The MA in French studies allows students to explore their chosen field in greater depth. Students are trained in academic working practices and learn how to present information in an effective way. Completing the MA allows you to apply for doctoral studies in your subject.
The programme is 120 ECTS and is organised as two years of full-time study.
The programme is made up of:
Students choose elective courses based on their academic interests in consultation with their administrative supervisor. It is possible to take up to 30 ECTS in Master's level courses in other subjects.
The programme is taught in French, English and Icelandic.
Students are encouraged to take part of the programme at one of UI's partner universities abroad, e.g. in France, Belgium or Canada. Instructors on the French studies programme can provide information about opportunities for exchange studies and help students decide which courses to take. Students may complete a maximum of 60 ECTS abroad.
Programmes in translation studies and applied translation studies are offered in collaboration with the Faculty of Icelandic and Comparative Cultural Studies. Please contact a project manager at the Faculty of Icelandic and Comparative Cultural Studies with any queries about the translation studies programmes.
Students should:
Completing an MA in French studies allows you to apply for doctoral studies.
BA-degree in French Studies with average grade first class and a BA-thesis.
120 ECTS have to be completed for the qualification.
Further information on supporting documents can be found here
Check below to see how the programme is structured.
This programme does not offer specialisations.
MA-thesis in French studies.
The aim of the course is to provide students with a more comprehensive and deeper insight into the different theoretical approaches within the humanities. In the course, the main theories that have influenced theoretical discussion in the humanities over the last decades will be presented and discussed, and the students are taught how to apply them in their own research.
A thorough overview of the political system, history and culture of France. Taught in French.
This course concerns the diverse connections between culture and language, as seen from the perspective of cultural history, social sciences and linguistics. Ancient and modern world languages will be introduced and their origins, influence and effects investigated. Written and spoken language will be discussed: what sorts of things are written, why and how? Rules and alternate perspectives on the nature of langauge will be considered, raising the question of how we understand man with respect to thought and language.
Fairy tales (Fr. conte féerique) have been an important part of French literature from the 12th century, as can be seen, for instance, in the Lays of Marie de France. In the late 17th century early modern audiences enjoyed the tales of Mme d‘Aulnoy, Charles Perrault, Mlle L‘Héritier de Villandon and many others, and shortly afterwards Antoine Galland published his translation of Thousand and one Night which further increased the interest in this literary genre. The story of the Beauty and the Beast by Mme de Villeneuve was published in 1740 and was one of the tales that were rewritten and adapted to children in Mme Leprince de Beaumont‘s Le Magasin des enfants, first published in London in 1756. In this course, fairy tales by various authors will be read and examined with regard to their social and cultural context (literary salons) and their characteristics. The main focus will be on fairy tales authored by women, collections, frame narratives and fairy tales in children‘s literature in the second half of the 18th century. Icelandic translations of French fairy tales will also be examined.
The course will be taught in Icelandic, with one weekly extra hour in French for the students of the Department of French Studies.
Students can also enroll in FRA022F Directed study: French fairy tales: from Marie de France to the Enlightenment 4e.
This project is for those students who are registered in FRA501F French fairy tales: from Marie de France to the Enlightenment and want to get more advanced knowledge of the subject matter.
MA-thesis in French studies.
The objective of the course is to help students establish their grammar and writing in French. Students will work with complex sentence structure and texts. The course is taught in French.
The European intellectual tradition is characterized by the strong links between academia and society. Many of the most important European thinkers of the 19th and 20th Centuries worked outside of the universities – and many of those who did pursue an ordinary academic career also were public commentators frequently intervening in political discussion of the day and in some cases gaining considerable influence. In this course we present a selection of European thinkers who have been important both as scholars and as public intellectuals. We read and discuss samples of their work and look at critical discussion of their ideas. We also reflect on the time and place of the "European" – to what extent their work is quinessentially Eurocentric and to what extent awareness of cultural contingency emerges.
The course deals with autobiographies, life writings and texts of memory from the second half of the 20th century and early 21st century in France and other French-speaking countries, such as Senegal, Algeria and Morocco. What will be explored is to what degree core elements of the autobiography – the self, the live story and history – come together or collide in the works of different authors. The emphasis will be on autobiographical writings based on memories of social, cultural, and political experiences and conditions. A key focus will be on the roles of memory and forgetting as well on the boundaries between fiction ad reality in autobiographical narratives.
The course will be taught in Icelandic, with one weekly extra hour in French for the students of the Department of French Studies.
Students of the course can take a 4 ECTS Directed Study alongside it, FRA026F, and must contact the teacher to enroll before October 1 to sign up for it.
