BSc French and English Language

Key facts

4 years full-time with integrated year abroad

UCAS Code: QR31

Typical Offers
A Levels: ABB from 3 A-levels, including French Grade B. General Studies accepted. Aston DOES NOT accept the double AS qualification in lieu of 2 AS-levels.

IB: 33-34 points in the IB diploma including TOK/Bonus points. Standard level Maths and English 5 required and 6 in Higher Level French.

Access: Pass Access to HE Diploma with Merit in each module. Humanities or Social Sciences Access course preferred, but other courses considered on an individual basis. A-level grade B in French or equivalent.

BTEC: National Extended Diploma DDD – DDM. A-level grade B in French or equivalent. Mix of Diploma/ Subsidiary Diploma/A-levels acceptable.

We accept a wide range of UK, EU and International qualifications: please contact us for further advice.

Specific subject requirements:
GCSE English Language and Maths Grade C.

Applicants receiving offers are invited to an open day.

Tuition fees: £9,000 (£1,000 during placement year) for UK/EU students. (2012). More on fees

Scholarships available for 2012

Key benefits

1st for graduate level jobs after 6 months for European Languages (unistats.com 2011)
90% of Modern Language students at Aston are satisfied with the quality of their course (Guardian University Guide 2012)
Contemporary and applied focus, with a high level of teaching delivered in French
English Language scored 4.5 out of 5 for students' personal development (National Student Survey, 2011)
English Language modules that draw directly on the work done in our research centre
Our English Language lecturers are renowned internationally for their work in Forensic Linguistics, Language and Gender, Language and Diversity and TESOL Studies

Programme Overview

The French strand of the course is designed to develop your linguistic skills to near-native proficiency and fluency. We stress the development of your practical command of French, emphasising language as a means of communication and mutual understanding. Our programme also aims to develop your understanding of French culture and society - its traditions, its complexities, its underlying ideas - and to develop your critical, analytical and collaborative skills.

The English strand of the course aims to provide you with the theoretical knowledge and understanding of English language, how it works in society and its role in the world today. We emphasise the practical application of English Language studies to the real world through professionally relevant modules such as Teaching and Learning English and Language in a Legal Context.

Sample Module Options

The following module descriptions are indications only - the modules on offer and the content of the modules is subject to change.

Click on the module titles to find out more.

Year 1

This module is designed to improve your language skills and to develop your fluency and accuracy, in both written and oral production. Key areas of focus include the production of academic texts (summary, essay), the revision and reinforcement of grammar, and the ability to communicate and to argue in a structured and appropriate format.

Assessment method: The module is taught in French and assessment is by coursework and exam.

This module is designed to introduce you to the French press from the outset of your university studies, and to encourage regular reading of both print-based and electronic media sources. We look at the economics and structure of the French press, and the challenges posed by new technologies and the arrival of free newspapers, before discussing the structure of news articles and comparing different press titles.

Assessment method: The module is taught in French and assessment is by presentation and exam.

This module offers an introduction to the study of French history. Starting with the Revolution of 1789, it provides an overview of major events and processes which have shaped the course of modern French history, examining the enduring significance of the past for contemporary France. Key historical events and personalities are considered against a historical backdrop of political turbulence, regime change and the continuous debate over what constitutes the French ‘value system’.

Assessment method: The module is taught in French and assessment is by exam.

This module is a companion module to Reading the French Press. It focuses on how individual press titles deal with specific issues and general subjects, and looks at how media reports are constructed differently across media titles (mainly weekly and daily publications). There is a strong emphasis on independent study.

Assessment method: The module is taught in French and assessment is by critical commentary and portfolio.

The aim of this module is to provide a basic grounding in French culture. Amongst a range of different texts, we focus on contemporary literature (looking at writers such as Camus and Ernaux) and on the cinema of La Nouvelle Vague. Group activities centre on text analysis and discussion, with particular emphasis on the themes of alienation and protest or contestation. Above all, the module aims to provide the tools to analyse, discuss and enjoy aspects of contemporary culture.

