As part of The International Placement Year you will spend some time abroad in your second year at a partner University where the department has Erasmus+ links. You will attend modules, and be examined at host institutions and if you are studying two languages you will be required to spend time in each country. You will have the opportunity to study a combination of language and culture modules on offer at the host institution, chosen with guidance from the International Placement Year Tutor in the language studied. Studying abroad gives you the opportunity to develop your language proficiency while deepening your intercultural sensitivity.

Lancaster University will make reasonable endeavours to place students at an approved overseas partner. Students conduct either a placement at a partner University where the department has Erasmus+ links. You will attend modules, sit examinations

Lancaster University cannot accept responsibility for any financial aspects of the International Study Placement Year.

During their International Placement Year, MLang students are required to write projects in the target language(s) on topics researched in their host country. Topic areas for the projects include: language, social structures and relationships, attitudes towards religion, the educational environment, working environment and employment issues, the (local/national) economy, national, regional and local politics, culture/art.

You will receive academic (and pastoral) support for developing the skills needed for writing this Project, starting in Year 1 and continuing in Year 2.

This module includes authentic texts only slightly adapted from the originals, with a special focus on contemporary Chinese society and institutions. You will have the opportunity to learn how to communicate comprehensively and systematically using the appropriate expressions and language norms in the right context.

You’ll have the opportunity to develop your skills in understanding and joining political, academic and journalistic discussions using advanced Chinese language skills. An aim of this module is for you to be able to translate between English and Chinese and develop an idiomatic style of formal writing.

It’s not necessary to have studied the Part I, Chinese Language 2 or 3 modules in order to continue on to this module. However you must have reached a CEFR (Common European Framework of Reference for Languages) B1-B2 level of Chinese proficiency.

This module is integrated with the French Language: Written Skills module.

Both the oral and the written language modules focus on particular topics of cultural and contemporary interest. The general aim of these modules is to develop further the abilities the students gained during their second year and the year abroad.

By the end of this module, we aim for students to have developed an informed interest in the society and culture of the French-speaking world. They should also have acquired almost native-speaker abilities in both spoken and written language.

This module is integrated with the French Language: Oral Skills module.

This module has two main aims. The first one is to enhance students' linguistic proficiency with emphasis on understanding of spoken and written French, the speaking of French (prepared and spontaneous) in both formal and informal settings, the writing of French, and the systematic study of French lexis, grammar and syntax. The second aim is to increase their awareness, knowledge and understanding of contemporary France.

By the end of this module we aim for students to have an informed interest in the society and culture of the French-speaking world. They should also have acquired almost native-speaker abilities in both spoken and written language.

This module is assessed entirely through coursework. Students are given a chance of pursuing a topic of their own interest, which is not covered in taught options. A dissertation consists of approximately 10,000 words written in English. The topic of dissertation must relate to French/German/Spanish language, or a comparison between two or more, or a general European issue. Any topic is subject to approval and must fall within the range of expertise of a member of staff.

Each student is assigned a supervisor, who provides regular supervision, and feedback on the first draft of the completed dissertation. The topic is agreed and discussed with the supervisor in the Summer Term of the second year, and preparatory research should begin during the Year Abroad.

This module is integrated with the German Language: Written Skills module.

Both the oral and the written language modules focus on particular topics of cultural and contemporary interest. The general aim of these modules is to develop further the abilities you have hopefully gained during their second year and the year abroad.

By the end of this module, we aim for you to have developed an informed interest in the society and culture of the German-speaking world. We hope you will also have acquired almost native-speaker abilities in both spoken and written language.

This module is integrated with the German Language: Oral Skills module.

This module has two main aims. The first one is to enhance students’ linguistic proficiency with emphasis on the understanding of spoken and written German, the speaking of German (prepared and spontaneous) in both formal and informal settings, the writing of German, and the systematic study of German lexis, grammar, and syntax. The second aim is to increase your awareness, knowledge, and understanding of contemporary Germany.

By the end of this module, we aim for you to have developed an informed interest in the society and culture of the German-speaking world. We hope you will also have acquired almost native-speaker abilities in both spoken and written language.

This module is integrated with the Italian Language: Written Skills module.

Both the oral and the written language modules focus on particular topics of cultural and contemporary interest. The general aim of these modules is to develop further the abilities the students gained during their second year.

The topics studied in this module change every year to reflect current affairs in Italy. Materials are taken from a range of sources such as newspapers, magazines and videos.

The current issues are studied through discussion, debate, role play, and analysing written, visual and audio materials.

