About us

The School of Modern Languages and Cultures (SMLC) stands for a better world through teaching, scholarship and research in languages and cultures.

SMLC programmes embrace the subject areas of Catalan, Chinese, Comparative Literature, English for Academic Study, French, German, Italian, Polish, Portuguese, Russian, Spanish, and Translation Studies. Through our International Mobility Programmes we teach a range of other languages including Arabic, Japanese, and Ukrainian.

The School aims to foster a culture of excellence in research in each area of its activities, thereby supporting a wider intellectual environment in which to provide learning and teaching of the highest quality. In doing so the School aims to participate fully in the University of Glasgow's mission to play a leading role in the intellectual, professional, commercial and cultural life of the local, national, and international communities to which it belongs and with which it interacts. The School also aims to be an open and inclusive place where students and staff can come together for a range of activities, from research seminars, poetry readings and debating competitions to cultural events and social occasions.

The School has over 150 members of staff, of whom around 75 are academics engaged in teaching, scholarship, and research. Many of our colleagues are first language speakers of the languages they teach, and our programmes are backed by Native Language Teachers in all subject areas. Degree courses at Honours level are offered in Comparative Literature, French, German, Italian, Portuguese, Russian and Spanish, often in combination with other subjects and, together with Czech, Polish, Mandarin and Catalan, as single courses within another degree. There are taught postgraduate courses in Comparative Literature, Translation Studies, and TESOL (delivered jointly with the School of Education). English for Academic Study offers a range of courses to support students' development of English language skills within an academic environment.

SMLC staff are located primarily in the Hetherington Building on Bute Gardens. Student facilities in the Hetherington include a computer cluster, a student common room, and a large silent study area. The University Main Library houses a well-stocked collection of books, periodicals and audio visual material within its Languages Resource Library (Level 4 of the Main Library). The School also has an Annex on 52 Hillhead Street, which provides rooms for some School teaching and events as well as some staff office space.

The Language Resource Collection (LRC), previously the Language Resource Library (LRL), has moved to Level 4 of the Library.