Art History and Language (French, German, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Spanish) with Foundation Year BA (Hons)

This BA Art History and Language gives you the opportunity to study the visual arts as a central element of human endeavour expanding your interest in human culture, language and history. It enables you to develop key skills, from critical thinking and writing to historical research and visual analysis, enriched by the study of a modern language. <br/><br/><strong>Why choose this course?</strong><br/><br/><br/>• This course is taught by renowned academics, researchers and published writers of groundbreaking art history.<br/><br/><br/><br/>• You will be taught by specialists from a centre of teaching and research excellence in languages.<br/><br/><br/><br/>• Option modules offer exciting perspectives on art history, visual culture and film, including specialist modules on Japanese and East Asian, French, Italian, Spanish and Latin American culture.<br/><br/><br/><br/><strong>What you will learn</strong><br/><br/>In art history, you will be taught by active researchers with expertise ranging from the Middle Ages to the present day, and encompassing a range of media from painting, sculpture and architecture to photography, installations and digital. You will also explore the cultural and political contexts of artworks, buildings and exhibitions, and the role of images within society. <br/><br/>The languages component is designed to help you reach a high level of competence in a modern language, opening a window onto other cultures through the study of the literature, history, film and visual culture.<br/><br/>You can choose French, German, Italian, Japanese or Spanish, starting at the level of language learning that suits you. Korean is offered from beginner level only.<br/><br/><strong>How you will learn</strong><br/><br/>This course is available to study full- or part-time. It is taught via a mix of lectures and small-group seminars <strong>in the evenings</strong>. You will also complete a dissertation.<br/><br/>Language teaching on this course gives you plenty of opportunities to participate actively. It is delivered in the target language.<br/><br/><strong>Foundation Year</strong><br/><br/>If you opt for the Foundation Year route, this will fully prepare you for undergraduate study. It is ideal if you are returning to study after a gap, or if you have not previously studied the relevant subjects, or if you didnt achieve the grades you need for a place on your chosen undergraduate degree. <br/><br/><strong>Highlights</strong><br/><br/><br/>• As well as regular gallery and museum visits, we offer an exciting study trip abroad every spring.<br/><br/><br/><br/>• Birkbeck was ranked as one of the top four universities in the UK for its Art and Design research in the 2021 Research Excellence Framework.<br/><br/><br/><br/>• We are an internationally respected centre in teaching history of art. Our Gordon Square building - once home to members of the Bloomsbury Group - houses the Jo Spence Archive and Peltz Gallery and hosts the leading journal History of Photography. Our research centres include the Centre for Museum Cultures, the Murray Centre for History of Art, Architecture and Photography, and the Centre for Iberian and Latin American Visual Studies.<br/><br/><br/><br/>• We are surrounded by institutes such as the Institute of Languages, Cultures and Societies, the Goethe Institute, German Historical Institute, Institut Français, Instituto Cervantes, and Japan House London.<br/><br/><br/><br/>• We have bursary funding available from the Royal Female School of Art Foundation.<br/><br/><br/><br/><strong>Careers and employability</strong><br/><br/>On successfully graduating from this course you will have gained competency in your language of choice, as well as an array of transferable skills, including:<br/><br/><br/>- highly developed visual and analytical skills<br/><br/><br/>- an ability to develop and present your ideas<br/><br/><br/>- a sophisticated use of written and spoken English<br/><br/><br/>- an advanced critical ability in use of theoretical perspectives<br/><br/><br/>- collecting and organising complex materials<br/><br/><br/>- engaging with the complexity of different linguistic and cultural contexts.<br/><br/><br/>Graduates can pursue career paths in:<br/><br/><br/>- arts management<br/><br/><br/>- conservation and policy<br/><br/><br/>- arts publishing and media<br/><br/><br/>- the museums and heritage sectors<br/><br/><br/>- the civil service<br/><br/><br/>- research and academia<br/><br/><br/>- teaching.<br/>