The information on this page is accurate for students entering the programme in 2023/2024 or before. For students entering the programme from September 2024 or after, you can find the details of your programme:
BA Modern Languages and International Relations (Portuguese)(For students entering from September 2024 onwards)
The BA in Modern Languages and International Relations will give you the opportunity to understand how states interact and co-operate in an increasingly globalised and interdependent world. At the same time, you will develop the language skills and cultural competence that will enable you to engage with and understand the interaction between different peoples and societies.
Studying for a Joint Honours degree allows you to gain an in-depth knowledge of two subjects, through first-class teaching and including a period of residence abroad.
This particular programme offers you the chance to learn about how states interact with each other, as well as the impacts and contributions of organisations such as the UN. You will combine core modules on key topics such as security and the concepts, theories and research methods of international relations with a range of optional modules. You can explore topics that interest them, from the politics of aid to the complexities of Middle Eastern politics and the rise of extreme right parties in Europe. This will be complemented by the study of a cultural and linguistic context outside the United Kingdom. You will gain an additional perspective on the United Kingdom’s position on the world stage by both the academic study of another culture and by the experience of living and working/studying elsewhere. This will enrich your understanding of the global context.
Having begun your studies with anything from beginner to post-A-level competence in their language of choice, you will graduate with the ability to communicate and defend their views clearly in this language, either orally or in writing. In addition, you will have strong research and organisational skills and be confident working independently or in a team. You will also have a strong understanding of cultural diversity, allowing you to work effectively with people whose backgrounds differ from your own. In the third and final year, you undertake a dissertation on an in-depth and specialised topic with advice from tutors.
The programme gives you a diverse skillset, useful for career development in a broad range of fields and professions, including journalism, research, advocacy, the civil service, and roles in local and national government. Other language-based careers such as translating or interpreting or training in these, will also be open to you.
[Learning Outcomes, Transferable (Key) Skills, Assessment]
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At Level 1, students must study 120 credits.
Students must take 100 credits across their two subjects. Students are required to take 40 credits in International Relations (IR) and 80 credits in Portuguese.
Students will be required to study the following compulsory modules:
| Code | Title | Credits | Semester | Pass for Progression |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| MODL1100 | Politics, Culture and Society | 20 | Semesters 1 & 2 (Sep to Jun) | |
| PIED1110 | Comparative Politics | 20 | Semester 2 (Jan to Jun) | PFP |
| PIED1511 | International Politics | 20 | Semester 1 (Sep to Jan) | PFP |
| SPPO1035 | Introduction to Brazil, Portugal and Portuguese Speaking Africa | 20 | Semesters 1 & 2 (Sep to Jun) |
Route A
Students with prior language competence in Portuguese (B1 level of the CEFR) will be required to study the following optional module:
| Code | Title | Credits | Semester | Pass for Progression |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| SPPO1087 | Portuguese Language Skills in Context | 20 | Semesters 1 & 2 (Sep to Jun) | PFP |
Route B
Students with no prior knowledge of Portuguese will be required to study the following modules:
| Code | Title | Credits | Semester | Pass for Progression |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| SPPO1080 | Portuguese Language for Beginners 1A | 20 | Semester 1 (Sep to Jan) | |
| SPPO1081 | Portuguese for Beginners 1B | 20 | Semester 2 (Jan to Jun) | PFP |
All students will be required to study the following compulsory modules:
Route A
Students with prior language competence in Portuguese (talking SPPO1083) will be required to study 20 credits of discovery modules.
[Learning Outcomes, Transferable (Key) Skills, Assessment]
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At Level 2, students must study 120 credits. Overall, students must take 100 credits across their two subjects. Students are required to take 40 credits in IR and a minimum of 40 credits in Portuguese.
The remaining 20 credits may be taken as discovery modules or as further options with Portuguese.
Students will be required to study the following compulsory modules:
| Code | Title | Credits | Semester | Pass for Progression |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| PIED2501 | Theories of International Relations | 20 | Semester 1 (Sep to Jan) | PFP |
| PIED2559 | Global Security Challenges | 20 | Semester 2 (Jan to Jun) | PFP |
| SPPO2090 | Portuguese Language Skills | 20 | Semesters 1 & 2 (Sep to Jun) | PFP |
Students are required to study a minimum of 20 credits and may study up to 40 credits of the following optional modules:
| Code | Title | Credits | Semester | Pass for Progression |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| SPPO2020 | Film and Literature in the Portuguese-speaking World | 20 | Semesters 1 & 2 (Sep to Jun) | |
| SPPO2412 | Culture and Society in the Portuguese-Speaking World | 20 | Semesters 1 & 2 (Sep to Jun) |
Students may study up to 20 credits from the following optional modules:
| Code | Title | Credits | Semester | Pass for Progression |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| MODL2001 | Linguists into Schools | 20 | Semesters 1 & 2 (Sep to Jun) | |
| MODL2003 | Global Queer Politics and Cultures | 20 | Semester 2 (Jan to Jun) | |
| MODL2015 | Black Europe | 20 | Semesters 1 & 2 (Sep to Jun) | |
| MODL2070 | Reception, Transmission and Translation: The Global Circulation of Literature | 20 | Semesters 1 & 2 (Sep to Jun) | |
| MODL2075 | Global Environmental Humanities | 20 | Semester 2 (Jan to Jun) | |
| MODL2250 | Digital Communications Across Cultures | 20 | Semester 2 (Jan to Jun) |
Students may choose to take 20 credits of discovery modules.
