BA Bulgarian and Portuguese
Entry requirements
A level: ABB (Previous study of a foreign language is preferred (not necessarily one of the named languages) but not required. Applicants may study two languages at beginner level and may seek advice from the departments concerned if needed) IB: 34 points (A total of 16 points in three higher level subjects, with no higher level score below 5. Foreign language preferred.)
About this course
BA in Bulgarian and Portuguese, a degree within Spanish, Portuguese and Latin American Studies and Russian Studies and related fields. Core topics include Research Methods. This four-year undergraduate course incorporates a compulsory year abroad spent studying or working in relevant linguistic regions. Taught jointly across two academic departments, the curriculum integrates language acquisition with cultural, historical and literary studies. The first year covers foundational language proficiency alongside modules such as Introduction to Portuguese Language and Lusophone Culture, Introduction to Portuguese Literature, The Brazilian Novel, Bulgarian Language Level 1, War, Trauma and Memory in East European Cinema, and Literature and Memory, with further options available in linguistics and Russian studies. The second year continues linguistic development through Intermediate Portuguese Language and Lusophone Culture, The Golden Age of Portuguese Travel Literature, Bulgarian Language Level 2a-Comprehension, Bulgarian Language Level 2b-Production, Afro-Brazilian Literature in Translation, Introduction to Bulgarian Culture and Literature, and Writing from the Other Europe, accompanied by optional studies spanning European drama, minority languages, and cinema. Following the year abroad, the final year advances mastery with Advanced Portuguese Language and Lusophone Culture, Portugal and Its Empire in the 20th Century: Trajectories and Memories, Short Fiction and the Making of Modern Brazil, Bulgarian Language Level 3a - Comprehension, and Bulgarian Language Level 3b - Production, alongside a Free-standing Dissertation. Optional modules in the final year allow specialisation in areas such as translation theory, gender-inclusive language, exile narratives, and contemporary visual arts.
Modules
- Introduction to Portuguese Language and Lusophone Culture
- Introduction to Portuguese Literature
- The Brazilian Novel
- Bulgarian Language Level 1
- War, Trauma and Memory in East European Cinema
- Literature and Memory
- How Words Work: Sounds and Sense
- Representations of Russia
- Russian and Soviet Cinema: History, Ideology, Society
- Introduction to Russian Studies I
- Introduction to Russian Studies II
- Intermediate Portuguese Language and Lusophone Culture
- The Golden Age of Portuguese Travel Literature
- Bulgarian Language Level 2a-Comprehension
- Bulgarian Language Level 2b-Production
- Afro-Brazilian Literature in Translation
- Introduction to Bulgarian Culture and Literature
- Writing from the Other Europe
- How Words Work: Sounds and Sense
- Tales of the Unexpected: the Supernatural and Fantastic in Literature, 1800 - 1930
- Languages in Contact along the Danube: Intercultural Frictions and Flows
- Minority Languages of Russia: Cultural, Linguistic Diversity and Endangerment
- Staging Europe: Modern European Drama and Theatre
- Between the Alps and the Adriatic: Modern Slovene Culture and Literature
- Old Church Slavonic and Comparative Slavonic Grammar as a Language Learning Strategy
- Contemporary Performance and Activism in Europe
- Contemporary Polish Cinema
- Language and social justice: ideologies, politics, and participation
- SELCS Year Abroad Term 1
- SELCS Year Abroad Term 2
- Year Abroad Term 1
- Year Abroad Term 2
- Advanced Portuguese Language and Lusophone Culture
- Portugal and Its Empire in the 20th Century: Trajectories and Memories
- Short Fiction and the Making of Modern Brazil
- Bulgarian Language Level 3a - Comprehension
- Bulgarian Language Level 3b - Production
- Free-standing Dissertation
- Narratives of Exile
- Crossroads of Culture: Language and Identity in the Literatures of Ukraine from Crimea to the Shtetl
- Contemporary Art and Politics in Eastern Europe and Russia
- Translation: Theory and Practice
- Perspectives on Nonbinary, Gender-inclusive and Genderqueer Language
- The Person, Love and Utopia in Russian Thought
- Russian and Soviet Cinema: Innovation and Experiment
- Contemporary Russian Cinema