The teaching is through lectures, seminars, tutorials and workshops. You will write essays, undertake various weekly exercises and tasks, reading and preparing for seminars. Assessment is a combination of coursework and examinations, with some modules assessed solely on the basis of coursework. Your modules each year will be equivalent to 120 credits. (If you are from a second language background, 60 credits in the first year will be specifically for you and a continuation of your language experiences to date.  You will join first language students to study the other 60 credits and tutorials will be arranged to support you.  Additional language support is also provided in the second and third years.)

The first year will be an opportunity to build on your experiences and open new doors: e.g. discussing the language in contexts relating to its history and present-day state, learning new critical skills and responding originally to literature. You will choose from a wide range of modules in your second and third years, e.g. the novel from Daniel Owen to Dewi Prysor, Welsh language theatre from Saunders Lewis to Aled Jones Williams, modern poetry and eisteddfod authors, Meic Povey’s television dramas, Dafydd ap Gwilym, the Mabinogion - or why not study Welsh American Welsh language culture and even ask "What is Literature?" Language modules range from historical to sociological, from the opportunity to learn Irish and Breton to modules that develop professional Welsh language skills in the workplace and also Welsh language skills for creative purposes. In the third year you will write a dissertation and research an interesting topic of your choice. Recent topics include individuals such as Dafydd ap Gwilym, Kate Roberts, Mihangel Morgan, Angharad Tomos, Caryl Lewis, Meic Stevens and Geraint Jarman and areas such as eco-criticism, gender and transgender, the language of Pembrokeshire, Welsh literature and slavery, literature and horses and football in literature.

Modules for the current academic year

Module listings are for guide purposes only and are subject to change. Find out what our students are currently studying on the Cymraeg / Welsh (For First- and Second-language) Modules page.

Course content is for guidance purposes only and may be subject to change.

Our honours degrees offer a wealth of valuable experience whether you wish to study courses relating to Welsh as a subject, or the fields of theatre, journalism or the media.

There has never been a more exciting time to study Welsh at Bangor. There has never been more demand for a workforce that can use Welsh at senior professional levels. The goal is clear, it has been set by the Welsh Government - a million Welsh speakers by 2050 and a truly bilingual Wales.

In pursuit of that aim, there will be a great need for confident Welsh-speaking graduates, who can use their language skills in flexible ways, who can think analytically through the medium of the language and use it - both orally and in writing - in various work situations.

The remarkable professional success of our students in employment - and their varied careers - already proves how entirely relevant this course is to the requirements of contemporary Wales. A proportion of them go into education, to be primary and secondary teachers, headteachers, education officers and directors of education. Others go into further education and others become university lecturers. Teaching Welsh for adults is also a key area. Television and digital and print media - including the BBC centre in Bangor - offer a cross-section of interesting jobs and have attracted other alumni into book publishing, creative writing and television scripting, public relations and marketing. There is also continuing demand for bilingual administrators and local government officers. And without the presence of Bangor's Welsh graduates, the translation industry would be quite different. And present day graduates also have every right to aim high. The National Library of Wales, The National Theatre of Wales, Cwmni Da (one of Wales' largest production companies), the Welsh Parliament’s Translation and Reporting Service and Anglesey Council - what do they have in common? Bangor's Welsh graduates have reached the top of their professional careers in them and are at the forefront of them all!    

Opportunities at Bangor

The University’s Skills and Employability Service provides a wide range of resources to help you achieve your graduate ambitions.

The Bangor Employability Award (BEA)

With the BEA, you can gain recognition for your extra-curricular activities (e.g. volunteering, clubs and societies, part-time work, etc.)

Internships

Bangor University runs a paid internship scheme within the university’s academic and service departments.

Student Volunteering

Volunteering widens your experience and improves your employability. Find out more about the volunteering on the Students’ Union’s website.