BA English and Beginners' Czech (with Slovak)
About this course
English literature has one of the longest and richest traditions of any academic discipline, and studying it at Oxford means engaging with that tradition at the highest level, reading broadly across centuries and genres while learning to write and argue with real precision. Czech and Slovak literature and culture, approached here from a beginners' starting point, opens a different world: the literary and cultural life of Central Europe, shaped by the Habsburg legacy, the trauma of the twentieth century, and a tradition of extraordinary prose fiction and poetry. This four-year programme at Oxford takes you from first principles in Czech, with Slovak included in the specialism, while simultaneously developing your English literary studies at the level expected of an Oxford undergraduate. The tutorial system means you work closely with subject specialists in both areas, producing regular written work and receiving intensive critical feedback. You will read widely in English literature from medieval to contemporary periods, and as your Czech advances you will begin to engage with original texts in the language, understanding them in their cultural and historical context. The combination asks a great deal of students, but the rewards in terms of intellectual range and bilingual analytical capacity are considerable. Graduates from programmes combining English with a Slavic language are well placed for careers in academic research, publishing, journalism, broadcasting, translation and interpreting, diplomacy, international cultural relations, education, and the arts. The breadth of the degree, combining a major literary tradition with a specialist and relatively rare language, gives graduates a distinctive profile in a competitive graduate market. Postgraduate study in English, Slavonic studies, comparative literature, or linguistics is a well-trodden next step for those wishing to pursue research or specialist professional work.
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