English & Modern Languages

Student profile: Max

I, like many other Oxbridge applicants, had my fair share of trepidation before arriving at Balliol; the arrogance, the all-consuming workload, the worry that none of my fellow students would ever want to have fun, and all the other Oxbridge myths you hear before you arrive.

I could not have been more wrong. Balliol is, without a doubt, a fun, friendly and extremely active environment to live in. The workload is completely manageable, and there’s a wide enough range of people, backgrounds, and activities to keep anyone occupied, whether it’s a club or society you want to be involved in, or joining the most active JCR in Oxford, or simply go clubbing. It sounds clichéd, but Balliol really does have something for everyone, and I would encourage anyone thinking of applying to Oxford to strongly consider it. I couldn’t be happier here.

Number of places at Balliol

Up to 2

Subject information

Please see the Faculty of English and Faculty of Modern Languages websites, and the course page on the undergraduate admissions website for more information.

Course requirements

Please see the entrance requirements on the undergraduate admissions website.

College requirements

None specific to Balliol.

Admissions/Selection criteria

For information on how applicants are assessed, see the Faculty of English and the Faculty of Modern Languages websites.

English & Modern Languages at Balliol

English and Modern Languages is a thriving subject at Balliol. It offers the opportunity to combine the study of two literatures in depth: working in consultation with their tutors, students choose from a wide range of papers to create a course that addresses their particular interests. Reading for joint schools enables students to experience varied perspectives on the world and to think for themselves within an interdisciplinary context. Our students are also exposed to international cultures, including spending one year abroad.

The English part of the course offers students the chance to study literature from all periods of English literary history, from Old English to the present day, as well as papers in the English Language, Film, and many other specialisms. There are college prizes for essays and original composition. Annually the second year take a field trip to the Lake District as part of their studies of English Romanticism.

In Modern Languages (that is, French, Italian, German, Spanish, Portuguese, Modern Greek, Czech, or Linguistics), the work covers language, literature, and linguistics. In the first year, students will study a set selection of texts from a variety of periods. After that, students choose their own papers from a wide set of options ranging from the Middle Ages to the present day. Students are encouraged to build on their existing skills in speaking, reading, and writing their chosen languages. A high final standard is expected, and to help students reach it, we offer progressive language teaching throughout the course. We strongly encourage our students to spend a year abroad between the second and third years of the course, and can offer help in finding placements either as language assistants or on university courses in their country of choice.

Tutors

Seamus Perry has published widely on Romantic poetry, especially Coleridge and Wordsworth, and he has also written about Tennyson, T.S. Eliot, Auden, and other later writers.
Sophie Marnette's research offers a linguistic and philological approach to literary issues in Medieval French, such as the origins and evolution of literary genres, the expression of narrative voice and point of view, the relationship between history and fiction, etc.
The College also has permanent Lecturers in French, Italian, Spanish, and German.