Assessment method: The module is taught in French and assessment is by group presentation, exam and essay.

In this module, students look at how words are used in written and spoken texts to create meanings, and use dictionaries, corpus analysis and other practical techniques to understand the processes involved, and to analyse words in different ways.

Assessment method: Two pieces of coursework (class tests & essay), 20% and 80%.

This module introduces you to the basics of one model of grammar: Systemic Functional Grammar, including key concepts and terms. It also involves practical workshop activities where you apply in practice what you have learnt in theory.

Assessment method: Two pieces of coursework (class tests & essay), 30%/70%

This module looks at language as it is employed for a variety of purposes in both private and public contexts. It also extends methods of communication to cover non-verbal means whereby messages are conveyed, as substitutes for and supplements to the use of words. Topic areas to be covered will include paralinguistics in interaction and in texts (links between image, gesture and word), language and technology, media language and the language of interpersonal communication.

Assessment method: One piece of coursework (project) – 100%

The module provides a brief introduction to the historical development of English, as a basis for the investigation of the concepts of language varieties and boundaries. This leads to an exploration of the issues and controversies surrounding the present-day role of English as a world language. An emphasis on language description reinforces the terminology and concepts taught in the companion modules of Level 1, while the teaching also focuses on the socio-historical forces which have shaped the development of English, reflecting the perspective of the programme overall.

Assessment method: One piece of coursework (essay) – 100%

This module considers language as an aspect of social practice, and looks at the links between linguistic and social issues. Using a ‘problem-solving’ perspective, we look at domains in which language is itself a matter of controversy and explore the concepts needed for informed analysis of the issues.

Assessment method: One piece of coursework (essay) 100%

This module introduces the concepts of register and genre: the ways in which spoken and written texts are shaped by their purpose, the relationship between reader and writer or speaker and hearer, and formal aspects of the communication (pictures, writing, speech, song etc).

Assessment method: Coursework 20%; Examination 80%

This module introduces language description at the levels of phonetics and phonology. It provides the descriptive and analytical tools needed to discuss phonological processes and aspects of speech production, involved in variation across accents of English.

Assessment method: Essay 30%; Transcription 20%; Assignment 50%.

Year 2

Building on the skills acquired in the first year, the second year language skills module prepares you for the year abroad. We concentrate on sophisticated sentence construction, and analyse the construction of high register texts. Key areas of focus include the production of syntheses of dossiers, and analyses of adverts or marketing reports. These activities are underpinned by ongoing grammar learning.

Assessment method: The module is taught in French and assessment is by grammar tests and exams.

This module aims to develop your proficiency in spoken French to a standard which enables you to communicate effectively and confidently with French native speakers and sustain a work or study placement in a French-speaking country, as well as to broaden your knowledge of contemporary French society and culture.

Assessment method: Assessment is by coursework.

This module aims to develop your awareness of translation problems and your research skills, focusing on the translation process from English to French. Texts for preparation, analysis and translation are distributed weekly, from a range of text types of immediate topical, or contemporary, interest. We take a functionalist approach as our basic framework of analysis.

Assessment method: Assessment is by take-away paper and dossier.

This module aims to develop your awareness of translation problems and your research skills, focusing on the translation process from French to English. Texts for preparation, analysis and translation are distributed weekly, from a range of text types of immediate topical, or contemporary, interest. We take a functionalist approach as our basic framework of analysis. We also encourage the study of comparable texts in the source language and parallel texts in the target language, regardless of topic, so as to refine the language and style of any given translation.

Assessment method: Assessment is by take-away paper.

This module aims at furthering students’ understanding of the origins, evolution and development of French in its social context. It shows how extra-linguistic factors have an impact on the dynamics of variation and change. Lessons are a mixture of lecture, discussion of readings and in-class activities.

Assessment method: The module is taught in French and assessment is by an essay on a topic chosen by the student in consultation with the tutor, based both on academic reading and on the analysis of authentic language data.

