BA (Hons) French Studies
French Studies is taught by the Department of Languages and Cultures and is ranked in the top 5 in the UK by the Complete University Guide 2020. Our approach enables you to acquire high-level language skills and a thorough understanding of French cultures and societies within a global context and includes an international placement year where you will study abroad. Your first year comprises an exploration of the French language and its cultural context. Alongside this, you will study two minor subjects of your choice, one of which may be another language.Building on your language skills in Year 2, you will also study France’s culture, politics and history in more depth, as well as selecting courses which are international in scope and promote a comparative understanding of Europe and beyond.Spending your third year abroad in a French-speaking country makes a major contribution to your command of the language, while deepening your intercultural sensitivity. You will have the opportunity to study at a partner institution or conduct a work placement.In your final year, you will consolidate your French language skills, and study specialist culture and comparative courses, such as ‘Francophone Voices: Literature and Film from Sub-Saharan Africa, the Caribbean and Canada’, and ‘Translation as a Cultural Practice’. You will have the opportunity to develop a particular topic from your second year studies into your specialist dissertation.CareersAs well as language and subject related skills, a degree in languages gives you the opportunity to develop rich interpersonal, intercultural, cognitive and transferable skills that can be utilised across a variety of careers. Our graduates have found work in a wide variety of areas such as accountancy, IT, business development, civil service, events management, finance, journalism, publishing, research and sales, as well as teaching and translating both in the UK and beyond.For the last ten years, language graduates from Lancaster have been in the top ten universities in the country in terms of their employability, with French ranked 1st for graduate prospects in the Complete University Guide 2020.Many graduates continue their studies at Lancaster, making the most of our postgraduate research facilities. We offer Masters degrees in Translation and Languages and Cultures, which can lead on to a variety of careers including translation, and teaching.