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French and History BA (RV11)

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Learn more about our French and History degree at Warwick

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RV11

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Bachelor of Arts (BA)

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4 years full-time, normally including a year abroad

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26 September 2022

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Modern Languages and Cultures

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University of Warwick

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Develop an in-depth knowledge of French language and culture and a multifaceted understanding of historical processes with our BA in French and History.

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On this course you will develop an in-depth knowledge of French language and culture, and a multifaceted understanding of historical processes.

A French and History degree will allow you to select modules focusing on areas ranging from French and Francophone literature, cinema and politics. Modules also cover topics including the history of the Renaissance, the modern history of Britain, France and Russia or the history of the non-European world.

You will normally spend your second or third year abroad, consolidating and enhancing your learning.

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In your first year, you will take language classes designed to develop your knowledge and understanding of written and spoken French.

You will also take a core History module called Making of the Modern World, which contextualises later modern history by providing a framework in which major historical processes of the later modern era are studied on a world-wide scale. You will also be able to choose one French and one History module in your first year.

Having acquired foundation skills in your first year, you will go on to develop your language skills on our compulsory language modules in the intermediate and final years. You can also explore your own particular interests beyond the language.

Our modules reflect the research specialism of academics in the French and History departments. French modules cover a broad range of subjects including culture, society, literature, politics, philosophy, film and history.

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We employ a variety of teaching styles within the School of Modern Languages including:

Lectures
Seminars (consisting of around 15 students and focussing on student participation)
Written and spoken language classes in small groups

You will spend the rest of your time:

Studying independently
Preparing for classes
Reading
Analysing materials set for study
Writing essays
Working on your language skills

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Seminars generally involve around 15 students.

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12 hours per week (15 hours per week in first year).

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We will track your progress through:

Language assignments
Essays
Presentations
Portfolio submissions
Examinations (written and oral)

To help you improve your skills you will receive detailed and personalised feedback throughout your course. Your intermediate- and final-year marks each contribute 50% of your final degree classification.

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Study abroad

We strongly recommend that you take a year abroad as part of your modern languages degree, if they are able to. If you are unable to take a year abroad you will move to a three-year degree. You will be required to complete further language reinforcement work. You will also be encouraged to spend time abroad in other ways, during vacation times.

You will usually spend your year abroad doing one of three things:

Working as a language assistant teaching English in a primary or secondary school
Studying full-time at a partner university in your chosen country
On a work placement

Find out more about flexible Year Abroad options.

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A level typical offer

AAB to include grade A in A level History and grade B in a modern or classical language.

A level contextual offer

We welcome applications from candidates who meet the contextual eligibility criteria and whose predicted grades are close to, or slightly below, the contextual offer level. The typical contextual offer is ABB including B in History, B in a modern foreign language or Latin/Ancient Greek. See if you’re eligible.

General GCSE requirements

Unless specified differently above, you will also need a minimum of GCSE grade 4 or C (or an equivalent qualification) in English Language and either Mathematics or a Science subject. Find out more about our entry requirements and the qualifications we accept. We advise that you also check the English Language requirements for your course which may specify a higher GCSE English requirement. Please find the information about this below.

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IB typical offer

36 to include 5 in a modern or classical language at Higher Level and 6 in Higher Level History.

IB contextual offer

We welcome applications from candidates who meet the contextual eligibility criteria and whose predicted grades are close to, or slightly below, the contextual offer level. The typical contextual offer is 34 including grade 5 in Higher Level History, 5 in a Higher Level modern foreign language, Latin/Ancient Greek. See if you’re eligible.

General GCSE requirements

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We welcome applications from students taking a BTEC alongside a language A level and A level History

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Year One

Modern French Language 1

You will deepen your understanding of French grammar and syntax with the help of tutors experienced in facilitating the transition from A-level to university-level competence. You will learn appropriate technical vocabulary and handle complex structures. You will develop the skills required to produce authentic and accurate translations of journalistic material from French to English. Finally, writing in formal French introduces you to the structures and methods used to debate ideas on contemporary issues. You will increase your reading and comprehension skills and develop your ability to exploit texts for vocabulary, idioms, syntax and grammatical structures. Working with a native speaker in small groups, you will discuss topics on contemporary French culture and society, using audio, video and written resources.

