BA Comparative Literatures and Cultures and Modern Languages
About this course
BA in Comparative Literatures and Cultures and Modern Languages, an English and Modern Languages and Classics degree centred on global perspectives in literature, film, and cultural history. Core topics include Research Methods, Historical Research, Critical & Analytical Thinking, and Global & Comparative Perspective. The course includes the option to spend the third year studying or working abroad in a country matching the chosen language. The first year introduces foundational theories and methods through compulsory modules such as Comparative Literatures and Cultures: Theories and Approaches, Reading Comparatively, and various language pathways including French Language, German Language, and Spanish Language, alongside diverse optional modules. The second year builds on these concepts with compulsory study in Migrating Texts: Classical Reception, Adaptation, Translation and Research Skills in Languages and Cultures, alongside continued language acquisition and optional subjects ranging from contemporary cinema to historical literature.
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Entry requirements
A level: ABB. Required subjects: Dependent on language level chosen (see below). IB: 32/655.
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What students say
Based on about 115 final-year students who answered, across similar courses at this university
- Teaching on my course: 87%
- Learning opportunities: 78%
- Assessment and feedback: 80%
- Academic support: 92%
- Organisation and management: 81%
- Learning resources: 93%
- Student voice: 77%
Do students stay on the course?
Based on about 115 students who started, across similar courses at this university
- Continued on course: 95%
- Left higher education: 5%
What graduates do next
Based on about 44 graduates who answered, across similar courses at this university
- Working: 60%
- Working and studying: 8%
- Further study: 19%
- Unemployed: 3%
Most common jobs
- Business and public service associate professionals: 20%
- Teaching Professionals: 15%
- Elementary occupations: 5%
- Administrative occupations: 5%
- Teaching and Childcare Support Occupation: 5%
- Find their work meaningful: 75%
- Feel on track for their future plans: 70%
- Use what they learnt on the course: 50%
Where graduates work (5 years on)
Based on about 160 graduates, across similar courses at this university
- North West: 2%
- Yorkshire and the Humber: 2%
- East Midlands: 1%
- West Midlands: 7%
- East of England: 13%
- London: 34%
- South East: 15%
- South West: 22%
- Wales: 4%
Who gets in
Based on about 115 students who started, across similar courses at this university
- A levels: 91%
- Baccalaureate: 6%
- Access course: 1%
- Other HE qualification: 1%
Accreditation & quality ratings
TEF 2023 (whole university): Gold overall, Gold for student experience, Gold for student outcomes.
Modules
- Comparative Literatures and Cultures: Theories and Approaches
- Reading Comparatively
- French Language
- French Language for Beginners
- German Language
- German Language for Beginners
- Italian Language
- Italian Language for Beginners
- Beginners Chinese
- Portuguese Language for Beginners
- Contemporary Russian Written and Oral
- Russian Language for Beginners
- Spanish Language
- Spanish Language for Beginners
- Greek and Roman Narrative
- Text and Context: Writing Women in Ancient Literature
- The Novel
- The Devil is in the Detail: An Introduction to the Short Story in French
- A Nation Remembers: Issues in German Cultural Memory
- Italy Inside Out: Popular Visual Narratives about Italy
- Chinese Art and the Art of Living
- An Emotional Experience: Russian Literature and the Expression of Feeling
- An Introduction to the Hispanic World: Texts in Context
- The Bible: Past and Present
- Inside the Museum
- Introduction to Film
- The Making of Modern France
- The French Language, Present and Past
- An Introduction to French Thought
- Turning Points in German History 1200 - 2000
- Russia: Empire and Identity
- Introduction to Asian Philosophy
- A Thousand Faces: Cultures and History in 19th-Century Italy
- Language, Culture, International Relations
- The Making of Modern Latin America: History Through Literature and Culture
- An Introduction to the Literature and Film of Spain
- Migrating Texts: Classical Reception, Adaptation, Translation
- Research Skills in Languages and Cultures
- French Language
- French Language for Beginners
- German Language
- German Language for Beginners
- Italian Language
- Italian Language for Beginners
- Beginners Chinese
- Portuguese Language for Beginners
- Contemporary Russian Written and Oral
- Russian Language for Beginners
- Spanish Language
- Spanish Language for Beginners
- Greek and Roman Narrative
- Text and Context: Writing Women in Ancient Literature
- Modernism and Modernity: Literature 1900-1960
- Culture, Crisis and Ecology in a Postcolonial World
- Work Experience: Building Skills and Unlocking Opportunities
- Gender, Race and Migration in 20th and 21st-century German Literature
- Chinoiserie and Européenerie: Artistic and Vultural Exchanges between China and Europe
- Digital China: Popular Culture, Technology, and Society
- Other Shores: Exile and Emigration in Russian Literature
- Contemporary Latin American Cinema
- Tales of Freedom, Necessity and Providence
- From Page to Screen: Female Detectives in Literature, Film, and Television
- Revolutions! Art and Society in France, 1770-1830
- Evolution of the French Language
- Intimate Spaces of the French Enlightenment
- Violence and Virtue: Early Modern French Theatre
- Subversive Texts: Baudelaire and Rachilde
- Berlin - Culture, History and Politics
- Multilingualism in Society
- Exploring Revolution: The Making of Soviet Society and Culture in the 1920s
- Apocalypse/Utopia: the Russian Roots of Revolution
- Federico Garcia Lorca: Theatre and Poetry
- The Latin American Short Story
- Catalonia Is Not Spain? Modern Catalan Culture in Context
- "What is Love? And Do I Need It?" An Introduction to Spanish Renaissance Love Poetry
- Fiction in Post-War Spain: Voices of Conformity and Subversion
Questions about this course
How much do graduates of BA Comparative Literatures and Cultures and Modern Languages at University of Exeter earn?
The median salary is £29,000 after 15 months, £27,500 after 3 years, £36,000 after 5 years. After five years the middle half of graduates earn between £29,000 and £46,500. The £36,000 median after five years is £3,000 more than the UK median for Language and area studies (other).
What do graduates of BA Comparative Literatures and Cultures and Modern Languages at University of Exeter do next?
86% were in work or further study 15 months after finishing (Graduate Outcomes 2023-24).
Are students happy with the teaching on BA Comparative Literatures and Cultures and Modern Languages at University of Exeter?
87% of final-year students were positive about the teaching in the National Student Survey 2025-26.
What grades do I need for BA Comparative Literatures and Cultures and Modern Languages at University of Exeter?
The typical offer is ABB at A level. The average entrant had 152 UCAS points.
Does BA Comparative Literatures and Cultures and Modern Languages at University of Exeter include a placement year or year abroad?
The course has an optional placement year and an optional year abroad.
How many students continue on BA Comparative Literatures and Cultures and Modern Languages at University of Exeter?
95% of students continued into their second year, and 5% left higher education.