French
Knowledge in Paris, by Year Abroad student Shakila Khandcar, showing the salle ovale on the Richelieu site at the Bibliothèque nationale de France in Paris.
French studies in Cambridge is one of the largest groupings of its kind in the country, and the French course one of the most varied. Many members of the group are leading researchers in their specialist fields.
We try to get to know as many students as possible and we make every effort to help students get the best from our courses. Enquiries should be directed in the first instance to the Section Coordinator, Esther Palmer french@mmll.cam.ac.uk, but we hope that you will find all staff working in French very approachable.
We are extremely proud of the reputation of Cambridge French which has consistently been judged outstanding in both teaching and research. As you join us, we wish you every success.
The French section at Cambridge produces world-leading research in a very wide range of areas in French and Francophone studies. Cutting-edge international research is fostered in an environment that provides exceptional research facilities and extensive opportunities for exchange and debate in seminars and colloquia. Mentoring and close collaboration have facilitated the cohesion of a changing and dynamic community of researchers who carry forward a long tradition of excellence. The intellectual breadth of Cambridge French is reflected in its various thriving research areas: History of the French Language and French Linguistics; Early and Late Medieval French and Occitan; Renaissance and Neo-Latin studies; Early Modern French; Nineteenth-century Cultural History; Modern French Thought and Philosophy; Film and Visual Culture; Francophone Postcolonial Studies.
Current undergraduate students can login here to find details about papers for:
The French Section offers many possibilities to study all aspects of French and Francophone culture, history, literature, language and linguistics at both MPhil and PhD levels, and warmly welcomes informal inquiries or applications from anyone interested in pursuing postgraduate studies in French.