We’ll make sure you start at a level that matches your ability in your chosen languages. This will help you make rapid progress, preparing you to live and work in a globalised world.
French at Kent is a lively and friendly learning community, offering an inspiring teaching programme driven by internationally renowned researchers. You’ll develop advanced linguistic skills in a language, as well as a deep understanding of the cultures, histories and structures of French-speaking nations worldwide.
You will work in lectures, seminars and one-to-one tutorials with staff who are specialists in French art, literature, film, philosophy, critical theory and linguistics, as well as with our team of language lectors who are native speakers.
The University of Kent is an ideal location to study French. Canterbury is the closest British university city to mainland Europe, and our proximity to the Channel ports and Eurostar stations means you can be in Paris, Lille or Brussels in just a couple of hours. There is a large community of French-speaking students on campus, so you have a better chance to immerse yourself in the French language than at any other university in the country.
You have the option to spend a year working or studying abroad between your second and final year of study, studying at one of our renowned partner universities, teaching English as part of a British Council placement or gaining valuable employment experience and practical applied learning by working abroad. You’ll develop your language skills, grow in self-confidence and gain a new academic perspective. Our link with the Chambre de Commerce et d’Industrie de Paris also gives any student at Kent the opportunity to sit for their internationally recognised diplomas.
German at Kent is characterised by a wide-ranging approach to the society, literature and culture of the German-speaking world, in particular Germany and Austria. German is a passport to a diverse community of 200 million speakers worldwide, a major economy whose political and diplomatic influence reaches across the world.
Fluency in German, combined with knowledge of political and cultural developments in the German-speaking world, opens up career opportunities in many parts of the continent.
At Kent, we specialise in teaching the language, literature and culture of the German-speaking world of today, as well as in exploring its literary and social history. The Department is small enough for us to get to know you, yet our teaching and research have a very broad reach. Modern Languages at Kent was ranked third in the UK in the latest Research Excellence Framework and our research feeds directly into our teaching, giving you access to the latest knowledge and ideas.
Along with the other languages taught at Kent, German has state-of-the art computing and audio-visual facilities, and benefits from a language lector sponsored by the Austrian Exchange Service and native speaker language assistants from Germany. Many classes are taught in German, and German may be studied either post-A level or ‘ab inito’ (from beginners) level.
You have the option to spend a year working or studying abroad between your second and final year of study, studying at one of our renowned partner universities, teaching English as part of a British Council placement or gaining valuable employment experience and practical applied learning by working abroad. You’ll develop your language skills, grow in self-confidence and gain a new academic perspective.
Italy is rich in culture, art and history. Studying its language and cultures offers a wonderful opportunity to engage with these traditions, as well as with the one of the most vibrant European nations. Italian gives you the tools to explore this cultural richness, including its Roman heritage, the Renaissance, modern architecture and fashion.
You will work in lectures, seminars and one-to-one tutorials with staff who are specialists in Italian art, cinema, literature, history and critical theory, as well as with our team of language lectors who are native speakers.
Our research interests will give you access to a wide range of aspects of Italian culture and you can study a broad range of topics. You can also choose from a number of elective modules on linguistics, literature, visual arts and culture offering you the chance to customise the programme to suit you.
We value our extensive contacts with universities and other institutions in Italy; thanks to these exchanges there is a constant presence of Italian students and native speakers, which creates a distinctive atmosphere.
In your third year, you may opt to spend a year abroad in Italy either studying at one of our renowned partner universities, teaching English as part of a British Council placement or gaining valuable employment experience and practical applied learning by working abroad.
Spanish is the second most widely-spoken language in the world, with speakers in 21 countries across Europe and the Americas. It is one of the most valuable and exciting languages you can learn, because of its commercial and cultural importance on both sides of the Atlantic.
You will explore the history, literature and film of Spain, Cuba and countries in Latin America, giving you a fascinating insight into the Spanish-speaking world.
Many teaching staff in the Department are native speakers, and campus facilities include multimedia laboratories, which offer a variety of interactive language learning programmes and dictionaries, and access to audio, video and computer-assisted language learning. You’ll learn about the disciplines of linguistics, history and literary criticism.
In your third year, you might choose to spend a year abroad in a Spanish speaking country. Choose from studying at one of our renowned partner universities in countries including Spain, Peru, Chile, Uruguay and Colombia.
You might prefer to apply for a job teaching English under the scheme run by the British Council. Other students apply for work placements, either in Spain or Latin America.
