The School of Modern Languages and Cultures comprises the departments of Arabic, Chinese, French, German, Hispanic Studies, Italian, Russian, and the Centre for Foreign Language Study; the School also introduced a BA in Chinese Studies in 2011-2012. Its community of academics, teachers, and support staff aims to foster a world-class student experience in all its disciplines. Some 80 full-time members of staff are engaged in teaching at undergraduate and postgraduate levels, offering expertise in a wide range of subjects, including language, literature, cultural history, cinema and visual culture, and translation; this is reflected also in an exciting range of taught degrees at postgraduate level. The School's departments figure regularly in the top five in national league tables such as the Good University Guide and the Complete University Guide.
The School's research community is organised through a number of interdisciplinary Research Groups - Culture and Difference; Literature-History-Theory; Translation-Linguistics-Pedagogy; Visual and Performance Studies - and is home to some 60 postgraduate students pursuing research degrees. All six of its constituent research-focused departments were returned in the 2008 Research Assessment Exercise. The results for both the School of Modern Languages and Cultures and Durham University generally were excellent, reflecting a growing commitment to research at the highest levels of achievement.
The School is also home to the Centre for Foreign Language Study, which offers non-specialist learners, including students, staff and members of the public, the opportunity to learn a range of languages from beginners to more advanced levels.
Dr Alex Harrington, Head of School
Events
Tuesday 11 March 2014
Wednesday 12 March 2014
- Literature/History/Theory Research Group: Professor Carlo Caruso 'How semicolons came into being - Punctuation, textual scholarship and literary criticism 12:00pm, A56, Elvet Riverside I, Durham University
- Translation & Linguistics Research Group: 'Do Translation and Journalism Deserve a Comparison?' given by Professor Luc van Doorslaer (University of Leuven) 12:00pm, PCL048, Hogan Lovells Lecture Theatre, Palatine Centre, Durham University
- Russian/IAS Seminar: 'Pravoslavie, Samoderzhavie, Narodnost: Count Uvarov and the Codification of Russian Conservatism in 1833' to be given by Lesley Chamberlain [writer and critic] 5:30pm, Russkiy Mir Centre (A29), Elvet Riverside I, Durham University
Thursday 13 March 2014
- Russian Seminar Series: Dr Ksana Blank [Princeton University, USA] talking about her latest publication 'Dostoevsky's Dialectics and the Problem of Sin' 5:00pm, A29, Elvet Riverside I, Durham University
Monday 17 March 2014
- Franco-German Café 6:00pm to 8:00pm, Interval Cafe, Gala Theatre, Durham
Wednesday 19 March 2014
- Visual & Performance Research Group: 'City and Emotions: Doing Emotions History through Architecture Photography’ to be given by Dr Johanna Lozoya (UNAM, National Autonomous University of Mexico) 12:00pm, A56, Elvet Riverside I, Durham University
Recent News
- Dr Nicholas Roberts shares insights on Venezuelan political troubles
- Professor Daniel Newman publishes new book on Arab aphrodisiacs in the Middle Ages
- CALL FOR PAPERS - International Conference 'Interprofessional and Interdisciplinary Relations in Russia' organised by Dr Andy Byford
- Professor Daniel Newman shares research insights on medieval Arab sexuality
- Professor Carlo Caruso [Italian] to take up Visiting Fellowship at All Souls College Oxford during Hilary Term 2014-15
- Opportunities for funding of MA and PhD level study beginning 2014-15
- Professor Carlo Caruso’s new book on Adonis in the Italian Renaissance
- Dr Thomas Wynn publishes a new book on violence in 18th-century France
Departments in the School
AHRC Funding
AHRC Northern Bridge Doctoral Training Partnership (NBDTP) for PhD and Masters funding. Up to 50 fully-supported studentships with integrated specialised training opportunities. These can include the possibility of working with strategic partners outside the university sector.