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Modern Languages ranked 9th in the country in the REF

The Modern Languages departments at King’s College London are pleased to announce that they have been ranked 9th in the UK in the Research Excellence Framework (REF) power rankings. The power rankings indicate the quality and quantity of research activity while the REF assesses the quality of research taking place between 2008 and 2013 in UK higher education institutions. Modern Languages also performed well in terms of impact with 100% of their research rated as having an outstanding (4*) or considerable reach and significance. Overall, 79% of Modern Languages research was assessed as being of a world-leading (4*) and internationally excellent (3*) standard. 

King’s submitted 42 staff and nine early career researchers for assessment drawn from the Departments of French, German, Comparative Literature and Spanish, Portuguese & Latin American Studies and 131 research outputs.

Since the last HEFCE research assessment, the Research Assessment Exercise (RAE), the Modern Language departments have undertaken a number of initiatives in order to strengthen and branch out into new areas of research and teaching. The Department of Spanish, Portuguese & Latin American Studies was formed from two distinct departments in 2010, creating one of the largest concentrations of expertise in Hispanic, Lusophone and Latin American studies in the UK. Meanwhile, all three language departments have built on established strengths and consolidated expertise around five key areas: literary studies, medieval & early modern studies, film studies, European & international studies and critical theory – including an increased focus on comparative literary approaches and translation studies.

Professor Russell Goulbourne, Dean of the Faculty of Arts & Humanities, commented: ‘This is an excellent set of results for Modern Languages at King’s, reflecting the critical acuity and depth of our scholarship as well as the international significance and global reach of our departments’ interdisciplinary research, which spans literature, cultural history and politics from the medieval period to the present day. What’s more, this world-leading research is at the very heart of the education we offer our undergraduate and postgraduate students, who are equipped to become global citizens by working with my colleagues in Modern Languages at the cutting-edge of their discipline.’

A new element of the REF was the requirement for higher education institutions to demonstrate the impact their research was having on the economy, society, culture, public policy, services, health or environment, beyond academia. The Modern Languages departments have always sought to be a dynamic force in the cultural life of the capital and more widely in the UK and their performance in the REF testifies to the impact they have had in this respect, from working with cultural partners to further the appreciation of German cinema and Spanish-language theatre, to politically-focused research which has brought about new understandings of Islamophobia and the French Far Right.

Professor Catherine Boyle’s research on translation as a key methodology in the understanding of Hispanic theatre underpinned the production of a database of contextual information about Spanish-language drama which has resulted in new translations and new approaches to rehearsal and performance.

 

Dr Martin Brady and Professor Erica Carter’s research on modernist cinema and film reception respectively supported the creation of the German Screen Studies Network, a significant framework for the promotion of German-language film through curatorship, film talks and translation.