In an interesting departure, NUI Maynooth is offering a four-year joint-honours BA spanning the history, French and German departments and including a year abroad. To date, the college's traditional BA degrees have been three years in duration.
Some students have taken a year out to study or live abroad but it has not been a formal part of the programme.
With the new programme, students take three subjects in first-year arts. They then specialise in history and French or German and spend their third year in a relevant country. The college is building on links already established with a number of universities in France, Germany, Switzerland and Austria as well as making new connections.
Professor Ruth Whelan, of the French department, says: "This is building on the college's historical tradition of openness. French has been spoken on the site for more than 200 years."
It's planned to offer the programmes - students choose between French or German - to between five and 10 students in each stream in 1999. The numbers are small initially to ensure the placement element works successfully. All three departments include lecturers who have studied on continental Europe so their experience has helped in putting the programme together.
As to where the graduates will find work, all of the career and further study avenues open to arts graduates will be available. In addition, Whelan says an arts graduate with real competence in French or German will be at an advantage in the jobs market.
When it comes to jobs in tourism and international business, Dr Florian Krobb, of the German department, points to the real advantages of cultural awareness as well as linguistic competence.
History Professor Vincent Comerford says "we're hoping that some of these people will become experts in the history and culture of continental Europe. There is a real dearth of Irish people with a knowledge of French and German history. That's one outcome that would be very welcome and a great boon to scholarship."
As well to the normal entrance requirements for arts, prospective students must have a minimum of a higher-level C3 in the Leaving Cert in the language of their choice. There is no requirement for Leaving Cert history but, says Comerford wryly, an interest and willingness to learn would be useful. He notes that about half of the intake into history each year in NUI Maynooth have not taken Leaving Cert history.
First-year history is mainly modern Irish, European and American history. Students of the integrated programme will also take specialised tutorials. In second year, they follow the early history course and take a number of electives. In French, all lectures are through French, although summaries are given in English. The need for these summaries declines as the term advances, says Whelan.
The German lectures are largely given through English with some modules taught through German.
The year abroad is under the auspices of the Socrates programme so students don't pay fees to the host college. They may also get a grant towards travel and additional expenses. Where possible, students will be lodged in the student residences of the various colleges. The content of the year abroad is decided on individual basis between the student and the various departments and learning is fully accredited.
Second-year student Susan O'Donoghue has decided to spend a year in Germany, lengthening her BA to four years. Her experience will foreshadow the new programme being introduced in the next academic year. She took history, German and sociology in first arts last year and then dropped sociology. From Dublin, Susan is living in Maynooth and enjoying student social life to the full.
Although O'Donoghue has never been abroad, she is looking forward to the year in Germany. "It'll be a new experience, something different. I don't mind extending the degree to four years - it will make it more interesting. I'm doing honours in German but I need to improve my oral German."
The arts students usually spend three months abroad and their fluency is very much improved, she says. "They learn the blas. Hopefully, I'll come back fluent." Eventually, Susan says she hopes to live in Germany, working in the tourist industry.
