The BA Welsh: Language, Law and Policy course, which will be available to study from September 2019, will offer undergraduate students the opportunity to study current affairs such as:

• Language rights in Wales
• Legal status of the Welsh Language
• Language and society
• Welsh devolution and law
• The role of Welsh in education
• Multiculturalism and Welsh
• Welsh in the workplace

The course was officially launched in Tŷ Hywel today, Friday 31 May, in the presence of the Welsh Language Commissioner, Aled Roberts.

Professor Gwynedd Parry, Aled Roberts and Dr Rhian Jones at the launch of the new Welsh course.

In response to the launch of the course, Aled Roberts, the Welsh Language Commissioner, said: “We are delighted that Swansea University has developed this course. There is a demand for young people who can offer new ideas in terms of language planning, with the academic background to provide a sound basis for their findings. I would also hope that graduates of this course will be able to offer key guidance to the growing number of public organizations implementing the standards."

Dr Rhian Jones, Head of the Department of Welsh at Swansea University, said: “The new degree is a qualification that responds to Welsh Government priorities, employer requirements and feedback from school pupils. There is considerable demand for graduates who understand issues such as language planning and regulatory principles in the context of the Welsh language in a large number of sectors. The course will place a strong emphasis on employability and on preparing students for the workplace. The programme includes various opportunities to gain work experience, and students can also choose to spend a year in work, following the course over four years."

Due to the multidisciplinary nature of the degree, the course will be available to candidates who have not necessarily studied Welsh as an A-level subject, but who have studied other relevant subjects through the medium of Welsh.

Professor Gwynedd Parry from the Department of Welsh said: “Although Welsh is the focus and the medium, the degree also offers the opportunity to appreciate international perspectives. In a module such as 'Language Rights in the International Context', attention is given to the activities of the United Nations and to the instruments of the European Council and the European Union.

“This is a unique degree course in its combination of multidisciplinary and international elements, which provides the best foundation for career opportunities in language planning, and of course, through the medium of Welsh.”