Digital Media and Language (French, German, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Spanish)

Our BA Digital Media and Language combines the study of a modern language (French, German, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Spanish) with the development of academic knowledge and skills in the fast-changing field of digital media.

Our world today is increasingly digital. We can know our city’s iconic places through location-aware apps. We shape our identity alongside social media influencers. We fuel the growth of platform monopolies through small, daily gestures like posting videos or ‘liking’ friends’ jokes. We are learning that biases around race, class, gender and sexuality are embedded into algorithms that need to be challenged.

The digital media modules are taught by leading academic researchers, as well as industry professionals with professional knowledge and aptitudes in areas such as social media, digital design, video editing and entrepreneurship.

The languages component of this degree is designed to give you the chance to reach a high level of competence in a modern language of your choice 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 is offered starting from beginner level. If you decide to take this language, your final degree award will be a ‘with’ degree, so for example BA Digital Media with Korean, because we currently offer this language up to intermediate level only.

By the end of this digital media and language degree you will have developed high-level skills using digital technologies, and an understanding of the cultural, political and historical contexts of digital culture. You will also have the opportunity to study a number of cross-cultural modules which will allow you to explore specific themes across a variety of language-speaking areas.

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.

This course has an evening timetable with lectures, seminars and classes taking place in the evening.

Highlights

Birkbeck was ranked as one of the top four universities in the UK for its Art and Design research in the 2021 Research Excellence Framework.

In film, media and cultural studies, Birkbeck fosters an especially research-intensive environment. We offer an extensive portfolio of internationally respected courses that span a variety of academic disciplines and engage with the latest ideas and techniques in journalism, media and cultural theory, arts policy and management, film and television studies, creative marketing, digital culture and East Asian cultural studies.

Attend our dynamic programme of seminars, events and guest lectures organised by affiliated research centres and networks.

Make yourself at home in our Bloomsbury campus, which includes facilities such as the award-winning Birkbeck Cinema, the Peltz Gallery, and computer labs equipped with video editing, print layout and web design software packages.

Learn from leading academic researchers in the field such as Scott Rodgers, Joel McKim, Rebekah Cupitt, Silke Arnold-de Simine, Lina Džuverović, Robert Topinka, Sophie Hope and Professor Tim Markham. Acquire up-to-date skills and knowledge from experienced industry practitioners at the heart of London's global media industry.

Careers and employability

Graduates can pursue careers in the media and cultural industries, for example in:

translation work

digital design and management

film and television

curatorial practice

news media and PR

cultural and educational institutions

public policy or professional communications.