinational identities; Welsh Patagonia; ser vs. estar; Arab heritage and loanwords in Spanish; reggaeton; business Spanish; Christmas in the Hispanic World; Evaluna; Volver; María, llena eres de gracia
- Catalan, Chinese, Italian and Portuguese: language tasters
Additional sessions (non-language specific) cover:
- Technology and vocabulary acquisition; the IRP; UCAS applications, the personal statement, and languages at university; an introduction to interpreting; translating film and/or the localisation of video games; the perks and pitfalls of machine translation
Flexible and Easy to Access
All outreach sessions can be delivered either online or in person at our Singleton Campus. Sessions can be scheduled during lessons, tutor periods, enrichment activities, lunchtime events, or careers programmes, making them easy to integrate into existing timetables. And if there is a particular topic that would benefit your students, but which is not listed above, please do get in touch as we may be able to design a more bespoke session for your group.
Given their focus, sessions are available primarily for students in Years 12–13, with a particular emphasis on supporting both attainment and progression into post-18 language study.
Rationale
Research consistently demonstrates the personal, cultural, and professional benefits of language learning. However, participation in modern languages in the UK continues to decline. We believe that small, targeted interventions can play an important role in raising aspirations, broadening horizons, and encouraging students to continue studying languages beyond compulsory education.
These sessions form part of Swansea University's wider commitment to supporting language learning, promoting multilingualism, and strengthening partnerships with schools and colleges across Wales and the UK.
Book a Session
To request a session for your school or college, please email languages@swansea.ac.uk A member of the team will then be in touch to discuss dates, timings, and the sessions that best suit your students.
We look forward to working with you and your learners.