Undergraduate French 2025-2026

This intensive language course is designed for students who have little or no previous knowledge of French.

This course involves intensive language study. Upon successful registration to this course, you are expected to complete a short online entry test on MyAberdeen to ensure that you are registered for the most appropriate course for your language ability. You will not be able to access the course site until you have completed this short test.

It is strongly recommended that you complete this test at the earliest opportunity as your timetable/course selections may be subject to change if your language ability would be better suited to an alternative course. You will be informed of this as soon as you complete the test.

The short entry test does not count toward your overall grade for this course.

It is recommended (subject to individual entry test results) that:

• Students who have no experience of French register for FR1028: Beginners French Language 1
• Students who have studied French to National 5 level (or equivalent) register for FR1029: Qualified French Language 1
• Students who have studied French to Higher level (or equivalent) or above register for FR1029: Qualified French Language 1
• Students who have extensive experience of French, students who have not done French for a long time, students who encounter a technical issue during their entry test or have queries should feel free to contact Dr Clémence O'Connor (clemence.oconnor@abdn.ac.uk).

This course is intended for students who have studied French to Higher or equivalent / above level and are studying French Language as part of their degree (in other words, NOT as an elective for Sustained Study, or as spare or extra credits). If you are unsure which course to select, please email the course co-ordinator to find out.

This course will enable students to consolidate and extend their knowledge of French, written and spoken, working towards a level equivalent to CERF intermediate B1 by the end of the follow-on course in the second semester. This will be a significant step in the students’ training and preparation for their required residence abroad in a French-speaking country after level 2 (a few students on this course may be on degrees with French, but without a required residence abroad. If in doubt, aplease email the course co-ordinator.

Once registered on this course, you are expected to complete a short online placement exercise on MyAberdeen to ensure that you are registered for the most appropriate course for your language ability. You will not be able to finalise your timetable until you have completed it, which is why it is strongly recommended that you complete this placement at the earliest opportunity. As you complete the exercise, you will be able to see straight away if you need to change courses. The short exercise does not count toward your grade for this course.

It is recommended (subject to individual placement exercise results) that:

• Students who have no experience of French register for FR1028: Beginners French Language 1
• Students who have studied French to National 5 level (or equivalent) register for FR1028: Beginners French Language 1
• Students who have studied French to Higher level (or equivalent) or Advanced Higher level (or equivalent) register for FR1029: Qualified French Language 1 OR Qualified French Language 1 for Elective Students
• Students who have extensive experience of French, students who have not done French for a long time, students who encounter a technical issue during their placement exercise or have queries should contact the course co-ordinator

This course introduces students to twentieth and early twenty first century French and Francophone culture and society, focusing on the occupation of France during World War II, gender issues, and the impact and aftermath of colonialism and decolonisation. Students will explore the socio-historical and socio-political context by engaging with literature, film, writing from the period and visual materials. Texts will be available in translation for those with limited or no knowledge of French.

This course is intended for students who have studied French to Higher A or equivalent / above level and are taking French Language as an elective, in other words as part of Study a Language for 2 years, or as spare or extra credits . If your degree title contains the word ‘French’, please take FR1029 instead. If you are unsure which course to select, please email the course coordinator.

This course will enable elective students to consolidate and extend their knowledge of French, written and spoken

This course builds on the work done in FR1028, providing students with an adequate command of French language to allow them the possibility of continuing their studies into level 2 and Honours. 

