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What is a language degree actually like?

Reply 20

nikki

9

katejones55

What exactly does 'contact time' mean?

Time you spend in classes, as far as I'm aware.

Reply 21

katejones55

OP

9

nikki

Time you spend in classes, as far as I'm aware.

Okay, thanks. :smile:

Reply 22

dani_88

14

I have 11 hours a wk. 5 for spanish, 4 for french and 2 for linguistics. Woo

Reply 23

À la folie, pas du tout

12

dani_88

I have 11 hours a wk. 5 for spanish, 4 for french and 2 for linguistics. Woo

linguistics? :eek:

what about italian?xx

Reply 24

À la folie, pas du tout

12

wesetters

One thing I've noticed is that they don't actually teach language lessons- we're just expected to pick it up :rolleyes:

what do you mean?

Reply 25

dani_88

14

xx Bex

linguistics? :eek:

what about italian?xx

I'm not doing all 3 now. I decided to do my electives in linguistics instead. Language and the mind and Languages around the world or something..

Reply 26

Piggsil

16

In my past 2 years at Durham, my 'contact hours' have varied between 12 and 14 hours a week. If you do a beginners' language you'll have more contact time, and any literature modules are usually 1 weekly hour long lecture plus a weekly or fortnightly seminar depending on the subject and department.
Languages students also get a lot of homework - that's right, it doesn't stop at school folks!! All my friends find it hilarious when I say "I'm going to do my French grammar homework now". And I'll get about 2-4 'formative (i.e. doesn't count towards final marks) essays a term, plus about 2 or 3 'summative' (i.e. DOES count towards final marks) usually in 2nd term or the beginning of 3rd term. Also, some modules are examined on projects rather than essays, it just depends how conventional the module is, i.e. if it's pure literature or more of a cultural module.

Hope that helps. :smile:

Reply 27

katejones55

OP

9

Becca

In my past 2 years at Durham, my 'contact hours' have varied between 12 and 14 hours a week. If you do a beginners' language you'll have more contact time, and any literature modules are usually 1 weekly hour long lecture plus a weekly or fortnightly seminar depending on the subject and department.
Languages students also get a lot of homework - that's right, it doesn't stop at school folks!! All my friends find it hilarious when I say "I'm going to do my French grammar homework now". And I'll get about 2-4 'formative (i.e. doesn't count towards final marks) essays a term, plus about 2 or 3 'summative' (i.e. DOES count towards final marks) usually in 2nd term or the beginning of 3rd term. Also, some modules are examined on projects rather than essays, it just depends how conventional the module is, i.e. if it's pure literature or more of a cultural module.

Hope that helps. :smile:

Yes, thank you, that was very helpful. :smile:

Reply 28

luke88

11

I have 4 Spanish language learning seminars a week, along with a culture lecture each week and a history lecture ever fortnight along with a Spanish video viewing every few weeks. So it's pretty intense, I am start from sctrach so you'd expect this.

I have 2 lectures for politics and a seminar, and two lectures for european studies and a seminar.

Reply 29

rainbow84uk

I'm in my final year of Hispanic Studies and Linguistics at Queen Mary University of London, and our contact hours are around 12-14 a week. We don't really have lectures or seminars as such, just classes that don't seem all that different from school. Obviously some classes have less student participation than others, but they're almost all taught in small classrooms where you can't hide and go to sleep or anything!

I got a bit bored in my second year because I felt like I'd got worse at Spanish, rather than better, since A Level. This probably wasn't true but I think I'd forgotten a fair bit of basic vocab that I just didn't get chance to use much. I was also just sick of classes I think, because they're still similar to school classes, with gap-filling grammar exercises and homework.

Last year I went on my year abroad and it was the best year of my life! I just felt like second year was a bit of a waste of time - I learned soooo much in Spain and didn't want to ever leave!

What is a language degree actually like?

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