French and Francophone Studies
French and Francophone Studies at Birmingham is long-established and well-reputed, with world-class research.
What we teach
You will be taught and supervised by international scholars with a wide range of expertise. In the most recent Research Excellence Framework, over 75% of our research in the Department of Modern Languages has been judged to be ‘world-leading’ or ‘internationally excellent’.
Our staff have a wide range of teaching interests, from Medieval literature to the contemporary Francophone world and its politics, film and society.
How we teach
The aim of the department is to put students at the centre of the learning process, with an engaging approach to small-group teaching and student-led seminars.
Our sector-leading blended approach to teaching means that our students develop linguistic fluency alongside cultural fluency. As a result, our programmes create graduates who will be able to connect with people and employers who speak their target language on the same cultural wavelength. By extension, our programmes will help make our graduates subject experts, using their languages well to establish relationships and careers in their target language.
Learn more
For more information about studying languages with us, visit:
- Modern Languages undergraduate degree combinations
- Postgraduate studies in the Department of Modern Languages
Outside your studies
Birmingham is one of the most culturally mixed cities in the UK. For centuries, people have travelled across the country and the world to build their lives here.
The city hosts around 50 annual festivals - so there is always something happening in the city celebrating diversity, community and innovative intercultural exchanges. Birmingham’s restaurant scene also offers around 30 different nationalities and styles of cooking. The city is also home to Birmingham International, a major international airport, for fantastic access to destinations of your target language.
The University of Birmingham’s Guild of Students run active language societies and produce an on-campus magazine – The UoB Linguist – for students interested in culture and languages.
Academic staff
Academic staff
- Professor Helen Abbott, Pro-Vice-Chancellor and Head of the College of Arts and Law
- Dr Caroline Ardrey, Associate Professor in Modern Languages
- Dr Craig Blunt, Senior Lecturer in French Studies
- Dr Edward Boothroyd, Teaching Fellow in French Studies
- Professor Lisa Downing, Professor of French Discourses of Sexuality
- Dr Elliot Evans, Associate Professor in Modern Languages
- Dr Sarah Fishwick, Language Tutor in French Studies
- Mrs Agnès Gower, Language Coordinator (French Studies)
- Professor Louise Hardwick, Professor of Francophone Studies and World Literature
- Nicholas Hunter, Language Tutor in French Studies
- Professor Kate Ince, Professor of French and Visual Studies
- Dr Olga Kenton, Assistant Language Tutor in Russian
- Dr Berny Sèbe, Senior Lecturer in colonial and post-colonial studies
- Professor Emma Tyler, Professor of Translator Education
- Dr Emma Wagstaff, Associate Professor of French
- Dr Andrew Watts, Reader in French Studies
Emeritus and Honorary Academic Staff
- Professor Emeritus Jennifer Birkett, Emeritus Professor of French Studies
- Dr Leslie Brook, Honorary Senior Research Fellow
- Professor Martyn Cornick, Emeritus Professor of French Cultural History
- Dr Russell Cousins, Honorary Senior Lecturer
- Professor Ceri Crossley, Emeritus Professor
- Dr Béatrice Damamme-Gilbert, Honorary Senior Lecturer in French Studies
- Dr Wendy Perkins, Honorary Senior Lecturer in French Studies