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French and Comparative Literature

Entry Year: 2024

Key information

Degree
BA (Hons)
Duration
4 years
Start
September 2024
UCAS code
RQ12
Institution code
Q50
Typical A-Level offer
Grades BBB at A-Level. Excludes General Studies.
Full entry requirements (including contextual admissions)
Home fees
£9,250
Overseas fees
£23,350
Funding information
Paying your fees

Year abroad cost

Finances for studying abroad on exchange

View details

Overview

Explore connections and interactions between cultural traditions with our BA in French and Comparative Literature.

Studying French at Queen Mary means appreciating the diversity of the French-speaking world. You’ll learn not only about metropolitan France, but also about French as a global language, France’s role on the world stage, and the culture and thought of groups who have historically been silenced or excluded, such as women, the working class and ethnic minorities. No prior knowledge of French language is required.

As a result, besides high-level linguistic and analytical skills, you’ll gain an understanding of cross-cultural issues that will equip you to deal with today’s increasingly globalised world.

At the same time, you’ll gain a solid grounding in the discipline of literary studies, choosing from a range of topics from modern fairy tales to First World War literature, and a host of themes from madness to migration.

You’ll spend your third year abroad, an exceptional opportunity to develop your language skills through immersion and boost your intercultural competence.

Structure

Year 1

  • Culture and Language
  • French language module (streamed according to entry level)
  • French I
  • The Scene of Learning

Please note that all modules are subject to change.

Year 2

Compulsory

  • French II
  • The Scene of Reading
  • Translation into French

Choose from a range of modules including

  • Colonial Literatures, Post Colonial Perspectives
  • Literature and Philosophy
  • Madness, Past and Present
  • The Sounds of French

Please note that all modules are subject to change.

Year 3

  • Year abroad

Please note that all modules are subject to change.

Year 4

Compulsory

  • French III
  • The Scene of Writing

Choose from a range of modules including

  • Comparative Literature Research Project
  • Comparative Modernisms: the Case of China and India
  • Photography: The Self and its Image
  • The East in the West
  • Advanced Oral Competence in French
  • Language and Society in the French-speaking World
  • Lovers and Libertines: 18th century French Fiction
  • Modern Languages Research Project

Please note that all modules are subject to change.

Year abroad

You have three options for how to spend your year abroad:

  • teaching English as a foreign language assistant
  • attending university
  • in the professional world, either on a work placement with our support, or independently with our approval.

Our French-speaking partner institutions are:

  • Aix-Marseille d’Avignon Université
  • Université de Genève
  • Université Catholique de Lille
  • Université Catholique de Louvain
  • Université François Rabelais
  • Université Paris-Sorbonne
  • Université de la Réunion.

Teaching

Teaching and learning

You’ll receive approximately 12 hours of weekly contact time, in the form of lectures, seminars and language classes.

You will spend up to five hours per week in language classes – in small groups of no more than 20 for classroom or language lab teaching, and no more than 10 for oral and aural work.

For every hour spent in class, you’ll complete a further two to three hours of independent study.

Assessment

Assessment typically includes a combination of coursework and exams, or coursework only. You’ll also be assessed through oral exams for language modules (including producing a short radio programme), final-year dissertations, independent projects and creative journals.

Resources and facilities

The School offers excellent on-campus resources to aid your studies, including:

  • the Queen Mary library
  • the Multimedia Language Resource Centre, equipped with digital labs and resource rooms, teacher and student workstations, interactive whiteboards, and software for viewing live international satellite TV broadcasts
  • language clubs and social activities, including film screenings, discussion groups and debates
  • subscriptions to foreign newspapers and journals
  • guest speaker seminars, which allow you to hear from academics, researchers and experts from institutions in Europe and North America.

Learn another language

If you're interested in learning another language alongside French, you can sign up for a course at Queen Mary’s Language Centre, where you can choose from Arabic, Chinese (Mandarin), German, Japanese, Bengali, Catalan, Italian or Spanish.

Entry requirements

A-LevelGrades BBB at A-Level. Excludes General Studies.
IBInternational Baccalaureate Diploma with a minimum of 30 points overall, including 5,5,5 from three Higher Level subjects.
BTECSee our detailed subject and grade requirements
Access HEWe consider applications from students with the Access to Higher Education Diploma. The minimum academic requirement is to achieve 60 credits overall, with 45 credits at Level 3, of which 15 credits must be at Distinction and 15 credits at Merit or higher. Applications are considered on a case by case basis. Due to the high volume of applications, we do not make offers of study purely on the basis of meeting grade requirements.
GCSEMinimum five GCSE passes including English at grade C or 4.
EPQ

Alternative offers may be made to applicants taking the Extended Project Qualification.

