1. Faculty of Arts, Humanities and Cultures
  2. School of Languages, Cultures and Societies
  3. Undergraduate
  4. Modern Languages and International Relations (French)

Modern Languages and International Relations (French)

The list shown below represents typical modules/components studied if you choose French as your language pathway.

For information on typical modules for International Relations, please check the course page.

These modules may change from time to time. Read more in our terms and conditions.

Year 1

Compulsory modules

Students with prior knowledge of French (B1 CEFR) will be required to study the following modules:

  • French Language Awareness and Skills (Common European Framework B2) (20 credits) - This first year French language module focuses on the essential elements of French grammar, written and spoken competence at post A level (CEFR B1+) backing up lectures and weekly language classes. In addition to the weekly written language seminars, all students spend one hour a week in a small group class with a native speaker lecteur/lectrice. These classes aim to improve aural and oral skills through exercises such as listening practice, debates, presentations and discussions.

  • Introduction to French Studies (Resistance and Desire) (20 credits) - This module, taught primarily in English and through a combination of weekly lectures and fortnightly seminars, uses the guiding themes of resistance and desire to introduce you to the study of the culture, history and society of France from the French Revolution in the eighteenth century to the present day. Topics and texts studied will include: the 1789 Revolution, with its principles of liberté, égalité, fraternité; the complex relationships between France and its former colonies via a short story by French Guadeloupean writer Gisèle Pineau, 'Paroles de terre en larmes'; contemporary French cinema, which we look at through Claire Denis’s critically acclaimed Beau Travail (1999); the acclaimed bande dessinée of 2000, Persepolis, by Marjane Satrapi about a young Iranian exile in France; and Emile Zola’s short novel Thérèse Raquin, a story of deadly desire, crime and 19th-century city life. We also offer 'skills workshops' designed to help you analyse French culture and prepare you for the assessments. The module is designed to give a general introduction to the range of French Studies available at Leeds via the research interests of teaching staff.

Students with no prior knowledge of French will be required to study the following modules:

  • French for Beginners (A1 of the CEFR) (20 credits) - This module will enable an absolute beginner student to develop their language skills up to A1 of the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFRL).Language Learning in this module is student-centred and task-based. The classroom is conceived as a social space for communication. Listening, reading, writing, speaking, interaction and mediation tasks will be set.This single-semester module is the first of two language modules taken by beginners in year 1. Both are studied alongside a year-long module offering an introduction to the histories and cultures of the French-speaking world.

  • Pre-Intermediate French (A2 of the CEFR) (20 credits) - This module enables students who have completed an A1 CEFRL level to develop their language skills up to A2 of the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFRL).Language Learning in this module is student-centred and task-based. The classroom is conceived as a social space for communication. Listening, reading, writing, speaking, interaction and mediation tasks will be set.This single-semester module is the second of two language modules taken by beginners in year 1. Both are studied alongside a year-long module offering an introduction to the histories and cultures of the French-speaking world.

  • Ab Initio Introduction to French Studies (Resistance and Desire) (20 credits) - This module, taught primarily in English and through a combination of weekly lectures and fortnightly seminars, uses the guiding themes of resistance and desire to introduce you to the study of the culture, history, literature and society of France and its former colonies. A typical selection of topics would be: the 1789 Revolution, with its principles of liberté, égalité, fraternité; Emile Zola’s short novel Thérèse Raquin, a story of deadly desire, crime and 19th-century city life; contemporary French cinema, through Claire Denis’s Beau Travail (1999), about the trials and tribulations of an ex-Foreign Legion officer in Djibouti; Marjane Satrapi’s bande dessinée (graphic novel) Persepolis (2000), about a young Iranian exile in France; and the complex relationships between France and its former colonies via a short story by French Guadeloupean writer Gisèle Pineau, 'Paroles de terre en larmes'. We also offer a study skills lectures designed to help you analyse French-speaking culture and prepare you for the assessments, as well as language enhancement seminars to assist with the transition to the study of texts in French. The module is designed to give a general introduction to the range of French Studies available at Leeds via the research interests of teaching staff.

  • Politics, Culture and Society (20 credits) - What are the key debates that shape the practice of politics at international level? How can theory helps us better understand and analyse the practice of politics in the world today? How can awareness of differing cultural and intercultural perspectives help us better understand contemporary international politics? This module will introduce these themes and explore them in relation to a range of issues drawn from around the world. Because they are shaped by the current research interests of the staff teaching the module, the precise topics covered will vary from year to year. 

Optional modules

  • Introduction to Skills in French Translation (20 credits) – This module gives you the opportunity to learn about different modes of translation. As an introduction to the theory and practice of translation, it raises awareness of linguistic and cultural issues in translation. This module is designed for students whose first language is English.

Year 2

Compulsory modules

  • French Language in Contexts ( credits) - This core module introduces students to the study of style and register in written and spoken French. A major difference between English and French is the way in which spoken French diverges from written French and how the distinction between informal and formal usage is much greater in French than it is in English.The aim is, therefore, to develop awareness and understanding of how language is affected by variation in register and by linguistic choices in vocabulary and grammar. As well as extending your mastery of the core grammatical areas of French, you will be seeking to acquire the means to express yourself with sensitivity to the social context, through - amongst other exercises - the regular practice of translation. The module is based on fortnightly grammar lectures and two hourly seminars per week: one written language seminar and a travaux pratiques class with a lecteur/lectrice designed to improve your oral skills through presentations, debates and role-play.

Optional modules

  • Aspects of French History 1789-1914 (20 credits)

  • The Foundations of Modern French Thought (20 credits)

  • Cinema in France: The Seventh Art (20 credits)

  • Black Atlantic: African and Caribbean Culture in French (20 credits)

  • Twentieth and Twenty-First Century French Fiction (20 credits)

  • Introduction to Professional French Translation and Interpreting (20 credits)

  • Linguists into Schools (20 credits)

  • Black Europe (20 credits)

  • Global Environmental Humanities (20 credits)

Year 3

Compulsory modules

  • French Year Abroad (120 credits)

Year 4

Compulsory modules

  • Advanced French Language Skills (20 credits) - This course aims to further develop language skills, building upon the enhancement of the command of French achieved during the residence abroad. The aim is to approach the ability to speak and write and understand French possessed by an educated speaker whose first language is French. This involves achieving communicative competence, the ability to express oneself idiomatically, with a sensitivity to appropriate register, orally and in writing.

  • Final Year Project - Dissertation, Extended Translation, or Digital Documentary (e.g. Podcast) (40 credits) - This may be produced in either English or, subject to the approval of the Module Leader and project supervisor, the Target Language. Lectures and workshops provide the skills training necessary, whereas more specific guidance is provided through one to one supervision with a member of staff.

Optional modules

  • Theory and Practice of Interpreting (French and English) (20 credits)

  • Iconic Images (20 credits)

  • The Kaleidoscope: Cultural Perspectives on Contemporary France (20 credits)

  • Theory and Practice in French-English Translation (20 credits)

  • Paris in Revolt. The May 1968 events, past and present (20 credits)

  • Representing the Holocaust: Transgression and the Taboo (20 credits)

  • Contemporary World Literature (20 credits)

  • Material Cultures and Cultures of Consumption (20 credits)

  • Adventures of the Imagination: Crime and the Fantastic Across Continents (20 credits)

  • Decolonial Approaches (20 credits)

  • Social Movements across Cultures (20 credits)

  • Minoritised Languages, Dialects and Cultures from Past to Present (20 credits)

  • Linguists into Schools (20 credits)