Bachelier en langues et lettres françaises et romanes

Overview

Your bachelor’s program is based on two complementary approaches: the study of language and the study of literature. 

In linguistics, you learn to describe the French language—as well as Italian or Spanish—in its various aspects (phonology, morphosyntax, semantics) and to understand how these languages have evolved over time to reach their current state. 

In literature, you will discover how language enables cultures to define themselves and function through literature. You will be introduced to text analysis, the history of literary themes and genres, philology, and the study of contemporary, modern, and medieval French (as well as Italian and Spanish) authors. 

These courses aim to develop a critical mind capable of structuring and interpreting textual, historical, and cultural information from a coherent perspective. 

Philosophy, history, and art history round out your education.

aides à la réussite-art

You're off to a good start

  • You have a passion for the French language and literature;  
  • you are able to analyze a text with rigor and precision;  
  • you have an excellent command of French, particularly spelling.  

Teaching Methods

Lectures, practical exercises, seminars, group work... we do everything we can to ensure that you master the language, its history, and its culture. 

To help you absorb the material covered in each language and literature course, the theoretical classes are supplemented by practical sessions in small groups. 

Literary history is explored through novels, plays, and short stories via group discussions and individual analyses. 

Through regular and varied assignments in linguistic analysis and literature, you will learn to rigorously and subtly define the main mechanisms of language as well as the various elements of a text. 

You will conclude your bachelor’s program with an analytical project in one of the program’s subjects. Completing this project is one of the final steps in developing your independence. 

Do you like to write?

To help you refine your writing skills, UNamur offers optional courses in creative writing, in addition to exercises in written French and academic writing.
These courses are structured as workshops where theoretical input and targeted exercises enrich your creative practice, allowing you to understand literature "from the inside." 

Experience life abroad

An Erasmus exchange during your bachelor's degree

Thanks to language courses, your Italian or Spanish skills will improve throughout your program. If your proficiency is sufficient, you have the opportunity to study for 4 months in Italy (Universities of Padua, Siena, and Perugia), in Spain (Universities of Santiago de Compostela, Cádiz, and Cáceres), or in Canada.
You also have the option of spending time at a Dutch-speaking Belgian university in Ghent or Antwerp. 

By choosing Italian, I had the opportunity to study at the University of Siena for four months. This experience was extraordinary: I significantly improved my Italian and gained a new perspective on life, not only in terms of how I approached certain courses, but also in terms of opening up to new horizons, life experiences, customs, and cultures

Marine Fobe
Graduate in French and Romance Languages and Literature

Lettres études

Support for Success

To help you meet these challenges, UNamur supports you in developing your academic, methodological, and interpersonal skills—with the help of many professionals. 

Preparatory courses, personalized assistance… Discover the resources available to support your education. 

Learn about resources to help you succeed in Romance languages

After a bachelor's degree: a master's degree

A bachelor’s degree in French and Romance Languages and Literature automatically qualifies you, within the French Community, for a master’s degree in French and Romance Languages and Literature. 

During this second cycle, you choose a Master’s program that prepares you more specifically for teaching (Master’s in Education), research (Advanced Track), or another professional specialization in the fields of publishing, information technology, and linguistics; teaching French as a foreign language; journalism; and so on. 

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Careers in Romance Studies

Métiers des romanistes

Romanist professions

Although graduates in French and Romance languages and literature often go on to become French teachers, they can apply their skills in many other professional fields, some of which may be unexpected. 

Teaching and Training 

Many Romance language specialists share their expertise and passion for French language and literature with secondary school students. But they also work in other educational settings with diverse audiences: for example, they become teachers of French as a foreign language, Spanish, or Italian, or trainers in communication or literacy. They can be found in higher education institutions, private language centers, continuing education organizations, associations focused on socio-professional integration, or sometimes within certain large companies. 

Under bilateral agreements concluded by the Wallonia-Brussels Federation, the WBI (Wallonia-Brussels International, the public administration responsible for international relations) coordinates a network of French language instructors in several European countries and even in Louisiana. Dozens of young Romance language students thus spend a few years abroad as French language and literature assistants at a university or a school for translators and interpreters, as instructors at bilingual high schools, or as French language assistants at secondary schools, helping to promote Belgian French culture in the broadest sense (literature, history, institutional system, etc.). 

Cultural Sector 

The full range of book-related professions is open to Romance language and literature graduates, from proofreading to publishing house management, including literary promotion and translation. These professions are practiced within publishing houses, libraries, bookstores, documentation centers, or as freelancers. Thanks to their training, which covers major artistic movements, some Romance studies graduates manage cultural projects in institutions such as cultural centers and theaters… 

My mission is to bring young audiences to the Royal Opera of Wallonia, a role in which I draw on my previous experience as a teacher. I organize workshops and tours for children, prepare educational resources for teachers, and promote our activities… I enjoy staying connected to the arts, a passion that dates back to my studies in Romance languages. 

Florent

I have been working for several years at an international scientific publishing house. As a production manager, I was responsible for the process from manuscript receipt to printing. Today, I manage our Brussels headquarters. In addition to managing the company in the strict sense, I seek out new projects and create and develop collections. Being a publisher is not just about reading manuscripts. A photographic perspective is usually preferred because the text is viewed as an object to be processed, finalized, and published… Being able to combine social interaction with management tasks while working on the text—in short, participating in the development of a publishing project—is fascinating. 

Emilie

Media and Communication

An openness to the socio-economic world or a specialization in a particular cultural field can enable Romance language and literature graduates to apply their skills in the media (television, print media, etc.). Many of our graduates are now journalists, literary critics, or editors at corporate publications. Some work in roles directly related to communication: press officers, project managers in advertising, and more.

I’m an account executive at a large advertising agency. My job is to serve as the liaison between clients and our agency. I have to make sure the project runs smoothly. Multilingualism is an asset when working with a more diverse and larger client base. 

David

Research 

After graduation, some Romance language and literature specialists pursue research, often combined with teaching duties, in Belgium and sometimes abroad. Universities and public funding bodies (e.g., the FNRS) may provide funding for doctoral studies. Those with a doctorate in philosophy and literature then have the opportunity to teach at the university level. Research conducted by Romance studies scholars focuses on the history of French literature, comparative arts, the pedagogy of Romance languages, language…

Building a Social Life 

When it comes to landing a first job, a candidate’s personality is often just as important as their university degree, which is why it’s important to keep your curiosity alive throughout your studies and build a rich social life, for example by getting involved in community organizations. Young Romance language and literature students should expect a career path that can be winding at times, especially in the early years… 

But it is often through these detours that creative, curious individuals and those driven by an entrepreneurial spirit will discover the profession that will inspire them. Some Romance language and literature graduates continue their studies with further training (in communication, languages, computer science, management, etc.), which can facilitate their entry into specialized fields of work.