Curious about studying French and History - BA (Hons)at University of Stirling? We've gathered all the key details—entry requirements, modules, fees, and more. Hear from real students by checking out reviews, or take the next step by booking an open day to explore it for yourself.
Bachelor of Arts (with Honours) - BA (Hons)
Stirling Campus
Full Time
Sep 2027
4 Year
Studying a modern language opens up a world of opportunities, and a French degree from the University of Stirling is designed with your future firmly in mind. We focus on giving you in-depth knowledge not only of the language, but also of the factors that are shaping France and the wider French-speaking world today. This contemporary, all-encompassing approach means you’ll graduate with a true grasp of France’s place in the world and a deep understanding of the language’s ongoing evolution and reach. You’ll be qualified to apply this knowledge in a host of professional arenas – with former French graduates from Stirling having gone on to work in areas as diverse as journalism, teaching, law and translation. There’s no limit to what you can do with a second language, and the opportunity to spend an extended period studying abroad will further broaden your horizons. Another advantage of studying French at Stirling is the flexibility of our degree programme. You can combine French with one of many other courses to further enhance your employability and pursue specific career goals from the outset. From Business Studies and Mathematics to Computing Science and Education (Secondary), our complementary subject choices are as unique as your ambitions.
History could not exist as a discipline without concepts. Concepts are the main analytical tools of the historian. They are applied to the raw materials of historical research (the information mined from primary sources),in order togive these materials a legible shape. It is by applying recognised concepts that we can explore common themes in History and understand the causes of historical transformations.
This introductory, survey module aims to provide students with an overview of Scottish medieval history in the period c.1100-1542, through a variety of approaches to the past, in particular viewing Scotland as a European kingdom. The themes covered range from the origins of the Kingdom, the medieval Church, the medeival Economy and Environment, the Wars of Independence, late medieval kingship, medieval cultures and courts, and Renaissance monarchy. Through lectures, small group tutorials, online exercises and reading, it seeks to deepen history-specific intellectual skills already acquired or to assist those studying history as a discipline for the first time in acquiring such skills.
This module is designed for all students with a school-leaving qualification in French. It will develop students' core written and spoken language skills and will provide an introduction to contemporary French/Francophone culture through examination of a number of texts/films. This module is split into 3 components: written language, spoken language and culture (mati?). Mati? seminars are supplemented by lectures focusing on the texts and film studied and their historical context. This module is particularly relevant to students who plan to add an international element to their degree by mastering a foreign language as well as students who plan to have a career in education (primary or secondary).
French for Beginners is an intensive course and is the first step towards joining the Advance stream at the end of semester 3. After Semester 3, there is no further differentiation between former Beginners and non-former Beginners.
This second module of Introductory French is an intensive course and a direct follow-up to the previous FREU9B1 module. It is the next step towards joining the Advanced stream at the end of semester 3 (FREU9A4), from which point on there is no further differentiation between former-Beginners and non-former Beginners.
In covering the era of the Renaissance, the Reformation and Revolutions in Scotland, students will focus on the reigns of successive Stewart monarchs and their subsequent succession to the English and Irish thrones as well as the problems associated with regnal union and resistance to an increasingly authoritative style of governance. Alongside the various revolutions of the seventeenth century, the creation of a British commonwealth, the emergence of Jacobitism, and parliamentary union in 1707, Scotland?s contact with Europe and the world will form a core theme throughout ensuring students understand Scotland?s development within a wider context. Political history will be studied in the light of the social, religious, economic, intellectual and cultural developments that lend early modern Scotland its distinct identity.
This module is a direct continuation of the previous module FREU9A1 and, as such, continues the development of your core written and spoken language skills. The module has two components: language and culture and will provide an overview of French/Francophone culture in the long nineteenth century (1789-1914), with particular reference to the French Revolution, the French Atlantic slave trade, the Franco-Prussian war and the First World War, all of which are approached through the study of short texts and films.
The module aims to provide students with both knowledge and understanding of how and in what way Britain modernised, and the role and significance of both primary secondary source material in historical research and debate (with a particular emphasis on secondary sources). J. Vernon,Distant Strangers: How Britain Became Modern(2014) provides the start and end point of the module. Vernon argues that modernity did not arise through the traditionally accepted factors such as industrialisation or the enlightenment. Instead he suggests that it was an adaptive response to the creation of ?a society of strangers? that resulted from rapid population growth and increased mobility over longer distances which necessitated new economic, social and political relationships. The module will explore the traditional drivers of modernity using a themed approach in order to examine the validity of Vernon?s argument. Running parallel to the module is a series of podcasts that are designed to provide the student with the basic historical skills necessary to complete the module. These include, secondary sources: what they are, how to analyse them and where to find them; how to write a critical review; how to write an academic essay; how to reference, what is plagiarism and how to understand Turnitin scores
This module deals with Africa between c.1800 and 1945 and focuses on the precolonial nineteethn century, the onset of colonial rule, and the impact of colonial rule on Africa up till 1945. It aims to explore in more depth both the changes and the continuities between pre-colonial and colonial Africa.
This module explores the political transformation of the United States during the nineteenth century, focusing on major national debates and the crisis of the Union that tore the nation apart during the Civil War of 1861-65.
This module examines how the past is put to work in various aspects of economy and societyand will help you understandhow forms of historical enquiry inform specific professional sectors and areas of employment.
