This course achieved 90% student satisfaction in the most recent National Student Survey. What’s the significance of learning French in our globalised world? How can developing linguistic and intercultural skills allow you to truly become a ‘global citizen’? This course gives you a broad understanding of French language and thought, in a variety of historical and geographical contexts. We focus particularly on the ways in which encounters with other cultures transform French language, culture and society: you’ll explore ethnic diversity in contemporary France and the complexity of Francophone cultures in places as diverse as Quebec, the Maghreb and sub-Saharan Africa. With this course, you’ll be well qualified for careers in the arts, the media, government, journalism, tourism, in human resources management and in many other fields.

Language graduates are confident communicators and growing European integration offers increasing job opportunities. Many go on to a wide variety of careers in publishing, journalism, television, advertising, translating or law, teaching in French or English as a foreign language, administration and management. The Combined course with Professional Education permit students to train as a primary teacher with languages. Many students also choose to pursue further study upon completion of their undergraduate degree. Skills you can develop through this course As you progress through your French degree, you will develop a range of practical language skills and attributes that are highly sought after by employers: communicative skills and, in particular, high level written and spoken linguistic skills in both French and English – your written skills are developed through essays, compositions in the target language, and translation work, while oral skills will be developed through class discussion, but also by means of group and individual oral exams and presentations where you will learn how to formulate a point of view and to present, develop, illustrate and defend it orally an ability to speak and understand the language in appropriate registers and contexts – throughout your degree, you’ll work on a variety of different types of materials that will give you exposure to everything from literary French to the language of contemporary French-language news coverage analytical and critical skills: the ability to think rigorously and critically about ideas and propositions and to assess the validity of arguments, as well as the ability to distinguish what is relevant to a problem, whether it is presented in English or in French – these skills are developed through essay-writing, seminar discussion, and oral presentations the ability to read a wide range of textual material easily – for written and spoken language classes, as well as in culture classes and, in later semesters, in your option modules, you will develop the skills required to read a range of types of texts, from short stories to novels, from newspaper articles to film reviews, and much more besides an awareness of correct and idiomatic structures in French – at all stages of your degree, you will be expected to write in French, with texts increasing in length and complexity as you progress. Independent learning and study skills, and particularly an ability to use dictionaries and reference works in a way that is conducive to engaged language study – our tutors and language coordinators make use of the most up-to-date language resources, whether online or paper-based, and will offer advice on the best resources to use, as well as on how to use dictionaries and other reference works to improve your own language skills and to broaden your awareness of vocabulary. You will also have access to language learning technology through our state of the art language labs, and will gain practical skills in the use of IT, both as a source of instruction and information, and as a resource for facilitating communication good translation skills both from and into the target language – building on the solid grammatical knowledge fostered over the first semesters of study, our students begin to work on translation of materials from and into French, with a focus on contemporary texts time-management skills: the ability to plan work ahead, to structure time purposefully and the discipline to carry out what is planned to meet deadlines interpersonal skills: the ability to work co-operatively with others, to take part in joint projects and to accept criticism – communication is a core part of any Languages degree and, as a student of French, you’ll learn how to present your ideas clearly to tutors and peers, but also how to engage with ideas and opinions presented by others, and how to develop an intellectual exchange with your classmates Your degree in French will also equip you with: a broad knowledge of the culture of modern and contemporary France/Francophone countries – throughout your degree, you’ll study films, short stories, tv programmes, websites, novels, graphic novels, and a range of other materials that will help develop a broad awareness of different aspects of the cultures of France and the wider French-speaking world greater knowledge and intellectual curiosity about the world you live in – the constant exposure to a variety of contemporary texts and materials from France and the French-speaking world helps to nurture an interest in French as a global language. We also hope that you will acquire some knowledge of your own culture and be prepared to bring some comparative perspectives to it. One of the benefits of learning about another society can be that it helps one to gain a deeper knowledge of one’s own. Where are our graduates now? A language degree is highly valued by employers across a range of sectors. Year after year, graduates are near the top of league tables in terms of graduate employability. Language graduates develop excellent oral and written skills, independence and self-reliance, and confidence in dealing with a variety of people, situations and cultures. According to recent statistics (Unistats 2012) more than 85% of language graduates go on to employment or further study within 6 months of graduation. Our recent graduates have gone on to a wide variety of jobs in the UK and abroad including: Advertising Banking Librarianship Management Marketing Public relations Publishing Teaching Translation Language graduates are confident communicators and growing European integration offers increasing job opportunities. Many go on to a wide variety of careers in publishing, journalism, television, advertising, translating or law, teaching in French or English as a foreign language, administration and management. The Combined course with Professional Education permit students to train as a primary teacher with languages. Many students also choose to pursue further study upon completion of their undergraduate degree.