Modern Languages Summer School

When you take one of our Modern Languages courses, you'll attend one of our partly-funded two-week summer schools during the summer vacation at the end of your first year, which is an integral part of your degree.

Whether you study in Montpellier (France), Mondavio (Italy), or Santiago de Compostela (Spain), you will live with selected local families and hosts and enjoy language tuition in small groups each morning. In the afternoons, and some evenings and weekends, you'll take part in cultural and social activities for a complete immersion in the heart of the society, country and region you are visiting.

The benefits you'll gain are invaluable - you'll build your confidence in your chosen spoken and written language, gain crucial transferable skills (on completion of the summer school you will receive a HEAR certificate), discover new cultures, and build life-long friendships.

Teaching: Law

Teaching is delivered in two main styles: lectures and small group tutorials. With two lectures in each module per week and a tutorial once a fortnight, you will have approximately 12 contact hours each week.

Lectures will provide you with the framework for each subject, whereas your tutorials will be an opportunity for you to engage with the subjects in more depth. Tutorials are held in small groups of 8 or 9 students, enabling you to participate fully and have your voice heard. In these group sessions, you will discuss the answers to pre-set questions, developing your critical thinking skills and learning how to confidently articulate your arguments. As the groups are small, you will receive close attention from your tutors and get to know them well during your studies.

We use web-based and electronic course materials to supplement traditional teaching methods and support student learning. There is easy access to computers both in the Law School itself and in the David Wilson Library next to the School. You will be able to access information about your courses and tutorials electronically.

Assessment methods include assessed essays/coursework, exams and multiple choice question papers. Professional legal writing - for example, writing a letter of advice to a client - is also built into our curriculum and you will start developing these practical skills from your very first year with us.

Teaching: Modern Languages

Each week, you can expect to receive 3-4 hours of language teaching.

Language skills are taught in small groups, predominantly by native speakers. Our courses stress the importance of communicative ability as well as linguistic accuracy, and oral skills are highly valued.

The use of online tutorials and exercises on Blackboard, the University’s virtual learning environment, allows us to include interactive training in our courses and to facilitate learning in specific areas such as essay writing and grammatical terminology.

You will be assessed throughout each year by a combination of continuous assessment and formal exams at the end of each semester. 

Independent learning

When not attending lectures, seminars or other timetabled sessions you will be expected to continue learning independently through self-study. Typically, this will involve reading journal articles and books, working on individual and group projects, undertaking research in the library, preparing coursework assignments and presentations, and preparing for exams. To help with your independent learning, you can access the Library and our social study spaces in halls of residence.

Your contact hours will depend on the option modules you select. You can see details of the contact hours on individual module pages.

Academic support

Our Centre for Academic Achievement provides help in the following areas:

• study and exam skills
• academic writing
• presentations
• dissertations
• numerical data skills
• referencing sources

Our AccessAbility Centre offers support and practical help for students with dyslexia or other specific learning difficulties, including physical, mental health or mobility difficulties, deafness, or visual impairment.

Teaching staff

You will be taught by an experienced teaching team whose expertise and knowledge are closely matched to the content of the modules on the course. PhD research students who have undertaken teacher training may also contribute to the teaching of seminars under the supervision of the module leader. Our teaching is informed by the research we do. You can learn more about our staff by visiting our staff profiles.