MA in French Culture and Thought
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This programme is not available for 2010-11. Find out more about the taught MA for Research in French and Francophone Studies...
The programme is an ideal –and indispensable- preparation for those who wish to embark on a PhD (research preparation). For not only will the programme give you a good grounding in the necessary research and analytical skills, it may also help you identify and formulate a suitable project. The MA will also appeal to students who wish to add value to their undergraduate degree: it gives you the opportunity of branching out into areas you did not have the time or chance to follow as an undergraduate or of undertaking greater in-depth study of topics and themes that caught your imagination or interest. Finally, the M.A. in French Culture and Thought also offers scope to those who wish to update their professional knowledge and skills by learning about the latest approaches to French literature, culture and society, or by investigating new fields of study (French film, francophone writing, women and gender…). How it worksOn a full-time basis, the M.A. in French Culture and Thought is a twelve-month programme: 1. All students take the core module "Intellectual Contexts" Part I and II, taught by a team of tutors during terms 1-2. 2. In addition, you will take two more modules, taught weekly for the duration of 1 term each. Here, you will have the choice between two or three options per term, with at least one option relating to pre-Revolutionary France, and the other to post-Revolution French (incl. francophone) Studies. Please see the individual module descriptions for details. 3. From the third term onwards, you will concentrate on researching and drafting your dissertation, which you submit towards the end of the programme. Its topic may either spring from one of the modules you have taken earlier in the year, or it may relate to a further field of study, within the research interests and/or expertise of a member of departmental staff. You will have the opportunity to discuss and shape your dissertation through shared or individual supervisions with your dissertation supervisor.
So, your study programme will be structured as follows:
The Department's MA option list includes:
The two-part core module “Intellectual Contexts” will introduce you to a wide range of texts from various periods and areas of French literature and thought; crucially, it will also equip you with an array of critical approaches and general research skills (“methodology”). Through your choice of options and dissertation topic, you have the opportunity, according to your own interests, to lay emphasis on the study of French culture and thought before the French Revolution, or on that of the modern and contemporary periods. You can also pursue an “open pathway”, through a combination of a pre-1789 and a post-1789 option (and similar for your dissertation topic). Not all options are running in any given year. The availibility of individual options for a given year and their distribution over option lists A and B will be decided in the spring term in order to take account of staff leave arrangements and undergraduate teaching commitments. You do not need to decide your options at the application stage, but your personal statement on the application form should include an indication of your main areas of interest. Candidates with a preference for one or more particular options should contact the Director of Graduate Studies for further information and advice, before proceeding to an application. AssessmentAssessment takes place through a system of essays and the dissertation: You will write one 6,000 word essay for every termly module: so, one essay for each of the options, and two essays relating to the two-part foundation (core) module (= 4 essays in all). In addition, you will write a dissertation of 12,000 words, which has to be submitted by the end of August (note: the exact date may vary slightly from year to year: the Graduate Handbook will confirm the date for the year of your course). You will decide your dissertation topic in agreement with the dissertation's supervisor and the Director of Graduate Studies. Essays and the dissertation can be in French if you have obtained prior permission from the Director of Graduate Studies in the department. Entrance RequirementsCandidates for the taught M.A. in French Culture and Thought should normally have, or be expected to obtain, at least upper second class honours (or non-UK equivalent) in a relevant discipline or disciplines. Overseas candidates should be able to demonstrate proficiency in English. The Department of French Studies may also invite you to submit clarification or evidence of your proficiency in French and/or a sample of academic writing. There is no closing date for applications, though candidates are advised to apply early in view of the application deadlines for funding. Part-time M.A.It is also possible to follow the taught M.A. programme in French Culture and Thought, on a part-time basis, over a period of 2 years. In that case, you will take just the foundation module "Intellectual Contexts" in the first year, as well as one option. In the second year of your course, you will take one further option, as well as complete your dissertation. Please note that the option list may vary from year to year. The Warwick Graduate School Prospectus offers further details on the admissions policy for part-time graduate study. |
What is it to be French? How do the French perceive themselves, and how do others perceive them? What contributions have French writers and thinkers made to the cultural heritage of our age? These are the questions at the heart of this new taught M.A. programme. Here you can explore expressions of French culture and thought from the earliest periods of French writing, through francophone and (post-)colonial fiction, through film or cultural policy, to the critical approaches and interactive media of the present day.
