The Southampton Language Opportunity provides you with the opportunity to study a language free of charge, alongside your degree programme. The scheme is funded by the Southampton Opportunity and managed by Modern Languages and Linguistics. The classes offer no formal qualification or provide any credit, but are perfect for those wanting to start a new language or polish up on previous skills.
Studying at Southampton brings with it the opportunity to prepare yourself to be a transnational graduate. You can now study a language for free alongside your degree programme with no assessment. Whatever your area of study, whatever your time commitment, there is a language opportunity for you.
All our courses are arranged by stage. A full stage 1 and 2 course will consist of 60 hours of study normally arranged in three parts i.e. 1a, 1b & 1c. During the academic year, we normally offer part 1a or 1b either as a weekly course or as an Easter Intensive course. Part 1c is usually offered as Summer Intensive.
The following descriptions should help you choose the right stage. All courses are marked with their name and stage, both on our website and the Online Store.
This Stage is aimed at students with no or very little previous knowledge. You will learn the basic grammatical structures and pronunciation of the language and a wide range of commonly used vocabulary. By the end of this course, you should be able to participate in simple conversations on everyday topics and to read and write short texts. You should be able to ‘get by' in everyday situations like travelling, asking directions, shopping, ordering meals, talking about yourself, your family and your interests at a basic level.
In popular European languages, Stage 1 aims to get you to a standard approximately equivalent to GCSE. (In non-European languages, your reading and writing skills may be less advanced.)
This Stage is suitable for you if you feel confident getting by in everyday situations like travelling, asking directions, shopping, ordering meals, talking about yourself, your family, your interests at a basic level. It is also aimed at students who have attended a part-time course for one year and made very rapid progress, or studied at a more leisurely pace for two years and now feel ready to learn a range of more advanced structures and extend their vocabulary beyond the basic level. If you wish to study a popular European language, you should have a good GCSE standard to start Stage 2. (In languages with a different written script to English, your reading and writing skills may be slightly less advanced.)
If you are studying a popular European language, by the end of Stage 2 you should have achieved AS level/lower ‘A' level standard. (In non-European languages, your reading and writing skills may be slightly less advanced.)
Weekly language courses: These courses are available during the academic year for you to take alongside your main studies and are generally held in the evenings or on a Wednesday afternoon. Contact hours are twenty hours over the term and independent study time is up to the individual. There is no formal assessment.
Intensive language courses: These language stage courses are available during holiday breaks (Easter and Summer). Each course comprises 20 hours of learning over five days. All courses are aimed at complete beginners (stage 1) or pre-intermediate (stage 2) and cover the basics of the given language.
Please ensure you only book your course after your class timetable is confirmed to avoid a clash on your timetable.
Visit the Online Store once the bookings are opened, which is 2 weeks before the start of the course.
Due to the high demand for our Language Opportunity courses, please ensure that you are fully committed to learning a language as free places are limited. If you are no longer able to attend the course you must notify us immediately so that your space can be offered to another student.
Semester 1 - 2023/24
Our next language courses will take place during Semester 1 from Monday 16 October 2023 to Friday 15 December 2023 and Monday 8 January 2024 to Friday 12 January 2024.
Please see the timetable below in the Weekly Language Opportunity Courses section.
We look forward to welcoming students to the University and teaching will continue in person. Weekly classes will take place across our Avenue, Highfield, and Winchester Campuses.
Bookings will open on our Online Store 2 weeks before courses start. You will receive an email to let you know the day and time that bookings open. Please note it will not be possible to book until the courses go live on the Online Store.
Stage 1a courses are suitable for beginners and stage 2a courses are ideal if you have completed stage 1 or have a good GCSE standard in the language. Please refer to the Stage 2 (Pre-Intermediate paragraph above)
Level/Stage | Length | Day | Time | Location |
---|---|---|---|---|
Arabic 1a | 10 weeks | Wednesday | 1pm to 3pm | Avenue Campus |
French 1a | 10 weeks | Tuesday | 6pm tp 8pm | Avenue Campus |
French 2a | 10 weeks | Wednesday | 4pm to 6pm | Avenue Campus |
German 1a | 10 weeks | Wednesday | 2pm to 4pm | Avenue Campus |
German 2a | 10 weeks | Tuesday | 5pm to 7pm | Highfield Campus |
Greek 1a | 10 weeks | Wednesday | 2pm to 4pm | Avenue Campus |
Italian 1a | 10 weeks | Wednesday | 4pm to 6pm | Avenue Campus |
Italian 1a | 10 weeks | Wednesday | 6pm to 8pm | Winchester School of Art |
Japanese 1a | 10 weeks | Thursday | 5pm to 7pm | Avenue Campus |
Japanese 2a | 10 weeks | Monday | 5pm to 7pm | Avenue Campus |
Mandarin Chinese | 10 weeks | Wednesday | 2pm to 4pm | Avenue Campus |
Portuguese 1a | 10 weeks | Wednesday | 4pm to 6pm | Avenue Campus |
Russian 1a | 10 weeks | Wednesday | 4pm to 6pm | Avenue Campus |
Spanish 1a | 10 weeks | Wednesday | 6pm to 8pm | Avenue Campus |
Spanish 1a | 10 weeks | Wednesday | 6pm to 8pm | Winchester School of Art |
Spanish 2a | 10 weeks | Tuesday | 4.30pm to 6.30pm | Avenue Campus |
If you have any questions about the courses or booking process, you can contact us by emailing LanguageOpportunity@soton.ac.uk
Bookings usually open 2 weeks before the start of the course and are made directly by the Online Store.
If you wish to cancel your booking, please email LanguageOpportunity@soton.ac.uk
The timetable for our next Easter Intensive courses will be confirmed in the Spring. Intensive courses usually run on a Monday to Friday for 5 hours each day. Bookings will open on our Online Store 2 weeks before courses start.
The timetable for our next Summer Intensive courses will be confirmed in May 2024. These courses usually run for two weeks in June on a Monday to Friday for 5 hours each day. Bookings will open on our Online Store 2 weeks before courses start.
Please note:
All Language Opportunities are subject to availability and places on these courses are very limited. Students are entitled to attend one free language opportunity course per term as a student at the University of Southampton. If you have already attended a Language Opportunity course, or have not secured your place, you can still attend language courses through Lifelong Learning at a discounted student rate.
If you have any questions about the courses or booking, you can contact us by emailing LanguageOpportunity@soton.ac.uk