English and Language (French, German, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Spanish) with Foundation Year

Our BA English and Language allows you to combine studying a modern language (French, German, Italian, Japanese, Korean or Spanish) and its associated culture with English literature.

You will gain a thorough grounding in different areas of English literature and engage imaginatively in the reading and analysis of literary texts from all periods, from the medieval period to the present day.

Developing a critical approach will be key, so that you can put your own and others' work in context. You will also have the opportunity to study a number of cross-cultural modules that will allow you to explore specific themes across a variety of language-speaking areas.

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 English with Korean, because we currently offer this language up to intermediate level only.

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 2nd in the UK for its English Language and Literature research in the 2021 Research Excellence Framework.

Ours is a community of scholars with shared interests in interdisciplinary topics and cross-cultural research. Our affiliated research centres, the Centre for French, Francophone and Comparative Studies (CFFCS) and the Centre for Iberian and Latin American Visual Studies (CILAVS), provide an important platform for this exchange. We also convene the Eighteenth-Century Research Group.

You could be studying in a building that was once home to Virginia Woolf and frequented by members of the Bloomsbury Group. The building houses our own creative hub which includes the Peltz Gallery, the Gordon Square Cinema and a theatre and performance space.

Based at the heart of one of the world's most exciting cities, we combine lectures, seminars and workshops with visits to theatres and other cultural and artistic institutions, and we frequently collaborate with leading arts, cultural, theatre and dance and performing arts organisations, allowing you to ground your studies in real-world practice.

Careers and employability

Graduates can pursue career paths in writing and journalism, publishing, editing or research. Possible professions include:

editorial assistant

newspaper/magazine/broadcast journalist

writer

academic librarian

public relations officer

translator

interpreter

secondary school teacher

English as a Foreign Language teacher.

We offer a comprehensive careers service - Careers and Enterprise - your career partner during your time at Birkbeck and beyond. At every stage of your career journey, we empower you to take ownership of your future, helping you to make the connection between your experience, education and future ambitions.