History & Modern Languages

Number of places at Balliol

1 or 2, but there is no maximum quota

Subject information

Please see the Faculty of History website, the Faculty of Modern Languages website, and the course page on the undergraduate admissions website.

Course requirements

Please see the entrance requirements pages on the undergraduate admissions website.

College requirements

Candidates should be studying, or have studied History to A2 level or equivalent.

Admissions/Selection criteria

For information on how applicants are assessed, see the selection criteria pages on the Faculty of History website, and the selection criteria pages on the Faculty of Modern Languages website.

History & Modern Languages at Balliol

History and Modern Languages is a thriving undergraduate degree at Balliol, which builds on the many interconnections between the two subjects. The structure of the joint degree offers ample opportunity to combine the two sides of the course. A ‘Bridge Essay’, written during the year spent abroad, forms part of the course; and many students taking the course choose specialist options from the History syllabus which draw on their knowledge of the literature and language they are studying. It is also commonly the case that the joint-school students write an undergraduate thesis in History which is based on sources in the language they are studying as part of their joint degree.

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

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.

Lesley Abrams teaches early medieval history and has published on political, cultural, and social aspects of the Viking Age, as well as more general studies of conversion to Christianity.

Simon Skinner teaches modern British history, and has published on politics and religion in early Victorian Britain.

Martin Conway teaches European and World History of the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, and has published on themes of inter-war fascism, collaboration, and the re-establishment of democracy in Europe after 1945.