BA German and Portuguese / Course details

BA German and Portuguese provides a comprehensive grounding in the language, culture, linguistics, history and literature of the German and Portuguese-speaking worlds.

You will be equipped with the skills and expertise needed to thrive in both environments.

German

• Our core German language courses (at post A-Level or beginners' level) are complemented by a variety of other subject areas, including linguistics, and a wide range of cultural and historical units that use German-language sources to improve your core language competence, as well as your wider knowledge of German-speaking countries.
• Specialisms in German include historical and contemporary linguistics, literary studies, screen studies, gender and sexuality, modern cultural history, minority cultures and Holocaust studies.
• The third year includes a period spent in a German-speaking country. You can choose a work placement, teach English in schools as part of the British Council's assistantship scheme, or study at our prestigious partner institutions in Berlin, Freiburg, Hamburg, Heidelberg, Leipzig, Basle and Innsbruck.
• Our teaching, praised in the Teaching Quality Assessment and by external examiners, is backed up by an innovative Independent Language Learning Programme, enabling you to take control of your own learning experience.
• Enjoy strong links with the Goethe Institute and the Austrian Cultural Forum, which sponsor a varied programme of cultural events.

Portuguese

• You will study both European and Brazilian Portuguese.
• You will also explore a range of options in areas such as contemporary culture, colonialism, literature and cinema from Brazil, Portugal, Mozambique and Angola.
• You will be taught by language tutors who are native speakers of Portuguese with specific training and, as a result, both your written and your oral work will be enhanced by constant exposure to accurate, idiomatic, and documented language.
• Cultural content courses are led by academic staff with broad expertise and who publish widely in their field.
• You will benefit from outstanding resources, including world-leading collections on Lusophone Africa within the library, and access to hundreds of films and texts on Portugal and Brazil.
• You will also benefit from us working closely with the Centre for Latin American and Caribbean Studies.

• Provide you with a comprehensive grounding in the language, culture, linguistics, history and literature of the German and Portuguese-speaking worlds.
• Equip you with the skills and expertise needed to thrive in both environments.

Residence abroad

You can study and/or work for up to a year in a country or countries relevant to your chosen language(s) to improve your communicative language skills in a native-speaker environment.

Collaborations and partnerships

The University has links with language and cultural institutions across the city, including:

• Portuguese Consulate General in Mancheseter - the official representation of Portugal in Manchester organises a number of cultural activities every year;
• HOME - international and contemporary art, theatre and film;
• Alliance Francaise - home of French language and culture.

Societies

Join the Spanish, Portuguese and Latin American Student Society and the very active German Society, and enjoy a wide range of cultural events and activities.

The University is home to over 30 international and language-related student societies offering a breadth of cultural activities and experiences.

You'll learn through a mixture of formal lectures, seminars and tutorials, spending approximately 12 hours a week in formal study sessions. 

For every hour of university study, you will be expected to complete a further 2-3 hours of independent study.

You will also need to study during the holiday periods. 

The individual study component could be spent reading, producing written work, revising for examinations or working in the University's Language Centre .

You will be assessed in various ways, including:  

• written and oral examinations; 
• presentations; 
• coursework (which may include library research, linguistic fieldwork and data collection, or web-based research); 
• in your final year, a dissertation based on a research topic of your choice.  

Assessment methods vary from course unit to course unit - see individual course unit listings for more information.

The University Language Centre is home to language resources, including a new interpreting suite, purpose-built recording rooms, and resources for more than 70 languages.  

The Centre also offers multilingual word processing, language learning software, off-air recording and AV duplication, multilingual terrestrial and satellite TV, and extensive support and advice for learners.  

Learn more at facilities