General Language and Culture courses
Improve your language skills and cultural awareness with our LfA courses, which run in evenings and on Wednesday afternoons. They are open to everyone and run at a range of levels.
We currently offer Arabic, Chinese, Classical Latin, French, German, Italian, Japanese, Medieval Latin, Russian and Spanish. Classes run from October to May, during the University’s term time, for a total of 18 weeks.
LfA courses are open to anyone who wishes to learn a language, and provide an opportunity to learn in an engaging and inclusive environment.
Contact us
Department of Language and Linguistic Science
Course Dates 2024/25
Part 1 (9 sessions):
- Start week beginning Monday 7 October 2024
- Vacation (no LfA classes): 28 October - 3 November
- End week finishing Friday 13 December 2024
Part 2 (9 sessions):
- Start week beginning Monday 10 February 2025
- Vacation (no LfA classes): 7-21 April 2025
- End week finishing 25 April 2025
Course Fees
Fee options (18 weeks, 2 weekly hours):
- £260 University of York students
- £340 University of York staff/Over 60s/Students from other HE institutions
- £355 University of York alums
- £395 Members of the public
If you are a visiting student or scholar who is at the University of York for one semester only and you wish to enrol for part 1 or part 2 only, please contact us at languages@york.ac.uk for information about entry level requirements and fees.
Register for a LfA general language and culture course
Registration for 2024/25:
Registration for our General Language and Culture LfA courses will open in the summer 2024.
The deadline for registering is Friday 27 September. If you would like to receive an email once registration is open you can sign up to our LfA reminder email list below
Languages and levels
Our General Language and Culture courses are available for Arabic, Chinese, Classical Latin, French, German, Italian, Japanese, Medieval Latin, Russian and Spanish at levels ranging from Beginner to Advanced. They align with the Common European Framework of Reference (CEFR).
Please consult our detailed guide and/or assess your level through our self-assessment tool, available for French, German, Italian, Japanese and Spanish.
Tailor jour language-learning journey
If you are a UoY student, you can choose between our extracurricular LfA courses or our accredited York Language Electives (YLEs) and easily move from one strand to another. For example, if you choose a 20-credit elective module in French one year, then you can take a higher-level class in French as an evening course through our LfA programme the following year and vice versa.
Timetable and Course Descriptors
Please see the LfA General Language and Culture Courses Timetable 2024/25 for an overview of our courses and class times.
Upcoming informative talks
Talks at Open Days for prospective UG students will take place at 10:20 and 12:00 on Saturday 22 June, Sunday 23 June, Friday 6 September and Saturday 7 September.
Several informative talks will take place on campus during Freshers’ Week, the week commencing 16 September 2024. Exact dates and venues will be announced here.
Contact us
Department of Language and Linguistic Science