School of Modern Languages & Cultures

As a community of academics, teachers and support staff we aim to foster a world-class student experience in all our disciplines.

Welcome to the School of Modern Languages and Cultures

The School of Modern Languages and Cultures consists of Arabic, Chinese, French, German, Hispanic Studies, Italian, Japanese, Russian, and the Centre for Foreign Language Study. The School also hosts the BA in Visual Arts and Film. Our community of academics, teachers and support staff foster a world-class student experience.

Our language areas feature regularly in the top five in national league tables such as the Good University Guide and the Complete University Guide.

The School is ranked in the top 60 language departments globally in the QS World University Rankings by Subject 2024.

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2nd for Italian Studies Sunday Times Good University Guide 2024

3rd for Asian Studies Complete University Guide 2025

5th for Iberian Languages Complete University Guide 2025

3rd for Russian Studies Sunday Times Good University Guide 2024

Study with us

Some 80 full-time members of staff are engaged in teaching at undergraduate and postgraduate levels, offering expertise in a wide range of subjects, including language, literature, cultural history, cinema and visual culture, and translation; this is reflected also in an exciting range of taught degrees at postgraduate level. The Centre for Foreign Language Study offers learners not taking a specialist degree in Modern Languages, including students, staff and members of the public, the opportunity to learn a range of languages from beginners to more advanced levels.

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Undergraduate study

Postgraduate study

Silhouette of a student looking out at the Great Wall of China

Our people

Students having a hot drink and chatting round a table

Decolonising MLAC

Find out more about our Department

The Helen Sharp Undergraduate Scholarship in Modern Languages

Are you considering starting your undergraduate study with us in 2025? Thanks to a generous gift from our alumna Helen Potts, we have a scholarship to offer to a talented student from a low-income background.

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What's New?

Leverhulme Early Career Fellowships in the School of Modern Languages & Cultures, Durham University

The School of Modern Languages & Cultures at Durham University invites expressions of interest from outstanding candidates who wish to apply for a prestigious Leverhulme Early Career Fellowship through Durham University.

Research news
New Publication 'Ecology of the Zombie' by Dr Kerstin Oloff

Kerstin Oloff, an Associate Professor in Hispanic Studies, has published a new monograph entitled 'Ecology of the Zombie'

Research news
'In-Between Textiles' shortlisted for Association of Dress Historians Book of the Year Award 2024!

A volume to which Dr Vika Ivleva contributed the article ‘In-Between the Global and the Local: Silk in Seventeenth- and Early Eighteenth-Century Russia’ has been selected for the short list of the Association of Dress Historians (ADH), Book of the Year (BOTY) Award 2024!

Research news

Leverhulme Early Career Fellowships in the School of Modern Languages & Cultures, Durham University

The School of Modern Languages & Cultures at Durham University invites expressions of interest from outstanding candidates who wish to apply for a prestigious Leverhulme Early Career Fellowship through Durham University.

Research news

A group of students by a river in front of Durham Cathedral

New Publication 'Ecology of the Zombie' by Dr Kerstin Oloff

Kerstin Oloff, an Associate Professor in Hispanic Studies, has published a new monograph entitled 'Ecology of the Zombie'

Research news

'In-Between Textiles' shortlisted for Association of Dress Historians Book of the Year Award 2024!

A volume to which Dr Vika Ivleva contributed the article ‘In-Between the Global and the Local: Silk in Seventeenth- and Early Eighteenth-Century Russia’ has been selected for the short list of the Association of Dress Historians (ADH), Book of the Year (BOTY) Award 2024!

Research news

A bobbin of red thread with a needle threaded through it

More news

Edible History - the culinary secrets of medieval Arab cuisine

Join our team of food history experts, Daniel L Newman, Giles Gasper and Amanda Herbert as they recreate a delicious medieval sweet, Zulabiyya, and share insights from their own research on cooking historical recipes.

Find out more about Historical Food

Where Are We Now? Exhibition

Where Are We Now? is an art exhibition exploring the present and future of Modern Languages and Cultures at a local and global level.

Find out more about "Where Are We Now?"

Our research

The School's research community is organised through a number of interdisciplinary Research Groups and is home to some 60 postgraduate students pursuing research degrees.

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World-leading status affirmed in QS World University Rankings 2025

Durham is now ranked 89th in the world top 100 universities. Our top performance came in the Sustainability category, where we ranked 19th in the world. We also have a world-class reputation with employers, being ranked 65th.

Learn more about the QS World University Rankings

From our Staff Blog: Arabic Culinary Tradition at COP28

Daniel Newman, Professor of Arabic Studies in our School of Modern Languages and Cultures, was recently invited to COP28 in Dubai to share his knowledge of the Arabic culinary tradition, recreating recipes from the 8th to the 15th centuries.

Read about Daniel's experiences at COP28

Student updates

Hear from our students at The School of Modern Languages and Cultures.

Highlights

My year abroad

Read about Tom, a Durham student who recently graduated after studying French and Spanish for the last four years, and follow him on his year abroad in Paris and Barcelona.
A Day in the Life of a Languages, Literature and Cultures MA student

MA Languages, Literature and Cultures student, Rebecca takes us through her day-to-day experience at Durham.

My year abroad

Read about Tom, a Durham student who recently graduated after studying French and Spanish for the last four years, and follow him on his year abroad in Paris and Barcelona.