Parisian city landscape of buildings, roads, bridge, river and the Effiel Tower

Facts & figures

Modern Languages

#1 in NSW
2024 QS World University Rankings

French and Francophone Studies

Explore the language and cultures of the French-speaking world

Discover and expand your knowledge of French and Francophone literature, culture and history as you develop your fluency in the French language.

Since our inception in 1853, we have a long tradition of teaching and researching French and Francophone studies. We provide three pathways to a French and Francophone major: introductory, intermediate and advanced. We provide students with a deep understanding of the literature, culture and history of the French and Francophone worlds, while developing their fluency in French.

We are a vibrant community of scholars, teachers and students. Our academics have expertise in modern and contemporary literature, cinema, art, theory and translation.

Our study offering

French and Francophone Studies

Experience the rich history and cultural diversity of the official language of 29 countries (la Francophonie), spoken by more than 300 million people worldwide.

Undergraduate

*Available in the shared pool of majors and minors

Research

Our research

Our researchers focus on a wide range of research areas, including:

Artists’ writings, word and image studies
Autobiographical writing, life writing and diary writing
Comparative modernisms
Digital humanities
Feminist theory and women's writing
Film and media studies
Film festivals
Francophone films and world cinema
Francophone postcolonial studies

French and Francophone crime fiction
French and Francophone theory
Intersection of genre and gender
Modern and contemporary art
Modern and contemporary literature and culture
Pedagogy of French as a foreign language
Representations of Paris in literature and culture
South Pacific literature, art and culture
Translation, self-translation and translingual writing.

Learn more about languages and cultures research.

Exchange

Our exchange programs provide life-changing experiences in France, Switzerland and Canada where students exercise their language skills and develop an understanding of cultural intricacies first hand.

Partner institutions

McGill University, Montreal, Canada
Université de Montréal, Canada
Sciences-Po, Paris, France
Université Grenoble Alpes, France
Université Jean-Moulin 3 Lyon, France
Université Lumière Lyon 2, France
Université de La Rochelle, France
Université Paris, France
Université de Tours, France
Université de Genève, Switzerland
Université de Lausanne, Switzerland

Learn more about study abroad and student exchange.

Our people

Academic staff

Key academic contacts

Enquiries:

Undergraduate coordinator and language level assessment: Email carolyn.stott@sydney.edu.au
Honours liaison: Email victoria.souliman@sydney.edu.au
Exchange coordinator: Email christel.rome@sydney.edu.au
Postgraduate research: Email lea.vuong@sydney.edu.au
Outreach: Email victoria.souliman@sydney.edu.au

Sessional staff

Beatrice Gallis
Annabel Gassmann
Josephine Goldman
Eve Nachin
Rita Orsini
Christel Rome

Honorary Associates

Emeritus Professor Ivan Barko
Emeritus Professor Angus Martin
Emeritus Professor Margaret Sankey
Associate Professor Francoise Grauby
Dr Althea Arguelles-Ling
Dr Edward Duyker
Dr Caroline Lipovsky
Dr Elizabeth Rechniewski

French and Francophone Studies

Diploma of Language Studies

Flexible pathway program

Chair

Dr Carolyn Stott

Visit Dr Stott's academic profile

Contact

Phone

1800 SYD UNI (1800 793 864) (in Australia)
+61 2 8627 1444 (outside Australia)

Email

slc.enquiries@sydney.edu.au

Address

School of Languages and Cultures, Room 506, Brennan MacCallum Building A18, The University of Sydney NSW 2006

Scholarships

Opportunities from the School of Languages and Cultures

Social media

Tweets by University of Sydney Department of French and Francophone Studies

Featured news

Group of students at Versailles in front of the gates, with the chapel in the background.

Paris calling: Art History elective takes students abroad

Our art history students travelled to Paris to visit over 20 museums, galleries, exhibitions, and art districts. Over two weeks they uncovered one of the globe’s most vibrant cultural hubs.

Group photo at the 2024 School of Languages and Cultures Awards Ceremony

Awarding student excellence in languages and cultures

The School of Languages and Cultures hosted its 2024 Awards Ceremony to recognise 61 students for their outstanding performance in language and culture studies with special guests, donors and officials from around the world.

05 December 2023

Installation of Louise Bourgeois Maman at the Art Gallery of New South Wales

'A deeply thoughtful show': artist Louise Bourgeois at AGNSW

Dr Lea Vuong, a French scholar from the School of Languages and Cultures, explores the 'deeply thoughtful and sensuous' blockbuster exhibition by French-American artist Louise Bourgeois at the Art Gallery of New South Wales.