This module examines social conflicts and issues that have been critical in the making of contemporary France. It considers how such conflicts and issues have changed with the evolution of French society, from those that defined France in the post-war years (economic modernisation, demographic change, new employment patterns, the ‘rural exodus’ etc) to those that define France today (national identity, immigration, religion, the banlieues, law and order, unemployment, gender etc). The module looks closely at a number of fault lines and fractures in French society and seeks to assess how social ‘conflict’ and ‘consensus’ are negotiated in France today.

Assessment method: The module is taught in French and assessment is by exam.

This module considers French cinema’s responses to market globalisation, focusing on public film policy, the film industry, and individual films. We discuss the critical features of French cinema – its relationship to national identity, the importance of state funding, debates around Americanisation – before analysing a number of recent mass market popular films and some less commercially-oriented fiction and documentary films. The latter provide an opportunity to explore how cinema has become an important medium for political resistance to economic globalisation.

Assessment method: The module is taught in French and assessment is by essay and exam.

This module examines French political society in the aftermath of World War 2. We focus on the Fifth Republic, discussing its beginnings out of the post-war settlement, the Fourth Republic, and de Gaulle’s return to power in 1958, before examining politics and society from the perspective of its six Presidents to date. We also concentrate on the relationship between the presidential system and the evolution and fortunes of the political parties and the party system.

Assessment method: The module is taught in French and assessment is by essay and exam.

This module explores the main organisational features of written discourse and a range of analytical approaches, including revisiting concepts from Grammar and Meaning to show how we build unified texts from individual clauses and sentences.

This module introduces you to different variations of English, including: social and regional variation; Englishes around the world and differences between spoken and written modes.

The context for the module will be set by considering how language and work are inter-related on a macro scale. It will look at the impact of global trends on both work and language practices, as increasing numbers of business enterprises trade across national borders, necessitating international – and ‘intercultural’ – communication. The remainder of the module will take a more micro perspective, reviewing the ways in which speakers, writers and readers make use of particular kinds of discourse in work-related communication.

This module aims to introduce you to the ways in which media texts both reflect and construct our social practice and values. It addresses a range of issues, such as what makes something newsworthy, whether there is objectivity in news reporting, whether different social groups are equally represented in mass media texts, and what part visual images and layout play in our media messages; and it introduces you to a variety of methods for describing and critically evaluating media texts in relation to these issues.

This is an introductory course to TESOL. By the end of the module, the students will have become aware of the basic requirements of a teacher of English to speakers of other languages. They will have had the chance to develop some of the skills necessary for the TESOL teacher. The emphasis will be on developing the skills, organisational and pedagogical, which will allow them to teach or tutor their specialism. The areas covered will be course and syllabus design, materials evaluation and preparation, strategies for teaching lexis and grammar, lesson planning, delivery and evaluation.

Year 3 - Year Abroad

Final Year

Building on the year abroad, the module is designed to further improve students’ productive language skills. We focus on a range of current issues and controversies in French politics and society, and classes encourage development of increasingly sophisticated written and oral skills and increased fluency, accuracy and comprehension. These activities are underpinned by ongoing grammar learning.

Assessment method: The module is taught in French and assessment is by exam and group presentation.

This module explores key aspects of the French media in the context of increasing globalisation. Discussion focuses on current themes such as freedom of information; rights and responsibilities; regulation and cultural values; the decline of print, the power of the image and new media; media and democracy; political influence and market forces; pluralism, diversity and balance.

Assessment method: The module is taught in French and assessment is by oral presentation and essay.

This module presents the French language through its use in authentic documents, as opposed to representations in grammars. More specifically, it focuses on how particular linguistic forms lose or develop functions over time. The module is split between presentation of areas of contemporary language variation and change and a group research project.

Assessment method: The module is taught in French and assessment includes seminar work (including a critical transcription) and writing a research report.

