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Register nowEuropean Languages, Culture and Society
Whether you’re interested in European languages, literature, film or history, studying at the School of European Languages, Culture and Society (SELCS) allows a flexible choice of interdisciplinary options for students interested in the vibrantly rich cultural life of Europe.
Key Information
- Faculty
- Arts & Humanities
- Department website
- European Languages, Culture and Society
- Availability
- Year, Fall Term, Spring Term
- English language level
- Level 1 - see English language requirements for more details.
- Tuition fees
- see Tuition fees for more information
- GPA requirement
- 3.3
- Subject/Module requirements
- Applicants are expected to have an academic background relevant to the programme.
Why study European Languages, Culture and Society at UCL?
Our teachers are subject specialists, whose aim is to strengthen your skills of analysis and critical interpretation, honing your ability to present convincing and well-structured arguments in writing and through oral presentations. Combining comparative and contextual perspectives from a range of national cultures, you will gain an enriched view of Europe’s complex cultural life. Students are able to choose from a range of modules covering literature, linguistics, history, sociology, philosophy, art, film and other aspects of the cultures associated with the languages taught in SELCS.
What you will gain from study at UCL
Our central London location provides access to a rich variety of cultural events and to world-class library facilities: the British Library and the libraries of Senate House and of the Warburg and Courtauld Institutes are nearby; the UCL Library includes the most comprehensive Dutch and Scandinavian libraries outside the Netherlands and Scandinavia; the British Film Institute and its library as well as world-famous art collections are within walking distance.
Teaching and assessment
Our modules offer depth of analysis within a broad syllabus covering a wide range of historical periods and provide ample opportunity to participate in class discussions and debates. We use a mixture of lectures and seminars in all our modules, which are usually examined by assessed essay(s), desk examination, or a combination of both.
Modules in European Languages, Culture and Society
Please note that this guide lists a range of popular modules offered as a representative sample. It is not exhaustive and, since the guide is published ahead of time, module options may have changed, been deleted or replaced. If you have very specific study needs or require confirmation of module availability for 2024/25, you are strongly advised to get in touch with the relevant Affiliate contact, listed on this subject page, before making an application.
The most up-to-date list of SELCS modules and links to module descriptions can be found here.
Affiliate students from other UCL departments are welcome to request SELCS modules. Click here for instructions and contact details.
European Languages, Culture & Society modules (all affiliates)
| Module code | Title | Availability | US Credits | ECTS Credits | UCL Credits |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ELCS0032 | Nationalism and Ethnicity in Contemporary Europe | Fall Term | 4 | 7.5 | 15 |
| ELCS0033 | Utopias and Dystopias in 20th-Century Literature | Spring Term | 4 | 7.5 | 15 |
| ELCS0036 | Topics in Film Studies 1 | Fall Term | 4 | 7.5 | 15 |
| ELCS0037 | Topics in Film Studies 2 | Spring Term | 4 | 7.5 | 15 |
| ELCS0038 | Aspects of European Thought | Fall Term | 4 | 7.5 | 15 |
| ELCS0039 | Cultures of Conflict | Spring Term | 4 | 7.5 | 15 |