This module is integrated with the Italian Language: Oral Skills module.

The aim of this module is to enhance your knowledge of grammar and to develop their Italian language skills through translation and guided composition.

In first term you’ll develop English-Italian translation skills, learn to compare translations with original texts, and discuss the use of monolingual and bilingual dictionaries. You will also have the opportunity to improve your essay writing skills.

In second term you learn Italian to English translation in turn, and the emphasis is put on the reinforcement of guided composition.

This module is integrated with the Spanish Language: Written Skills module.

The general aim of these modules is to significantly enhance and enrich the oral and written abilities you gained during your second year and your year abroad.

By the end of this module, we hope you will have developed an informed interest in the society and culture of the Spanish-speaking world.

This module is integrated with the Spanish Language: Oral Skills module.

This module has two main aims. The first one is to enhance your linguistic proficiency with emphasis on understanding of spoken and written Spanish, the speaking of Spanish (prepared and spontaneous) in both formal and informal settings, the writing of Spanish, and the systematic study of Spanish lexis, grammar and syntax. The second aim is to increase your awareness, knowledge and understanding of contemporary Spain.

By the end of this module, we hope you will have developed an informed interest in the society and culture of the Hispanic world.

This module introduces you to major themes that shape the experience of contemporary city dwellers: gender, social inequality, and practices of citizenship. These interlinking themes are introduced through novels, poetry and films and typically covers the following European, North American (with the emphasis on immigrant communities within its cities) and Latin American cities: New York, Mexico City, Santiago de Chile, Barcelona, and Berlin.

The combination of lectures, workshops and textual analysis encourages cross-referencing between the themes; students are encouraged to identify links between the topics studied (for example, gender and sexuality are relevant to an analysis of social inequality, and vice versa).

This final year module will provide you with an overview of the range of literature and culture produced in Sub-Saharan Africa, the French Caribbean and France to better understand the various relationships between France and these different parts of the Francophone world.

You will be given the opportunity to identify and discuss themes that they will find through analysis of a selection of novels and films. These themes will include language and style, and issues addressed by writers and film-makers in relation to identity, gender, culture, history, and representation itself.

Exploration of La Francophonie, the French Mission Civilisatrice, and relationships between contemporary France and her former colonies will provide context for the study of these novels and films. Discussions will be informed by the work of thinkers including Franz Fanon and Edward Said.

What makes a good translation and how do translations do good? This module aims to help you understand the practice of translation as it has evolved historically from the 18th century to the present across European and American societies.

The materials we study include historical textual sources as well as contemporary documents. Our aim is to look at translation as both a functional process for getting text in one language accurately into another and a culturally-inflected process that varies in its status and purpose from one context to another.

We will pay particular attention to the practical role that literary translators play within the contemporary global publishing industry and consider the practicalities of following a career in literary translation in the Anglophone world.

This module aims to provide students with a grasp of both the historical contexts for violences and masculinities as they are depicted in Spanish and Latin American films as well as an understanding of theoretical approaches, enabling rich analyses of such violences and evolving masculinities. The module seeks to pluralise violence so that it is understood by students in its many forms. It will also ensure students have the terminology to discuss relevant contexts and approaches in relation to specific films in a coherent and intellectually appropriate framework. Students are encouraged to observe and analyse structural violences in various forms in these films and to understand their relationship with such categories as hegemonic, complicit, marginalised and subordinate masculinities. The module will then typically question the 'invisible' nature of domestic violence, physical violence as a means (or not) of providing 'cheap shocks' and different aesthetic approaches towards the depiction of state violences.

Over the last century, Spain has experienced civil war, dictatorship, and a vertiginous transition to democracy. The magnitude and pace of change have fuelled a national preoccupation with identity as Spaniards struggle to make sense of their country’s recent past. Diverse interpretations of the tumultuous events that have shaped Spain since the 1930s have proliferated under the banner of memory, which has catapulted this contested past to the centre of public life. This module traces how the concern with memory emerged in Spanish literature in the aftermath of the civil war, initially as a counterpoint to the Franco regime’s endeavour to control public perceptions of the country’s social realities and recent past. Students will read a series of influential literary works published at key moments in the development of Spain’s memory culture, while exploring the socio-political context of a memory movement whose recent controversies show no signs of abating.

The inception of Spain’s Second Republic (1931-39) revolutionised gender and sexual politics. Women’s social and political capital was inflected by state, radical, and reactionary discourses, as conceptions of womanhood and ‘femininity’ mediated ideological cleavages.