This module continues to develop the linguistic and analytical skills fostered by the previous module FREU9A3. It comprises two components: language and culture. It focuses on the culture and history of the French and Francophone world from the 1960s to the contemporary period. You will explore the way Francophone societies in Europe and North America changed following the Second World War and the beginning of the period of decolonisation, through the study of literature and film as durable forms of cultural expression. The aim of studying these cultural artefacts is to develop your intercultural understanding of those nations and individuals who are French-speaking; it is also an opportunity to further expand your language proficiency, enabling you to build on your comprehension of spoken and written French and acquire new vocabulary and linguistic structures.
This module examines an epoch, Europe between 1789 and 1914, that began with huge optimism but ended in the despair of the first global war. The optimism was born out of two revolutions: one political that originated in France, and one economic, known as industrialisation. These ?twin revolutions? made constant social change and intellectual fermentation the characteristic features of the era.Kings, Churches, and Empires tottered, while new words that made sense of these changes, such as nationalism, constitutionalism, liberalism, feminism, and socialism, emerged for the first time. The contemporary resonance of these words shows why studying this period is so important for understanding our modern world.
This is an intensive course which builds on the foundations laid by courses FREU9B1 and FREU9B2. This module is the last module prior to joining the Advanced stream (FREU9A4) from which point there is no further differentiation between former-Beginners and non-former Beginners.
This module will provide you with an understanding of the (changing) historical reputations of the lives of significant individuals ranging from William Wallace, the Scottish medieval figure, to Nelson Mandela, the radical 'freedom fighter' and statesman. Through lectures and participation in seminars you will learn how to appreciate the role played by historiography, politics and popular culture in sustaining, validating,questioning and reinventing the reputations of historical figures. Participation in this module will allow you to enhance skills in written communication, analysing and investigation, library research, evaluating sources, constructing arguments, planning and organising, time management and discipline knowledge.
This module offers the opportunity tostudy key events from Scotland?s past which still have a bearing on present-day politics and culture, in a location, here at Stirling,close to many of the key sites of the period. Your studies will be led byan acknowledged expert publishing in the field. It also takes a much-misused topic and sets it within its proper British Isles and European context.
This module continues to develop the linguistic and analytical skills fostered by the previous module FREU9A2. It comprises two components: language and culture. It focuses on the culture and history of the French and Francophone world during the period from the start of World War II to the main period of French decolonisation in the early 1960s. This is achieved predominantly via the study of film and literature as durable forms of cultural expression. The aim of studying these cultural artefacts is to develop your intercultural understanding of those nations and individuals who are French-speaking; it is also an opportunity to further expand your language proficiency, enabling you to build on your comprehension of spoken and written French and acquire new vocabulary and linguistic structures.
This dedicated language module builds on the linguistic skills, written and oral, you developed during the second year. It is intended to be relevant to all students and it deals with general skills of comprehension, writing and speaking. The blogs and passages you study each week are selected as relevant examples of journalistic and discursive prose which feature a variety of registers; they are also chosen to provide you with an awareness of current affairs in the French-speaking world which will be of benefit in writing blogs and compositions, and in your spoken language classes. In dealing with the longer passages, you will be invited to improve your skills in extracting the gist of an argument in French, and you will prepare for your own compositions by noting and examining how the articles are structured. Writing blogs and compositions in French are interlinked components of the same fundamental skills, and the class will allow you to develop your accuracy, range, and the ability to exploit the possibilities of your written French.
This module provides generic, subject-specific and language-specific (French or Spanish) education on employability and careers skills of relevance to students whose degree involves the study of French or Spanish
Students have the opportunity to study optional modules in this year.
For many students, the dissertation is the culmination of their undergraduate study. This module will enable you to undertake your dissertation project: a sustained piece of research on a clearly defined topic that you will choose in consultation with a superviso
This module is designed to prepare students for the dissertation in semester 8. It will focus on the key skills required to devise and develop a research project: using library, archive and IT resources effectively to support research; distinguishing appropriate methodological approaches to research; formulating a research question; writing a proposal; referencing accurately and professionally; and presenting research findings to an audience. It supports students through the process of defining and scoping the dissertation topic which they will research in semester 8.
The History dissertation is an extended piece of research and written work that provides students with an opportunity to identify and investigate a particular topic of interest and explore it systematically. With the agreement and guidance of a member of staff, in the role of supervisor, each student defines a topic, conducts the research, analyses the information and writes the dissertation.This is the capstone of your studies and something you will be justifiably proud of in years to come.
All students taking a History Special Subject in their final year should register for HISU977. In early June, students will be sent an email by the History Programme Director, Dr Michael Penman (m.a.penman@stir.ac.uk ). The email will contain instructions on choosing a final year Special Subject?the course to be studied over two semesters. Students will be able to select from a list of options (detailed below), and can rank their choices in order of preference.
FREU9L7 written and oral language work builds on the foundations laid down in the preceding years of study. The module deals with advanced skills of written and oral expression and comprehension, as well as with translation of both journalistic and discursive prose. The topics covered in written and langage parl?lasses also aim to further develop students? awareness of French and Francophone current affairs, through in-depth engagement with advanced written and oral/aural materials including editorial-style journalism, online media coverage and journalistic blogs.
This dedicated language module builds, not only on the foundations of grammar, syntax and lexical range laid down over the preceding years of study, but also on the advanced language skills of translation, composition and oral debate and presentation honed in your final semesters of study. The module incorporates advanced skills of written and oral expression and comprehension, through translation into English, composition in French and oral/aural work including individual presentations. Through the module you will develop an in-depth understanding of and engagement with political, social and cultural topics of relevance to France and the wider Francophone world.
Accommodation(Based on the range of costs for a self-catered room in university halls of residence. Includes cost of electricity and wi-fi.)360.20 to 795.48 (Monthly expenditure)
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