Modern French Language for Beginners

As a beginner in the acquisition of the French language, you will cover the main linguistic skills in speaking, listening, writing and reading. You will focus on gaining grammatical accuracy as well as communicative fluency and competence. By the end of the year, you will be expected to be able to sustain everyday conversations in French, read authentic texts such as newspaper articles, follow the gist of TV/video extracts and be able to write an intermediate range of texts in French. You will also work on basic translations to and from French as a means of consolidating your knowledge.

History modules:

Making of the Modern World

We live in the here and now. But what got us here? This module studies the string of major social, political, and cultural developments that established our modern world. Radical (and not so radical) ideas from the Enlightenment, the industrial revolution’s structural transformations of how we work, build and buy things, and the struggles and stumbles of imperialism, capitalism and globalisation have gone far to set terms of life in the twenty-first century. The module will also help you develop your critical voice as a historian while asking comparative questions about historical difference across the world.

Plus one optional module in History (30 credits)

A French cultural module:

The Story of Modern France

Why is modern France so deeply invested in the past? What are the milestones in the creation of modern France? How have notions of France and Frenchness been shaped through the stories told about them? These are some of the questions you will explore through close reading of primary sources from major periods and events in French history. You will explore a range of materials, from the cartoons of May 1968 to prints dating back to the French Revolution, and from stories of Charlemagne to films and texts reflecting France’s ongoing preoccupation with its (often controversial) recent past. Equipped with these foundations, you will be well prepared to study further aspects of French and Francophone culture in the later stages of your degree.

French Cultural Landmarks: Love, Language and Power

French is the language of love, or so the saying goes. On this module, you will explore what love, desire and sex signifies in works written in French in earlier periods and consider how this challenges contemporary perceptions. You will critically examine the connections between love and gender, power and political engagement, in a wide range of resources, from the courtly love of the medieval period, to the heyday of French classical theatre epitomised in the work of Molière and Racine, right up to the French novel.

Intermediate Year

Modern French Language 2

You will consolidate and develop the productive and receptive language skills you acquired in your first year. By the end of the module, you should have appropriate knowledge of vocabulary and syntactic and grammatical structures to produce written French in two prescribed genres. You will develop your skills in translation to and from French, with a focus on specific translation problems, and increase the accuracy with which you use grammatical structures. In spoken French, you will comprehend and produce structured spoken French on a range of topics of contemporary significance in the context of simulated scenarios.

Modern French Language 2 (Post-beginners)

You will increase the range of your general and specialised vocabulary in French, improve your speaking, listening and comprehension skills, and develop your ability to translate from French, including through a sound knowledge of grammar, register, semantic nuances and style. There will be opportunities to write in French and to work on materials applicable to real-life situations.

A selection of optional modules in the School of Modern Languages and Cultures (30 credits) and in History (60 credits)

Final Year

Modern French Language 3

You will consolidate and develop your ability to write and speak confidently and at a level of intellectual sophistication in correct French. By the end of the course, you should be able to produce a structured written argument on a topic related to your intellectual interests or of cultural concern, in French that is grammatically correct, idiomatic, varied in vocabulary and grammatical structure, and in an appropriate register. You should be able to translate from French to English and English to French accurately, using your detailed knowledge of grammar, vocabulary and idiom, and employing an appropriate register. You will strengthen your skills in pronunciation and intonation and demonstrate these through fluent oral presentation and discussion of an intellectually serious topic.

A selection of optional modules in the School of Modern Languages and Cultures (30 credits) and in History (60 credits)

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There may be costs associated with other items or services such as academic texts, course notes, and trips associated with your course. Students who choose to complete a work placement or study abroad will pay reduced tuition fees for their third year.

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