Shaun Foley - Romanian and East European Studies BA

Romanian Language at SSEES

Languages and cultures have been a long-term interest of mine and from a young age I have been particularly fascinated in the language, literature and folklore of Romania. Having previously studied and worked with other Romance languages; I decided that the time was right for me to return to studies and follow my passion.

After conducting some research, I learnt that UCL, SSEES was the only place in the UK where I could study Romanian language and literature to degree level. So, I contacted the admissions office and the Romanian Senior Teaching Fellow Ramona Gonczol – both of whom provided me with all the information I required about the degree and encouraged me to apply.

The first year of the language course involves 5 contact hours per week and is an intense but enjoyable experience. Equal focus is placed on developing each of the four skills, reading, listening, writing and speaking and this is achieved through intense study of Romanian grammar and vocabulary acquisition with an increasing focus also on translation skills both from and into Romanian, essay writing and giving presentations in the target language.

The teaching experience has been fantastic: as the classes are small (I was the only student in the class), Ramona adapted much of the learning materials to my personal interests and encouraged me to pursue these. The classes also allowed for a high level of interaction between student and teacher which meant that I received almost immediate feedback on homework and classroom tasks, but that we also had time to focus on and reinforce any areas that were causing me a problem. This personalise support and teaching has been a particular highlight of the Romanian classes.

Although the learning is intense in first year I never felt overwhelmed and this was due to the fact that Ramona used a wide variety of different media in her teaching. From the standard grammar lessons, we also used the latest audio-visual technology, short movies, songs and as my abilities in the language developed we looked at interesting short pieces of journalism and blogs in the target language. After the first year, I felt that I had made a lot of progress in the language.

In the second year of the language I receive 4 hours of tuition per week, again these are split equally between all four skills. The emphasis this year has been on developing further my translation skills, looking at more complex grammatical structures and developing more sophisticated writing and presentation skills.  Once again, the support and structure of the classes has been outstanding. I was once again able to pursue my own interests in collaboration with Ramona and this has meant that we have looked at such topics as Myths and Legends, Brexit, Corruption and Development, LGBT Rights, Communism and New Wave Film; all through the medium of Romanian language. The confidence boost that being able to work with these materials after only 1 year of study provides not only to your language skills but also to your personal development is immeasurable.
The rapid progress which I have made since Year 1 has allowed for time to focus on other aspects of the language, such as colloquial speech, idioms and humour, all of which mean that I will be prepared full for the year abroad.

I was also particularly impressed by the teacher’s more modern approach to language learning, I was encouraged to keep a diary in the language in year 1 and this developed to a video diary in year 2. I even wrote poetry and short stories in the language.

In the second year I have also taken Introduction to Romanian Literature, which has been fantastic and taught by a very knowledgeable tutor Dr Radu Voica. This course has given me an overview of not only Romanian Literature but also the history of the country. As literature and translation are a particular interest of mine, this course which is unique in the UK has given me the opportunity to become familiar with the major trends in Romanian literature from its inception to the modern day and also to develop my language skills through exposure to authentic texts and this in turn has improved both my vocabulary and cultural knowledge immensely. Learning has been very interactive and I have given weekly presentations and been encouraged and supported in voicing my views on literary texts and developing my critical analysis skills.

I would also add that another huge advantage of being at SSEES is the number of events that are organised both within the department – I attended a particularly interesting event on the holocaust in Romania and the opportunities which London provides. For example, the packed programme of events organised by the Romanian Cultural institute, The Romanian Film Festival and the many Romanian shops and restaurants in the city.

Bulgarian Language at SSEES

I knew that when coming to SSEES that I wanted to take full advantage of the opportunities on offer and ensure that I complimented my studies with appropriate modules that interest me and which are unavailable elsewhere in the UK. With my interests in the Balkans region and in language, literature and folklore; I knew that I wanted to study Bulgarian -  a language, literature and culture about which perhaps even less is known in the UK than Romanian.

During registration week I met with the Bulgarian Lector Dr. Yordanka Velkova and her passion and enthusiasm about her country and language were contagious and I knew that I had made the correct decision in deciding to take up the challenge of learning another language alongside Romanian. After a short meeting with the Language and Culture Programme Co-Ordinator, I was given approval to study these two languages ab-initio.

In terms of contact hours, Bulgarian is structured exactly the same as Romanian with 5 contact hours in year one and 4 in year two. As this was a Slavonic language and I did not have the same background experience with other related languages as I did with Romanian, I had to focus more on vocabulary acquisition in the initial stages and get to grip with a new writing system and some unfamiliar grammatical concepts. Once again, the classes are incredibly small and personal and I have received personal tuition.

