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What does Aberystwyth offer?
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Superb setting, between the sea and the mountains |
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Guaranteed first-year accommodation |
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Generous scholarship support |
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A safe environment |
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No commuting or transport problems – or costs |
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Friendly university on a human scale, not teaching by numbers |
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Flexible courses |
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Fascinating bilingual culture – particularly interesting for language students |
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But don’t listen to us: the following facts, published by the Higher Education Funding Councils in 2000, speak for themselves:
“in a recent survey of all first-year students at the end of their first year, 98% agreed that if they had to make the choice again, they would choose Aberystwyth. In fact, Aberystwyth has one of the lowest drop-out rates of any British University. Aberystwyth also has the highest percentage of students expected to complete their courses within normal time, while the employment prospects of Aberystwyth graduates are consistently and significantly higher than the national average.”
What does European Languages offer?
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A range of modules in language, literature, culture, and linguistics |
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Language courses at Beginners' level and Advanced (after ”A” level) |
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Research-led teaching by recognised experts |
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Co-ordinated interdisciplinary teaching giving our courses a genuinely European flavour |
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High-quality Language Resource Centre with full multimedia facilities including film and television viewing |
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Dedicated workroom with computer terminals and reference works |
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A high proportion of language classes taught in the target language |
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TEFL module (Teaching English as a Foreign Language), as part of your degree (ideal as preparation for language-teaching in Britain or abroad) |
The Department has revised its courses so that they now have a more genuinely ‘European’ dimension. In Part One (first year) we offer two modules which examine different aspects of European culture: Language, Culture and Identity addresses issues of linguistic identity and nationalism in France, Germany, Italy and Spain; Images of Europe looks at what is meant by the concept of ‘Europe’ in France, Germany, and Spain. At Part Two (second and third year study) there will be two new modules, dealing with the European Novel and Surrealism.
First Year Flexibility:
One of the great advantages of studying at Aberystwyth is the flexibility of the degree-scheme pathways. Some of you will come here knowing that you want to concentrate from the start on your chosen subject(s); others will want to take the opportunity to try out a new subject; and yet others know what they want to study to degree level but want to carry on with one of their other A-level subjects for a while yet. We cater to all these wishes.
Click here to see some options and degree scheme information
Click here to see our database of degree modules
Teaching Staff:
The Department regards research activity as central to its functions, not only because of our scholarly responsibility to engage in such work, but also because our academic research underpins and informs our teaching at every level. We think that it is fundamental to University teaching that it be carried out by people involved in research. Knowledge is advancing far faster than textbooks are, and only by being taught by people who are themselves working at the forefront of their subjects can you be sure that what you are being taught is up-to-date. You wouldn’t want to be taught medicine by somebody whose knowledge was all second-hand, and the same goes for French literature or German linguistics or Spanish poetry: you need to be taught by the people who know most about the subject. They will be the people whose own research work means that they are closest to the latest information on the subject, and most in touch with colleagues around the world.
The Department is home to two major, AHRB-sponsored projects: The concept of bad language in German (Dr W.V. Davies), and the Revision of the Anglo-Norman Dictionary (Professor D.A. Trotter). In addition, nearly all colleagues’ research is currently being supported by external funding from the British Academy; details may be found under Research Projects. Total external research funding attracted to the Department since1996 is now in excess of £800,000.
For further information on Departmental research, click here
Teaching Facilities in the Hugh Owen Building:
The Hugh Owen Building, in common with most of the other academic buildings in the University, is fully equipped, in nearly all classrooms, with data-projection facilities, allowing teaching to make use both of computer-based information and indeed Internet resources, and also of conventional video, DVD, or television material. This is of particular importance for modules concerning cinema, but increasingly the availability of such facilities is meaning that teaching in all subjects is becoming more innovative and more exciting. There are regular evening film screenings, some linked to the cinema modules, some of more general interest.
The Language Resource Centre:
We have invested heavily in the continuous updating of the Language Resource Centre (LRC) which consists of two rooms which are located in the same building as the Department. Fully equipped with high-specification multimedia computers, the facilities are used both for teaching and for private study. All students have 24-hour access to the LRC. In addition to access to teaching materials, both audio and video, and to Internet resources, the LRC provides film and video and television viewing facilities. The University’s software arrangements (Microsoft Campus Agreement) provide a site licence for all Microsoft products, which are freely available to all staff and students.
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As well as the computerised facilities, the LRC also offers “traditional” tape-recording facilities. These are ideal for pronunciation practice and for listening comprehension.
During office hours (9.00-5.00), the technician will be on hand to assist students with tapes, films and any general problems you may encounter in the LRC. |
Honours Workroom and computer facilities:
Students in the Department have access (during normal working hours) to a dedicated room containing both computer terminals (with full network access) and a range of language reference works. Conveniently situated within the Department, this is an ideal spot in which to work between classes, or simply as an alternative to the Library.
Hugh Owen Library:
Modern languages have been taught in Aberystwyth since 1874, and as a result, the Library has an extensive range of books and academic periodicals in all the languages which we teach. Departmental library allocations in Aberystwyth are generous, and the Department has consciously sought to ensure that the collections within our research and teaching interests are strong and up to date. The Library also houses substantial numbers of computer work stations, with access to networked printers, scanners, and image processing software. And as its name suggests, it is part of the Hugh Owen Building, so it’s just along the corridor.
... and close by
The National Library of Wales:
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Students at Aberystwyth are especially lucky to have literally on their doorstep The National Library of Wales. This institution is one of five copyright libraries entitled to receive a free copy of every book published in the United Kingdom and Ireland. Its collections, in excess of six million volumes, maps and prints, are particularly strong in the fields of literature, history, and reference. The National Library offers an exceptionally congenial setting for quiet work, and is especially used by final-year students, and by those engaged in project work where the richness of its collections is of particular value. |
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