BA Modern Languages and Film Studies (French) (For students entering from September 2024 onwards)

Programme overview

Entry requirements

Entry Requirements are available on the Course Search entry

Programme specification

The information on this page is accurate for students entering the programme from September 2024. For students who entered the programme before September 2024, you can find the details of your programme:

BA Modern Languages and Film Studies (French)

The BA Modern Languages and Film Studies is a Joint Honours programme combining the study of one world language and culture with the study of world cinemas and audio-visual cultures. Studying for a Joint Honours degree allows you to gain an in-depth knowledge of two subjects, through first-class teaching and including a period of residence abroad. This Modern Languages and Film Studies program is designed to equip you with the skills and knowledge needed to thrive in an increasingly multicultural and visually mediated world where linguistic proficiency and the insight into how cinematic images mediate societies are invaluable assets.

BA Modern Languages and Film Studies provides you with the opportunity to explore the richness of world cinemas and audio-visual cultures, and gain in-depth knowledge of historical, theoretical, and intercultural approaches to the study of film, as well as the essential communication, research and evaluation skills valued by employers. At the same time, you will develop the language skills and cultural competence that will enable you to engage with and understand how different people and audio-visual contents and media interact bridging linguistic and cultural divides within and between countries.

Our BA Film Studies begins with structured study across a number of bespoke compulsory modules that introduce you to the foundations of the discipline and to other forms of audio-visual culture. You will find out more about the history, language and art of film as a global industry and develop a toolbox of analytical methods and skills.

You will acquire good research skills and be able to analyse complex information before drawing your own conclusions. Having begun your studies with anything from beginner to post-A-level competence in your language of choice, you will graduate with the ability to communicate and defend your views clearly in another language, orally and in writing. In addition, you will have strong research and organisational skills and be confident working independently and in a team. You will also have a strong understanding of cultural diversity, allowing you to work effectively with people whose backgrounds differ from your own. You may have additional applied language skills such as translation and business communication.

Cultural fluency is a cornerstone of effective communication and is essential for understanding of world cinemas and audio-visual cultures. In addition to modules about film culture, genre and the power of film to shape the world we live in, you will have the opportunity to draw on the wider expertise of the School of Languages, Cultures and Societies in world cinemas by choosing modules such as French, German, Italian, Chinese, Spanish, Portuguese, Brazilian and Japanese cinemas.

Across all levels, our BA Modern Languages and Film Studies programme offers research-led teaching from enthusiastic experts in the field. It also offers innovative assessment methods such as sequence analyses, creative logs, and video essays. It finally includes a considerable element of research-based learning that culminates in an independent research project of your choice at Level 3. This may take the form of a dissertation or a podcast.

A Modern Languages and Film Studies degree opens doors to a myriad of exciting career paths across the service and cultural sectors domestically and internationally.

Year 1

(For students entering from September 2024 onwards)

[Learning Outcomes, Transferable (Key) Skills, Assessment]
View Timetable

Year 1

At Level 1, students must study 120 credits.



Students on Route B must take 120 credits across their two subjects. Students are required to take 60 credits in Film Studies and 60 credits in French.



Overall, students on Route A must take 100 credits across their two subjects. Students on Route A are required to take 60 credits in Film Studies and 40 credits in French. Students on Route A may take the remaining 20 credits as discovery modules or as further options with Film Studies or French.

Compulsory Modules

All students will be required to study the following compulsory modules:

Code	Title	Credits	Semester	Pass for Progression
FILM1700	Introduction to Film Studies I	20	Semester 1 (Sep to Jan)
FILM1800	Introduction to Film Studies II	20	Semester 2 (Jan to Jun)	PFP
MODL1050	Introduction to Audio-Visual Culture	20	Semesters 1 & 2 (Sep to Jun)

Optional Modules

Route A

Students with prior knowledge of French (B1 of the CEFR) will be required to study the following modules:

Code	Title	Credits	Semester	Pass for Progression
FREN1010	French Language Awareness and Skills (Common European Framework B2)	20	Semesters 1 & 2 (Sep to Jun)	PFP
FREN1020	Introduction to French Studies (Resistance and Desire)	20	Semesters 1 & 2 (Sep to Jun)

Route B

Students with no prior knowledge of French will be required to study the following modules:

Code	Title	Credits	Semester	Pass for Progression
FREN1012	French for Beginners (A1 of the CEFR)	20	Semester 1 (Sep to Jan)
FREN1013	Pre-Intermediate French (A2 of the CEFR)	20	Semester 2 (Jan to Jun)	PFP
FREN1023	Ab Initio Introduction to French Studies (Resistance and Desire)	20	Semesters 1 & 2 (Sep to Jun)

Route A

Students with prior knowledge of French (taking FREN1010) may take up to 20 credits from the following lists of optional modules (from EITHER Basket 1 OR from Basket 2):

Basket 1:

Code	Title	Credits	Semester	Pass for Progression
FREN1019	Writing the self in French	20	Semesters 1 & 2 (Sep to Jun)
FREN1070	Introduction to Skills in French Translation	20	Semesters 1 & 2 (Sep to Jun)