| ELCS0040 | Post-1945 European Literature | Spring Term | 4 | 7.5 | 15 |
| ELCS0042 | Topics in Linguistics 1 | Fall Term | 4 | 7.5 | 15 |
| ELCS0043 | Topics in Linguistics 2 | Spring Term | 4 | 7.5 | 15 |
| ELCS0047 | Topics in Visual Representation | Fall Term | 4 | 7.5 | 15 |
Comparative Literature modules (SELCS affiliates only)
| Module code | Title | Availability | US Credits | ECTS Credits | UCL Credits |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| LITC0007 | Re-imagining the Self: Reading Chinese Short Fiction | Spring Term | 4 | 7.5 | 15 |
| LITC0010 | Topics in the Modern Novel | Spring Term | 4 | 7.5 | 15 |
| LITC0014 | Urban Tales: the City in East Asian Literature | Fall Term | 4 | 7.5 | 15 |
| LITC0018 | Anthropology and Literature | Fall Term | 4 | 7.5 | 15 |
| LITC0020 | Literature and Charisma | Spring Term | 4 | 7.5 | 15 |
| LITC0024 | Experimental Film and Video: Between Gallery and Cinema | Spring Term | 4 | 7.5 | 15 |
| LITC0026 | Imagined Children: The Child in Fiction | Fall Term | 4 | 7.5 | 15 |
| LITC0027 | Canons and Creativity: Period, Content, Text | Fall Term | 4 | 7.5 | 15 |
| LITC0028 | From Page to Stage: How to Read Plays | Spring Term | 4 | 7.5 | 15 |
| LITC0031 | Political Histories in Latin American Culture | Fall Term | 4 | 7.5 | 15 |
| LITC0033 | Strays: Lost & Found in the Nineteenth-Century European Novel | Spring Term | 4 | 7.5 | 15 |
| LITC0035 | Global Literature and the Anthropocene | Fall Term | 4 | 7.5 | 15 |
| LITC0039 | Transcultural East Asia | Fall Term | 4 | 7.5 | 15 |
Dutch modules
| Module code | Title | Availability | US Credits | ECTS Credits | UCL Credits |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| DUTC0001 | Introduction to Dutch Language and Culture | Fall Term, Spring Term | 4 | 7.5 | 15 |
| DUTC0003 | Born out of Rebellion: The Netherlands from the Dutch Revolt to the Eve of World War I | Fall Term | 4 | 7.5 | 15 |
| DUTC0004 | Modern Dutch Literary Texts | Spring Term | 4 | 7.5 | 15 |
| DUTC0005 | Intermediate Dutch Language and Culture | Fall Term, Spring Term | 4 | 7.5 | 15 |
| DUTC0006 | At the Crossroads of Europe: Belgium, the Netherlands and Luxembourg in the 20th and 21st Centuries | Spring Term | 4 | 7.5 | 15 |
| DUTC0007 | Twentieth Century Dutch Literature I: Themes | Spring Term | 4 | 7.5 | 15 |
| DUTC0008 | Multiculturalism and Identity | Spring Term | 4 | 7.5 | 15 |
| DUTC0009 | Advanced Dutch Language and Culture | Fall Term, Spring Term | 8 | 15 | 30 |
| DUTC0010 | The Contemporary in Dutch Literature | Fall Term | 4 | 7.5 | 15 |
| DUTC0013 | Contemporary Culture and History of the Low Countries | Spring Term | 4 | 7.5 | 15 |
| DUTC0017 | Project in Dutch | Fall Term | 4 | 7.5 | 15 |
| DUTC0026 | Advanced Translation | Spring Term | 4 | 7.5 | 15 |
French modules
| Module code | Title | Availability | US Credits | ECTS Credits | UCL Credits |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| FREN0008 | French Film | Spring Term | 4 | 7.5 | 15 |
| FREN0009 | An Introduction to Literary Theory | Fall Term | 4 | 7.5 | 15 |
| FREN0011 | The Renaissance Period | Fall Term | 4 | 7.5 | 15 |
| FREN0014 | Romanticism and Modernity: the 19th Century | Spring Term | 4 | 7.5 | 15 |
| FREN0016 | France: Culture and Society | Fall Term | 4 | 7.5 | 15 |
| FREN0018 | Contesting Frenchness: Francophone Literatures | Fall Term | 4 | 7.5 | 15 |
| FREN0020 | French: Translation into English 1 | Fall Term | 4 | 7.5 | 15 |
| FREN0034 | Realism: Looking awry in Nineteenth-Century France | Spring Term | 4 | 7.5 | 15 |
| FREN0038 | Cultures of AIDS in France: History, Policy and Representation | Fall Term | 4 | 7.5 | 15 |
| FREN0039 | Gender, Race and Sexuality | Fall Term | 4 | 7.5 | 15 |
