Bristol for Politics and French

Hi. I got accepted to study Politics and French but want to find out what is the language department like. Anyone studying this particular course? What is your opinion? How many contact hours do you get?

Hi, and congrats! Yes, I'm in my final year studying Politics and French at Bristol. You'll find that not a lot of people study this exact course (I know of maybe six others doing it?) so I'm quite surprised that I saw this thread
The contact hours are quite low - I can't remember how many I had in first year, but I had about eight in second year and maximum eleven this year. You're expected to be quite independent as is typical at university level, and despite the low contact hours you will still be busy as there is a lot of reading and French language preparation to do. I'd say the workload is manageable and I've rarely felt overwhelmed with too many deadlines at once, but it's still a challenging course and it's not easy to get a first. I've been happy with the majority of my lecturers though and the modules are very interesting. There is quite a lot of choice in terms of optional modules, particularly in Politics (including lots of IR-related modules). And Politics and French students can also choose not to do a dissertation which is a bonus.
In terms of the two departments, I'd say they are both very high quality apart from a few exceptions. The languages department is a bit more controversial. There was a bit of a furore over the marking standards of French translations recently and there is a feeling among a lot of us that it depends what professor you get as to whether you will do well in assignments. I don't have many friends who study Politics so I'm not sure what the general feeling is, but I have been happy with that side of the course overall. All of my friends study French and I've found that it's a much more close-knit cohort than Politics, especially since you have the shared year abroad experience.
Overall I've really enjoyed the course and I have no regrets. I'd say the best aspect is the year abroad in third year - you have the choice to study in France, Switzerland, Canada or francophone Africa and/or do a work placement in any francophone country. I studied and worked in Paris in the end and absolutely loved it. Your French will also improve beyond your expectations.
I'd say most of my complaints about Bristol concern the university/city itself, the course was pretty much the best part.
Please feel free to DM me or ask any other questions, I'm a bit busy with final coursework right now but I'd be happy to help.

Thank you ever so much for your reply. I’m very excited about doing the course but need to choose between Warwick and Bristol and can’t decide at the moment. Is Bristol really that expensive to live in? Also in your final year can you choose to do your dissertation in politics if you want to or does it have to be French ? How difficult is it to secure a job after this particular course? Thanks a lot for your insight.

Hi, and congrats! Yes, I'm in my final year studying Politics and French at Bristol. You'll find that not a lot of people study this exact course (I know of maybe six others doing it?) so I'm quite surprised that I saw this thread
The contact hours are quite low - I can't remember how many I had in first year, but I had about eight in second year and maximum eleven this year. You're expected to be quite independent as is typical at university level, and despite the low contact hours you will still be busy as there is a lot of reading and French language preparation to do. I'd say the workload is manageable and I've rarely felt overwhelmed with too many deadlines at once, but it's still a challenging course and it's not easy to get a first. I've been happy with the majority of my lecturers though and the modules are very interesting. There is quite a lot of choice in terms of optional modules, particularly in Politics (including lots of IR-related modules). And Politics and French students can also choose not to do a dissertation which is a bonus.
In terms of the two departments, I'd say they are both very high quality apart from a few exceptions. The languages department is a bit more controversial. There was a bit of a furore over the marking standards of French translations recently and there is a feeling among a lot of us that it depends what professor you get as to whether you will do well in assignments. I don't have many friends who study Politics so I'm not sure what the general feeling is, but I have been happy with that side of the course overall. All of my friends study French and I've found that it's a much more close-knit cohort than Politics, especially since you have the shared year abroad experience.
Overall I've really enjoyed the course and I have no regrets. I'd say the best aspect is the year abroad in third year - you have the choice to study in France, Switzerland, Canada or francophone Africa and/or do a work placement in any francophone country. I studied and worked in Paris in the end and absolutely loved it. Your French will also improve beyond your expectations.
I'd say most of my complaints about Bristol concern the university/city itself, the course was pretty much the best part.
Please feel free to DM me or ask any other questions, I'm a bit busy with final coursework right now but I'd be happy to help.

Hi there, Can I ask if you started your French course from beginner level or post- A level? Im doing A level in Spanish so French would be a new language for me. Also, have you ever felt you missed out on doing more IR and politics modules by doing more French. Did you find the French modules interesting? Thanks for your help.

Hi, and congrats! Yes, I'm in my final year studying Politics and French at Bristol. You'll find that not a lot of people study this exact course (I know of maybe six others doing it?) so I'm quite surprised that I saw this thread
The contact hours are quite low - I can't remember how many I had in first year, but I had about eight in second year and maximum eleven this year. You're expected to be quite independent as is typical at university level, and despite the low contact hours you will still be busy as there is a lot of reading and French language preparation to do. I'd say the workload is manageable and I've rarely felt overwhelmed with too many deadlines at once, but it's still a challenging course and it's not easy to get a first. I've been happy with the majority of my lecturers though and the modules are very interesting. There is quite a lot of choice in terms of optional modules, particularly in Politics (including lots of IR-related modules). And Politics and French students can also choose not to do a dissertation which is a bonus.
In terms of the two departments, I'd say they are both very high quality apart from a few exceptions. The languages department is a bit more controversial. There was a bit of a furore over the marking standards of French translations recently and there is a feeling among a lot of us that it depends what professor you get as to whether you will do well in assignments. I don't have many friends who study Politics so I'm not sure what the general feeling is, but I have been happy with that side of the course overall. All of my friends study French and I've found that it's a much more close-knit cohort than Politics, especially since you have the shared year abroad experience.
Overall I've really enjoyed the course and I have no regrets. I'd say the best aspect is the year abroad in third year - you have the choice to study in France, Switzerland, Canada or francophone Africa and/or do a work placement in any francophone country. I studied and worked in Paris in the end and absolutely loved it. Your French will also improve beyond your expectations.
I'd say most of my complaints about Bristol concern the university/city itself, the course was pretty much the best part.
Please feel free to DM me or ask any other questions, I'm a bit busy with final coursework right now but I'd be happy to help.

Hi there,
Thank you for all your replies. I’m thinking now of forming Bristol but wanted to double check with you again the French side of the course. You mentioned in your post that you that there was a problem with one of the French professors. Would you be able to give more information if I DM you?