The support in doing this has been fantastic: Yordanka makes learning fun by using a wide variety of techniques and resources. She constantly reinforces grammar points and supports learning through a wide variety of in class and homework tasks. I am encouraged to express myself without fear of making mistakes and the classes are structured in such a way that you do not even realise how quickly you are progressing in the language. By the end of year 1 thanks to the excellent teaching and structured learning, I had made great progress in a language that I had been completely unfamiliar with.

Year 2 Bulgarian has been incredibly enjoyable. Thanks to the language skills developed in year 1, I have been able to work with original texts and produce writing and presentations on such topics as Social Media, The European Union, Bulgarian Music, Bulgarian Architecture and European Philosophy. I have also been supported and encouraged in translation of poetry and fairy tales from Bulgarian to English and was extremely honoured to be invited to present on the topic of “Translation Difficulties” at a conference organised by the Bulgarian Cultural Institute in Vienna, which gave me an opportunity to use my language skills with native speakers and enrich my understanding across a wide spectrum of Bulgarian topics.
Learning has been very much adapted for me personally, through the choice of texts, practise in simultaneous interpreting, in class debates and discussions and exposure to Bulgarian music and films.

The Introduction to Bulgarian Literature and Culture Course has also been a revelation. Also taught by Dr Velkova it has provided me with a knowledge of Bulgarian history, cuisine, architecture, national dress and customs. While at the same time introducing me to the history and development of the Slavonic Alphabet and to representative texts from great Bulgarian authors. As previously mentioned, literature and in particular poetry and folklore are a huge passion of mine – so this has been an incredible and once again unique opportunity to study these texts. UCL, SSEES is the only institution in the UK and one of a few in Europe to offer a full degree programme in Bulgarian. In these classes I have further developed my presentation and writing skills and been supported and encouraged in thinking critically about the texts studied.

There are also many opportunities within London to use Bulgarian – both in restaurants and shops and through participating in activates at the Bulgarian Cultural Institute. There is also the opportunity to attend a summer school organised and funded by the Bulgarian Education Ministry each year.

My experience in learning both these languages has been very similar – fantastic support and encouragement, modern and innovative learning environment, teaching adapted to my needs and interests and perhaps most importantly I have always felt able to approach my teachers with any issues and they have been very supportive in nurturing not only my skills in language and learning but also in supporting my personal development and providing pastoral support and advice.

I would like also to say a few general comments about three compulsory modules for literature and culture students.

The Year 1 course in literature and memory provides a very interesting introduction to a range of texts from across the SSEES region and to the very important theme of memory. The skills learnt on this course were a great foundation and invaluable for the Romanian and Bulgarian literature courses which I have taken in year 2. Teaching here was very interactive and students were actively encouraged to present their opinions and research on the texts studied: this was supported by a formal lecture component on the authors and facilitated by a passionate and engaging lecturer.

The War, Trauma and Memory cinema course was a refreshing alternative to the literature component and linked in nicely using the theme of memory. Again, it was taught in a highly interactive manner by a very informative lecturer. The choice of films was wide and allowed for links to be made about shared experiences of war and trauma in Eastern Europe and encouraged us to question the concept of memory and manipulation. This was also a solid foundation for any further film studies that I may make throughout my studies and it was interesting to learn about film making techniques something about which I had limited knowledge beforehand.

In year 2 – the compulsory course was staging Europe and I felt this was a great introduction to theatre and has provided me with the confidence to discuss theatre texts that I should deal with in Romanian and Bulgarian literature classes.

I would also like to recommend the Language of the Danube Course to anyone with an interest in language contact in general but in particular to those studying any of the languages covered on the course. This was a unique opportunity to hear from experts on a wide range of languages and learn something about each of these languages, their shared cultural experiences and how they differ and use language to shape their own identity. The sheer range of languages, which included German, Hungarian, Serbian, Romanian and Yiddish could only be offered at UCL. I believe that for anyone studying Romanian or indeed Bulgarian this class offers an opportunity to deepen your knowledge of the language and the environment in which it has developed. Teaching is highly interactive and stimulating.

Finally, I would encourage anyone with a passion for Romanian or Bulgarian to come to UCL, SSEES and see the amazing facilities, meet the staff and students and develop your potential. Even if you have limited experience learning a language you will be fully supported and if you are willing to work hard you will be astonished by the rapid progress that you will make.