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?
Reply 1
16
Original post
by jolark13Hi. 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.
(edited 1 year ago)
Reply 2
jolark13
OP
4
Original post
by MJ1148Hi, 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.
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.
Reply 3
16
Original post
by jolark13Thank 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.
I also applied for Warwick, I liked the look of the university when I visited but ultimately decided against it because it kind of felt like it was in the middle of nowhere… I’d say Warwick has the advantage of being a campus university and while some people prefer the structure of a city university like Bristol, it can be quite isolating.
Yes, Bristol is an expensive place to live - it’s actually the most expensive place to live outside of London. Finding accommodation here is not for the weak and landlords do take advantage of students so it is often poor quality for the price you pay. I don’t know what the housing situation is like in Coventry though.
I didn’t choose to do a dissertation myself, but if you do one I’m pretty sure you can decide whether you want it to be Politics or French-related (or both). There’s actually a politics module called “Investigating society” about gathering data and stuff that you have to take in second year if you want to do a diss.
Regarding jobs, I can’t help much because I haven’t graduated yet and I’m going to do a master’s - there may be statistics about this on the course website. With any humanities degree it’s always going to be a bit trickier to secure a job than if you do STEM, but you just have to be proactive with finding internships and developing those soft skills.
Obviously you’ll leave the course with at least C1 level French which is a great skill, and you’ll have the chance to do a work placement on your year abroad which will look amazing on your CV. Bristol is apparently one of the top targeted universities by employers and though I haven’t found them to be much help where careers are concerned, they do have a careers service if you want someone to look over your CV or interview practice and they organise careers fairs.
Hope this helps!
Reply 4
jolark13
OP
4
Thank you so much for your help. All the information that you have posted echoes everything I have heard from other people but it’s great that I could find it all out from someone who’s actually studying the same course I’ve chosen. Ultimately it’s down to whether I can see myself living in a city like Bristol or living on a campus. Your information will definitely help. Thanks a lot and good luck with your masters.
Reply 5
jolark13
OP
4
Original post
by MJ1148Hi, 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.
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.
Reply 6
16
Original post
by jolark13Hi 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, yes I did French A-Level, so I'm not really aware of what the beginner (ab initio) French course is like. Spanish is a good language to have a basis in if you want to learn French though.
I think one of the strengths of doing a joint-honours course is that you are learning so many different things. I don't think I've ever felt that I was really missing out on anything by not being able to study more politics modules. In fact, I think I might have been a bit bored had I only chosen to study straight politics, but who knows.
I have found all the French modules interesting, but personally I have preferred the literature-based ones over the historical ones. If you want to study a politics-related module on the French side, they usually approach it from a historical perspective. So I always chose them for the political aspect but found them a bit dry and difficult at times.
I thought you might find it interesting to know what modules are currently running in second and fourth year (though you may have different ones at beginner level):
Second year
•
Race, Gender, and Intersectionality in Twenty-First Century France: Cultural Production, Politics, and Identity
•
Introduction to French Cinema
•
French Thought
•
Burning Books
•
France during the Second World War: culture, politics and society
•
Paris: 1857-1897
•
French Fiction: from Realism to the Twenty-first Century
Fourth year
•
Prestige, soft power and diplomatie d’influence: Exporting French culture in the world from the1870s to the present
•
Les Misérables: Readings and Receptions
•
Intellectuals and the Media in France
•
Me, Myself, and I: The Essais of Michel de Montaigne
•
French for Business and Enterprise
•
Surrealism: Pleasure and Provocation in 1920s Textual and Visual Culture
•
Francophone Women Directors: Documentary Filmmaking
•
Aesthetics of Revolution
•
Political Cultures of Early Twentieth-Century France
Reply 7
jolark13
OP
4
Original post
by MJ1148Hi, 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.
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 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?
Reply 8
16
Original post
by jolark13Hi 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?
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?
Hi, I don't think the problem was serious enough for you to consider not firming Bristol, but yes I'd be happy to provide more information in DMs
Reply 9
Original post
by jolark13Hi 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?
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?
Hi, I am also considering doing this course with French beginners level, if you decided to do it could you let me know how that turned out? Also could you let me know if it has restricted you from doing any French modules in years 2-4?
Quick Reply
Related discussions
- Politics and IR at uni
- IB 39/45 Application UK Questions
- A Level Options Help!!!
- Official Politics and/or International Relations Applicants Thread 2024
- Law and French at Bristol
- Official Politics and/or IR Applicants Thread for 2025 Entry
- warwick, bristol, or manchester ppe?
- Bristol University Law - Bad GCSEs
- law with german
- Official University of Bristol 2025 Applicant Thread
- law application
- Warwick anxiety
- 2025 LAW offers from durham/bristol/ucl/kcl/warwick law any1?
- Do particular A-Levels matter?
- subject + language at uni?
- HELP NEEDED - Predicted Grades
- Modern Languages - Uni Of Edinburgh
- Manchester JMC or UCL PPE?
- warwick or bristol? help
- PPE at Bristol
Latest
Trending
Last reply 2 months ago
British Council English Language Assistant 2025/2026Last reply 6 months ago
uni of nottingham/manchester firm choice for liberal arts?Last reply 8 months ago
Modern Languages UCL v Kings College LondonLast reply 8 months ago
Should I consider to take my native language as an A-LevelLast reply 9 months ago
advice for uni applications 2026/27 entryLast reply 9 months ago
Oxbridge modern language applicationLast reply 9 months ago
Leeds Chinese and Japanese course requirementsLast reply 10 months ago
British Council English Language Assistant - GermanyLast reply 10 months ago
British Council Language Assistant 2025-2026Last reply 10 months ago
Work experience for language students or volunteerLast reply 10 months ago
British Council Language Assistants France 2025/26Last reply 11 months ago
cardiff or exeter uni for modern languages (please help!!)Last reply 11 months ago
Which uni to apply to for liberal artsLast reply 1 year ago
Applying modern language courses at OxbridgeLast reply 1 year ago
British Council Language Assistant 2025/26
How The Student Room is moderated
To keep The Student Room safe for everyone, we moderate posts that are added to the site.
