About This Course
The School of Modern Languages offers the possibility to do a PhD/MPhil in French Studies. The School has a long tradition of excellent postgraduate student support. Depending on the chosen research area, students will be assigned one or two supervisors and are guaranteed full access to computing facilities (including translation memory software), library provision and all School resources including the film library. There is a dedicated postgraduate study area within the School which students are encouraged to use as often as they can.
Research Areas
Our academic staff in French Studies can offer MPhil/PhD supervision on a wide variety of topics, a selection of which are listed below:
- Race, immigration and national identity in France
- French cinema
- Cultural representations of the banlieues
- Multiculturalism and humour in France
- Contemporary French politics
- French Travel Writing
- Urban Cultures
- Theories of Space
- Transnationalism
- Bande dessinée
- Adaptation from/into literature, film, comic art and theatre
- Cultural representations of Brittany
- Theories of ‘voice’ in French-language literature and film
Co-supervision of comparative topics within the School can also be offered.
Course Duration
PhD: 3-4 years full-time; 6 years part-time; MPhil: 2 years full-time, 3 years part-time.
Completed PhD theses
PhD dissertations in French Studies successfully completed in the School of Modern Languages include:
- (2011): Armelle Blin-Rolland ‘Back and Forth between Written and Spoken: Studies of Transposed Voices in Celine’s ‘Voyage au bout the la nuit’, Queneau’s ‘Zazie dans le métro’ and their Adaptations’.
- (2011): Menna Wyn: ‘Cynhysgaeth pob Plentyn yn Ewrop : dyfodiad straeon tylwyth teg gan Charles Perrault, Antoine Galland, y Brodyr Grimm a Hans Christian Anderson i’r Gymraeg (1899–1991)
Entry Requirements
Applicants should normally have a first or upper second class honours undergraduate degree and a Masters degree in a relevant subject. Non-native speakers of English will normally be required to have IELTS 6.5 or above (no element below 6.0).
Applications are always considered individually, and applicants are also judged on their individual merits, work experience and other relevant qualifications.
Students with an overall score of 5.5 on the IELTS can take a summer pre-sessional course in the University’s English Language Centre for Overseas Students (ELCOS).
