This course will give you a solid academic grounding in Welsh (two thirds of the course) and the opportunity to study both practical and academic modules in journalism. You will acquire an understanding of fundamental aspects of journalism without closing the door on a career in one of the many fields where a degree in Welsh is desirable. With a combination of academic and professional-writing skills, possible careers include public relations, marketing, local government, broadcasting and journalism, publishing, teaching, arts and heritage sectors.

BA Welsh with Journalism provides a solid academic foundation in Welsh (two thirds of your course) plus the opportunity to study practical and academic modules in journalism (a third of your course). You will learn about journalism’s core requirements, without closing the door on the many other fields that require a degree in Welsh. For those with a combination of high level skills in academic and professional writing, potential careers include journalism, broadcasting, public relations, marketing, translation, local government, publishing, teaching, the arts and heritage.

Welsh at Bangor is a living language of the present day rather than a relic of the past. Here you will have the opportunity to not only study and enjoy one of the most remarkable Celtic literatures in the world, but there will also be opportunities to pursue more practical modules that will prepare you for a career. This course will enable you to research independently, to practise original thinking, to get to know Welsh literature and culture in depth and to master the various registers of the language. If you so wish, you will have the opportunity to pursue your creative interests under the guidance of experienced writers and poets. You will also gain an awareness of the Welsh language in wider international contexts. What is the relationship of Welsh with the other languages of the world? How does the fate of the language compare with languages like Basque and Irish? How have Welsh writers and poets responded to global themes such as slavery, the Holocaust and the ecological challenge of the modern industrial world?

Why choose Bangor University for this course?

• 1st in the UK for Celtic Studies (Times & Sunday Times Good University Guide 2021).
• A world-renowned centre for the study of Welsh and Celtic Studies.
• Study with lecturers who have cutting-edge experience of professional digital journalism.
• 90% go on to work and / or study within 15 months after the course (Discover Uni).
• Study in Gwynedd, the home of a dynamic Welsh media and creative industries sector.

One of the strengths of Journalism at Bangor is the opportunity to learn from lecturers with practical experience in the field. The Welsh-medium provision is led by Dr Ifan Morgan Jones, former editor of the Golwg360 website and founder of Nation.Cymru. There will be an opportunity to focus on many relevant aspects during the course, e.g. digital journalism, multimedia journalism, print journalism, writing feature articles, journalism ethics and media law.

Teaching in the Department of Welsh 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.

What will you study on this course?

The first year is an opportunity to build on your experiences and open new doors, e.g. to consider the language in contexts relating to its history and present-day state, to consider the different registers of the literary language, to learn new critical skills and an original response 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 Llwyd Owen, 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?" Linguistic confidence and proficiency are developed in modules such as Writing Practice and useful skills in Translation Skills.

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.

• A professionally equipped radio studio
• Audio editing suites - Adobe Audition
• Video editing suites - Final Cut Pro and Final Cut Express for Apple Mac computers
• Video and radio equipment for television and radio fieldwork
• Multimedia computer suite.
   

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 substantially 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!    

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.