Core modules
50% of your degree will be in Economics and 50% in the School of Modern Languages and Cultures.
Throughout your degree, you will study Italian language at the appropriate level alongside modules in Italian culture. The Italian side of your degree will extend your understanding of the language, literature, culture, history, society and politics of Italy.
On the Economics side of your degree, you will take two core modules, ‘Economics 1’ and ‘Quantitative Techniques’, to introduce you to the core concepts and methods that will support you in your study of the subject.
In your intermediate and final years, you will further develop your Italian language skills in more advanced language classes. You will be able to develop your own particular interests in Italian-speaking culture by choosing from a wide selection of modules offered by specialists in Italian culture, society, literature, politics, philosophy, film, and history. If you wish, you can also select from interdisciplinary cross-School modules. In Economics, you will also be to balance core knowledge with the opportunity to explore your own interests, taking core and optional modules.
Year One
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.
Read more about Modern Italian Language for BeginnersLink opens in a new window, including the methods of teaching and assessment (content applies to 2024/25 year of study).
or
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.
Read more about Modern Italian Language 1 (Intermediate)Link opens in a new window, including the methods of teaching and assessment (content applies to 2024/25 year of study).
or
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.
Read more about Modern Italian Language 1 (Advanced)Link opens in a new window, including the methods of teaching and assessment (content applies to 2024/25 year of study).
An Italian cultural module:
Introducing Italy: Local and Global Perspectives
How do we define Italy? What do we mean by Italian culture and identity? One of the defining features of Italy has been how it has engaged with other countries, powers and cultures throughout its history, even before it officially became a nation state in 1861.
This module examines how Italian identities have been formed through interaction with other cultures and how Italian thought and culture has shaped the world around us from medieval times to the present day. The module traces the development of a standard Italian language and its relationship with dialects and local identities. It examines the processes leading to the establishment of an Italian nation state. We will consider internal diversity within Italy (regional and linguistic diversity, ethnic diversity, gender and sexuality), before moving on to look at Italy's cultural influence globally, from anglophone receptions of Dante's Divine Comedy and the influence of Renaissance thought in Europe, to stardom in Italian film.
The last section of the module questions the impact of mobility on questions of belonging, examining Italian emigration, the colonial period, and contemporary immigration. The module aims to situate the study of Italy within a global perspective, whilst maintaining a focus on local specificities.
Read more about Introducing Italy: Local and Global Perspectives, including the methods of teaching and assessment (content applies to 2024/25 year of study).
Either:
Economics 1
You'll develop an understanding of fundamental and intermediate concepts in micro- and macroeconomic analysis, equipping you with a range of appropriate analytical skills, including descriptive, graphical and mathematical methods. This will develop your ability to analyse economic trends, institutions and policies and the capacity to apply analytical techniques to real-world problems.
Read more about the Economics 1 moduleLink opens in a new window, including the methods of teaching and assessment (content applies to 2024/25 year of study).
or
Quantitative Techniques
This module combines two modules: Mathematical Techniques and Statistical Techniques. You may study these topics at either an intermediate or advanced level, depending on your existing Maths qualifications.
You will cover topics ranging from algebra and calculus to distributions and hypothesis testing, which will provide you with key skills and knowledge that will then be applied in many other modules. In addition, you will be introduced to some advanced statistical software packages, which will help you learn about a range of techniques to analyse data and different ways in which you can present data.
Read more about these modules, including the methods of teaching and assessment (content applies to 2024/25 year of study):
Intermediate Year
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.
Read more about Modern Italian Language 2Link opens in a new window, including the methods of teaching and assessment (content applies to 2024/25 year of study).
or
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.
Read more about Modern Italian Language 3Link opens in a new window, including the methods of teaching and assessment (content applies to 2024/25 year of study).
Economics 2
In this module, you'll develop a deeper understanding of some of the key economic concepts introduced in your first year, but will also be introduced to new concepts in both micro- and macroeconomic analysis. These include material drawn from general equilibrium, welfare economics, game theory, risk and uncertainty within microeconomics and the three-equation macro model, open economy macroeconomics and the labour market within macroeconomics. It will introduce you to the analysis of public policy issues such as market failure, insurance, monetary unions and fiscal policy, and will give you a range of tools to analyse economic problems. Your analysis will be underpinned by a rigorous theoretical understanding acquired on the course.
Read more about the Economics 2 moduleLink opens in a new window, including the methods of teaching and assessment (content applies to 2024/25 year of study).
Either:
Applied Econometrics
You'll learn important skills of both academic and vocational value, an essential part of the intellectual training of an economist and social scientist, and also useful for your future career. These skills include awareness of the empirical approach to economics and social science; reviewing and extending fundamental statistical concepts; methods of data collection and analysis; regression analysis, its extensions and applications; and use of statistical packages such as STATA. You will then be able to apply this knowledge to a research project of your own.
Read more about the Applied Econometrics moduleLink opens in a new window, including the methods of teaching and assessment (content applies to 2024/25 year of study).
or
Econometrics 1
You'll be equipped with important skills of both academic and vocational value, being an essential part of the intellectual training of an economist and also useful for your future career. This includes an awareness of the empirical approach to economics; experience in analysis and use of empirical data; understanding the nature of uncertainty and methods of dealing with it; and using econometric software packages as tools of quantitative and statistical analysis. With the required necessary skills and knowledge to critically appraise work in applied economics, you'll have a good grasp of the dangers, pitfalls and problems encountered in applied modelling. You will then be able to apply this knowledge to a research project.
Read more about the Econometrics 1 moduleLink opens in a new window, including the methods of teaching and assessment (content applies to 2024/25 year of study).
A selection of optional modules in Italian Studies which may include thematic modules from the School of Modern Languages and Cultures.
Final Year
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.
Read more about Modern Italian Language 4Link opens in a new window, including the methods of teaching and assessment (content applies to 2024/25 year of study).
Research in Applied Economics
You will have the opportunity to deepen and consolidate your knowledge by applying your understanding of economic theory to a research question that arouses your curiosity. You will use a combination of economic analysis and statistical and econometric techniques to formulate and pursue your research interest, supported by lectures on research methodology and supervision by a member of academic staff, who will support your research towards an independent project. The work will increase your confidence in formulating economic questions, and the scientific method of developing a suitable approach, conducting a literature review and data searches, identifying and testing hypotheses and using your findings to construct coherent, persuasive scholarly arguments, presented in both written and oral form.
Read more about the Research in Applied Economics moduleLink opens in a new window, including the methods of teaching and assessment (content applies to 2024/25 year of study).
or
Research Methods in Economics
Read more about the Research Methods in Economics moduleLink opens in a new window, including the methods of teaching and assessment (content applies to 2022/23 year of study).
A selection of optional modules in Economics and/or optional modules from Italian Studies including thematic modules from across the School of Modern Languages and Cultures.
Optional modules
Optional modules can vary from year to year. Example optional modules may include:
