Modern & Medieval Languages

Cheyenne

I always found languages easy to grasp at school and have enjoyed exploring different cultures. The inter-discplinary strcuture of MML means that you do a bit of everything: translation, speaking and grammar are an obvious feature but you also get to explore politics, film, literature, art, philosophy and history just to name a few. In MML you really feel like you're doing a bit of everything and the fact that you spend the majority of time studying a minimum of 2 languages means that there is always a variety of things to get engaged with (plus everyone thinks you're cool for knowing how to speak different languages). The year abroad is also a big bonus.

Rachel

I love how languages allow us to explore any and all of our interests. Students are encouraged to work on such a wide variety of topics, it's really exciting to be able to work out your own interests and then to be able to research them from multiple cultural perspectives. Although it's difficult, I also love picking up new languages, and I love how the Cambridge course encourages us to do this!

Cheyenne

So you start of first year doing two languages, at least one of them from a post-A level standard (you can start a language from scratch as well). You grammar classes 1-3 times a week in each language depending on which you pick as well as translation classes every other week. You also do a culture/literature paper in each language which you will have 1-2 hours a week of lectures on (these are in English) and then you will also have a supervision on these every other week. Oral supervisions are once a week and are conducted in the target language. These papers form the basis of the entire course but the structure differs from year to year.

Rachel

MML is a 4 year course. We spend out first two years studying the grammar and literature, history and linguistics of our two chosen languages, and then we spend our third years abroad. While at Cambridge, we write essays for cultural (literature, linguistics, history) papers, and do grammar and translations as well as presentations for language modules. On the year abroad, we complete a year abroad project, which can either be an essay, a translation or a linguistics project. During the year, we can spend time in either one or two countries, and choose between studying at a host university, teaching as an English language assistant in schools, or finding a paid or unpaid job.

Cheyenne

The MML faculty is in the Raised Faculty Building which is an absolute maze at first glance. The RFB is mainly used for supervisions that are not done in college and seminar-style classes like grammar and translation classes. The MML library is a favourite across the entire university, all my STEM friends like to go there because it's just good vibes. Most lectures take place in the lecture block that is next door which is used by most humanities subjects. Sidgwick Site has so many libraries to choose from, 2 cafes and is right next to the University Library which is always worth a visit. Since pretty much all humanities students have classes and lectures on Sidgwick Site daily, you will always run into someone you know.

Rachel

Although from the outside the Raised Faculty Building at Sidgwick looks a little foreboding, the language faculty is actually amazing. The library in particular is a really friendly space to work, with biscuits often available on Fridays, as well as blankets, drinks and beanbags available year round. The librarians are really friendly, too, and there are some big windows looking down onto the grassy court in the middle of the building! In the building as a whole it can be a bit difficult at first to find specific classrooms, but you find out your way around soon enough, and everyone is friendly and happy to help you if you get lost during your first few weeks.

Cheyenne

You will normally have 2-3 hours of lectures in a week (mine are normally between 10am and 3pm on Tuesdays and Wednesdays). As I did Spanish from scratch, in first year I had 3 hours of Spanish grammar a week (a two-hour class on Tuesday and 1 hour on Friday). I would then have a Spanish speaking supervision once a week and also a French one. I would also have an extra Spanish grammar supervision every other week so sometimes I would have 4 hours of Spanish grammar a week. Translation classes are once every fortnight and so are literature supervisions which you have to write a 1500 word essay for. Those are the contact hours, but you will also have to do work in preparation for most of those, so there is a lot of independent working involved.

Rachel

The workload for MML is divided up into small deadlines throughout the week. I usually write a literature essay each week, and in y first year I'd have a piece of grammar homework to do most days, to hand in either the next day or the next week. Sometimes, we'd also have extra readings to do for seminars (which sometimes replace lectures, especially on smaller modules) or presentations to write for supervisions. Especially if you're doing an ab initio (new) language, you'll also have vocab and grammar to learn each week.

Cheyenne

I would love to see more diversity within culture papers, especially in first year. My first year French culture/literature paper was very traditional and I didn't relate to it at all or find it very interesting. Now I am in second year and can pick papers more suited to my interests, I love what I am studying at the moment and my grades have transformed. As for Spanish, going from up to 4 hours of grammar practice to 1 in second year is quite difficult to adjust to and I often find myself having to catch up with the first post-A level Spanish students which is hard when my schedule is a lot more hectic than theirs. But overall, the MML faculty do a good job.

Rachel

I'd love there to be more coherency between the language departments, as sometimes the lack of communication means that some weeks become very full, whereas other weeks are a lot emptier