This is a vocational programme for current and prospective French teachers in Icelandic upper secondary schools. It also prepares students to work in positions involving oversight of French teaching in schools or education districts.
The programme is organised and taught in cooperation with the School of Education.
The programme is 120 ECTS and is organised as two years of full-time study.
The programme is made up of:
Students may take courses in French alongside courses from the School of Education.
The programme is taught in French and Icelandic. Most textbooks are in French and English.
The programme includes student placements. Training takes place in upper secondary schools during normal school hours. During a placement, students are required to be present in the host school for significant periods.
The programme aims to provide students with:
Those who complete the MA degree in teaching a foreign language meet all the requirements for a licence to teach the language in question in upper secondary schools.
The BA degree in French Studies, or B.Ed. degree, with a grade average of at least 7.25 (First class) and a final thesis gives access to the MA programme. Those with a B.Ed. degree must however complete selected BA courses before commencing on to the MA level.
After completing a programme in teacher education at an Icelandic university, a teacher should have reached a level of competence in Icelandic that corresponds to a minimum of C1 according to the Common European Framework of References for Languages (CEFR).
MA in French Teaching is a 120 credit programme and upon completion students get an MA degree plus a licence to teach French in Upper-Secondary Schools. The programme is a organised and taught in collaboration with the School of Education. Students take 60 credits in teaching and 60 credits in French: 30 credit final thesis and 30 credits in courses and individual projects in French. Students can link the individual projects to French courses in consultation with teachers.
Further information on supporting documents can be found here
Check below to see how the programme is structured.
This programme does not offer specialisations.
Students become acquainted with the structure of study programs and the goal setting of studies in their field. The aim is for the student teacher to be able to plan and prepare a course with a course description and learning outcomes with a connection to the learning level of learning, key skills and the basic elements of the education. Emphasis is placed on the growing demand in learning outcomes of Compulsory and Upper Secondary school level towards specialization with further studies in mind or participation in the business life of subjects that fall under arts and design. Assignments in the course are integrated with the practical training. Within the course students receive training in teaching and interacting with students and an introduction to school culture and working procedures. Each student is allotted a secondary school where they spend an allocated time under supervision during both autumn and spring terms. The training is connected to the course Introduction to Teaching and Learning so these courses should be taken simultaneously.
The aim of the course is to give students an insight into main theories and research of learning and teaching (Icelandic and international). Main topics of the course are theories and research on learning and teaching, teachers' professionalism, teaching methods, and assessment.
The main field of work for graduates will be in upper secondary school, and this fact will determine the selection of learning tasks.
Students become acquainted with the structure of study programs and the goal setting of studies in their field. The aim is for the student teacher to be able to plan and prepare a course with a course description and learning outcomes with a connection to the learning level of learning, key skills and the basic elements of the education. Emphasis is placed on the growing demand in learning outcomes of Compulsory and Upper Secondary school level towards specialization with further studies in mind or participation in the business life of subjects that fall under arts and design. Assignments in the course are integrated with the practical training. Within the course students receive training in teaching and interacting with students and an introduction to school culture and working procedures. Each student is allotted a secondary school where they spend an allocated time under supervision during both autumn and spring terms.
The training is connected to the course Curriculum and School Development in Secondary Schools and these two courses should be taken simultaneously.
This course is about curriculum theory and educational policy with emphasis on the curriculum, student body and school development in Icelandic upper secondary schools.
Assignments are designed to enable students to work as professionals on the development of school practice, curricula, and policies.
MA-thesis in French teaching.
Major theories of second language acquistion and pedagogy. The seminar will cover current methods of teaching spoken and written French with special reference to teaching at the secondary and adult levels.
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.
A thorough overview of the political system, history and culture of France. Taught in French.
This course covers the nature of vocabulary acquisition: how vocabulary develops, is learned and taught. Various factors will be analyzed in detail, including, the role of pronunciation, word frequency, various learning strategies for vocabulary growth and considerable attention will be drawn to current research methodology in Vocabulary Acquisition. Students will review research as well as conduct a mini study.
Taught on Tuesdays and Thursdays at 10 am (2. and 3. year students only)
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.
MA-thesis in French teaching.
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.
Individual project.
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 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.
Students become acquainted with the structure of study programs and the goal setting of studies in their field. The aim is for the student teacher to be able to plan and prepare a course with a course description and learning outcomes with a connection to the learning level of learning, key skills and the basic elements of the education. Emphasis is placed on the growing demand in learning outcomes of Compulsory and Upper Secondary school level towards specialization with further studies in mind or participation in the business life of subjects that fall under arts and design. Assignments in the course are integrated with the practical training. Within the course students receive training in teaching and interacting with students and an introduction to school culture and working procedures. Each student is allotted a secondary school where they spend an allocated time under supervision during both autumn and spring terms. The training is connected to the course Introduction to Teaching and Learning so these courses should be taken simultaneously.