This is an independent study module, for which you devise, research and write a dissertation on a topic of your choice, related to France or another Francophone country. The module develops your analytical and evaluative skills as well as your linguistic fluency and accuracy. Independent study is supplemented by small group classes and/or one-to-one consultations with your dissertation supervisor, enabling you to develop your presentational and communication skills.

Assessment method: written dissertation and viva.

This module analyses the French overseas territories, and critically situates their role and status with respect to France and, more widely, the international system. We analyse the different geopolitical contexts in which the territories operate, and discuss their social, cultural, political, economic and strategic identities and relationships with France.

Assessment method: The module is taught in French and assessment is by essay and presentation.

This module examines the Vichy regime of 1940-44, when France was occupied and collaborated with Nazi Germany. It shows how the liberal, democratic, assimilationist model of French Republicanism was abolished by an authoritarian, repressive, ultra-nationalist regime. It explores the historical and political background to Vichy, its policies and personalities, its progressive radicalisation, the tensions between state collaboration and pro-Nazi ‘collaborationism’, and the difficulty of defining Vichy as a political regime. It also considers the aftermath of Vichy and the legacy of this brief regime within the Republican culture of contemporary France.

Assessment method: The module is taught in French and assessment is by exam.

In this module, students learn the key concepts and terminology of corpus linguistics

and how to use corpus tools to conduct research into language in use, and look at some areas of applied linguistics in which corpora are used, such as lexicography, pedagogy, and translation.

This module considers frameworks, methods of analysis and applications associated with critical discourse analysis. It also considers the relationship between critical discourse analysis and other forms of discourse analysis, thereby developing a critical awareness of discourse analysis in general.

This module aims to introduce you to the ways in which the social construction of gender both reflects and inflects our discursive practices. It addresses a range of issues, beginning with an overview of feminist language study and alternative views of the relationship between gender, language and society. The second part of the module then moves on to consider questions of how gender issues are reflected in a range of social and institutional contexts, including for example, education, the media and the workplace. You will be introduced, throughout the module, to a variety of methods for describing and critically evaluating gendered linguistic practices in relation to these issues and contexts.

This module will provide an introduction to key approaches to the analysis of authentic spoken language in interaction.It will give you an overview of how conversations are ‘constructed’ and the relationship between what is said and what is meant, as well as some of the ways in which these two crucial aspects vary according to context and culture. It will therefore equip you to describe and evaluate a range of types of spoken text in English, and will enable you to anticipate and resolve issues of data collection and transcription, including ethical considerations.

This module will focus on one specialist area of Applied Linguistics, the application of the tools and techniques of language description to spoken and written texts which have a significance in court cases. The module will look at topics such as: techniques for authorship attribution; questions of copyright and the detection of plagiarism; disputed police records of interview and confession; suspect suicide notes; and anonymous letters.

This course aims to enable students to research in significant depth a topic in English Language, and address, elaborate and apply key concepts used in the linguistic analysis of discourse, in professional, social, educational and/or cultural institutions and contexts. The dissertation allows students to undertake supervised research on a topic that is new to them. It is the longest and most sustained piece of research undertaken in the English Language part of their degree programme.

Year Abroad

Campus accommodation guaranteed for first year and final year students returning from year abroad.

The Third Year of your course is spent abroad in French speaking country - increasing your fluency, enhancing your cultural awareness and adding value to your degree. The year abroad is an integral and assessed part of language studies at Aston University, fully supported by us, and of direct relevance to your degree.

A distinctive feature of our year abroad is the flexibility that we offer. You will be able to choose between undertaking a paid work-experience placement with a company, working as a teaching assistant in a school or studying at one of our partner universities - you might even choose to combine two of these options.

We are extremely proud of the high level of preparation, orientation and support that we provide before and during your year abroad. We have a full-time Placements Team who will give you plenty of individual help and advice, and even come and visit you during your time away.

Find out more about the Year Abroad.

Learning, teaching and assessment

You will take part in interactive seminars, presentations and group work as well as
attending lectures and tutorials. There are also opportunities for individual research and guided study. All French modules will be taught in French, which means that our students are at a real advantage when it comes to gaining maximum benefit and experience from the year abroad.

