French BA

University College London

Bachelor's degree

In London

£ 9,250 VAT inc.

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Description

  • Type

    Bachelor's degree

  • Location

    London

  • Duration

    4 Years

In each year of your degree you will take a number of individual modules, normally valued at 15 or 30 credits, adding up to a total of 120 credits for the year. Modules are assessed in the academic year in which they are taken. The balance of compulsory and optional modules varies from programme to programme and year to year. A 30-credit module is considered equivalent to 15 credits in the European Credit Transfer System (ECTS).

The structure of the programme allows you to study modules in French language (written and oral), literature, culture, history, politics and society. You will have some flexibility throughout your degree to focus on areas you find particularly interesting. These opportunities increase as you progress. You will also take modules offered by the UCL School of European Languages, Culture & Society (SELCS), which allows you to study literature, film, art and culture from outside your subject area. This will enable you to focus on broad cultural movements, issues and approaches from an interdisciplinary perspective. You will spend your third year in France or another part of la Francophonie. You can choose whether to spend the year as a language assistant in a French school, as a student at a French-speaking university, or undertaking a work placement.

Facilities

Location

Start date

London
See map
Gower Street, WC1E 6BT

Start date

On request

About this course

You will benefit from a strong focus on spoken and written language work. Oral presentations, comprehension work and translation exercises will be features of your learning. Native speakers form an integral part of our teaching team. We place emphasis on film and literature studies, with resources including a notable French section in the UCL Library. We offer modules covering all periods of French and francophone literature and thought. As part of your studies, you will have access to the facilities of the UCL Centre for Languages & International Education. The French Society organises cultural and social events including theatre visits, drama productions and trips to France.

In addition to linguistic and cultural understanding, this programme aims to develop skills in critical reasoning, independent thinking and application of theoretical concepts. You will learn how to conduct research and to communicate effectively both orally and in writing. Graduates of the department have entered a wide range of professions including finance, commerce, journalism, education, the media, public relations, and translation and interpreting.

English Language at grade B or 6, plus Mathematics at grade C or 5. For UK-based students, a grade C or 5 or equivalent in a foreign language (other than Ancient Greek, Biblical Hebrew or Latin) is required.

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This centre's achievements

2018

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The average rating is higher than 3.7

More than 50 reviews in the last 12 months

This centre has featured on Emagister for 14 years

Subjects

  • French Speaking
  • Politics
  • Francophone
  • French Oral
  • Modern France
  • French Film
  • Realism
  • Culture & Society
  • Linguistics
  • Literature
  • French Essay
  • French

Course programme

Year 1

Core or compulsory module(s)
  • French Oral (compulsory unless Francophone)
  • The Making of Modern France
  • French Film
  • Reading French Texts
  • Romanticism, Realism, Modernism
  • Use of French
Optional modules

You will also choose interdepartmental SELCS modules offered by the School of European Languages, Culture & Society. Optional modules may include the study of literature, linguistics, film and history.

Year 2

Core or compulsory module(s)
  • French Oral (compulsory unless Francophone)
  • Use of French
Optional modules

You will select 90 credits from a wide range of modules. Options may include:

  • Contesting Frenchness: Francophone Literature
  • Enlightenment and Revolution: The 18th Century
  • Exploration of Self and Form: the Contemporary Period
  • France: Culture and Society
  • French Film History
  • 19th Century Literature
  • The Classical Age: 17th Century Literature
  • The Medieval Period
  • The Renaissance Period
  • SELCS interdepartmental intermediate modules
Year 3

Year abroad key information

You will spend your third year abroad in a French-speaking country.

You can participate in a university placement with one of our partner universities, undertake a work placement or British Council language assistantship abroad (subject to availability/ approval), to make the most of your cultural and linguistic immersion. The experiences and skills developed while abroad further academic and personal development, cultural and social awareness, provide a foundation for further study and enhance career prospects.

Year 4

Core or compulsory module(s)
  • Advanced Translation
  • French Essay
  • French Oral
  • Use of French

Optional modules

Options may include:

  • Advanced French Politics
  • Cultures of AIDS in France: History, Policy and Representation
  • Discourses of Equality
  • Fictions of Grief
  • Forms of Feeling in 17th Century France
  • Gender, Race and Sexuality
  • Introduction to Post-Structuralism
  • Jean-Luc Godard
  • Jean-Paul Sartre
  • Medieval French Literature
  • Old Worlds, New Worlds, Humanism and Travel Writing
  • Reading Tintin
  • Representations of the Algerian War
  • Screen Cities: Representing the Margins of Paris 1830-2005
  • Swiss Cinema
  • The Haitian Novel, 1944-2004
  • The 'Libertine' from Charles Sorel to Laclos
  • SELCS interdepartmental advanced modules
Your learning

Throughout the degree your teaching will be conducted mainly through small seminar groups, together with some lectures. Seminars are characterised by a 'hands-on' textual and analytical approach, whereas lectures are used for discussing general intellectual contexts.

Assessment

Most modules are examined either by end-of-year examination papers or by assessed essay work completed during the year. You will also undertake oral examinations in French.

Additional information

Overseas students fee

£19,390 (2018/19)

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French BA

£ 9,250 VAT inc.

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