What is a language degree actually like?

This is question for those people who are actually at university doing their degree, or for those who have already done a language degree. I realise it probably depends on the university and course, but I'd just like a general idea on what the lectures and seminars are like... seminars are usually in smaller groups aren't they? I imagine that more participation would be encouraged in them, then say the lectures.

Scroll to see replies

Reply 1

kellywood_5

I have 4 hours a week of French language, one each for a grammar seminar, a written language seminar, an oral class and a kind of study skills lecture. I also have 2 hours a week for the history module, one each for a lecture and a seminar, which will be replaced in semester 2 by the literature module. The lectures are for everyone doing the module, so the whole year of probably about 100 for language and history and less for literature because it's an option. Seminars are about 15 and I'm guessing oral classes will be about 6, but I haven't had one yet.

Reply 2

garethDT

do you progress very far from A-level standard in the first 2 years? I've heard that you don't properly start to get fluent in the language until the year abroad.

The thought of 2 years stuck at A-level standard depresses me.

Reply 3

discombobulation

Bloody terrifying
& the amount of self-study is like 3 times more than most other humanities students!

Reply 4

kellywood_5

discombobulation

Bloody terrifying
& the amount of self-study is like 3 times more than most other humanities students!

So is the amount of contact time! From next week (week 2) I have 13 hours a week and then from week 6 I have 14 or 15 hours! Law students have 8, history students have about 4 and English students have 2!

Reply 5

kellywood_5

garethDT

Was it you who was considering Essex? If so, I'd really rethink that because you only need a D :eek:

in French at A-level to do their modern languages degree! In that situation, you probably wouldn't progress further than A grade A-level standard by the end of the course.

Reply 6

discombobulation

kellywood_5

On thursdays I go out at 9 & get in at 5.30 - with about 2 hours break dotted around in the middle!!

Tis madness, going from a german history lecture into a russian oral and then into german language. my head is foooked!!!

Reply 7

Ronove

discombobulation

Would you go so far as to say... discombobulated? :p:

Reply 8

discombobulation

Ronove

Would you go so far as to say... discombobulated? :p:

Beyond discombobulation I think...if its possible to get beyond that state !!!

Reply 9

À la folie, pas du tout

garethDT

yeh me too... anyone know if that's really true? i think we should go abroad in the first or 2nd year like they do in france.

Reply 10

garethDT

kellywood_5

Was it you who was considering Essex? If so, I'd really rethink that because you only need a D :eek:

in French at A-level to do their modern languages degree! In that situation, you probably wouldn't progress further than A grade A-level standard by the end of the course.

yer Essex is my first choice, and then East Anglia (Norwich) but I think both of them have a BBC/BCC offer. I don't want to move far away from London anyway, so I wouldn't want to go further away. Essex have a language course which suits me.

Reply 11

discombobulation

Hahahaha my 3 hours of Russian didn't happen yesterday because my tutor just forgot...she still remembered to e-mail us homework stuff though...
Eeevil

Reply 12

kellywood_5

discombobulation

On thursdays I go out at 9 & get in at 5.30 - with about 2 hours break dotted around in the middle!!

I can beat that- my working day on Thursday is 9-6 :frown:

I left my room to go to breakfast at about 8.10 and got back after dinner at about 6.30!

Reply 13

kellywood_5

garethDT

I remember reading on their website that although you need something like 280 points altogether including BC at A-level, eg BBC, you only need a D in French at A-level to take it as your main language, so if you're worried about it being a bit slow and you not really progressing much, it probably wouldn't be the best place to go! UEA looks OK though. Have you considered a London uni? If Essex suits you, that's obviously fine, but I know I wouldn't want to be taught in the same class as people who'd got a D in French- I had enough of that at A-level! It would just be far too slow and you'd have to constantly go over A-level work so they could catch up.

Reply 14

priya

seems that contact time is pretty intense in first year everywhere. for me, it decreased loads in 2nd year, and there was less emphasis on language than on history/lit. might not be the same everywhere though.

having 2 years at uni is necessary. some people still aren't grounded in university style learning/teaching by the end of their first year. 2nd year is a great way of consolidating all the skills you learn in first year, and applying them with much more ease to much more difficult material in 2nd. in terms of lang, there isn't loads more grammar you might need to learn, but your general fluency/vocab will improve LOADS. Alevel isn't always enough to allow you to live abroad for a year....

Reply 15

kateykat

Of course you're not going to stay stuck at A-level standard for 2 years...the whole point of learning a foreign language, in my opinion, is to gather as much vocab. and grammatical understanding as possible through private study. At university, the likelihood of succeeding is very much based on the amount of self-study you're prepared to put in. As priya says, it's better to consolidate what you already know before the year abroad.

Reply 16

nikki

wesetters

Had 3 hours of lectures on the international phonetic alphabet today.

IPA!

I have a giant English dictionary with IPA pronunciation guides, so whenever I wonder how a word is pronounced, I can check. :love:

Reply 17

À la folie, pas du tout

garethDT

i wouldn't be put off essex by the fact that they let you in with a D in french... i looked round there cos it was my insurance choice and they said people with a D or less would be in a different class anyway, so you would only be with A-C grade people like at any other uni. also they're meant to be really good for languages anyway.

Reply 18

discombobulation

nikki

IPA!

I have a giant English dictionary with IPA pronunciation guides, so whenever I wonder how a word is pronounced, I can check. :love:

It's really really worth knowing innit :smile:

We did it in English language last yr so now, especially for Russian I can completely IPA every word so I'm totally sure of the pronunciation oh yehhh :biggrin:

Reply 19

katejones55

kellywood_5