In the aftermath of the Nationalists’ victory in the Spanish Civil War(1936-1939), hundreds of thousands of women were incarcerated by the Francoist regime (1939-1975), targeted for their support for the political left, trade unions, anti-fascist activism and, too, for resisting hegemonic gender norms, through infidelity, lesbianism, clandestine abortions, or prostitution.

In Sex, Politics & the State, you will interrogate the sexual and gender politics of rebellion, revolt, and oppression in modern Spain, drawing on thematic areas that continue to resonate in present-day debates, including feminist politics, commercial sex, sexual(ised) abuses, political violence, and reproductive justice.

By focalising contemporary Spanish literature and film, you will interrogate how Spain’s tumultuous political landscape (1936-1975) manifests in popular culture, cultivating a firm grasp of the historical context and key theoretical frameworks, specifically in relation to sexuality, gender, trauma, victimhood, memory, and violence.

This core module will introduce you to translation theory and methodology. You will find out about the latest research into translation theory, as well as current methodologies relating technology and professional practice.

Typically, topics covered include:

• Translation in historical context
• Equivalence and target-language relation
• The cultural dimension of translation
• Computer-Assisted translation tools
• Machine translation post-editing
• Translation in professional environments (from literary to technical translation)
• Translation quality and proof-reading
• Translation project management

The Independent Study Unit (ISU) offers students the option to replace one of their taught modules (excluding the compulsory modules) with an ISU. ISUs offer a period of directed, but independent reading in an area chosen by the student and in which the department is able to provide supervision. The module gives students the chance to determine their own area of research with their supervisors. The module is then assessed by a researched essay on the mutually-agreed topic of research.

Intercultural business communication plays a key role in the global economy and world commerce as it considers cultural differences between international business partners and clients. This interdisciplinary course examines how communication is affected by different values, attitudes and beliefs, in the context of our volatile, uncertain, complex and ambiguous environment.

The ability to effectively interact, work and develop meaningful relationships with professionals across different cultures and social groups is essential in a global workforce. Drawing on interdisciplinary research, this course will provide you with the necessary awareness, know-how and practical skills needed to become more effective at intercultural interactions. You will draw on various models to analyse your own experiences in order to develop a personal development plan to address effective interactions at work in the face of significant challenges. Studying intercultural business communication fosters an understanding of your own cultural, linguistic and communication related background. This may benefit future careers that operate within a multicultural context.

This introductory interpreting module complements the skills developed in the Translation studies elements of the MA and introduces students to the daily requirements of a professional translator/interpreter. It aims to provide students with the basic skills involved in understanding a message and conveying it orally into another language. Students will consolidate and expand their linguistic command of different fields with regards to style, register, communication requirements and technical skills. It will prepare them to deal with the specific pressure that unfolds in different interpreting situations.

The Translation Project provides an opportunity for you to dive deep into a topic that is of particular interest to you and which is agreed in consultation with a supervisor. You will receive support and supervision from one or two members of staff from the Department of Languages and Cultures who will support you in your translation project.

The project should include the translation of a text, and could be based around a topic that is relevant to your work, your personal interests or something you have studied on the course and which you want to explore further.

The cultural dissertation aims to put students’ theoretical knowledge and research proficiency to practical test by carrying out an independent, albeit guided, project producing an in-depth piece of research and making a significant contribution to solving a problem and expanding the knowledge base in the discipline.Students write on a topic of their choice, with advice, guidance and feedback from their dissertation supervisor.

This module covers a range of research skills specific to Modern Languages that are designed to support you in researching and writing your dissertation.

Typically, topics include:

• Beginning research
• Academic research process
• Mapping a research project
• Abstract writing
• Resource evaluation
• Research paper attendance
• Working with theory
• Advanced presentation techniques
• Work in progress symposium

This module is assessed via a portfolio.

The practice of literary translation involves creative and critical approaches to texts in an effort to remediate works across languages, cultures and places. This module aims to introduce students to the "creative turn" in literary translation studies through critical analysis and creative practice. To do so, students will explore past and current creative writers who have used translation in their writing, or the works of translators who have reflected on translation in the form of literary essays or translation memoirs.

The aim of the module is to encourage students to develop the writing skills necessary to write quality translations in the English language, as well as to explore the creative and critical possibilities which translation can afford. Although students will be invited to experiment with creative writing via the medium of translation in the module, they will be given a choice to do a written analysis of an existing creative translation in their assessment.