| FREN0043 | Fiction and the Archives: Rewriting Criminal Stories in Early Modern France | Fall Term | 4 | 7.5 | 15 |
| FREN0065 | French Oral 1 | Fall Term, Spring Term | 4 | 7.5 | 15 |
| FREN0066 | Use of French 2 | Fall Term, Spring Term | 4 | 7.5 | 15 |
| FREN0067 | French Oral 2 | Fall Term, Spring Term | 4 | 7.5 | 15 |
| FREN0074 | A Century of Conflict and Crisis: France, 1870-1970 | Fall Term | 4 | 7.5 | 15 |
German modules
| Module code | Title | Availability | US Credits | ECTS Credits | UCL Credits |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GERM0007 | Introduction to German Linguistics | Spring Term | 4 | 7.5 | 15 |
| GERM0010 | Aspects of Twentieth Century German History | Fall Term | 4 | 7.5 | 15 |
| GERM0013 | Love-Violence-Laughter: Medieval and Early Modern Literature and Culture | Fall Term, Spring Term | 4 | 7.5 | 15 |
| GERM0015 | The Challenge of Modernity: Literature and Culture 1870-Present | Fall Term, Spring Term | 4 | 7.5 | 15 |
| GERM0021 | Parzival | Fall Term | 4 | 7.5 | 15 |
| GERM0029 | Language, Power and Ideology | Spring Term | 4 | 7.5 | 15 |
| GERM0036 | Black Germany | Spring Term | 4 | 7.5 | 15 |
| GERM0037 | Surveillance | Spring Term | 4 | 7.5 | 15 |
| GERM0040 | Weimar and Nazi Film | Spring Term | 4 | 7.5 | 15 |
| GERM0060 | German: Translation from and into English 1 | Fall Term | 4 | 7.5 | 15 |
| GERM0063 | German Translation from and into English 2 | Spring Term | 4 | 7.5 | 15 |
| GERM0070 | The New German Cinema | Spring Term | 4 | 7.5 | 15 |
Italian modules
Scandinavian Studies modules
| Module code | Title | Availability | US Credits | ECTS Credits | UCL Credits |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SCAN0001 | Basic Danish | Fall Term, Spring Term | 8 | 15 | 30 |
| SCAN0002 | Basic Danish A | Fall Term | 4 | 7.5 | 15 |
| SCAN0003 | Basic Swedish | Fall Term, Spring Term | 8 | 15 | 30 |
| SCAN0004 | Basic Swedish A | Fall Term | 4 | 7.5 | 15 |
| SCAN0005 | Basic Norwegian | Fall Term, Spring Term | 8 | 15 | 30 |
| SCAN0006 | Basic Norwegian A | Fall Term | 4 | 7.5 | 15 |
| SCAN0007 | Basic Modern Icelandic | Fall Term, Spring Term | 4 | 7.5 | 15 |
| SCAN0008 | Basic Modern Icelandic A | Fall Term | 4 | 7.5 | 15 |
| SCAN0009 | Introduction to Linguistics and the Scandinavian Languages | Fall Term, Spring Term | 4 | 7.5 | 15 |
| SCAN0010 | Nordic Storytelling | Spring Term | 4 | 7.5 | 15 |
| SCAN0011 | Histories and Cultures of the Nordic Region | Fall Term, Spring Term | 8 | 15 | 30 |
| SCAN0012 | Histories and Cultures of the Nordic Region A | Fall Term | 4 | 7.5 | 15 |
| SCAN0013 | Introduction to Old Norse | Fall Term, Spring Term | 4 | 7.5 | 15 |
| SCAN0014 | Vikings and Material Culture | Spring Term | 4 | 7.5 | 15 |
| SCAN0017 | Intermediate Swedish | Fall Term, Spring Term | 8 | 15 | 30 |
| SCAN0018 | Intermediate Swedish A | Fall Term | 4 | 7.5 | 15 |
| SCAN0019 | Intermediate Norwegian | Fall Term, Spring Term | 8 | 15 | 30 |
| SCAN0020 | Intermediate Norwegian | Fall Term | 4 | 7.5 | 15 |
| SCAN0021 | Intermediate Modern Icelandic Language | Fall Term, Spring Term | 8 | 15 | 30 |
| SCAN0023 | Nordic Literature in Context | Fall Term | 4 | 7.5 | 15 |
| SCAN0025 | Nordic Politics and Society | Fall Term | 4 | 7.5 | 15 |
| SCAN0027 | Intermediate Old Norse | Fall Term, Spring Term | 4 | 7.5 | 15 |
| SCAN0030 | Advanced Danish | Fall Term, Spring Term | 4 | 7.5 | 15 |
| SCAN0032 | Advanced Norwegian | Fall Term, Spring Term | 4 | 7.5 | 15 |
Contact details
- Name
- For SELCS affiliates (before arrival):
- selcs.studyabroad@ucl.ac.uk
- Telephone
- +44 (0)20 7679 4339
- Name
- For SELCS and other UCL affilates (after arrival):
- selcs.undergraduate@ucl.ac.uk