This course is intended for students who have successfully completed and passed FR1029 - Qualified French Language 1 as part of their degree. (Students doing French Language for Sustained Study or taking French Language as spare or extra credits, who successfully completed Qualified French Language 1 For Elective Students, should NOT select this course, but instead select Qualified French Language 2 For Elective Students). If unsure which course is correct for you, or you are struggling to select this course on MyCurriculum, please email the course co-ordinator

This course will enable students to consolidate and extend their knowledge of French, written and spoken, to achieve a level equivalent to CERF intermediate or B1 by the end of the course. This will be a significant step in the students’ training and preparation for their required residence abroad in a French-speaking country after level 2 (a few students on this course may be on degrees with French, but without a required residence abroad. If in doubt, please email the course co-ordinator

This course is for students who have successfully completed and passed FR1032 (doing Study a Language for 2 years or taking French Language as spare or extra credits). Students who have completed FR1029 and have ‘French’ in their degree title should select FR1529, NOT this course. If unsure which course is correct for you, if you didn’t do French last semester or are struggling to select this course on MyCurriculum, please email the course coordinator.

This course will enable students to consolidate and extend their knowledge of French, written and spoken, to achieve a level equivalent to CERF intermediate or B1 by the end of the course.

This second year French language course which runs in the first half-session is only open to students who have passed FR1529. It will improve their written, oral and aural skills, and is one of the two second year French language courses required to be allowed into the French honours Programme.

This second year French language course which runs in the first half-session is only open to students who have passed FR1528. It will improve their written, oral and aural skills, and is one of the two second year French language courses (along with FR2512) that has to have passed to be allowed into the French honours Programme.

The course introduces students to the history, culture and identity of contemporary France by examining key moments and themes in the development of France as a political and cultural entity from the Early Modern period to the present.

This second year French language course which runs in the second half-session is only open to students who have followed FR2002. It will improve their written, oral and aural skills, and is one of the two second year French language pre-requisite courses to be allowed into the French honours Programme.

This second year French language course which runs in the second half-session is only open to students who have followed FR2012. It will improve their written, oral and aural skills, and is one of the two second year French language pre-requisite courses (along with FR2012) that one must have passed to be allowed into the French honours Programme.

This course provides an introduction to the French Enlightenment, exploring the social, political and philosophical significance of a number of representative works of the 17th and 18th centuries by authors such as Voltaire, Diderot and Rousseau. We will study how authors used innovative literary forms to challenge prevailing beliefs and to reflect on Enlightenment notions such as reason, toleration, human progress, and social contract theories.

This third year French language course which runs for the whole term is only open to Francophone Erasmus students during their residency at the University of Aberdeen.

This third year French language course which runs in the first half-session is only open to Francophone Erasmus students during their one half term residency at the University of Aberdeen.

The course introduces students to the literature and cinema of Francophone Africa and the Caribbean, from the colonial period, through Independence/Departmentalization and their aftermath, to the problems facing contemporary postcolonial society. We examine the socio-political and socio-historical contexts of the texts under discussion. Issues explored include: literature/cinema as historical document; identity; colonialism/neo-colonialism/post-colonialism; language; irony; and gender issues.

This course will examine texts from the late nineteenth century onwards to explore French poetry in its interactions with the visual arts, music and philosophy. In the process, the idea of poetry as a self-enclosed genre will be challenged, and reassessed as a fascinating cultural interface. Different paradigms for thinking about poetry in dialogue with other media will be envisaged, from rivalry to translation.

This Junior Honours French language course, whose pre-requisites are FR2502 or FR2512, runs over the full session and is only open to Single and Joint Junior Honours degree in French students. 

Building on the skills gained during their first two years of study of French, this course will improve the students' French language skills in all four areas of listening, speaking, reading and writing, whilst increasing their grammatical and lexical knowledge, as well as their sensitivity to linguistic variety.

It carries 15 credits and is assessed by way of four equally weighted assignments. 

This Non-Honours Level 3 French language course, whose pre-requisites are FR2502 or FR2512 , runs over the full session and is open to students following a Designated Degree in French Studies, LLB (French or Belgian law) or any Degree with French language as a minor.

This course will improve French language skills in all four areas of listening, speaking, reading and writing, whilst increasing grammatical and lexical knowledge, as well as sensitivity to linguistic variety.

It carries 30 credits and is assessed by way of six equally weighted assignments.

