French Studies and Modern Languages

Description

Our BA French Studies and Modern Languages allows you to study two or three languages, with two modules in French taken each year, which must be studied to mastery level. Additionally, your year abroad must be spent in a country where French is spoken.

French is one of the major international languages and spoken by more than 200 million people on five continents. It is also the only language, alongside English, that is taught in every country in the world. Knowledge of French increases your chances of communicating in a non-English-speaking country. It is the international language of fashion, theatre, the visual arts, dance, architecture and cuisine. France is also one of the most prolific producers of international films. There is currently great interest in the culture of many francophone countries, especially in Africa, Canada and the Caribbean. French is an official language of the UN, the EU, UNESCO, NATO, the International Red Cross and international courts. It is a good base for learning other languages, especially romance languages (Italian, Portuguese, Romanian and Spanish). Approximately 45 per cent of English vocabulary is derived from French, so as you learn French, you also enhance your grammar and vocabulary skills in English.

Our four-year course (three years spent at Essex and a year abroad in a francophone country) enables you to deepen your study of the French language. You select two modules per year in the language, starting from A-level (grade C minimum). These include core modules at the successive proficiency levels recognised in the Common European Framework, alongside a range of thematic modules designed to increase your cultural awareness, and/or professional skills such as French Cinema and Culture, Multimedia Skills, and Translating, Interpreting and Subtitling. Besides French, you can choose to study one or two additional languages out of German, Italian, Portuguese and Spanish at a range of different levels (from scratch, post GCSE-level, post AS-level or post A-level).

Your third year is spent abroad, during which you experience, engage with and integrate into another culture, either by a period of study at a partner institution (Université Jean Moulin in Lyon or Université Laval in Quebec), offering the opportunity to operate in a different academic, linguistic and cultural environment, or by working as a language assistant and thereby acquiring valuable vocational experience.

The focus of our course is to equip you with a range of transferable cognitive, practical and key skills, and a foundation for further study, employment and lifelong learning. You will also develop an appropriate level of fluency and accuracy in using your French as a medium of understanding, expression and communication (both oral and written). You will have an awareness of stylistic and sociolinguistic variation, and acquire a corresponding level of proficiency in the professional skills of translating, interpreting, and subtitling, as well as in creative writing, with the ability to comprehend and evaluate complex information and to carry out collaborative research into topical issues leading to oral presentations.

Detailed Course Facts

• GBP 9000 Year (EEA)
• GBP 11950 Year (Non-EEA)

• English

Course Content

The special characteristics of our course are flexibility and choice. In your first, second and final years you take two compulsory modules and two optional language modules. You spend your third year abroad. There is a great deal of choice for these optional modules due to the extensive range of modules offered by our departments.
With a small number of exceptions, if you successfully complete the first year of your BA, then you are qualified to enter the second year of that course and a range of other courses: for example, if you take economics, politics, philosophy and sociology, then you have a choice of at least nine possible single or joint honours courses at the end of your first year. This means you can change your course, providing you have taken the appropriate pre-requisites and places are available.
We operate a credit framework for our awards, which is based on principles widely used across the UK university sector. Each module has a credit rating attached and our standard three-year course consists of 360 credits (120 credits in your first year, and 240 credits across your second and final years).
Please note that module information on our course finder provides a guide to course content and may be subject to review on an annual basis.

Year 1

Advanced French;
French Professional and Multimedia Skills; and
two language options

Year 2

Proficiency Level French;
French Cinema and Culture; and
two language options

Year 3

Year abroad

Year 4

Mastery Level French;
French Translation, Interpreting and Subtitling Skills; and
two language options

English Language Requirements

IELTS band : 6

To study at this university, you have to speak English. We advice you to

Requirements

• A-levels: ABB-BBB
• GCSE English: C
• IB: 32-30 points (we consider IB certificates at the Higher Level on a case-by-case basis)
• Achievement of the Access to HE Diploma with a minimum of 6 level three credits at distinction and the remainder at merit (or above) or achievement of the Access to HE Diploma with a minimum of 45 level three credits at merit (or above).
• If French or Portuguese is taken as the major language, A-level French or Portuguese/Spanish (or equivalent) is required. German, Italian and Spanish can be studied as the major language either from scratch, via our intensive route, or via our post A-level route. All languages can be studied from scratch as the minor language.
• If you are interested in studying a language for which you consider yourself to be a native speaker, please contact our Undergraduate Admissions Office.

English language requirements for applicants whose first language is not English: IELTS 6.0 overall with minimum 5.5 in each component (or equivalent). Different requirements apply for second year entry.

Work Experience

No work experience is required.

Related Scholarships*

• Academic Excellence Scholarship

  "The Academic Excellence Scholarship can provide up to a 50 % reduction in tuition per semester. These scholarships will be renewed if the student maintains superior academic performance during each semester of their 3-year Bachelor programme. The scholarship will be directly applied to the student’s tuition fees."

• Access Bursary

  Bursary for UK students all subjects where the variable tuition fee rate is payable.

• Alumni Bursary

  Alumni Bursary for UK Undergraduate students

* The scholarships shown on this page are suggestions first and foremost. They could be offered by other organisations than University of Essex.

Funding

For up-to-date information on funding opportunities at Essex, please visit: www.essex.ac.uk/studentfinance.