The School of Languages and Social Sciences at Aston University is one of only a handful of academic units in the UK to span both the Humanities and Social Sciences. In doing so, it draws on a particularly rich and distinguished tradition of teaching, scholarship and research. During the 1970s and 1980s, the Department of Modern Languages (French, German, Linguistics), as it was then known, was one of the UK’s pioneers of the study of language in contemporary society. In 1995, reflecting the growing interest in and awareness of Europe, it became the School of Languages and European Studies. In 2004, we adopted our current title.

Since then, the School has grown rapidly in student numbers and in its academic coverage and now comprises four academic departments: English, Languages and Translation Studies, Politics and International Relations as well as Sociology and Policy. 

Our distinctive combination of subjects gives a unique perspective on language and society, both in their own context and in relation to each other. The School is led by its Executive Dean, Professor Jonathan Tritter, along with a team of Associate Deans and the Heads of Department. The School is supported in its work by an Advisory Board comprising key stakeholders in the city of Birmingham and beyond.

Today, therefore, the School of Languages and Social Sciences is a closely integrated, innovative, multilingual and multidisciplinary School with an international outlook. Our degree programmes combine a rigorous disciplinary grounding with a cross-disciplinary, practical and issue-focused perspective. Our main research centres, Aston Centre for Europe (ACE), The Centre for Forensic Linguistics (CFL), The Centre for Critical Inquiry into Society and Culture (CCISC), The Centre for Language Research at Aston (CLaRA) are leaders in their respective fields. We work closely with schools and local partners, both through our research centres and through Routes into Languages and Network for Languages. We play a major role in the University’s Forward 2020 strategy, through providing the Languages for All programme, our research, our placements and our high levels of student satisfaction. In short, the School is at the forefront of delivering ‘employable graduates, exploitable research’.