This Non-Honours Level 3 French language course, whose pre-requisites are FR2502 or FR2512 , runs over the full session and is open to students on any Degree with French language as a minor.

Building on the skills gained during the first two years of study, this course will improve French language skills in all four areas of listening, speaking, reading and writing, whilst increasing their grammatical and lexical knowledge, as well as their sensitivity to linguistic variety.

The course, which carries 15 credits, is assessed by way of four equally weighted assignments.

This course, open only to mode B Junior Honours students working in a French-speaking country, complements FR3089 and aims to develop receptive and productive skills in French.

 

This course, open to Mode B students, provides an opportunity for students to build on their French language ability and cultural understanding of French society through either a placement, personal development project or volunteering activity based within any French speaking country during the first half session. Students work towards a range of personal, educational or work-related outcomes over the course of their time abroad. All external engagement activities require the approval from the student’s academic School and must be verified by the external organisation.

The course introduces students to a variety of contemporary Francophone women’s perspectives on issues such as gender, identity, political action, sexuality and sustainability. These will be explored via a variety of documentary films released in the last 30 years. 

This course, open only to mode B Junior Honours students working in a French-speaking country, complements FR3089 and aims to develop receptive and productive skills in French.

 

This course, open to Mode B students, provides an opportunity for students to build on their French language ability and cultural understanding of French society through either a placement, personal development project or volunteering activity based within any French speaking country during the first half session. Students work towards a range of personal, educational or work-related outcomes over the course of their time abroad. All external engagement activities require the approval from the student’s academic School and must be verified by the external organisation.

This course provides an introduction to the French Enlightenment, exploring the social, political and philosophical significance of a number of representative works of the 17th and 18th centuries by authors such as Voltaire, Diderot and Rousseau. We will study how authors used innovative literary forms to challenge prevailing beliefs and to reflect on Enlightenment notions such as reason, toleration, human progress, and social contract theories.

The course introduces students to the literature and cinema of Francophone Africa and the Caribbean, from the colonial period, through Independence/Departmentalization and their aftermath, to the problems facing contemporary postcolonial society. We examine the socio-political and socio-historical contexts of the texts under discussion. Issues explored include: literature/cinema as historical document; identity; colonialism/neo-colonialism/post-colonialism; language; irony; and gender issues.

This course will examines texts from the late nineteenth century onwards to explore French poetry in its interactions with the visual arts, music and philosophy. In the process, the idea of poetry as a self-enclosed genre will be challenged and reassessed as a fascinating cultural interface. Different paradigms for thinking about poetry in dialogue with other media will be envisaged, from rivalry to translation. and will conduct independent investigations using basic research methodology.

This Senior Honours French language course, whose pre-requisite is the Junior Honours French Language course, is run over the full session and is only open to Single and Joint Senior Honours degree in French students.

Building on the skills gained in their third year of study of French, this course will help the students' French language gain very high skills in all four areas of listening, speaking, reading and writing, whilst increasing their grammatical and lexical knowledge, as well as their sensitivity to linguistic variety.

This Non-Honours Level 4 French language course, whose pre-requsite is the Non-Honours Level 3 French language course, is run over the full session and is only open to students who are following LLB (French or Belgian law), any Degree with French language as a minor subject, or any other Degree with the addition of French to its prescribed courses.

Building on the skills gained in their third year of study of French, this course will help the students gain higher skills in all four areas of listening, speaking, reading and writing, whilst increasing their lexical knowledge sensitivity to linguistic variety.

Candidates will write a dissertation of 8,000 words on a subject to be decided in consultation with the Course Co-ordinator, to be researched and written (under supervision by a member of staff) in the first half session of Senior Honours, and submitted at the beginning of the second half session of Senior Honours.

The course introduces students to a variety of contemporary Francophone women’s perspectives on issues such as gender, identity, political action, sexuality and sustainability. These will be explored via a variety of documentary films released in the last 30 years.