For further information please visit: qmul.ac.uk/undergraduate/entry/epq

Contextualised admissions

Our standard contextual offer: Grades BCC. This must include at least one essay based A-Level in a humanities or social sciences subject. Excludes General Studies, Critical Thinking.

Our enhanced contextual offer (for care experienced students, refugee/asylum seekers or students who have completed Realising Opportunities or Access to Queen Mary): Grades CCC. This must include at least one essay based A-Level in a humanities or social sciences subject. Excludes General Studies, Critical Thinking.

More information on how this information is used for a contextual offer can be found on our contextualised admissions page.

Non-UK students

We accept a wide range of European and international qualifications in addition to A-levels, the International Baccalaureate and BTEC qualifications. Please visit International Admissions for full details.

If your qualifications are not accepted for direct entry onto this degree, consider applying for a foundation programme.

English language

Find out more about our English language entry requirements, including the types of test we accept and the scores needed for entry to the programme.

You may also be able to meet the English language requirement for your programme by joining a summer pre-sessional programme before starting your degree.

Further information

See our general undergraduate entry requirements.

Funding

Loans and grants

UK students accepted onto this course are eligible to apply for tuition fee and maintenance loans from Student Finance England or other government bodies.

Scholarships and bursaries

Queen Mary offers a generous package of scholarships and bursaries, which currently benefits around 50 per cent of our undergraduates.

Scholarships are available for home, EU and international students. Specific funding is also available for students from the local area. International students may be eligible for a fee reduction. We offer means-tested funding, as well as subject-specific funding for many degrees.

Find out what scholarships and bursaries are available to you.

Support from Queen Mary

We offer specialist support on all financial and welfare issues through our Advice and Counselling Service, which you can access as soon as you have applied for a place at Queen Mary.

Take a look at our Student Advice Guides which cover ways to finance your degree, including:

  • additional sources of funding
  • planning your budget and cutting costs
  • part-time and vacation work
  • money for lone parents.

Careers

French and Comparative Literature graduates have a broad range of skills that can take them through to successful careers, such as analytical and critical thinking and communication.

Some apply their degree knowledge directly, entering careers such as translating, editing and teaching, while others transfer skills gained during study into areas such as the media, publishing and marketing.

Recent graduates have been hired by:

  • Bloomberg
  • British Council
  • ESI International
  • Hall & Partners
  • Mildmay International
  • Sony.

 

Career support

The School of the Arts offers a range of career support, including for students interested in working during their year abroad. Final year students can attend two bespoke events: 'What a difference the year abroad makes', which highlights how the year abroad helps you stand out in the graduate job market, and 'Career avenues for literature students', which explains the wide range of career options and how studying comparative literature prepares students for them. Alumni share their own experience at both events.

Our careers team can also offer:

  • specialist advice on choosing a career path
  • support with finding work experience, internships and graduate jobs
  • feedback on CVs, cover letters and application forms
  • interview coaching.

Course data

The Discover Uni dataset (formerly Unistats)

About the School

The School of the Arts combines innovation, discovery and excellence in education and research in Drama, Film, Modern Languages, English & Comparative Literature, Creative Writing, Linguistics and Liberal Arts. We rank in the top 100 worldwide for Arts and Humanities (QS World University Rankings by Subject 2024)

With our commitment to social justice, inclusivity and social mobility, our collaborations with external organisations, prominent writers and performers, and our facilities that support both academic and practice-based learning, an education in the School of the Arts equips our students with critical thinking and practical skills, unleashes their imagination and enables them to reach the levels of excellence needed in today’s industries.

We regularly host prominent writers and performers and collaborate with leading organisations such as the V&A, the Barbican, the Live Art Development Agency and Shakespeare’s Globe.

We are renowned for the depth and impact of research - which leads our teaching. We rank 1st for drama and in the top 10 for film in the UK for the quality of our research (REF2021). Our multilingual community brings together brilliant minds from across the world to share a wealth of expertise combining research excellence with an unrivalled commitment to social justice and social mobility.

 

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