French and English Literature

French is a major world language, spoken in many parts of Europe, Africa, and the Americas. For centuries, alongside English-speaking cultures, the Francophone world has had a profound international influence on literature.

This joint honours programme aims to develop your critical, analytic, linguistic and creative skills. As well as language learning, you will engage with a broad range of texts in both English and French, and a variety of approaches to reading.

French

Intensive language training, including a year abroad, gives you the opportunity to develop advanced speaking, writing, reading and translating skills in French.

We will introduce you to the extraordinary richness and variety of the Francophone world through the study of:

• literature and cinema

• political history and social movements

• philosophical ideas

Our courses cover material from the Middle Ages to the 21st century and include specialist options in key disciplines such as decolonial, gender, and film studies, all taught by leading experts.

English Literature

Based in the first UNESCO World City of Literature, you will study in the oldest department of English Literature in the UK, one of the longest-established in the world.

You will gain the essential skills needed for the critical close reading of poetry, drama and prose. You will also explore the cultural contexts of writing in English from the late Middle Ages to the present.

At honours level, you will select courses on the basis of your own interests in specific topics, periods or literary genres.

Combining literature with a language shows an openness to ideas and perspectives other than your own, an essential attribute in many careers and a global marketplace.

Why Edinburgh

Edinburgh is a world-leading festival city filled with cinemas, theatres, galleries, libraries and collections. It has one of the best French collections in the UK at the National Library of Scotland.

We are unique in Scotland in offering you a full academic year abroad within the four-year honours programme, regardless of whether you spend the year studying or working.

Our programme is flexible, and we offer option courses from a wide range of disciplines when you study over four years. When you graduate, you will have the combination of broad cultural education and specialist knowledge valued by employers worldwide.

How long it takes to complete this degree programme

This programme is studied over 4 years, including a year abroad. This enables us to build choice and flexibility into your studies, giving you time to explore options, find what you like and build your skills.

Your first two years will be your pre-honours years. They will give you a good grounding in your subjects. In addition to studying core courses, you will broaden your education and skill set by choosing option courses from a range of subjects and disciplines. This may enable you to change the focus of your programme.

Your final two years will be your honours years. You will spend Year 3 studying abroad, gaining lived experience of Francophone culture. Year 4 will be tailored to your interests in specific topics or approaches to French and English Literature.

Programme benefits

• Study over four years, including one abroad.

• Become fluent in a language.

• Learn at the heart of a UNESCO World City of Literature.

• Try out different subjects in your first two years.

• Delve into fantastic libraries and collections.

• Try your hand at creative writing and publishing.