European Studies (French pathway) with a year abroad

Our undergraduate programmes in the Department of European & International Studies at King’s provides an ideal grounding for a wide-range of careers, including in EU institutions and national government, but also journalism, public relations and consultancies for various kinds.

BA European Politics: We expect graduates to pursue varied career trajectories within national governments, European and international institutions, news media and public relations, non-governmental organisations or consultancies of various kinds.

BA European Studies: Graduates from the BA in European Studies have taken up posts with the Foreign Office, with leading financial institutions, with cultural organisations or with lobbying firms at the European Commission. Others have worked in public and private agencies and think-tanks in the UK, as well as further afield in countries ranging from Bosnia to Japan. Many students have undertaken work placements in the media, working for the French newspaper Liberation, the Franco-German TV station Arte and for Radio-France International.

Recent graduates have found employment as….
• Trade Policy Analyst, Organisation for Economic Co-operation & Development
• Communications Consultant, Kreab Gavin Anderson
• Event Coordinator, Reed Exhibitions
• Individual Giving Administrator, Tate
• Journalism/Writing Intern, New York Times.

BA European Studies is taught across several departments at King’s, including French, Spanish, Portuguese & Latin American Studies and German, History, War Studies and Geography. The participating staff are research-active and their expertise and passion feeds into the teaching. Teaching usually takes the form of lectures and seminars, offering ample space for students to discuss key concepts and test arguments in smaller groups.

BA European Politics is similar in teaching style to the BA European Studies. However, a larger proportion of the modules are taught by staff within the Department of European & International Studies, rather than the other contributing departments such as History, German, French and Spanish, Portuguese & Latin American Studies.

BA European Studies has a tightly structured programme whose components hold together coherently in a year-by-year progression. In each year, half the modules are concerned with the study of Europe (politics, history, economics, geography, EU institutions); a quarter with the politics and society of an individual country (either France, Spain or Germany depending on your chosen pathway); and a quarter with the language and contemporary culture of the same country. On the country of your choice, you typically take a history, culture or politics module along with the compulsory language element and a module in critical theory or literature and politics. These modules will help you explore the different ways in which political, cultural and economic development in Europe are linked with one another. Students’ progress is assessed through a number of means, including essays, written exams and, occasionally, also oral exams and presentations.

BA European Politics adopts a comparative perspective by giving students the opportunity to take a range of modules on specific European countries but also provides them with the theoretical tools to understand how domestic politics is also part of a European system of governance and where borders have become less significant for the circulation of people, goods and ideas. Through its compulsory modules the programme promotes an understanding of European politics as situated in and influenced by the international system and global politics. It offers substantial opportunities for specialisation in areas such as foreign policy, economic policy and political thought, plus the expertise of staff to offer supervision of an extended essay.

The Strand Campus, where most of the teaching takes place, is located in the heart of London adjacent to the Thames and close to Covent Garden. No other place in the United Kingdom can compete with London with regards to the opportunities on offer for the study of modern Europe. The library and research facilities available, as well as the range of contacts with cultural institutes, libraries, international firms, journalists, clubs and government agencies, far outstrip anything available elsewhere. Foreign language film showings, exhibitions, political talks and other cultural events take place continually.