Course summary

The French Section offers PhD supervision in an exceptional range of French and francophone studies areas. It contains world-leading researchers in the literature, thought, and culture of the Middle Ages, the early modern period, the 19th century, and the 20th and 21st centuries, as well as in cinema and linguistics. There is usually more than one specialist in any field, which helps broaden the PhD student's approach to and understanding of their topic. There is a dynamic culture of research seminars, and the postgraduate students themselves run their own seminar and arrange an annual postgraduate conference. The PhD is awarded on the basis of a thesis, a substantial piece of writing that reports original research into a closely defined area of enquiry within the broad field of French Studies. The completion of the PhD thesis is generally expected to take three to four years, and most funding is based on this assumption. It is also possible to take a part-time route through research degrees, and the expected timeframe would be four to seven years. The important notion of 'original' can be defined in a number of ways, but basically, the thesis should represent a significant contribution to learning through the discovery of new knowledge, through the connection of previously unrelated facts, or the development of new theory, or the revision of older views, or some combination of these different criteria. In writing the thesis, you are expected to take due account of previously published work on the subject, and you should ensure that the thesis is clearly and accurately written, paying due account to English style and grammar. The thesis must be written in English, apart from quotations. There is a normal word limit of 80,000 words, including footnotes, references, and appendices, but excluding the bibliography. During your research, you will work closely with a Supervisor who is a specialist in your research area. You will also be assigned an advisor who will normally have an interest in your research area and can offer advice whenever needed. In addition to providing specialist supervision, the Faculty runs a professional training programme for the benefit of all research students. Learning Outcomes At the end of a PhD course, students will have produced a piece of extended original research of publishable or near-publishable quality. They will have obtained the following: expert knowledge of a particular field of French studies knowledge of the methodology or methodologies appropriate to their field a set of research skills appropriate to their field the ability to produce scholarly writing in English of a sufficiently high standard an appropriate set of transferable skills, such as work planning and time management Continuing For Cambridge students applying to continue from the MPhil by Advanced Study to a PhD, the minimum academic requirement is an overall Distinction in the MPhil. For Cambridge students applying to continue from the MPhil by Thesis to a PhD, the usual academic requirement is a Pass in the MPhil. All applications are judged on their own merits, and students must demonstrate their suitability to undertake doctoral-level research.