The Department of French offers a three-year B.A.(Hons) course. Our B.A. programme aims at improving competence in written and oral French, and to develop fundamental academic skills in the humanities, discovering cultures of French-speaking countries.
The programme is spread over three years: the first year focuses on French language skills, French and Francophone general culture; the second year deals with French literature, linguistics and other subject matters, such as French cinema; the third year is composed of elective units, through which students choose to expand their knowledge of French literature, language and linguistics, including didactics, aesthetics, comparative literature and other specific study-units.
We also offer a three-year Certificate course in Language Proficiency, open to students from all departments, as well as to University staff. This course starts from complete beginner level and leads students to a B1 (Intermediate) level in French. Students can also follow these sessions through the DegreePlus route.
A diploma in French can lead to teaching and translation related jobs, diplomatic and government service, trade and business, consultancy, journalism, tourism, cultural management. It offers a solid formation of general culture that is essential to any liberal profession. Many famous people studied French at University: arguably the most famous American philosopher (Fredric Jameson), the most popular English writer (J.K. Rowling), Nobel Prize-winners of Literature (Derek Walcott, Samuel Beckett, Gao Xingjian), politicians, ambassadors and diplomats (Vigdís Finnbogadóttir, Sheila Copps, Bill Richardson, Janice L. Jacobs, etc.).
French is a major language of diplomacy and international organisations, spoken in five continents, and is an official language of the EU, the UN, UNESCO and NATO.