Basket 2

Code	Title	Credits	Semester	Pass for Progression
FILM1900	Directing World Cinemas	20	Semester 1 (Sep to Jan)
MUS1231	Film Music	20	Semester 2 (Jan to Jun)

Route A

Students with prior knowledge of French (taking FREN1010) may take up to 20 credits from the following list of optional modules:

Code	Title	Credits	Semester	Pass for Progression
MODL1060	Language: Structure and Sound	20	Semester 1 (Sep to Jan)
MODL1070	World Histories	20	Semesters 1 & 2 (Sep to Jun)
MODL1090	Intercultural Competence: Theory and Application	20	Semester 2 (Jan to Jun)
MODL1100	Politics, Culture and Society	20	Semesters 1 & 2 (Sep to Jun)
MODL1150	Worlds of Literature	20	Semesters 1 & 2 (Sep to Jun)
MODL1401	Discourse, Culture and Identity	20	Semesters 1 & 2 (Sep to Jun)

Discovery Modules

Route A

Students with prior knowledge of French (taking FREN1010) may take up to 20 credits of discovery modules.

Year 2

(For students entering from September 2024 onwards)

[Learning Outcomes, Transferable (Key) Skills, Assessment]
View Timetable

At Level 2, students must study 120 credits. Students are required to take a minimum of 40 credits in Film Studies and a minimum of 40 credits in French. Overall, students must take 100 credits across their two subjects. The remaining 20 credits may be taken as discovery modules or as further options with Film Studies or French.

Compulsory Modules

All students will be required to study the following compulsory module:

Code	Title	Credits	Semester	Pass for Progression
FILM2055	Critical Approaches to Screen Studies	20	Semesters 1 & 2 (Sep to Jun)	PFP

Optional Modules

Route A

Students who took FREN1010 in year 1 will be required to study the following module:

Code	Title	Credits	Semester	Pass for Progression
FREN2010	French Language in Contexts	20	Semesters 1 & 2 (Sep to Jun)	PFP

Route B

Students who took FREN1012 and FREN1013 in year 1 will be required to study the following modules:

Code	Title	Credits	Semester	Pass for Progression
FREN2017	French Language Skills (B1/B2 of the CEFR)	20	Semesters 1 & 2 (Sep to Jun)	PFP
FREN2210	Forms of Subversion	20	Semesters 1 & 2 (Sep to Jun)

Route A

Students taking FREN2010 are required to study a minimum of 20 credits and may study up to 40 credits of the following optional modules:

Route B

Students taking FREN2017 and FREN2210 may take FREN2351 from the following optional modules:

Code	Title	Credits	Semester	Pass for Progression
FREN2090	Politics and Society in France since 1945	20	Semester 2 (Jan to Jun)
FREN2260	Black Atlantic: African and Caribbean Culture in French	20
FREN2340	Twentieth and Twenty-First Century French Fiction	20	Semester 1 (Sep to Jan)
FREN2351	Aspects of French History 1789-1945	20	Semesters 1 & 2 (Sep to Jun)
FREN2352	Self and Other	20	Semester 1 (Sep to Jan)

Route A

Students taking FREN2010 may study up to 20 credits of the following optional modules:

Route B

Students taking FREN2017 and FREN2210 may take FREN2200 from the following optional modules:

Code	Title	Credits	Semester	Pass for Progression
FREN2200	Cinema in France: The Seventh Art	20	Semester 2 (Jan to Jun)
FREN2350	Introduction to Professional French Translation and Interpreting	20	Semesters 1 & 2 (Sep to Jun)
FREN2360	The French-Speaking Business World	20	Semesters 1 & 2 (Sep to Jun)

All students taking are required to study a minimum of 20 credits and may study up to 40 credits of the following lists of optional modules (Baskets 1-2)

Code	Title	Credits	Semester	Pass for Progression
CLAS2450	Screening Antiquity	20	Not running in 202526
COMM2850	Cinematic Themes	20	Semester 2 (Jan to Jun)
FILM2015	Women’s Authorship in World Cinema	20	Semester 2 (Jan to Jun)
FILM2115	Film Programming and Exhibition: Curating for Cinemas and Festivals	20	Semester 2 (Jan to Jun)
FILM2230	Questioning Genre in World Cinemas	20	Semester 1 (Sep to Jan)
FILM2511	Realism and the Cinema	20	Not running in 202526

Basket 1: Themes and Issues in Film Studies

Basket 2: Regional and National Cinemas

Code	Title	Credits	Semester	Pass for Progression
EAST2360	Chinese Cinema	20	Semester 2 (Jan to Jun)
EAST2715	Japanese Cinema in the World	20	Semester 1 (Sep to Jan)
FILM2030	Introduction to German Cinema	20	Semester 1 (Sep to Jan)
FILM2110	Cinema in France: The Seventh Art	20	Semester 2 (Jan to Jun)
FILM2202	Screening Italy: Neorealist cinema to Netflix	20	Semesters 1 & 2 (Sep to Jun)
FILM2515	Issues in Hispanic Cinema	20	Semesters 1 & 2 (Sep to Jun)

All students may study up to 20 credits from the following optional modules:

Code	Title	Credits	Semester	Pass for Progression
MODL2001	Linguists into Schools	20	Semesters 1 & 2 (Sep to Jun)
MODL2003	Global Queer Politics and Cultures	20	Semester 2 (Jan to Jun)
MODL2015	Black Europe	20	Semesters 1 & 2 (Sep to Jun)
MODL2070	Reception, Transmission and Translation: The Global Circulation of Literature	20	Semesters 1 & 2 (Sep to Jun)
MODL2075	Global Environmental Humanities	20	Semester 2 (Jan to Jun)
MODL2250	Digital Communications Across Cultures	20	Semester 2 (Jan to Jun)

Discovery Modules

All students may take up to 20 credits of discovery modules.

