Program Overview

Master of Arts in Languages and Literatures: French

The master's degree in French covers French linguistics and literature from the mediaeval period to the present day. It focuses first on the forms of the imaginary, manuscript culture, theatre and dramaturgy, as well as cultural mediation, and second on the syntactic, semantic and pragmatic levels of linguistic analysis of spoken and written French.

Profile of the Study Programme

The study programme is designed to allow students to freely combine the modules they wish to pursue to deepen their knowledge. It is worth 90 ECTS credits and offers students the possibility of choosing either a relative specialisation in any of the three disciplines covered by the course (linguistics, literature, the mediaeval period), or a more general course of study consisting of a combination of these three disciplines.

The programme includes the following modules:

• Module 1: Linguistic system, usage and variations (linguistics)
• Module 2: Meaning and interpretation (linguistics)
• Module 3: Manuscripts
• Module 6: Self-narratives
• Module 7: Literature in context
• Module 8: Otherness in literature
• Module 9: Cultural mediation and discourse analysis
• Module 10: Literature laboratory

Learning Outcomes and Career Openings

The master's degree in French allows students to deepen the knowledge and skills they acquired during their bachelor's degree in French language and literature in their complete geographical and historical context (worldwide, 11th to 21st century). In particular, the degree helps students to develop the following skills:

• Ability to analyse written and oral texts in French by subjecting them to procedures based on various paradigms (historical, theoretical, aesthetic, ideological, material, etc.) and to develop research methods suited to the singularity of each text as an object
• Ability to produce written and oral analyses or syntheses of the phenomena constituting French language and literature
• Ability to propose original ways of presenting and promoting the components of French language and literature in the form of written or oral presentations, or cultural events (shows, exhibitions, websites, podcasts, etc.)

Students who have successfully completed a master's degree in French will have acquired full maturity as researchers and critics. They will then be able to opt for the teacher education for academic upper secondary schools (DEEM) or a doctorate. However, many other careers are also open to them as publishers, booksellers, journalists, press officers, librarians and library curators, archivists, museum curators, event organisers, translators, interpreters, diplomats, advertising directors, communication planners, public relations specialists, etc.

Studies Organisation

Structure of Studies

The programme is worth 90 ECTS credits, with an optional 30 ECTS credits in a minor study programme freely chosen. It typically lasts 3 to 4 semesters.

Curriculum

The master programme in French may also be followed by students for whom French is not their mother tongue, provided they have sufficient command of spoken and written French.

The master programme French: Foundational Curriculum is offered as a minor study programme (30 ECTS credits).

Admission

Master's degree programmes are built on the knowledge and abilities that were acquired when obtaining a bachelor's degree.

Holders of a bachelor's degree awarded by a Swiss university are admitted to a master's degree programme without any preconditions if they have earned 60 or 90 ECTS credits – depending on the chosen master's degree programme – within the corresponding discipline. However, additional requirements can be required. The same applies to holders of a bachelor's degree awarded by a foreign university, provided that the bachelor's degree is recognised and considered equivalent by the University of Fribourg.

Holders of a bachelor's degree awarded by a Swiss or a foreign university, provided that the bachelor's degree is recognised and considered equivalent by the University of Fribourg, who do not fulfil this condition can be admitted to a master's degree programme with preconditions (which must be successfully completed before starting the master's degree programme) and/or additional requirements (which can be completed during the master's degree programme). The preconditions and/or additional requirements may not exceed 60 ECTS credits in total.

Minor Study Programmes to be Chosen

Students can choose from a variety of minor study programmes, including:

• Art History
• Business Informatics
• Chemistry
• Communication and Society
• Comparative Literature
• Computer Science
• Contemporary History
• Culture, Politics and Religion in Pluralist Societies
• Eastern European Studies
• Economics
• Education Sciences
• English Language and Literature
• Environmental Biology
• Environmental Sciences and Humanities
• Ethics and Economics
• European Studies
• French as a Foreign Language / French as a Second Language
• Gender, Society, Social Policy
• Geography
• German
• German as a Foreign Language / German as a Second Language
• German Literary Studies
• Greek Studies
• History
• Interreligious Studies
• Islam and Society
• Italian
• Latin Studies
• Management
• Mathematics
• Medieval Studies
• Multilingualism Studies
• Musicology and History of Opera
• Pedagogy / Psychology
• Philosophy
• Physics
• Politics and Society
• Psychology
• Rhaeto-Romance
• Slavic Studies
• Social Policy and Social Work
• Social Problems, Social Policy and Risk Prevention
• Sociology
• Spanish
• Sport Sciences
• Theology

Key Points

• Degree Conferred: Master of Arts in Languages and Literatures: French
• Languages of Study: Study in French
• Commencement of Studies: Commencement of studies in the Autumn Semester (September) or in the Spring Semester (February)
• Access to Further Studies: This master programme qualifies students also for the doctoral programme Language Sciences