On this programme, you explore two great literary traditions with a long history of cultural connections.
This course provides you with an excellent grounding in written and spoken French language, as well as the chance to pursue your interests through a wide range of optional modules in French and francophone culture, history, literature, theatre, politics and film. Core modules in grammar, translation and spoken language will develop your French to a near-native level by the time you graduate. We’re proud of our small language classes, led by native speakers. Direct access to expert staff for help and feedback ensures you develop your skills to the best of your ability.
You will study the same number of modules in English Literature as in French. Our literature curriculum has everything you would expect from a department with a century-long reputation for innovative research. You will read more of major authors like Shakespeare and Dickens, Sylvia Plath and Samuel Beckett, but you will also be able to explore the most exciting contemporary writing from Britain and America.
You will quickly see numerous connections in our teaching and our research collaborations. You can study American and Caribbean literature in English, as well as literature of the French Caribbean. Scholars of children’s literature and publishing teach in both the French and the English Literature departments. We collaborate extensively with colleagues in the Department of Film, Theatre and Television in our research on Samuel Beckett. Throughout your degree, you will see the connections between French and English languages, literatures and cultures. Tracing those lines of connections is often one of the most intellectually exciting elements of a joint honours degree.
In both subjects you will spend a considerable amount of your time in small seminar groups. This enables you to interact directly with our experts and other students, and add your own voice to discussions. It especially benefits you in French, where regularly practising your spoken language is vital for achieving fluency.
Study abroad - In your second year, it may be possible for you to spend a term studying abroad at one of our partner institutions in the USA, Canada or Europe. This is a great opportunity to continue your studies while immersing yourself in a different culture and enhancing your language skills.