Year 3

(For students entering from September 2024 onwards)

[Learning Outcomes, Transferable (Key) Skills, Assessment]
View Timetable

Compulsory Modules

Students will be required to study the compulsory module:

Code	Title	Credits	Semester	Pass for Progression
MODL9500	LCS Year Abroad	120	Semesters 1 & 2 (Sep to Jun)	PFP

Optional Modules

Year 4

(For students entering from September 2024 onwards)

[Learning Outcomes, Transferable (Key) Skills, Assessment]
View Timetable

At Level 3, students must study 120 credits. Students are required to take a minimum of 40 credits in French and a minimum of 40 credits in Film Studies. Overall, students must take 100 credits across their two subjects. The remaining 20 credits may be taken as discovery modules or as further options with Film Studies or French.

All students must take 40 credits as a Final Year Project (FYP) module, which can be taken in - and count towards - either of their two subjects (EITHER French OR Film Studies).  

Compulsory Modules

All students will be required to study the following compulsory modules:

Code	Title	Credits	Semester	Pass for Progression
FILM3055	Current Enquiries into Film Studies	20	Semester 1 (Sep to Jan)	PFP
FREN3010	Advanced French Language Skills	20	Semesters 1 & 2 (Sep to Jun)	PFP
MODL3050	Final Year Project	40	Semesters 1 & 2 (Sep to Jun)	PFP

Optional Modules

Students who take their FYP in Film Studies are required to take a minimum of 20 credits and may take up to 40 credits from the following list of optional modules.

Students who take their FYP in French may take up to 20 credits from the following list of optional modules. 

From Algiers to Paris and beyond: protest from below - 20 Credits
Global Storytelling in French - 20 Credits
Visual Culture - 20 Credits

Code	Title	Credits	Semester	Pass for Progression
FREN3073	Theory and Practice of Interpreting (French and English)	20	Semesters 1 & 2 (Sep to Jun)
FREN3093	Iconic Images	20	Not running in 202526
FREN3094	The Kaleidoscope: Cultural Perspectives on Contemporary France	20	Not running in 202526
FREN3641	The Algerian War of Independence: From the Colonial to the Post-Colonial	20	Semester 2 (Jan to Jun)
FREN3865	Paris in Revolt. The May 1968 events, past and present	20	Semester 1 (Sep to Jan)

Students who take their FYP in French are required to take a minimum of 20 credits and may take up to 40 credits from the following lists of optional modules (from Basket 1 AND Basket 2). Students can take only ONE module per Basket.

Students who take their FYP in Film Studies may take up to 20 credits from the following list of optional modules (from EITHER Basket 1 OR Basket 2).

Basket 1 

Code	Title	Credits	Semester	Pass for Progression
EAST3350	Japanese Cinema in the World	20	Semester 1 (Sep to Jan)
FILM3026	Contemporary German Cinema	20	Semester 1 (Sep to Jan)
FILM3027	Post-War European Cinema: History, Politics and Aesthetics	20	Semester 1 (Sep to Jan)
FILM3040	Hollywood and its Others	20	Semester 2 (Jan to Jun)

Basket 2

Code	Title	Credits	Semester	Pass for Progression
CLAS3450	Screening Antiquity	20	Not running in 202526
COMM3120	Film Theory and Aesthetics	20	Not running in 202526
FILM3050	Queer Films on Global Screens	20	Semester 2 (Jan to Jun)
FILM3230	Cinema in the Digital Era	20	Not running in 202526

All students may study up to 20 credits from the following list of optional modules:

Code	Title	Credits	Semester	Pass for Progression
MODL3200	Representing the Holocaust: Transgression and the Taboo	20	Semester 1 (Sep to Jan)
MODL3410	Contemporary World Literature	20	Semesters 1 & 2 (Sep to Jun)
MODL3600	Material Cultures and Cultures of Consumption	20	Not running in 202526
MODL3610	Adventures of the Imagination: Crime and the Fantastic Across Continents	20	Not running in 202526
MODL3620	Decolonial Approaches	20	Semester 1 (Sep to Jan)
MODL3630	Social Movements across Cultures	20	Semester 2 (Jan to Jun)
MODL3650	Minoritised Languages, Dialects and Cultures from Past to Present	20	Semester 2 (Jan to Jun)

Discovery Modules

All students may take up to 20 credits of discovery modules.

Last updated: 04/07/2025 08:49:29

Errors, omissions, failed links etc should be notified to the Catalogue Team