The bachelor's programme of Modern Languages and Literature comprises two orientations : on the one hand, a general orientation (combining either (a) one Romance language with one Germanic language or (b) Arabic with one of french, Spanish or English) and on the other hand a Germanic orientation (combining two Germanic languages to be selected from : German, English and Dutch).

Whichever orientation is chosen, the bachelor's programme of Modern Languages and Literature has a four-fold objective : (a) to develop both oral and written skills in two modern languages (listening and reading comprehension, oral and written production, and interactive communication) ; (b) to putin place a training in linguistics that provides a framework for reflection on language in general and on the languages studied in particular; (c) to provide a framwork for the analysis of literary texts in both modern languages and to introduce the student to the history of these literatures and (d) to introduce the student to the socio-economic, socio-cultural and political context of the countries where those languages are spoken.

In the case of the general orientation studies, the major in the bachelor's of Modern Languages and Literature consists of general courses and, more specific courses which focus on the two languages being studied.

The "common core", which is covered by the general courses, consists of the study of the Foundations of Western Civilisation and the Arts in general, the Theory of Literature and of European Literature in particular, Language Science, Linguistics, Knowledge of French at university level and Philosophy.

The programmes for each of the two modern languages run parallel, placing both languages on the same footing.

These specific programmes aim to develop (and evaluate) skills in four main areas:

• communicative skills ( both oral and written)
• linguistics skills (the study of the grammar and its component parts)
• literary skills (history of literature, analysis and interpretation of literary texts)
• cultural skills, in the broad sense of the term (studies of the "civilisation" of the countries where the languages in question are spoken : historical background and contemporary reality).

First quadrimester :

Common general courses in the Faculty of Arts : Historical Foundations of Western Civilisation (5 credits), Arts and Civilisations (5 credits), Introduction to the Principal Works in European Literature I (5 credits), Practice in French at university level (5 credits), Modern Languages (5 credits) Ancient Languages (5 credits).

Second quadrimester :

General courses : Introduction to Philosophy (4.5 credits), Introduction to Language Science (3.5 credits).

Introduction to the discipline (minimum 22 credits) : the student will select two languages (11 credits per language) from the 7 following languages : English, German, Dutch, Spanish, Italian, French, Arabic.

For each of the Germanic languages, the following course content will be covered : aural/oral skills, writing skills and basic grammar of the language, the history of ideas and literature.

In the case of Spanish and Italian, the programme focuses on oral and written language skills.

In the case of French, the programme approaches literature from a three-fold point of view: methodology, history and explication of authors.

In the case of Arabic, the programme focuses on the language in its diverse forms (classic, modern and dialectal) and is complemented by an introduction to History and to the Arab-Moslem Civilisation. Arabic may only be taken in combination with one of the three following languages : French, English or Spanish.

General courses (14 credits) : Theory of Literature, General Linguistics, Critical Analysis of Information, Anthropology and Psychology, Logic and Reasoning in Human Sciences.

Specialisation courses (76 credits) : Modern Language 1(19 credits in the 2nd year and 19 credits in the 3rd year) and Modern Language 2 (19 credits in the 2nd year and 19 credits in the 3rd year).

The programme in the major must be completed by an option (= minor) of 30 credits. This minor option which completes the programme of Modern Languages and Literature may be chosen either from the Faculty of Arts or from another faculty, subject to respect of possible prerequisites determined by the bodies responsible for organising the programmes in question.

The evaluation will comply with the description in the detailed programme specifications (c.f.: http://www.ucl.ac.be/etudes/programmes/rom1.html
http://www.ucl.ac.be/etudes/programmes/germ1.html
and http://www.ucl.ac.be/etudes/structuredetaillee/hori1ba.html
) Some courses will involve traditional oral and/or written evaluations, whilst the evaluation of the seminars will imply more substantial participation on the part of the student as well as individual course work assessment. Those exams relating to courses on so-called communication skills, will evaluate the performance, i.e. the practical use of the language in relevant situations, which will attest the levels of competence attained by the student.

