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German and Italian (BA) (UCAS RR23)

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German and Italian at Warwick

This course will not be available for 2022 entry, but you may be interested in our BA Modern Languages degree.

BA Modern Languages

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RR23

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Bachelor of Arts (BA)

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4 years full-time, normally including a year abroad

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26 September 2022

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Modern Languages and Cultures

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University of Warwick

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A modern languages degree equips you with excellent communication, research, critical and evaluative skills, all of which are highly sought after by employers. German and Italian (BA) gives you the opportunity to develop your understanding of the language, literature, culture and society of Italian and German-speaking countries, in both a historical and a contemporary perspective.

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German and Italian is a joint degree that allows you to develop your knowledge and understanding of the language, literature, culture, society, and politics of Italian and German-speaking countries, from both a historical and a contemporary perspective.

Equal weight is given to both languages and cultures, and in each year four modules are taken: one module is devoted to each language and one further module is taken in each subject. Optional modules include the study of history, politics, literature, film, and culture.

You will normally spend your second or third year abroad, consolidating and enhancing your learning. If you are studying German for the first time, your year abroad will be in your third year.

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In your first year, you will follow a core German language programme at either beginner or advanced level and take a core Italian language module (depending on your language combination, this is also available at beginner or advanced level).

In German, you will also choose between two cultural modules, focusing on either the history and culture of German society since 1945 or German culture in the late eighteenth century. Both of these modules provide an excellent foundation for studying further aspects of German history, culture, and society in the later stages of your degree.

In Italian, you will take the Introduction to Italian Culture or the History of Modern Italy.

In your intermediate and final years, you will have a core module for both German and Italian languages, and the opportunity to develop your own particular interests beyond the language.

You can choose from a wide selection of optional modules that cover a broad range of subjects in German and Italian culture, society, literature, politics, philosophy, film, and history, as well as translation and transnationalism. You can also opt to study some of our interdisciplinary cross-School modules.

You can choose to spend your year abroad studying at a university in a German-speaking country or on a British Council Assistantship or a work placement. Currently, during the year abroad students usually attend a residential orientation course in Germany at Easter time. Led by departmental staff, who travel out to lead the event, the course offers skills development, pastoral care, careers advice, and guidance on final year study.

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We employ a variety of teaching styles within the School of Modern Languages including:

Lectures
Seminars (consisting of around 15 students and focussing on student participation)
Written and spoken language classes in small groups

You will spend the rest of your time:

Studying independently
Preparing for classes
Reading
Analysing materials set for study
Writing essays
Working on your language skills

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Seminars generally involve around 15 students.

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12 hours per week (15 hours per week in first year).

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We will track your progress through:

Language assignments
Essays
Presentations
Portfolio submissions
Examinations (written and oral)

To help you improve your skills you will receive detailed and personalised feedback throughout your course.

Your intermediate- and final-year marks each contribute 50% of your final degree classification.

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Study abroad

We strongly recommend that you take a year abroad as part of your modern languages degree, if you are able to. If you are unable to take a year abroad you will move to a three-year. You will be required to complete further language reinforcement work. You will also be encouraged to spend time abroad in other ways, during vacation times.

You will usually spend your year abroad doing one of three things:

Working as a language assistant teaching English in a primary or secondary school
Studying full-time at a partner university in your chosen country
On a work placement

We also hold a residential course in Germany, open to all of our students on their year abroad.

Find out more about flexible Year Abroad options.

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AAB to include either German or Italian

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36 to include 5 in Higher Level German or Italian

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We welcome applications from students taking BTECs alongside an A level in either Italian or German

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Year One

Modern German Language 1

You will develop your translation, grammatical and speaking skills in German, and in doing so broaden your vocabulary and range of idiom, expression and awareness of various stylistic registers. You will work in a pair or group on a media project under the supervision of a tutor, which will contribute to your end-of-year mark in spoken German.

Modern German Language for Beginners

As a beginner in the acquisition of the German language, you will cover the main linguistic skills in speaking, listening, writing and reading. You will focus on gaining grammatical accuracy as well and communicative fluency and competence. By the end of the year, you will be expected to be able to sustain everyday conversations in German, read authentic texts such as newspaper articles, follow the gist of TV extracts and be able to write an intermediate range of texts in German. You will also work on basic translations to and from German as a means of consolidating your knowledge.

Modern Italian Language for Beginners

Would you like the challenge of learning a new language at university? This foundation module for absolute beginners combines the acquisition of core language skills with knowledge of broader aspects of Italian culture, equipping you with the tools to engage with a wide range of relevant, contemporary topics in Italian. Opportunities to practise your Italian vary from role play to quizzes, working both individually and in your group. Successful completion will mean you are able to hold a conversation in Italian, read newspapers and get the gist of TV and radio programmes in Italian.

Modern Italian Language 1 (Intermediate)

Do you need to consolidate and expand your competence in Italian while enjoying talking about culture and society? If so, this is the module for you. You’ll be given opportunities to revise fundamental grammar and vocabulary before acquiring more complex grammatical constructions, including through translation. We will integrate cultural topics with your linguistic studies, so you have the chance to explore areas such as tourism, the arts, the environment and Italian traditions. You will have opportunities for individual and group presentations and to engage in activities that integrate the skills of listening, reading, writing and speaking. By the end of your course, you’ll be expected to be able to write competently in several registers, using appropriate styles and terminology, and to converse in Italian to a good standard.