Students can take this 4 ECTS directed study alongside the course FRA402F Autobiographies where they can conduct an individual research on an aspect of the course.
Students must contact the supervisor to request registration into the project no later than October 1, 2024.
MA-thesis in French studies.
The aim of the course is to provide students with a more comprehensive and deeper insight into the different theoretical approaches within the humanities. In the course, the main theories that have influenced theoretical discussion in the humanities over the last decades will be presented and discussed, and the students are taught how to apply them in their own research.
A thorough overview of the political system, history and culture of France. Taught in French.
This course concerns the diverse connections between culture and language, as seen from the perspective of cultural history, social sciences and linguistics. Ancient and modern world languages will be introduced and their origins, influence and effects investigated. Written and spoken language will be discussed: what sorts of things are written, why and how? Rules and alternate perspectives on the nature of langauge will be considered, raising the question of how we understand man with respect to thought and language.
Fairy tales (Fr. conte féerique) have been an important part of French literature from the 12th century, as can be seen, for instance, in the Lays of Marie de France. In the late 17th century early modern audiences enjoyed the tales of Mme d‘Aulnoy, Charles Perrault, Mlle L‘Héritier de Villandon and many others, and shortly afterwards Antoine Galland published his translation of Thousand and one Night which further increased the interest in this literary genre. The story of the Beauty and the Beast by Mme de Villeneuve was published in 1740 and was one of the tales that were rewritten and adapted to children in Mme Leprince de Beaumont‘s Le Magasin des enfants, first published in London in 1756. In this course, fairy tales by various authors will be read and examined with regard to their social and cultural context (literary salons) and their characteristics. The main focus will be on fairy tales authored by women, collections, frame narratives and fairy tales in children‘s literature in the second half of the 18th century. Icelandic translations of French fairy tales will also be examined.
The course will be taught in Icelandic, with one weekly extra hour in French for the students of the Department of French Studies.
Students can also enroll in FRA022F Directed study: French fairy tales: from Marie de France to the Enlightenment 4e.
This project is for those students who are registered in FRA501F French fairy tales: from Marie de France to the Enlightenment and want to get more advanced knowledge of the subject matter.
MA-thesis in French studies.
The objective of the course is to help students establish their grammar and writing in French. Students will work with complex sentence structure and texts. The course is taught in French.
The European intellectual tradition is characterized by the strong links between academia and society. Many of the most important European thinkers of the 19th and 20th Centuries worked outside of the universities – and many of those who did pursue an ordinary academic career also were public commentators frequently intervening in political discussion of the day and in some cases gaining considerable influence. In this course we present a selection of European thinkers who have been important both as scholars and as public intellectuals. We read and discuss samples of their work and look at critical discussion of their ideas. We also reflect on the time and place of the "European" – to what extent their work is quinessentially Eurocentric and to what extent awareness of cultural contingency emerges.
The course deals with autobiographies, life writings and texts of memory from the second half of the 20th century and early 21st century in France and other French-speaking countries, such as Senegal, Algeria and Morocco. What will be explored is to what degree core elements of the autobiography – the self, the live story and history – come together or collide in the works of different authors. The emphasis will be on autobiographical writings based on memories of social, cultural, and political experiences and conditions. A key focus will be on the roles of memory and forgetting as well on the boundaries between fiction ad reality in autobiographical narratives.
The course will be taught in Icelandic, with one weekly extra hour in French for the students of the Department of French Studies.
Students of the course can take a 4 ECTS Directed Study alongside it, FRA026F, and must contact the teacher to enroll before October 1 to sign up for it.
Students can take this 4 ECTS directed study alongside the course FRA402F Autobiographies where they can conduct an individual research on an aspect of the course.
Students must contact the supervisor to request registration into the project no later than October 1, 2024.
The timetable shown below is for the current academic year and is FOR REFERENCE ONLY.
Changes may occur for the autumn semester in August and September and for the spring semester in December and January. You will find your final timetable in Ugla when the studies start. Note! This timetable is not suitable for planning your work schedule if you are a part-time employee.
The University of Iceland collaborates with over 400 universities worldwide. This provides a unique opportunity to pursue part of your studies at an international university thus gaining added experience and fresh insight into your field of study.
Students generally have the opportunity to join an exchange programme, internship, or summer courses. However, exchanges are always subject to faculty approval.
Students have the opportunity to have courses evaluated as part of their studies at the University of Iceland, so their stay does not have to affect the duration of their studies.
This qualification can open up opportunities in:
This list is not exhaustive.
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