French & Philosophy with a year abroad

Many students remain to pursue graduate degrees whilst others go on to take further training in law, finance or the media. A wealth of opportunities are open to French graduates and King’s has an excellent record for employment after graduation. The highly desirable combination of language skills, cultural literacy and critical thinking means that French graduates from King’s are in strong demand in today’s job market. Recent graduates have found employment as…. • Lecturer, Goldsmiths College • Medical Recruitment Administrator, London Deanery • Research Fellow, University of Oxford • International Data Clerk, ES-Three • Recruitment Consultant, Chapman Black • Tenant Manager, Regents Group

Most teaching takes place in small-group classes and seminars supported by lectures. Modules in the French language are focused on high level skills in written and oral French and involve intensive contact with native speakers of French. We offer specialised modules in translation, while training all students to write and speak French at a high level of sophistication. Modules in French literature, culture, history and politics are taught by lecturers internationally recognised for their expertise in these fields, and aim to develop a broad and deep knowledge of French culture, as well as an advanced capacity for critical thinking and analysis.

All students of French follow a core language module each year and choose optional modules in the French language, French literature, thought, film, history and politics. Students on all French programmes take a balance of language and content modules. Modules are assessed either by coursework, desk examination, or a combination of both. The final classification you obtain for your degree is based on the modules you take in each of the three or four years of your degree.

Located in the heart of London, the department is close to unparalleled resources for students of French, specialist libraries, the Institut Français, unrivalled galleries, theatres and cinemas. All teaching takes place at the Strand Campus.

The single honours four-year French degree, like all other joint and major/minor honours programmes, includes a third year spent studying abroad. If you take joint honours in French and another language your year abroad will usually be split between a French-speaking country and a country speaking your other language. If you combine French with a subject that is not another language your whole year abroad will be spent in a French-speaking country. We have exchanges with many different universities in places as diverse as Paris, Montpellier, Montreal, Geneva and Martinique among others. King’s is also one of the few French departments in the country to offer a three-year French degree including six months spent at the University of London Institute in Paris.

Graduates have gone on to a wide range of careers after leaving King’s. Among those who have recently graduated, a survey uncovered a merchant banker, a police constable, a barrister, a trainee journalist, a trainee teacher and several who had returned (or were about to return) to university to take higher degrees. Recent graduates have found employment as…. • Analyst Consultant, Accenture • Asset Distributor, Universal Music • English Teacher, Primary School • Intern (Public Affairs), Science strategy company • Journalist, a business website • Operations Manager, Five UK • Research Assistant (Philosophy), a UK university • Film Production Assistant, Production company • Volunteer Development Support Officer, Diabetes uK

In our undergraduate teaching, we aim to combine a wide range of study options with direct staff-student contact. Our emphasis on small-group teaching in tutorials and seminars makes King’s an excellent place to acquire and hone the skills of critical thinking, and to express your ideas both in writing and in philosophical discussion with your fellow students and instructors.

Our programme offers an unusually wide range of options, such as Philosophy of Psychology and Philosophy in the Islamic World. Study of these options builds upon the solid foundation of core courses in the first and second years, with a lot of choice between modules already in the second year. Assessment mixes examinations and essays, and all modules offer formative assessment to let you try out and explore your ideas.

The Department is based at the College’s Strand Campus, in the heart of central London. The College’s Maughan Library is a short walk away on Chancery Lane.