Modern Languages at uni - avoiding literature!

[Stringbean70]

My DS is in Y12 and doing Spanish and French A-levels (alongside media). He's starting to look at uni options (envisages he will be predicted ABB) and is keen to study modern languages - French, Spanish and probably ab initio Portuguese. He seems to think that by taking Portuguese (a third language) he will be able to cut down on literature modules and his teachers have advised him to give Oxbridge and York a swerve as they are literature heavy (not that he has the grades for Oxbridge anyway!). As we're London based, he also wants to avoid London unis. Anyway, these are the universities on his list and I should be very grateful of any info as to the language departments and the MFL degrees there:

Exeter
Nottingham
Birmingham
Sheffield
Surrey
Southampton
Swansea

As I say, he is keen to avoid literature - more interested in film and other cultural modules!

he is kidding himself if he thinks he can avoid literature. sorry.
it might be reduced with focus on other media but can never be avoided altogether.

It is doable, or at least it was many years ago, I studied languages and managed to get through a 4 year degree with only half a module worth of literature in that time! I did MEL (Modern European Languages) rather than dual honours is that still an option anywhere?

He needs to look in detail at the course pages for each - they should show the compulsory modules each year. Eg Surrey doesn't look as if there is much Lit: https://www.surrey.ac.uk/undergraduate/modern-languages-french-and-spanish#structure

Southampton would be a good choice. The list of core and optional modules is here: www.southampton.ac.uk/courses/modern-languages-french-spanish-portuguese-degree-ba#main

Languages, Linguistics and Culture courses are taught at Avenue Campus (5 minute walk from the main campus). It's also where Film Studies, History and other humanities disciplines are taught.

Back in the dusts of time, I did Modern Languages at Salford. No literature and it was a highly thought of course despite the Salford thing.
Department doesn't even exist now, mainly because of the curriculum not continuing MFL up to GCSEs.
There must still be some depts that don't do it. (on reflection I should probably have done a more traditional course, I chose all literature options in the end and didn't like the marketing etc stuff we did instead)

I did languages at Durham ages ago and it was all literature : wish I'd read the prospectus!!

Has he looked at Bath?

Hi there, yes I believe Durham is still v literature heavy (entry grades are too high for him anyway). He says he's looked at Bath but you can only do two languages so he favours Exeter (same tariff AAB)

My son's in his third year at Leeds doing languages, not too much literature but I really, really would not recommend. He had no in person teaching in his first or second year, even after they advertised themselves as back face to face, individual lecturers said they wanted to continue remote learning so that's what happened. Year abroad support was non existent.

This is really helpful - thank you. He likes the course at Southampton but is in two minds about Southampton - a fresher friend there told him it feels a bit disjointed as there are four or five different campuses.... Will urge him to go to an open day (do parents go with them on these days I wonder?)

I studied MFL at Leeds & did hardly any literature - maybe one compulsory module in my first year and none in the remainder.

I specifically chose popular culture, film, music and linguistics modules.

Oh your poor son - I am so very sorry. The contact hours for MFL seem so low anyway and to have them all remote sucks. Planning to avoid Leeds anyway as you can only do three languages in your first year and then have to drop down to two....

You need to look at specific uni websites and find their curriculum pages. I could tell you my degree modules but I'd be 20 years out of date.
He may be better with a something+language degree if he wants to avoid literature, but it's a shame to ignore such a vast area of a country's culture!

Me too. I was quite shocked when I found out it had closed. I went there for the same reason and focused on linguistics instead.

On the zero literature thing, I could be out of date but Bradford. Stirling, Sheffield. are all worth a look and it’s worth considering a language combined with e.g. European Business as quote often you d’OL fewer optional modules and can cut the literature out that way.

Sadly Bradford don't do any language degrees - perhaps they are one of the (many?) unis do axe their language dept?

I agree - but I can't persuade him ever to pick up a book! He aced GCSE Eng Lit by just reading the revision guides (never the book!) but won't be able to get away with that at uni!

Look at Manchester. I think they have lots of Film / Culture options.

Cardiff offers MFL degrees with minimal literature, but I don't think you can do a third language there.

Bath offers MFL degrees without much literature. Don't know whether a third language is possible there.

Newcastle when we looked a few years ago definitely had the option of studying three languages. I don't know how much literature study is required for MFL degrees there.

My daughter is doing Spanish and business at Cardiff and I don't think she's doing any literature. I don't know about when doing two languages though.

Bath MFL has a strong business focus. Overall MFL is not a big department there. Few university MFL departments want more than AAB these days (not enough students to go round with high grades) and plenty will be less. It’s a great shame he doesn’t want literature. My DD did joint honours MFL and your ability to read and discuss literature is key to the highest rated courses.

Also there’s never been high input from lecturers. It’s not school. You really have to be a self starter. DD liked the medieval literature of the crusades. Didn’t like a film module.When she started she would have said it would be the other way around! Literature is harder hence Oxbridge and Durham stick with it. It’s a key part of the course. I think DS should challenge himself with literature. It’s what makes a good MFL dept tick!

I did a language degree with no literature as I did French, German and business. I did business instead of the literature modules. It was hard though, as I was expected to be at the same standard as the others who were having many more lessons per week than me ! I would have hated literature though

I studied Spanish and Portuguese ab initio in the early 2000s at a red brick Uni not on your list (at that time one of only a handful doing Portuguese) and I only studied the compulsory literature modules, so over 3 years I only did a few modules with literature. It’s unlikely to be completely avoidable but he will definitely be able to minimise it.

I studied modern languages at Birmingham (2004 - 2008 mind you!). I was able to get away with very little literature. I did German, French and Spanish (equal weighting) and then chose Portuguese ab initio as one of my Spanish modules. In later years, I'd always opt for linguistics or philology modules over literature if I could!

It's hard to avoid literature altogether especially in the first year. Are you sure your son will be able to take 2 languages plus another ab initio? If he is able to it might only be in the 2nd year.

In my experience, and I have had quite a lot, what you are promised and what you get is not always the same. One of my DC is taking MFL and was told they wouldn't have to take literature. Literature (under the guise of culture amongst other things) is currently about 75% of the course. Taking Portuguese is one of their languages.

Laughing as I actually wanted to study English but didn't get the grade I wanted, so deliberately chose a languages course with lots of literature modules (Nottingham, though things have probably changed since I was there); I think I recall Leeds or Bradford having a course that involved barely any literature and lots of business modules, so that might be something to look out for? And a friend who studied at Aston didn't do ANY literature, if I recall, though I don't know if Aston still offers languages.

Like @Rhi86 i went to Birmingham (Russian) and literature was completely optional. After failing the lit element of my A level, i also wanted to avoid and so focused on politics and economics instead.