About the Course

This course allows you to study subjects in history and a European language which relate to each other significantly.

An interest in 19th-century French literature, for example, might be reinforced by the study of French and European historical options in the same period, or an interest in medieval Italian history can be enriched by a study of Dante. Not only can the literature be related to its historical context, but the agenda of the historians can be reassessed by engagement with literary methods. Your week’s work will include tutorials in History and the language you study, language classes involving different skills and about three or four lectures. You will prepare essays for your weekly tutorials.

First Year

Students study four papers relating to their chosen language and two papers on History, on which they are examined in June at the end of their first year. Further information on the choice of papers available can be viewed here.

The year abroad

All Modern Languages courses and Joint Schools with Modern Languages last for four years, including a year abroad after the second year. A common pattern is for students to spend their year abroad as Assistants, working in a school in the country of their choice. This offers experience of working in the country, and it is organised through a scheme run by the British Council. Students may also spend the year at a university abroad; this is discussed thoroughly with the tutors in Modern Languages, and students are responsible for making arrangements themselves. Students normally stay in one country throughout the year, but if they are studying two languages, they are advised to spend periods in the country of their other language during vacations. The College has an exchange scheme with the University of Trier, which accommodates one student a year. All undergraduate members of the College are eligible to apply for this.

The Later Years

Students combine a variety of options from the parent subjects, deepening their literary and historical sensibilities. Study for the final examinations is punctuated by the year abroad during which students have an opportunity to hone their language skills by working overseas. For the latest information on all course details and options see the History and Modern Languages websites.

Teaching staff

Dr Alexandra Gajda John Walsh Fellow in History.

Dr Matthew Kerry Zeitlyn Fellow and Tutor in History.

Professor Susan Doran Senior Research Fellow in History.

Professor David Nash Senior Research Fellow in History.

Professor Katrin Kohl Fellow and Tutor in German.

Professor Caroline Warman Fellow and Tutor in French.

Dr Ole Hinz German Lektor at Jesus College.

Professor Elena Lombardi Lecturer in Italian.

Dr Daniela Omlor Lecturer in Spanish.

Professor Margarita Vaysman Associate Professor and Lecturer in Russian.

Dr Claire Williams Associate Professor in Brazilian Literature and Culture.

Admissions requirements and course information

Number of places usually available each year at Jesus College: 8 (for History and related Joint Schools)

For detailed information on this course including course structure, entry requirements and how to apply, please use the links below:

Course details

How to apply

Faculty of History

Podcasts from the History Faculty

Faculty of Modern Languages

 

Postgraduate studies and careers

The Faculty of History offers a range of taught graduate courses at master’s level and two research programmes leading to the degrees of Master of Letters or Doctor of Philosophy. In addition to the traditional fields of historical research, in political, social, and cultural history, History at Oxford embraces more specialised areas, such as medieval history, economic and social history, the history of science, medicine, and technology, and the history of art. For a full list of the postgraduate courses offered by the Faculty of History, please click here.

Oxford has a large, varied, and active teaching and research community in Modern Languages. There are over ninety members of the Faculty, with research interests spread across the full chronological range of the languages and into most areas of linguistics and literary study. The College welcomes applicants for the following degrees in Medieval and Modern Languages:

• MSt or MPhil Modern Languages
• DPhil Medieval and Modern Languages
• MSt Women’s Studies

The undergraduate course in Modern Languages at Oxford is intended to transmit an awareness of one or more foreign cultures in relation to students’ native culture and to equip students with a sophisticated command of the language or languages they study. Beyond these subject-specific aims, the course trains students’ critical faculties and gives them a wide range of other ‘transferable skills’. Students learn to organise their time and cope with working under pressure, and the course provides intensive training in communication skills: weekly essays demand quick assimilation of material and foster writing skills, while discussion in tutorials and classes develops confidence in presenting an independent view clearly and comprehensibly.

Recent studies indicate that an increasing number of British employers are realising the value of recruiting trained linguists, and Oxford Modern Languages graduates regularly go into highly competitive areas such as law, management consultancy, accountancy, international press agencies, the media, advertising, the Foreign Office and the performing arts. Employers value language skills combined with the many transferable skills of a History and Modern Languages degree.