French and Italian

An undergraduate degree in French and Italian at Birmingham allows you to engage with both languages and their cultures across an extensive variety of topics

With this intercultural degree, you will develop a full range of language skills in French and Italian, as well as taking courses on a wide range of relevant topics, which are taught by leading experts in their fields. Choose to study modules from contemporary French politics and society, French literature, history and cinema, combined with topics in Medieval Italy and the Italian Renaissance, as well as contemporary Italian literature, film, politics and media.

You will also experience the exciting opportunities offered by a Year Abroad, where you will immerse yourself in the cultural and educational environments of your chosen languages.

Delve further into your language studies by choosing a selection of exciting optional modules, which may include:

Icons of Italy

La France Moderne

Défis contemporains de la société française

From Princesses to Poisoners: Gender, Identity and Society in Seventeenth-century French texts

The Algerian War

Translation in Theory and Practice in Europe

Dante: Word, Music and Image

And cross-departmental modules such as:

Thinking Otherwise: Decolonial approaches to contemporary thought and culture

Introduction to Linguistics

Constructions of gender, sexuality and race  

Cross-cultural Cinema: Migration and Displacement

From Text to Tech: Digital Approaches to Languages and Cultures

The Romance languages: structure, variation and change

There's an extensive range of language combinations available to you within our Modern Languages department.

Why study this course?

Experience a new approach to language learning with our CLIL (Content Language Integrated Learning) teaching method - study topics of cultural significance in French and Italian, designed and delivered by expert researchers.

Teach, study or complete a work placement abroad, immersing yourself in your target languages.

Learn in a vibrant city that is culturally, ethnically and religiously diverse. Join our language and culture-based societies to further enhance your skills and contribute to the student-led Linguist Magazine.

Enjoy focused academic contact – We pride ourselves on competitive contact hours. These take place in small groups, encouraging active language learning through engagement with cultural material.

17th for French in the Complete University Guide by subject (2024)

Top 100 for Modern Languages in the QS World Subject Rankings (2024)