Language Areas - Durham University

Our Language and Culture Areas

At Durham, we offer a wide range of language and culture areas from which you can study, either on an advanced route (following on from your previous study at school or similar), or from beginner level.

Please use the links below to learn more about our different areas of study:

Arabic Studies

With over a quarter of a billion native speakers stretching from Morocco in the West to Iraq in the East, Arabic is the fifth most widely spoken language in the world

Chinese Studies

Durham has a long history of teaching East Asian languages: the first lecturer in Chinese was appointed in 1952

Yangshuo County, Guilin City, Guangxi Province, China.

French Studies

Durham is a leading centre for research and undergraduate and postgraduate study in French

German Studies

We offer a rich selection of challenging and rewarding modules, addressing both urgent contemporary and live historical issues through literature, film and visual culture

Hispanic Studies

We see Spanish as a world language, and among our staff we have instructors from various parts of the Spanish-speaking world

Italian Studies

Italian at Durham is one of the top Italian units in the UK, regularly appearing in the top five in major national league tables

Japanese Studies

Our students' experiences range from developing language skills, to discovering the richness of Japanese literature and history, to the allure of current popular culture

Russian Studies

In addition to the language modules, our course provides a broad-ranging introduction to Russian, Soviet and post-Soviet culture and cultural history

Saint Basil's Cathedral rooftops in Red Square, Moscow

Visual Arts and Film

Combining still and moving images, academic study and practical skills development, we span from ancient Rome to today, and are almost global in our geographical reach