The aim of the course is to give students an insight into main theories and research of learning and teaching (Icelandic and international). Main topics of the course are theories and research on learning and teaching, teachers' professionalism, teaching methods, and assessment.
The main field of work for graduates will be in upper secondary school, and this fact will determine the selection of learning tasks.
Students become acquainted with the structure of study programs and the goal setting of studies in their field. The aim is for the student teacher to be able to plan and prepare a course with a course description and learning outcomes with a connection to the learning level of learning, key skills and the basic elements of the education. Emphasis is placed on the growing demand in learning outcomes of Compulsory and Upper Secondary school level towards specialization with further studies in mind or participation in the business life of subjects that fall under arts and design. Assignments in the course are integrated with the practical training. Within the course students receive training in teaching and interacting with students and an introduction to school culture and working procedures. Each student is allotted a secondary school where they spend an allocated time under supervision during both autumn and spring terms.
The training is connected to the course Curriculum and School Development in Secondary Schools and these two courses should be taken simultaneously.
This course is about curriculum theory and educational policy with emphasis on the curriculum, student body and school development in Icelandic upper secondary schools.
Assignments are designed to enable students to work as professionals on the development of school practice, curricula, and policies.
MA-thesis in French teaching.
Major theories of second language acquistion and pedagogy. The seminar will cover current methods of teaching spoken and written French with special reference to teaching at the secondary and adult levels.
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.
A thorough overview of the political system, history and culture of France. Taught in French.
This course covers the nature of vocabulary acquisition: how vocabulary develops, is learned and taught. Various factors will be analyzed in detail, including, the role of pronunciation, word frequency, various learning strategies for vocabulary growth and considerable attention will be drawn to current research methodology in Vocabulary Acquisition. Students will review research as well as conduct a mini study.
Taught on Tuesdays and Thursdays at 10 am (2. and 3. year students only)
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.
MA-thesis in French teaching.
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.
Individual project.
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 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.
Students become acquainted with the structure of study programs and the goal setting of studies in their field. The aim is for the student teacher to be able to plan and prepare a course with a course description and learning outcomes with a connection to the learning level of learning, key skills and the basic elements of the education. Emphasis is placed on the growing demand in learning outcomes of Compulsory and Upper Secondary school level towards specialization with further studies in mind or participation in the business life of subjects that fall under arts and design. Assignments in the course are integrated with the practical training. Within the course students receive training in teaching and interacting with students and an introduction to school culture and working procedures. Each student is allotted a secondary school where they spend an allocated time under supervision during both autumn and spring terms. The training is connected to the course Introduction to Teaching and Learning so these courses should be taken simultaneously.
The aim of the course is to give students an insight into main theories and research of learning and teaching (Icelandic and international). Main topics of the course are theories and research on learning and teaching, teachers' professionalism, teaching methods, and assessment.
The main field of work for graduates will be in upper secondary school, and this fact will determine the selection of learning tasks.
Students become acquainted with the structure of study programs and the goal setting of studies in their field. The aim is for the student teacher to be able to plan and prepare a course with a course description and learning outcomes with a connection to the learning level of learning, key skills and the basic elements of the education. Emphasis is placed on the growing demand in learning outcomes of Compulsory and Upper Secondary school level towards specialization with further studies in mind or participation in the business life of subjects that fall under arts and design. Assignments in the course are integrated with the practical training. Within the course students receive training in teaching and interacting with students and an introduction to school culture and working procedures. Each student is allotted a secondary school where they spend an allocated time under supervision during both autumn and spring terms.
The training is connected to the course Curriculum and School Development in Secondary Schools and these two courses should be taken simultaneously.
This course is about curriculum theory and educational policy with emphasis on the curriculum, student body and school development in Icelandic upper secondary schools.
Assignments are designed to enable students to work as professionals on the development of school practice, curricula, and policies.
MA-thesis in French teaching.
Major theories of second language acquistion and pedagogy. The seminar will cover current methods of teaching spoken and written French with special reference to teaching at the secondary and adult levels.
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.
A thorough overview of the political system, history and culture of France. Taught in French.
This course covers the nature of vocabulary acquisition: how vocabulary develops, is learned and taught. Various factors will be analyzed in detail, including, the role of pronunciation, word frequency, various learning strategies for vocabulary growth and considerable attention will be drawn to current research methodology in Vocabulary Acquisition. Students will review research as well as conduct a mini study.
Taught on Tuesdays and Thursdays at 10 am (2. and 3. year students only)
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.
MA-thesis in French teaching.
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.
Individual project.
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 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 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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