Course structure
The BA French and Italian is a four-year degree programme. It is structured in such a way that you will acquire over successive years high-level language competencies and the skills to become an independent and critical thinker, equipped for professional employment.
In each year of the programme you will study 120 credits. Your third year will be spent studying or working abroad, one semester in France or a French-speaking country and the other semester in Italy or an Italian-speaking country.
The modules shown are an example of the typical curriculum and will be reviewed prior to the 2022/2023 academic year. The final modules will be published by September 2022.
Year one
You will combine French with Italian, allowing you to experience more than one field of study.
In year one we run two pathways for students; an advanced pathway for students with an A-level or equivalent competence in French and Italian and a beginner’s pathway for students with limited or no knowledge of French or Italian.
The first year of this programme provides a thorough foundation in the grammar of the language for those students on the beginner’s pathway, and develops the linguistic skills for post A-level students on the advanced pathway.
You will also study a non-language module which introduces you to the development of France and Italy as nations, exploring what both countries have symbolised for different groups at different moments in history. It also explores France and Italy’s exchanges with the world, enabling you to explore France and Italy’s role beyond the national borders. Studies in these areas will enable you to develop a good understanding of intercultural awareness, and the highly-prized ability to mediate between cultures.
Year two
The language elements of year two build on the work undertaken in year one, and prepare you for your year abroad.
In addition to 30 credits French and Italian language, you will study 30 credits looking at France and/or Italy in a transnational context. This will introduce you to key approaches, methodologies and critical tools which you can apply to an in-depth study of both French and Italian looking at a range of topics such as culture, history and politics. You also have the option of studying 30 credits of Specialised Translation and Business Language.
Outside of your formal studies, you will have the opportunity to take part in our highly-praised Student Mentoring Scheme, which is supported by Welsh Government.
The scheme places undergraduates into local schools to mentor pupils and encourage them to consider modern foreign languages when choosing their GCSE options.
You may also choose to take part in the Student Language Ambassador (SLA) scheme, acting as an advocate for language learning. Following specific training, as an SLA you may get the opportunity to speak publicly at events, sharing your personal experience of language learning. You may take part in a range of activities, such as language taster sessions, presenting and promoting the year abroad, supporting School language days and events, or promoting modern languages at career fairs or open days.
Year three: Sandwich year
Your third year will be spent in France or another French-speaking country and Italy or another Italian-speaking country. The year will enable you to develop your language skills, deepen your understanding of the French and Italian culture and develop your independence, resourcefulness and resilience.
Your options for this include studying at one of our partner universities, working as an English assistant in a school, or working for a French or Italian organisation or company. No matter what you choose, the year abroad is a great opportunity for you to improve your understanding of the language, immerse yourself in another culture, and gain international study or work experience.
Many students choose to study in some of Italy’s most inspiring cities, including Florence, Milan, Trieste, Verona and Venice. Others prefer to experience island life, working or studying in Sardinia or Sicily. For the French speaking part of the year, students have studied in French cities including Paris, Toulouse, Chambéry, Grenoble, Lyon, Clermont-Ferrand, Montpellier and Nantes while some of our students have spent their year abroad in Brussels, Geneva and Quebec.
Year four
When we welcome you back to Cardiff in your final year, you will continue to develop your language skills, studying 30 credits of French and 30 credits of Italian language, in addition to 60 credits of optional modules. You will have the opportunity to build on the broad base of knowledge and skills you have developed to study an area of research expertise in the School, through taught modules and/or a dissertation.
You will also have the opportunity to take part in our very popular Student Teaching module, an accredited module where you will build on study and workshops at the University to undertake a teaching placement at one of our partner schools on the area.
The module allows you to go into local secondary schools and teach pupils who are learning foreign languages. You will have the opportunity to observe teaching by professionals, take part in classroom activities and generate new learning materials. This in turn enhances your ICT, presentation, preparatory and organisational skills and, ultimately, your employability. Those students who wish to go onto a career in teaching gain valuable experience which can be used to feed into their PGSE application. These students also have the opportunity to take a dedicated (optional) training session for PGSE applications with an expert in the field.
