Montreal, Québec
In year one you will be allocated to a stage of language proficiency in our unique system of seven language levels. This is designed to place you at the stage most appropriate to develop your spoken and written skills, enabling you to make rapid progress in your chosen language.
Key facts
You can spend your year abroad as an English language assistant in a school, studying at one of our partner universities or on a work placement. Most students choose a European country, but many go further afield – to Québec or La Réunion, for example. The administrative organisation of your year abroad is carried out by our International Exchange Administrator, and you will be assigned a supervisor who will look after you during this year.
Opportunity to learn another language from scratch, such as Chinese, Japanese, Arabic, Russian or Polish
We place great importance on the development of graduate skills vital for future employment through the integration of transferable skills into learning and teaching, in particular the language skills and strategy training for all first-years.
Modern languages at Southampton has been ranked in the top five universities by the Guardian for the last four years and we were third in 2009 Rated in the top 10 modern languages departments in the country in the National Student Satisfaction Survey (2008)
Modern languages at Southampton was in the top two for European studies in the 2008 Research Assessment Exercise A wide range of learning and teaching resources is available, including multimedia labs, electronic whiteboards and language-specific resource rooms
Typical course content −− In all years of study you will benefit from the wide range of resources (including extensive electronic and televisual facilities) offered by the Centre for Language Study, which works closely with the HEFCE National Subject Centre for Language, Linguistics and Area Studies, hosted at Southampton −− Year one modules provide an introduction to the study of cultural forms, political and historical issues, and linguistic issues −− In years two and four you will have the opportunity to concentrate on your own particular interests, selecting from a range of more specialised units on Spanish- and Portuguesespeaking societies
−− A special unit in year two will prepare you for your year abroad in year three, and for the academic work you will complete during this year −− Your year abroad is an opportunity to improve your linguistic and cultural proficiency in your chosen language, and to demonstrate your ability to work independently over a sustained period
Career opportunities Employment figures from 2008 show that 95 per cent of language graduates found a job six months after graduation. −− Recent graduates have found jobs in management, banking, marketing, public relations, European institutions, local government, the civil service, radio, television, publishing, translation and teaching −− Others go on to postgraduate courses in European studies, politics, international finance, law, management, education, translating, interpreting and librarianship
What to do next Contact Irina Nelson, Admissions Tutor, or Natasha Renwick-Meikle, Admissions Coordinator, for more information. A detailed course brochure is available. School of Humanities Tel: +44 (0)23 8059 2256 Email: humanities@southampton.ac.uk www.southampton.ac.uk/ml