Curious about studying Danish and Dutch - BA (Hons)at UCL (University College London)? We've gathered all the key details—entry requirements, modules, fees, and more. Hear from real students by checking out reviews, or take the next step by booking an open day to explore it for yourself.
Bachelor of Arts (with Honours) - BA (Hons)
UCL (University College London) - Bloomsbury Campus
Full Time
Sep 2027
4 Year
Our Danish and Dutch degree offers huge scope for developing in-depth, comparative and intercultural approaches to the humanities. You will be able to choose from a wide range of modules including literature, linguistic traditions, history, sociology, philosophy, art, film or other aspects of the cultures associated with the Danish and Dutch languages. In years one, two and your final year you will take language modules in Danish and Dutch, as well as cultural modules covering a range of topics that draw on literature, film, history, and linguistics, from an interdisciplinary perspectiveYou will spend your third year abroad, split between countries where Danish and Dutch are spoken. You may spend the term studying at a partner university or on an approved work placement. You will achieve the same linguistic competence regardless of whether you start a language from beginner level or have previous knowledge of it.
This module belongs to Dutch. This is an intensive language module for beginners. Five hours per week are devoted to developing practical language skills alongside basic grammatical competence, to enable students to participate in a wide variety of language exchanges and transactions. By the end of the first year students should be able to communicate fluently in basic written and spoken Dutch, expressing ideas and feelings about non-specialist topics. Attention is paid to developing a critical language awareness. Two hours per week are set aside for self-study, over and above homework tasks and module assessments, in order to consolidate and complement classroom work.
This module belongs to Dutch. The module offers a broad survey of Low Countries History from the late Middle Ages to the eve of World War I. It aims to: develop a good understanding of the major topics of Dutch and Belgian history from the late Middle Ages to the early 20th century; introduce basic concepts and approaches in the study of history; and help you develop analytical, writing and presentation skills. Although mainly directed at students of Dutch, the module is also suited for all learners with an interest in this European neighbour region of the UK, whose early modern history was closely intertwined with that of Britain. No previous historical knowledge or competence in Dutch is required.
This module belongs to Dutch. This module introduces students to Dutch and Flemish literature through the analysis of four canonical works. We will situate those texts in their historical context and relate them to dominant literary movements and tendencies within Dutch literary history. To open these literary works to contemporary preoccupations and issues we will adapt a critical perspective that is informed by gender, masculinity and postcolonial studies. The course has thus the threefold aim to acquaint students with Dutch literary history, literary analysis and literary/critical theory.
This is a Danish language module.
This is a Danish language module.
The module aims to strengthen the individual student?s awareness of different strategies and methods for language learning; be goal-oriented in the work with the language skills: speaking, understanding, writing and reading and with the basic elements pronunciation, vocabulary and grammar; enable the students to express themselves about everyday topics in speech and writing, to understand everyday conversations, and to read texts of a reasonable level of difficulty. Class work is communicative and task-oriented, encouraging students to be active participants, to take responsibility for their own learning and to see work outside class as an integrated part of classroom teaching.
This module belongs to Dutch. Topics cover current affairs, debates and cultural issues in the Low Countries. Language tasks in this course require a more sustained presentation of information and argumentation, in both speaking and writing. There are additional conversation sessions with a student language assistant. Students are expected to take increasing responsibility for identifying their own strengths and weaknesses and for taking remedial action as appropriate. Assessment: one unseen two-hour written examination (35%); one oral examination (30%); and continuous assessment including vocabulary and listening tests, essays and grammar assignments (35%).
This module belongs to Dutch. This is a module about political, social, cultural and economic change in the Benelux-countries from the inter-war period to the present. Among the themes covered are: the crisis of democracy in the 1930s; collaboration, resistance and accommodation during the German occupation of World War II; decolonisation; Dutch, Belgian and Luxembourgian post-war politics; the Cold War and European integration; development of the modern welfare state; cultural revolution and new social movements in the 1960s; linguistic and inter-communal tensions and federalisation of Belgium; immigration, the 'crisis of multiculturalism' and the recent rise of populism in the Netherlands.
This module belongs to Dutch. This module explores the theme of identity and community in the literature of the Netherlands and Flanders. We will look at fiction that deals with questions of belonging, power, diversity and mechanisms of in- and exclusion. The module will start from contemporary reflections on the loss of a sense of community within a context of globalization and will then return to the beginning of the 20th century. Our module will follow the course of history by discussing literary texts that correspond to modernism (and its utopias), to the disillusion after World War II and to postmodernism (and its unravelling of utopias). We will analyse processes of identification (gender, class, religion, politics, race) and the shifts in sense of time, space and belonging throughout the twentieth century.
This module belongs to Dutch. In this course we look at debates surrounding multiculturalism, identity, citizenship and immigration. We look at different interpretations of multiculturalism from philosophical, cultural and sociological perspectives and explore what visions of a good society they are based on. The course explores how these perspectives have been acted out across time and place, from the ?melting pot? idea in the US in the early 20th century to governmental policies encouraging immigrants to maintain their home language and culture. The focus will be on the changing policies and views on the multiculturalism debate in Europe, but this will be set in a global context. We also explore the notions of national identity which are evoked in the multiculturalism debate and look at government and media responses to this. The module also explores the backlash discourses around multiculturalism which has become more prominent in recent years and investigate some of the possible causes. Finally, we will consider feminist critiques of multiculturalism.
The Intermediate Project Work in a Scandinavian Language provides a module of guided learning for students who have completed the Intermediate language module or otherwise reached the B2/C1 level (CFR) in their target language. It offers an opportunity to broaden linguistic proficiency in four core areas (reading, writing, translation/grammar, aural) while covering a number of topics and areas connected to the language region. The module also aims to develop communicative skills by setting tasks (both formative and as part of the portfolio assessment) designed to give opportunity for writing different type of texts, constructing audience-targeted material, and engaging with a variety of different practices of language usage.