The conditions and regular admission requirements are specified on the web-page "Access to Studies": http://www.ucl.ac.be/etudes/libres/en/acces.html

An intermediate level of language knowledge (referred to as " B1 " in the European Framework of Reference for Languages, c.f.: http://culture2.coe.int/portfolio/documents/cadrecommun.pdf
is required as a starting point in English and in Dutch. In fact, the courses in Dutch and English are delivered in the target language right from the beginning of the programme (1st year). German, Spanish, Italian and Arabic, on the other hand are accessible to all students, be they complete beginners or more proficient students. Special support is provided for the beginner students. Extra effort is called for on the part of the latter who will need to ensure that, by the end of the year, they have attained a level very close to that required for English and Dutch. The best way to prepare for these programmes is most certainly by consistent ongoing practice of modern languages at secondary school (among other means, via the media - both in the form of newspapers and the televised news to improve both reading and listening skills - and thanks to the use of internet and regular contacts with native speakers). This language acquisition can be usefully complemented by various other forms of learning such as by intensive reading, complementary courses or, yet again, thanks to exercises available on internet (in particular those sites dedicated to learning, such as : http://www.gramlink.com
and http://pot-pourri.fltr.ucl.ac.be

In the context of the summer courses in the Human Sciences, it is worth mentioning yet again that UCL organises language courses at different levels in English, Dutch and German, at the end of August. These are highly recommended.

The bachelor's degree in Modern Languages and Literature entitles direct access to three different masters : the master's of Modern Languages and Literature, the master's of Multi-cultural Communication and the master's of Linguistics.

The bachelor's degree in Modern Languages and Literature entitles access to the masters organised by other departments or faculties of UCL, subject to the conditions and prerequisites determined by the bodies responsible for organising the programmes in question.

Academic Supervisors : F. Thyrion (ROM), P. Godin (GERM) et G. de Calattay (ORI)

Contact persons :

- for the department of Romance Studies : N. Coisman and C. Detrixhe, Tel. : 010474920, email : romanes@rom.ucl.ac.be

- for the department of Germanic Studies : A. Troost, Tel. : 010474940, email : troost@germ.ucl.ac.be

- for the Orientalist Institute (ORI) : M.-A. Jacquemin, Tel. : 010474958, email : jacquemin@glor.ucl.ac.be

Anne CASSART Tel. 010474857 cassart@sflt.ucl.ac.be

President : Paul-Augustin DEPROOST

Secretary : Genevieve FABRY

• Minor in Theology
  
• Minor in Philosophy
  
• Minor in Law
  
• Minor in Criminology
  
• Minor in Information and Communication (*)
  
• Minor in Political Sciences
  
• Minor in Sociology and Anthropology
  
• Minor in Human and Social Sciences
  
• Minor in Economics (opening)
  
• Minor in Business Studies
  
• Minor in Dutch Studies
  
• Minor in English Studies
  
• Minor in German Studies
  
• Minor in Linguistics
  
• Minor in Hispanic Studies (*)
  
• Minor in Italian Studies (*)
  
• Minor in French Studies (*)
  
• Minor in Latin Studies
  
• Minor in Greek Studies
  
• Minor in Oriental Studies
  
• Minor in Literary Studies
  
• Minor in History
  
• Minor in Medieval Studies
  
• Minor in History of Art and Archaeology (*)
  
• Minor in Musicology
  
• Minor in Psychology and Education (*)
  
• Minor in Human Nutrition (*)
  
• Minor in General Biomedical Sciences (*)
  
• Minor in Clinical Biomedical Sciences (*)
  
• Minor in Medication Sciences (*)
  
• Minor in Physical Activity, Health and Culture of Movement (*)
  
• Minor in Geography (*)
  
• Minor in Statistics
  
• Minor in Urban Architecture
  
• Minor in Mathematics and Mathematical Applications
  
• Minor in Scientific Culture
  
• Minor in Gender Studies
  
• Minor in Culture and Creation
  
• Minor in European Studies
  

(*) Minor with access criteria