Course summary

Lancaster’s joint French Studies and Mathematics degree is taught by the Department of Languages and Cultures in conjunction with the Mathematics and Statistics Department. Your French Studies programme gives you the opportunity to acquire high-level language skills while gaining a thorough understanding of the country’s historical, cultural, social and political background in a global context. In Maths, you’ll study in-depth mathematical theory and practice and have the option to specialise in pure mathematics or statistics. Your first year comprises an exploration of the French language and its cultural context, core modules in calculus and probability, and selected modules in topics such as ‘Linear Algebra’ and ‘Discrete Mathematics’. Alongside these, you will study a minor subject of your choice. Building on your language skills in Year 2, you will study the culture, politics and history of the French-speaking world in more depth, as well as selecting modules which are international in scope and promote a comparative understanding of Europe and beyond. You will combine these with Mathematics modules such as ‘Groups and Rings’ and ‘Real Analysis’. Spending your third year abroad in a French-speaking country makes a major contribution to your command of the language, while deepening your intercultural sensitivity. You can study at a partner institution or conduct a work placement. In your final year, you consolidate your French language skills, and study specialist culture and comparative modules, such as ‘Translation as a Cultural Practice’. You will also select Mathematics modules such as ‘Differential Equations’, ‘Combinatorics’, or ‘Geometry of Curves and Surfaces’. Beginners Languages Studying a language from beginners level is somewhat intense in nature so we only allow students to study one language from beginners level. Please bear this in mind when looking at our first year module options. If you apply to study a degree with a language from beginners level, your optional modules will only include higher level languages and modules in other subject areas.