You will be allocated a personal tutor who you can provide help and advice.

Assessment is through a combination of written and oral exams, course work, essays, presentations and an extended dissertation during your final year.

Career Prospects

Aston is 1st for graduate level jobs after 6 months for European Languages (unistats.com 2011)

Our graduates are in demand from a wide range of employers who value their understanding of different cultures and societies, their communication skills and motivation for team work. Recent destinations for our Languages and Social Sciences graduates include:

Graduate Trainee Managers for British Airways, Aldi Stores, John Lewis Partnership and Selfridges
Journalist for Tatler Magazine
European Union/European Parliament Officers/Assistants
Marketing Assistant at Beiersdorf (makers of NIVEA amongst other products)
Bilingual Marketing Assistant at 3Com (an international Internet and Telecomms company)
Trainee Accountant at PricewaterhouseCoopers
Case Worker - Crown Prosecution Service
PhD Forensic Linguistics - Aston University
MSc Human Resource Management, King's College London
Tenancy Support Worker, Midland Heart

Facilities & equipment

The School of Languages and Social Sciences has a dedicated Learning Support Team and excellent facilities including:

70 computers in 4 rooms
Streamed satellite television (French, German, Spanish)
TRADOS and memoQ Translation Software
Free DVD library (French, Spanish, German, English)
Audio and video-editing tools

Teaching Staff

Read what the English and French staff have to say about their courses:

Dr Krzysztof Kredens - Director of Undergraduate Programmes in English

''Our lecturers are renowned internationally for their work in Forensic Linguistics, Language and Gender, Language and Diversity and TESOL Studies. Staff at the Centre for Forensic Linguistics work routinely with law enforcement as expert witnesses in cases where speech and/or text constitutes part of the evidence. Most of our lecturers are research active. We are passionate about the teaching we provide and use our own research findings to inform it.''

Dr Hélène Stafford - Lecturer in French

''As a lecturer in French at Aston for the past 16 years, I have seen a vast number of our students graduate with a good degree in French and go on to graduate-level jobs. The relatively small French section provides a welcoming and nurturing environment, in which our students can thrive. Almost all teaching is delivered in French, which provides our students with an excellent level of written and spoken French, as well as in depth knowledge of francophone culture. Studying French at Aston will guarantee an enriching experience, and provide you with the means to go on to a great future career.''

Contact us

School of Languages and Social Sciences Undergraduate Admissions
Tel: 0121 204 3700
Email: lss_ugadmissions@aston.ac.uk

Student Profile

Abbey Wadey

BSc English Language

During my placement year I worked as an English Teaching Assistant at an international school in Malaysia and the placements office regularly contacted me to check on my progress.

Related courses

BSc English Language

BSc French

BSc English Language and International Relations

Fees & funding

Find out about tuition fees & student loans, and the bursaries and scholariships available.

Accommodation

All our accommodation is based on campus and over 80% of our rooms are ensuite. We offer a guarenteed place scheme for first years.

Student life

Our city centre location gives you the best of both worlds: a welcoming, lively campus community, in the heart of a vibrant city.

Student support - we're with you all the way

We offer a range of support services to ensure your time here is a success in academic, social and personal terms.

Outstanding graduate career prospects

Aston is ranked 5th in the UK, and the best outside London, for the percentage of graduates entering employment who achieve graduate level jobs (Sunday Times University Guide 2012)

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Birmingham - home to 65,000 students!

With fantastic nightlife, great restaurants, beautiful parks, superb shopping and much more, Birmingham is a true student city.

International students

Aston offers a world-class education and is home to students from over 120 countries.

Learn a language alongside your course

Whatever course you are studying, you can choose to study a language whilst you are at Aston. Improving your cultural awareness and career prospects.

BSc French and English Language

Key facts

Key benefits

Dr Krzysztof Kredens - Director of Undergraduate Programmes in English

Dr Hélène Stafford - Lecturer in French

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