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School of Modern Languages

Our courses

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European Languages and Cultures (MA)

Director of Graduate Studies: Dr Jordi Cornellà-Detrell

Please also read the MA Handbook.

The School of Modern Languages at Bangor currently offers both taught postgraduate degrees and research-based postgraduate degrees covering a broad range of specialist and interdisciplinary areas within French, German, Hispanic and Italian studies. Recent developments have seen the introduction of an exciting range of opportunities within the field of Translation Studies and the establishment of the dynamic Centre for Galician Studies in Wales. Each year, the School supports a range of culture specific research events such as the Modern Languages Research Forum and the School’s Postgraduate Forum. Students will also benefit from the career development support mechanisms offered by the College of Arts, Education and Humanities.

Bangor has a long tradition of excellent student support. There is a lively and expanding postgraduate community within the School, and students work in a close-knit and supportive environment. Depending on the chosen research area, students will be assigned one or two supervisors and are guaranteed full access to computing facilities (including translation memory software), library provision, and all School resources including the film library. There is a dedicated postgraduate study area within the School which students are encouraged to use as often as they can.

The School offers international scholarships as well as fee remission scholarships for MA/PhD study each year; contact Dr Jordi Cornellà-Detrell for details.

Description

The MA in European Languages and Cultures provides students with the opportunity to specialise in specific aspects of European culture. These can be:

  • historical
  • cinematic
  • literary
  • cultural
  • interdisciplinary

Having completed compulsory modules in 'Research methods' and 'Critical Analysis', students choose a language specific module from those on offer in any given year (in French, German, Italian or Spanish).

These courses form the necessary preparation for the short thesis on a topic of personal interest which completes this MA qualification.

Assessment is by essays, seminar papers, portfolio and a dissertation.

The School of Modern Languages offers research supervision in a variety of areas and languages and provides research opportunities in a personal and vibrant environment.

This course is designed for those wishing to pursue research interests relating to a European context with a view to a specific career, as well as also providing the foundation for students who intend to continue their research at Bangor in the shape of a PhD qualification

Course Structure

For more detail on the below modules, please see the MA Handbook.

Semester 1:

LXM4002 Research Methods (30 credits, compulsory): This includes skills in academic writing, presenting, and conducting bibliographic research in different language areas.

LXM4001 Modes of Critical Theory (30 credits, compulsory): This module takes a thematic approach to critical modes of analysis and critical theories. Up to six themes to be studied in a given academic year, including (but not limited to):

  • Memory
  • Self / Other
  • Aesthetics
  • National Identity
  • Conflict
  • Performance
  • Space / City
  • National / Cultural Boundaries
  • Theories of Language

Semester 2:

LXM4031 Critical Theory in Practice (30 credits, compulsory): Building on Critical Analysis 1, this module incorporates student-led case studies based on themes studied in semester 1, and requires some target-language academic writing to complement analysis conducted.

Target Language option module (30 credits, select one from the following options):

German

  • LXM4007 (Non)conformity in the GDR
  • LXM4026 Sites of Memory in Eastern Germany
  • LXM4008 Writing Austria 
  • LXM4029 German Memory Pathologies

French

  • LXM4010 From Decadence to Dada
  • LXM4011 Visions of the City in French Cinema
  • From 2013/14 Noirs de France: Immigration, Integration and Identity
  • From 2013/14 From Surrealism to Street Art: Art, Politics and Everyday Life in France

 Spanish

  • LXM4012 Translating Spain
  • LXM4013 Twentieth-Century Spanish Women’s Writing
  • LXM2020 Watching Spain: Visual Representations of the 20th Century

 Italian

  • LXM4016 Italian Romanticism
  • LXM4017 Twentieth-Century Italian Short Fiction

Summer:

LXM4018 Dissertation (60 credits, compulsory): 20,000 words on topic relevant to chosen language specialism or comparative (to be approved in Semester 1).

Contact

For further details of the course structure and content, applying, funding and a list of the Academic staff contributing to this course, please contact Dr Jordi Cornellà-Detrell.

Telephone

01248 382130 

Qualification

MA

Duration

1 year full-time or 2 years part-time

Entry

A good honours degree or equivalent.