Year abroad
Your third year is spent abroad. This will not only bring the language and culture you are studying to life, but also strengthen your resourcefulness and self-reliance. You will normally spend this year studying at a university in your chosen country (or countries if you are studying two languages), but alternatives, such as work placements, may be possible.
This is a Dutch module. The module aims for students to become critical intercultural users of Dutch in both spoken and written form. Students are prepared for the complexity of communication in a fast changing global and multicultural world. The course provides practice in language used in work and social situations by emphasising the contextual demands of audience, aim and genre in a wide range of communicative situations. Work in class and homework tasks concentrate on developing awareness of stylistics especially in relation to the contexts of situation and culture.
This is a Dutch module. This course will focus on the so-called millennial generation of writers in Dutch that has risen to prominence in the first two decades of the 21st century. We will analyze the main motives, forms and issues of their work, and ask if we can discern a particular ?structure of feeling? and sense to the literature of this generation. The discussion of this generation?s literature will be dealt with both diachronically (in relation to former literary tendencies) and synchronically (in relation to contemporary culture and society).
This is a Dutch module. The module focuses on key themes from Dutch and Belgian history since 1945 with emphasis on events that shaped identities in both countries. Four different topics are covered, dealing with such matters as cultural geography of the Low Countries, the aftermath of colonisation, political and economic culture and forms of public remembrance. Students from outside the Dutch Department are welcome. Some knowledge of Dutch is desirable but no prerequisite.
This is a Dutch module. A project written in Dutch or English on an approved topic in an area of Dutch Studies. This module offers final year or affiliate students the opportunity to study a topic in depth, that is not currently covered by other modules in the Department of Dutch.
This module is only available for Affiliate Dutch Language Assistant students from Utrecht University.
This is a Dutch module. An advanced translation course combining reflection on the translation process with regular exercises in translating from Dutch into English covering a variety of text types. Please note that MA students attend classes together with final-year BA students. All students learn to develop a translation strategy, analyse texts for translation and also published translations of literary texts. An important aim of the course is to encourage and assist students to develop their own approach to translation. Time is also devoted to improving practical skills such as revising and proofreading translations, and accessing a range of printed and online lexicographical and bibliographical resources.
This module is only available for Affiliate Dutch Language Assistant students from Utrecht University.
The module aims to: build on and improve students? existing language skills, taking students up to a level of near-native proficiency in all four language skills: speaking, understanding, writing and reading; enable the students to express themselves in clear, concise, coherent, fluent, and linguistically and grammatically correct Danish.
The module aims to expand the vocabulary, oral skills and written skills of students who already have a high level of fluency and proficiency in their chosen language. It is designed to challenge all students at their individual level and give them the maximum opportunity to develop their own strengths within the framework of the module, while at the same time give the students the opportunity to undertake a longer and more in-depth study of a specific topic that relates to their main language.
This module is designed to (a) provide practice in translation from the three languages, (b) identify strategies for using knowledge of one Scandinavian language to develop comprehension of the other two, and (c) introduce translation theory and apply it to practical translation tasks. The module is timetabled for one hour per week throughout the academic year, in order to provide ample time to develop skills. The first five weeks focus on translation theory, using a range of authentic translations to identify approaches most relevant in the Scandinavian context. Thereafter, classes cover a range of text-types and genres across the three languages, organised in three language-specific blocs of five weeks each. The module is team-taught by language specialists and with occasional guest appearances from practising Scandinavian-English translators. Students may be able to attend events relating to translation throughout the year, including one or more briefing sessions on translation careers and technological tools for translators.
The dissertation is a compulsory element of the Scandinavian Studies degree. It is an original academic work on a topic completely of your choosing. You can write on any topic you like (so long as a staff member is willing to supervise it) but are encouraged to write on a topic relating to your specialism (the language, literature, culture, history etc. of the Scandinavian country you have focused on during your studies). Students decide on a topic and find a supervisor by the end of the first term of their final year. They then research their project over the remaining part of their final year and submit their dissertation as per deadline. Writing a dissertation gives you an opportunity to pursue a topic of interest to you in depth; to produce work that is based on original research; and to develop your research techniques and skills in academic writing. It can be one of the most satisfying parts of the degree and you can use it to draw together knowledge you have acquired over the course of your studies. A successful dissertation may well form the starting point for further, more independent work at the postgraduate level, and it will be seen as an important indicator of an aptitude for research.
Norse myths and medieval sagas have been the source for ?popular? cultural trends since the first nationalistic approach of the Romantics in 19th century Europe. Today, such Norse-based representations have established a distinct visual and thematic identity within popular culture transcending national and cultural boundaries. Through study of the source myths combined with theoretical analysis of various popular texts such as fantasy and graphic novels, comic books, film, music, video games and MMORPGs (massively multiplayer online role-playing games), this module will guide students to situate these depictions within a larger theoretical framework of Nordic studies and cultural theory, while simultaneously enabling them to analyse their own relationship with the various representations of the ?popular Norse?.
This module builds on the foundation laid by SCAN1102 Introduction to Linguistics and the Scandinavian Languages, and is aimed at students in their second or fourth year of study. Exploring the structures and usage of the Scandinavian languages in their modern form, the module covers areas such as language form, language meaning and language in context. The module seeks to offer students a theoretical grounding in the broad field of Linguistics and neighbouring disciplines, and a solid introduction to their methods and applications (including the study of speech, dialects and sociolects), with a key feature being cross-linguistic comparison between the Scandinavian languages.
Undergraduate student in UCL self-catered halls £304 Per week
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