-
CHH100
Humanities Essentials
This module provides the foundation to BA Combined Honours. Via specific case studies and cultural artefacts, you will be introduced to the different disciplines of the humanities and explore both the differences and the commonalities between them. You will examine how the humanities shape the world around us, whilst being supported to explore your own specific interests and learning to work in an interdisciplinary and comparative area of study. In so doing, you will gain an appreciation of the value of the humanities, as well as the study skills needed to succeed in humanities disciplines.
-
CHH200
Multidisciplinary Project
This module, which is compulsory for all Combined Honours students, aims to give you an introduction to the practice of independent critical and creative research. In line with the interdisciplinary nature of the degree, you will generate a research question which combines at least two humanities disciplines, then develop it into a finished project under the guidance of the module convenor.
The form that your final piece of work will take is up to you; a practice that is known as the `unessay¿. You will choose your topic and decide how you are going to present it, which means that you are free to draw on your own strengths and enthusiasms and engage in `out of the box¿ thinking that goes beyond the academic essay format. You may, for example, decide to produce a photography portfolio, write a short story, make a podcast or create an artwork. Anything and everything is acceptable so long as it engages with your research question, but must be formally agreed in advance (by Week 4 of teaching) with the module convenor. In the course of the module you will also critically reflect on the creative process of devising and completing an unessay.
-
ML-102
Reel Lives: Framing the Human Condition in European Film
Since its earliest days, cinema has had the power to illuminate the complexities of the human experience. Building on this foundation, you will examine how European filmmakers portray the struggles, triumphs, and defining moments of their films¿ characters, as well as the influence those films exert on you, the audience, within a wider cultural, social and political context. Through a selection of visually striking and emotionally resonant films, you will explore the cinematic techniques that bring these stories to life, offering insight into the human condition and contemporary debate about what it means to be European in the 21st Century. In so doing, this module asks you to reflect on that most fundamental question: what does it mean to be human?
-
ML-111
Cultural Perspectives in Modern Languages
Understanding culture is central to learning any language, and this module offers a broad introduction to the rich cultural traditions behind the languages you study. You¿ll explore a wide range of cultural forms - from poetry and novels to film, painting, and drama - and discover how they reflect the societies and historical moments in which they were created. As you develop your ability to interpret and analyse these texts, you will gain essential skills in close reading, essay writing, and cultural commentary. This module also lays a strong foundation for deeper study of cultural and historical topics in later modules.
-
ML-150
Modern Languages - Introduction to Language Teaching
This module is your starting point on the teaching pathway of the BA in Modern Languages. Over the course of the semester, you¿ll explore the key theories behind language acquisition, design meaningful learning activities, reflect on the role of both teachers and learners, and connect what you study to real-life teaching practice. You will also reflect on the ways in which motivation, technology, feedback, and classroom context all shape the language learning process.
Towards the end of the module, you will plan and deliver your own short language lesson: within a supportive environment, you will put theory into practice, experiment with teaching techniques, and build your confidence - even if you've never taught before.
By the end of the module, you¿ll have a solid understanding of what makes language teaching effective, and you¿ll be ready to develop your skills further in more advanced teaching and pedagogy modules.
-
ML-203
Reel Lives: Framing the Human Condition in European Film
Since its inception, cinema has had the power to illuminate the complexities of the human experience. Building on this foundation, this module¿will examine how European filmmakers portray the struggles, triumphs, and defining moments of their films¿ characters, as well as the influence those films exert on individual viewers within a wider cultural, social and political context. Through a selection of visually striking and emotionally resonant films, we will explore the cinematic techniques that bring these stories to life, offering insight into the human condition and what it means to be European in the 21st Century. In so doing, the module seeks to explore that most fundamental question: what does it mean to be human?
-
ML-320
Modern Languages Dissertation Preparation
This module introduces you to the practice of research and dissertation writing in the field of Modern Languages and will guide you in the first part of your dissertation preparation.
Areas covered include: selecting a relevant topic, asking relevant research questions, preparing and writing up a literature review, preparing and writing up a research proposal, research methods and library research tools, making use of foreign-language sources, structuring your dissertation, analysis and argumentation, compiling a bibliography.
In addition to lectures and seminars, you will have three meetings with your supervisor. By the end of the module you will have developed your dissertation topic, know what methodology you will use and have acquired knowledge of how to organise and lay out your dissertation.
Assessment for the module consists of a literature review, a research proposal and a presentation.
-
MLF220
Paris
The capital city of France is renowned as the capital of the nineteenth century, the arts and modernity. This module will introduce you to the unique cultural environment of Paris, and you will analyse its evolution from the nineteenth century to the present day. The main focus of the module will be the images of the city as mediated in fiction, art and iconography, architecture, music and film. The module explores the changing urban environment in Paris and its adjacent suburbs, from Baron Haussmann's controversial infrastructure projects in the nineteenth century, to the post-war construction of the HLM in the banlieues, to the twentieth-first century. The module will also examine the reputation of Paris as the capital of romance and its contemporary status as a multicultural metropolis.
-
MLF305
Intersectional Identities in Contemporary French Cinema
French cinema has long played a leading role in challenging the mores of contemporary society. Through the analysis of seven films, which will be situated in their cultural, historical and political context, this module seeks to examine the representation and intersection of race, ethnicity, class, sexuality and gender in contemporary French cinema. In so doing, it will highlight the continued importance of `la caméra-stylo¿ both for our understanding of society and the people who comprise it, and for the manner in which it encourages new ways of seeing, feeling and belonging.
