French and Social Policy

French is a major world language, spoken in many parts of Europe, Africa and the Americas. French and Social Policy make an excellent joint honours choice by combining the study of:

• a modern language in its global cultural, social and political context

• the distribution of welfare and wellbeing within societies, and the policies which influence that distribution

French

On this programme, you have the opportunity to acquire near-native fluency in French through intensive language study, including a year abroad.

You will also explore aspects of French culture, including Francophone:

• 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.

Social Policy

You will focus on social and economic change, what causes it, and its consequences for society.

Reflecting on how policies are developed, you will learn about the policy-making process in the UK. You will also study the influence of international bodies such as the European Union (EU) and Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD).

We deal with a wide array of policy areas, for example:

• health and welfare

• education and labour markets

• family and childhood

We work closely with:

• governments

• NGOs

• third sector and interest representation groups

• international organisations and other external actors

International comparative analyses are one of our main strengths, and we place a strong emphasis on providing our students with empirical research skills.

Why Edinburgh

As a world-leading festival and capital city, Edinburgh is a fantastic place to study a global language in its cultural context and alongside Social Policy.

Our four-year programme is flexible, and we are unique in Scotland in offering students a full academic year abroad within the four-year honours programme, regardless of whether you spend the year studying or working.

When you graduate, you will have the combination of broad cultural education and specialist knowledge valued by employers worldwide.

French has been taught here since 1894, making it one of the first European languages to be offered at the University.

Today, graduating with a degree in French and Social Policy from Edinburgh gives you the blend of broad cultural education and specialist skills valued in a range of careers around the globe.

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 both of 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 abroad, gaining a lived experience of Francophone culture. Year 4 will be tailored to your interests in specific topics in - or approaches to - French and Social Policy.

Programme benefits

• Learn in an historic, capital city where French has been taught for over a century.

• Study over four years, including one abroad.

• Become fluent in one of the UN's six official languages.

• Try out different subjects in your first two years.

• Join societies related to what you are studying.

• Delve into fantastic libraries and collections.