[Learning Outcomes, Transferable (Key) Skills, Assessment]
View Timetable
Students will be required to study the following compulsory modules:
| Code | Title | Credits | Semester | Pass for Progression |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| MODL9500 | LCS Year Abroad | 120 | Semesters 1 & 2 (Sep to Jun) | PFP |
[Learning Outcomes, Transferable (Key) Skills, Assessment]
View Timetable
At Level 3, students must study 120 credits. Students are required to take a minimum of 40 credits in International Relations and a minimum of 40 credits in Portuguese. Overall, students must take 100 credits across their two subjects.
All students must take 40 credits as a Final Year Project (FYP) module, which can be taken in - and count towards - either of their two subjects (EITHER International Relations or Portuguese).
In order to be eligible for an Honours degree, students must meet the normal Rules for Award by passing all modules which are designated to be passed for award or progression and by passing the required number of credits at each level as specified in the Curricular Regulations (at least 200 credits at Level 2 or above, of which at least 100 should be at Level 3).
All students will be required to study the following compulsory module:
| Code | Title | Credits | Semester | Pass for Progression |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| SPPO3110 | Advanced Portuguese Language | 20 | Semesters 1 & 2 (Sep to Jun) | PFP |
All students are required to take ONE of the following Final Year Project (FYP) modules.
| Code | Title | Credits | Semester | Pass for Progression |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| MODL3050 | Final Year Project | 40 | Semesters 1 & 2 (Sep to Jun) | PFP |
| PIED3750 | Dissertation | 40 | Semesters 1 & 2 (Sep to Jun) | PFP |
Students who take their FYP in Portuguese are required to take a minimum of 40 credits in option list A and may take a further 20 credits from Option list B.
Students who take their FYP in International Relation may take up to 40 credits from Option list A and/or Option list B.
Optional List A:
| Code | Title | Credits | Semester | Pass for Progression |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| PIED3158 | British Foreign Policy | 20 | Semester 1 (Sep to Jan) | |
| PIED3325 | Europe in the World | 20 | Semester 1 (Sep to Jan) | |
| PIED3402 | American Foreign Policy | 20 | Semester 2 (Jan to Jun) | |
| PIED3504 | Critically Analysing The Responsibility to Protect | 20 | Not running in 202526 | |
| PIED3565 | Terrorism: Concepts, Debates, Cases | 20 | Semester 1 (Sep to Jan) |
Option List B:
| Code | Title | Credits | Semester | Pass for Progression |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| PIED3160 | Prime Ministers and British Politics | 20 | Not running in 202526 | |
| PIED3170 | The End of British Politics? | 20 | Semester 2 (Jan to Jun) | |
| PIED3171 | The Politics of national identity in the UK | 20 | Semester 1 (Sep to Jan) | |
| PIED3199 | The Labour Party Since 1945 | 20 | Not running in 202526 | |
| PIED3261 | Violence and Reconciliation in Africa | 20 | Semester 1 (Sep to Jan) | |
| PIED3302 | Extreme Right Parties in Contemporary Europe | 20 | Not running in 202526 | |
| PIED3305 | The Far Right in Europe and Beyond | 20 | Semester 1 (Sep to Jan) | |
| PIED3310 | Britain and the EU | 20 | Not running in 202526 | |
| PIED3342 | Gender and Security in Global Politics | 20 | Semester 1 (Sep to Jan) | |
| PIED3702 | Introduction to Programming for Social Science | 20 | Not running in 202526 | |
| PIED3810 | Video Games: Politics, Society and Culture | 20 | Semester 2 (Jan to Jun) |
Students who take their FYP in International Relations are required to take a minimum of 20 credits from the following Portuguese optional modules and may take a further 20 credits from this list.
Students who take their FYP in Portuguese may take up to 20 credits from the list of Portuguese optional modules.
Students wishing to choose MODL3800 as one of their Portuguese options must take a minimum of 60 credits in Portuguese in the final year including SPPO3110.
| Code | Title | Credits | Semester | Pass for Progression |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| MODL3410 | Contemporary World Literature | 20 | Semesters 1 & 2 (Sep to Jun) | |
| MODL3600 | Material Cultures and Cultures of Consumption | 20 | Not running in 202526 | |
| MODL3610 | Adventures of the Imagination: Crime and the Fantastic Across Continents | 20 | Not running in 202526 | |
| MODL3620 | Decolonial Approaches | 20 | Semester 1 (Sep to Jan) | |
| MODL3630 | Social Movements across Cultures | 20 | Semester 2 (Jan to Jun) | |
| MODL3650 | Minoritised Languages, Dialects and Cultures from Past to Present | 20 | Semester 2 (Jan to Jun) | |
| MODL3800 | Linguists into Schools | 20 | Semesters 1 & 2 (Sep to Jun) | |
| SPPO3701 | Urban Realities and Representations in the Portuguese Speaking World | 20 | Semesters 1 & 2 (Sep to Jun) |
- Students wishing to choose MODL3800 as one of their Portuguese options must take a minimum of 60 credits in Portuguese in the final year including SPPO3110.
All students may choose to spend up to 20 credits of Discovery modules in a third subject or pursue additional modules in International Relations or their chosen language.
Finalists may only take Level 1 modules that are listed as Discovery Skills modules (skd) and only to the value of 20 credits.
Last updated: 16/07/2025 16:58:50
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