Italian and Linguistics, BA (Hons)

Choosing to study a joint honours degree will enable you to shape your study according to your strengths, interests and career ambitions. Combining two subjects can give your degree an international or industry perspective that will make you stand out in the graduate employment market. Why choose this course?

You will benefit from the following learning opportunities.

Italian
Italian can be taken from beginner, GCSE or A-level. You will study the Italian language, country and culture through a range of lively options. This includes modules that examine:

• film
• literature
• art
• society
• politics.

You will achieve a high level of communicative skill, and an in-depth understanding of the Italian culture and society. To further increase your career options you can take a final year module to help you develop translation and interpreting skills.

You will have access to our excellent language resource centres which have:

• Internet access
• audio-visual facilities
• computer-aided language learning software
• course-related books, materials and periodicals.

This ensures that you will have a broad range of options to help you increase your language understanding.

Linguistics
Linguistics is the study of natural language. It covers the study of language structure (grammar), the study of meaning (semantics) and the social functions of language (sociolinguistics). It is a popular and expanding subject within NTU. This course will equip you with the tools for analysing language and for conducting your own research. You will discuss the immense power that our language has to construct and to constrain meaning.

To study this course you will not need any prior knowledge of grammar, foreign languages or technical terminology. You will be introduced to the fundamentals of language description and to some applications of linguistic theory. Throughout the course you will be introduced to ways in which linguists carry out research. Through this you will learn how to record and transcribe naturally occurring language, how to arrive at a hypothesis and how to test it scientifically.

We have recently launched several new modules which draw on our staff's own and other contemporary research. This means that you will be studying the very latest developments in clinical linguistics, media discourse and child language acquisition.

Extra opportunities
Our flexible curriculum has been designed to create some amazing opportunities for students in the School of Arts and Humanities. Your second year of study is divided into two semesters that enable students to take part in optional:

• international exchange
• work placements
• learn or improve language skills.

Gain valuable work experience that will impress employers, learn another language, experience other cultures and travel the globe - all as part of your degree. Our international exchange partners include universities in:

• Australia
• Europe
• USA
• Canada
• Thailand.

Find out more on an Open Day.

When does the course start?

Please see the academic calendar for term dates.

What will I study?

Find out everything you need to know about what you'll be studying on this course. Detailed module information is available here:

Italian Joint Honours
Linguistics Joint Honours

Year Two - Extra Opportunities

Our flexible curriculum has been designed to create some amazing opportunities for you. Your second year of study is divided into two semesters that enables you to take part in the following optional opportunities:

• International exchange - Experience other cultures, travel the globe and open your eyes to a world of opportunities. Our exchange partnership with a number of international universities enables you to live and study in another country in your second year. Watch our video to find out more.
• Work placements - Gain valuable work experience that will impress employers and help you get ahead in your chosen career. Boost your employability by taking a credit-bearing work placement as part of your degree rather than a sandwich year.
• University Language Programme - Available to all students and gives you the option of learning a totally new language or improving the skills you already have.

How will I learn?

The first year is normally divided equally between the two joint honours subjects and a third drawn from a wide range of subjects within the School (including the University Language Programme). This enables greater flexibility in course selection. At the end of Year One, students have the opportunity to select between an equally weighted joint honours course and a more specialised pathway.

We ensure your learning experience is varied and gives you transferable skills that you can put into practice for years to come. Most modules involve discussions, presentations, group work and independent project work. Tutorials in Year One will help you settle in quickly and to make the jump to university-level study.

View the full course specification
Please note that course specifications may be subject to change