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Full Time: 4 Years
English writers since Chaucer have looked to Italy for inspiration. On this BA English Literature and Italian joint degree course, you can explore the enduring links between these two cultures.
We provide accelerated learning in Italian, meaning that you can start from beginner's level if you have not studied the language before, or at intermediate level if you have only learnt it up to GCSE or AS level. Regardless of your language skills when you joint, you will soon master the fundamental elements of the language and will graduate with a near-native command of it. Please check the course's entry requirements for more details on entry points.
As well as modules in Italian language, you can take first year modules in medieval and twentieth-century Italian history and culture. In English Literature, you will study the different ways that literary texts respond to their cultural context (Genre and Context); the development of poetry in English over time and across the globe (Poetry in English); and the ways that literary texts accrue new meanings in the process of interpretation (Research and Criticism).
In your second year, you will have a wide choice of modules that range from Italian Cinema to Fictions of Italy. In English Literature, you can study everything from Renaissance lyric poetry to contemporary novels and Communications at Work. At this stage, you will be able to shape your degree to your interests much more, and this process continues in your final year of study, where your module choices are more diverse and specialised.For your final year, you can do archive work on Studying Manuscripts, or look at the politics of literature in Class Matters. With Italian, you can choose from a range of modules on Italian history, cinema, linguistics and culture, including options on Dante, Machiavelli, or Renaissance theatre.
Everyone in our departments, from new lecturers to professors, teaches at every level of the degree: this gives you the benefit of our expertise and makes you part of the conversation about our research. A great deal of your time will be spent in small-group teaching sessions, which we believe is vital for successful study in the Humanities. We’re proud of our small language classes, led by native speakers. Direct access to expert staff for help and feedback ensures you develop your skills to the best of your ability.
An integral part of this degree is the opportunity for you to spend up to a year in Italy, studying at a partner institution, undertaking a work placement, or working as a British Council language teaching assistant. This enables you to directly immerse yourself in the culture and greatly improve your knowledge of Italian at the same time. Core modules in the second year will prepare you for your time abroad, equipping you with the skills and knowledge required to live, work, and study in a different culture.
Placement
Throughout your degree you will be thinking about the career choices that will enable you to thrive after graduation: we will help you put in place the skills and experience that you need to launch that career. Our innovative placement scheme gives you the chance to undertake an academic placement in commerce, industry or the arts. You can also take a placement module on languages and literature in heritage, in education, and in the media.
Year abroad
You can choose from three options for your third year: studying at a partner institution through the study abroad programme, undertaking a work placement or working as a British Council language teaching assistant.
Our Italian partner institutions include universities in Bologna, Florence, Genoa, Naples, Padua, Pisa, Siena and Venice, Bergamo, Pavia and Rome. The Department of Modern Languages has a study abroad officer who can help you prepare for study at one of these universities.
If you would prefer to undertake a placement for your year abroad, you can also talk to the Department's specialist year abroad team, who can provide you with support in securing and preparing for a placement. Past students have carried out roles with organisations such as Ermanno Scervino, the Istituto per la storia della Resistenza e dell’età contemporanea and the UN.
Typical offer A Level BBB | IB 30 points overall
What will you study?
How much will it cost?
New UK/EU students: £9,250* per year
New international students: £17,320 per year
* UK and EU fee changes
UK undergraduate fees are regulated by the government. These fees are subject to parliamentary approval and any decision on raising the tuition fees cap for new UK and EU** students would require the formal approval of both Houses of Parliament before it becomes law.
From 2020, the UK government may link tuition fees to the Teaching Excellence Framework (TEF).
**EU students
For more information on fees, loans and grants for EU students, see fees and funding for home/EU students.
Additional costs
These course fees cover the cost of your tuition. Some courses will require additional payments for field trips and extra resources. You will also need to budget for your accommodation and living costs. See our information on living costs for more details.
Financial support for your studies
You may be eligible for a scholarship or bursary to help pay for your study. Students from the UK and other EU countries may also be eligible for a student loan to help cover these costs. See our fees and funding information for more information on what's available.
* UK and EU Fee Changes
Subject to the Government passing legislation to raise the minimum fee cap, we will raise undergraduate tuition fees from £9,000 to £9,250 for new UK/EU students applying to start courses in the 2017/18 academic year. You will not be affected by this rise if you have deferred entry to the 2017/18 academic year. The Government will confirm future arrangements for EU students in due course.
The tuition fee will remain £9,000 per year for the full duration of this course if you start in the 2016/17 academic year or have accepted an offer but deferred your entry until the 2017/18 academic year. This is unlike other institutions who are planning to raise fees midway through courses.
For further information, please see our webpage on the Teaching Excellence Framework and future tuition fees.
Additional costs
These course fees cover the cost of your tuition. Some courses will require additional payments for field trips and extra resources. You will also need to budget for your accommodation and living costs. See our information on living costs for more details.
Financial support for your studies
You may be eligible for a scholarship or bursary to help pay for your study. Students from the UK and other EU countries may also be eligible for a student loan to help cover these costs. See our fees and funding information for more information on what's available.
What career can you have?
By the time you graduate, you will be able to write and speak fluently in Italian: an immensely useful skill when there is currently a great shortage of well-qualified linguists in the UK. The experience of studying or working abroad shows employers that you have self-reliance, adaptability and enterprise. In your three years with us, you will develop the skills needed to research a problem, manage documentation, and present results clearly and persuasively: these are important skills in today’s economy.
Our graduates have an excellent record of finding careers in many different sectors, including education, publishing, translation, EU institutions, finance, fashion, entertainment, the film business and tourism, both in the UK and abroad. They have found employment with companies and organisations such as the Ministry of Defence, Energis Communication, BNP Paribas, the Taylorian Institution Library and Riso Scotti SRL, Christie’s, Prada, Dolce and Gabbana, PGL Travel Ltd. Many opt to continue their studies at postgraduate level, either at MA level or on vocational courses in teaching, business administration, or archive studies.