Modern Italian Language 1 (Advanced)

Would you like to use your Italian A level (or equivalent) language skills creatively? This module will develop your linguistic and intercultural competence in Italian by means of advanced activities, including creative writing, translation, debates, presentations and drama. You will explore linguistic structures using resources in a variety of media and engage with authentic and sophisticated texts to compare cultural systems and express your opinion critically and creatively. In translation, you will experiment with different genres, registers and styles to enhance your cultural appreciation of Italian. Finally, you will have opportunities to explore cultural subjects and lead group discussions.

An Italian cultural module:

The History of Modern Italy

You will chart the course of cultural, political and social change in Italy over the past century, studying key moments in its history, including the rise of fascism, World War II, the economic boom of the late 1950s, and political extremism of the 1970s, through to contemporary issues such as immigration and recent economic and political crises. You will study these events through the lens of literary and cinematic works and gain an understanding of how they have contributed to the nature and identity of contemporary Italy, in order to prepare you for your year abroad and further study of Italian culture. You will also build your competence in textual analysis, independent research and essay-writing.

Introduction to Italian Culture

How should we ‘read’ a literary or visual text? What are the considerations of form, audience and context that enable us to make sense of a cultural product? In what ways should a performance be understood differently from something fixed on the page? You will address these questions by considering four representative avenues of expression in Italian culture, namely cinema, short stories, lyric poetry and theatre-writing. You will refine your skills of analysis and have the opportunity to sample different periods of Italian culture, from the Renaissance through to intellectuals such as Italo Calvino, Primo Levi, and the poet Giacomo Leopardi, representative of the Romantic tradition. You will end your course equipped with the appropriate technical vocabulary to discuss different art forms fluently and in an informed manner.

A German cultural module:

The Changing Face of Germany in Film and Text

In your study of the intellectual history of post-war Germany, you will consider the rise of the mass media and the role played by writers and intellectuals. Through your analysis of diverse literary and filmic texts, you will build your understanding of major landmarks in German history, including post-WWII political reconstruction, the development of the press in the Federal Republic, unification and military reintegration, the opposition to rearmament and student movements, and migration and settlement. The work of intellectuals such as Heinrich Böll, Peter Weiss, Bernhard Schlink, Rainer Werner Fassbinder and Paul Verhoeven will inform your studies.

Power and Passion: The Making of Modern German Culture

Starting with the study of the social milieu of late 18th century Germany, you will consider the cultural and intellectual changes of this period, and in particular the rise of the middle classes in the Age of Enlightenment. You will engage with the work of the globally significant writers of this period, including Goethe and Schiller, and study the light they cast on the emerging middle-class consciousness just prior to the cataclysmic changes of the French Revolution of 1789.

Intermediate Year

Modern German Language 2

In this second-year module, you will increase your general and specialised vocabulary in German through translation into English and German, essay-writing in German, spoken and listening comprehension, and work on business-related materials. In pursuit of these aims, you will learn to identify and rectify grammatical problems, and gain increased sensitivity towards language in general, and an awareness of register, semantics and style in particular. You will also gain important research skills, including correct use of dictionaries.

Modern German Language 2 (Post-beginners)

You will increase the range of your general and specialised vocabulary in German, improve your speaking, listening and comprehension skills, and develop your ability to translate from German, including through a sound knowledge of grammar, register, semantic nuances and style. There will be opportunities to write in German and to work on business-related materials.

Modern Italian Language 2

This module will extend and refine your competence in Italian. With an emphasis on the key skills of reading, listening, speaking and writing, you will consolidate your proficiency in both new and familiar grammatical and linguistic structures, and expand the range and sophistication of your vocabulary and use of register in spoken and written discourse. In addition to classroom exercises, advanced discursive written work and oral projects, you will also be directed to appropriate activities for self-study.

Modern Italian Language 3

On this module, you will develop your translation, writing and oral communication skills to advanced level. You will engage in translation as a practical skill, working to produce translations of literary, journalistic and academic texts with a focus on conveying nuances of meaning and culturally specific terms. You will develop greater fluency in different writing styles and genres. Oral sessions will increase your familiarity with more sophisticated registers of spoken Italian and raise your awareness of recent developments in Italian society so that you can discuss aspects of contemporary Italy in relation to your personal experiences.

A selection of optional modules in the School of Modern Languages and Cultures (60 credits)

Final Year

Modern German Language 3

In this third-year module, you will use vocabulary of increasing sophistication in both general and specialised fields, and improve your skills in spoken and written German and translation. You will improve your listening and reading comprehension skills, and learn to identify and rectify grammatical problems. An important aim of the course is to cultivate sensitivity towards language in general, and an awareness of register, semantics and style in particular.

Modern Italian Language 4

Building on Intermediate year language, you will deepen your writing, speaking and translation skills, paying particular attention to register and style and learning some of the underpinning translation theory. We approach translation not just as a linguistic exercise but as a practical skill, so you will work to produce translations of literary, journalistic and academic texts, and explore techniques for conveying semantic nuances, culturally specific terms and more sophisticated registers of spoken Italian. Both the writing and oral components of the course will raise your awareness of recent developments in Italian society and enable you to discuss relevant aspects of contemporary Italy in relation to your personal experience.

A selection of optional modules in the School of Modern Languages and Cultures (60 credits)

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There may be costs associated with other items or services such as academic texts, course notes, and trips associated with your course. Students who choose to complete a work placement or study abroad will pay reduced tuition fees for their third year.

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