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Birkbeck, University of London: French Studies

Institution Birkbeck, University of London View institution profile
Department School of Creative Arts, Culture and Communication
Web http://www.bbk.ac.uk/
Telephone 0203 907 0700
Study type Taught

Summary

Our Graduate Diploma in French Studies is ideal if you are keen to study French language, literature and culture at an advanced level. It will help you become a proficient French speaker with a critical appreciation of the literature and cultural history of France and the French-speaking world from the Enlightenment to the present day.

Why choose this course?

  • You will be taught by specialists from a centre of teaching and research excellence that prides itself on research-led teaching.

  • It offers you the chance to attend numerous workshops, public lectures and conferences organised by our affiliated research centres such as the Centre for French, Francophone and Comparative Studies.

  • If you have a degree in another subject or have taken a break from studying, this course will improve your written French and develop your research and study skills to prepare you for a master's degree in French or comparative studies.

  • It is also ideal if you are a teacher wishing to refresh and deepen your knowledge but you are not quite ready to undertake a full MA.

What you will learn

This qualification will prepare you for postgraduate study and allow you to pursue a personal or intellectual ambition. You will gain a high level of proficiency in French language and develop your understanding of French culture by choosing option modules from a diverse and challenging syllabus, exploring French literature and culture through a range of different periods, from the eighteenth century to today.

You can also choose one of our cross-cultural modules, allowing you to analyse comparative themes across linguistic, cultural and historical contexts. At the same time, you will master transferable skills such as essay writing, oral presentations and written reports, critical and logical thinking, and translating.

How you will learn

Teaching takes place in small-group seminars giving you plenty of opportunities to participate actively and interact with your peers and our experienced tutors, who are experts in their fields. Language teaching is delivered in French, allowing you full immersion in the language.

This course is available to study full- or part-time. It has an evening timetable with classes taking place in the evening allowing you the flexibility to combine studying your Graduate Diploma with other commitments, such as work and family.

Highlights

  • This course is designed for students with a particular interest in developing their French to an advanced level, or who require further training to progress to an MA course, such as Birkbeck’s MA/MRes Modern Languages and Comparative Literatures.

  • All teaching takes place in our central London location in Bloomsbury, a stone’s throw from all the cultural richness that London has to offer by way of theatre, museums and galleries.

  • You could be studying in a building that was once home to Virginia Woolf and frequented by members of the Bloomsbury Group. The building houses our own creative hub which includes the Peltz Gallery, the Gordon Square cinema and a theatre and performance space.

  • We are also close to a number of cultural centres and research libraries relevant to French studies, including Senate House Library, the British Library, British Film Institute, Warburg Institute and Institut Français.

Careers and employability

On successfully graduating from this course you will have gained an array of transferable skills, including:

  • enhanced intercultural awareness, especially of the French-speaking world

  • critical thinking

  • advanced communication skills in both English and French

  • time management and organisation.

Graduates can pursue career paths in the Civil Service, international organisations or businesses, translating and teaching, research and journalism. Possible professions include:

  • translator

  • secondary school teacher

  • researcher

  • journalist

  • diplomatic services operational officer

  • interpreter.

Graduate Diploma - Grad Dip

Located in Bloomsbury, in the heart of London, everything the UK’s Capital city has to offer is on our doorstep.

We offer over 250 taught and research postgraduate programmes across the humanities and social sciences, business, law; and science and we’re a part of the prestigious University of London, one of the world’s best known and most highly regarded universities.

Birkbeck, University of London is built for the busy. We have over 200 years’ experience of providing exceptional learning experiences designed to fit in with students’ schedules. Our range of different study options allow our students to choose …

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