Learning outcomes

By the end of their bachelor's degree, students will have acquired:

I. General knowledge and interdisciplinary skills

• Vast general and interdisciplinary knowledge by opening up to other disciplines and understanding the connections between them
  • A grounding in the fundamentals of the humanities and social sciences (principal theories, terminology, methods and challenges)
  • The ability to build an interdisciplinary dialogue between the different humanities and social sciences and to problematise their relationship to literature, linguistics and the culture of countries where Germanic languages are spoken
    All general courses in the humanities
    e.g. Critique des sources de l’information et Philosophie (Year 1), Histoire de l'art et archéologie du Moyen Age à nos jours (Year 2)
     
• In-depth knowledge of major non-French-language authors and literary trends, as well as theoretical tools in the study of literature
  • In-depth knowledge of the history of the main European literatures and an understanding of the comparative approach to literature
    Littératures européennes comparées (Year 1)
     
• Expertise in the main tools of literary theory and an understanding of the challenges and limits of the main approaches to literary analysis.
  Théorie de la littérature (Year 2)

II. Specialised knowledge

• Excellent communicative skills in two Germanic languages
  • Excellent oral and written skills at level B2+ of the European Framework of Reference (having varied oral expression skills, writing texts of different registers and styles, using appropriate academic vocabulary, knowing different ways of communicating research results)
    All linguistics course units and practical seminars in year 1, 2 and 3: Pratique de la langue.
     
• Specialised knowledge of literature and culture in two Germanic languages
  • In-depth knowledge of literature and culture (principal theories, terminology, concepts, methods and challenges) and an understanding of their practice
    All of the thematic courses introducing students to the literature and culture of the two Germanic languages chosen: literature courses and text analysis courses, civilizations courses
     
• Knowledge of the main streams, authors and canonical texts in the history of literature, and an understanding of its practice, methods and challenges.
  All literature course units
   
• The ability to analyse literary texts in terms of both content and style, using a comparative approach.
  All thematic courses introducing students to literature
   
• Knowledge of and the ability to take a critical look at aspects of the culture, politics, history and geography of countries where Germanic languages are spoken.
  Civilisations courses (English, Dutch) (Year 2)
   
• The ability to produce a piece of academic work on the study of certain literary issues in accordance with academic norms and ethics (bibliographical references, use of quotations, notes, etc.).
  All thematic literature courses in the Germanic languages studied
   
• Specialised knowledge of linguistics in two Germanic languages
  • In-depth knowledge of linguistics (different fields of linguistics, thematic schools of thought, principal theories, terminology, concepts, methods and challenges) and practical communication skills in the two Germanic languages studied
  • In-depth knowledge of phonology, morphology, syntax and semantics
  • The ability to recognise, situate, analyse and describe concrete linguistic phenomena, making use of the knowledge acquired in the courses
  • A knowledge of linguistic variation at the theoretical level
  • The ability to produce a piece of academic work on the study of certain issues in linguistics in accordance with academic norms and ethics (bibliographical references, use of quotations, notes, etc.)
    All thematic courses introducing students to linguistics in the two Germanic languages studied
     
• The skills to undertake personal research on a question of literature or linguistics, including the proper and effective use of the discipline’s specific research resources and working methods
  • The knowledge and ability to use the main reference tools in the various disciplines of linguistics and literature
  • The ability to construct a research question (personal thesis) and to support it using appropriate methodology in a piece of personal work of 7000 to 8000 words
  • The ability to summarise the current scholarly state of investigation on a linguistic or literary issue
  • The ability to follow the instructions for a significant piece of work (including respecting deadlines) and an ability to discuss and interact constructively with a supervisor
  • The ability to give an oral presentation on a research question and defend its findings before a panel of experts
    Critique des sources d'information; Méthodologie du travail scientifique; Travail de fin d'études

III. A grounding in the scientific method (‘transferable skills’)

• Critical thinking and scientific reasoning skills
  • The ability to undertake scientific inquiry according to the scientific method and critically examine any type of information or document
  • The ability to construct a clear and sophisticated reasoned argumentation involving a problem, a hypothesis and its verification
    All CUs for the bachelor's degree in modern languages and literature: German, Dutch and English
     
• Expertise in the analytical methods for understanding complex reasoning as well as academic reasoning and communication skills
  • The ability to summarise and identify the issues in any complex text or line of reasoning
  • The ability to take a personal position in a debate about ideas and to construct reasoning to defend it, including vis-à-vis those who do not share its assumptions