20 September 2023

Students outside historical building in France

Experience the French-speaking world: learning a new language in its context

With daily interaction in French, Arts student Alexandra Lyons reflects on her time in France where she embraced new experiences in learning another language and expanding cross-cultural and interpersonal communication skills.

Typed letter in Indonesian from the early 1950s, collected at the National Archives of Australia

Re-imagining Australia using a multilingual lens

'Opening the Multilingual Archives of Australia' project hopes to mobilise under-utilised non-English resources from over 50 languages to highlight the multilingual nature of Australian history.

Seated guests and presenters in the MacLaurin Hall watching a mezzo-soprano singer and pianist performing

Community celebration of student excellence in languages and cultures

With special guests including benefactors and official representatives from various countries, the School of Languages and Cultures held its 2023 Awards Ceremony in recognition of 94 high-achieving students for their academic performance.

13 December 2022

Frame of world globe lit against blue evening sky

5 reasons to get the Diploma of Language Studies

Gain sought-after skillsets from the state’s leading institution for Modern Languages.* Our flexible pathway program allows you to learn a language (or more) during or after your degree at your own pace.

Photo of Ross Steele in a graduation gown

Ross Steele named Honorary Fellow

Associate Professor Ross Steele AM, author of 37 books in French and English on subjects including French culture, language, and the teaching of the French language, has been named an Honorary Fellow.

13 October 2021

Magnifying glass over the land of Australia on a globe

Rethinking Australia in many languages

Understanding Australia requires more than knowledge of the English language. Professor Adrian Vickers highlights the wealth of non-English sources and cross-cultural exchanges that can reorient our perspective on the Australian story.

Stained glass window in the Great Hall

Celebrating student success in languages and cultures

The School of Languages and Cultures hosted its 2021 Awards Ceremony to recognise 136 students for their outstanding performance in the academic years of 2019 and 2020.

16 December 2020

Bird's eye view of the University's Quadrangle and surrounding buildings on campus

Recognising high-achieving students in language and culture studies

The School of Languages and Cultures congratulates 75 students who have received scholarships and prizes in 2020.

16 November 2020

Reflection of Quadrangle on the New Law School Building.

ARC success for University of Sydney researchers

The Australian Research Council (ARC) has announced University of Sydney researchers will receive funding for more than 50 new Linkage and Discovery projects.

11 November 2020

Collage of language graduates

How languages help you stand out from the crowd

From law to tech, public health to environmental policy, meet some of our language graduates who are making an impact across various fields in Australia and beyond.

16 October 2020

French language graduate Rohan Pankhania-MacDonald speaking with officials at a diplomatic event

Arts grad at work: Living in Paris, working at the Australian Embassy

After an exchange to Belgium in high school, Rohan chose to study International and Global Studies at uni. Immersing himself in French language and culture, he got to study in Paris in third year. He’s “basically been living abroad ever since.”

09 September 2020

Collage of eight language students from the University of Sydney

Learning languages at Sydney

At the University of Sydney, we teach languages through cultures. From extracurricular enrichment to scholarship support, our students share some highlights and key opportunities from their language learning experience.

Vice-Chancellor Dr Michael Spence and students in the University's Quadrangle

Learning languages opens our minds

Vice-Chancellor and Principal at the University of Sydney, Dr Michael Spence, recently graduated with a Diploma of Languages (Korean Studies) at the very university he leads.

Aboriginal art of an echidna

Learning our country’s past for a better tomorrow

Through interdisciplinary partnership, students learn first-hand insights about language maintenance and cultural preservation.

Colourful assortment of world flags with poles stuck into a sun-lit concrete bluish-grey wall

How studying languages can expand your world

In this interconnected era, cross-cultural and multilingual skills are integral to navigating the world around us. We talk with two of our former students who are making their mark through languages.

Students on a hiking adventure

Students go global with the Sciences Po dual degree program

Two of the world’s leading institutions for the humanities and social sciences – the University of Sydney and Sciences Po in France – have come together to offer students a dual degree program, one of a kind in Australia.

Sandstone building of the University of Sydney's Quadrangle with purple Australian native flowers in the foreground

Five minutes with Yixu Lu

In the lead up to the University's first multilingual conference on world literature, we speak with Professor Yixu Lu, convenor of the World Literatures and Global South Conference, about the cultural and linguistic diversity of international literary works.

University of Sydney research shines in ERA results

All 22 broad fields of research undertaken at the University of Sydney have been rated as above or well above world standard by the Australian Research Council in a report released today.

05 November 2018

Sydney ranks in top 50 for arts and humanities

The University of Sydney has risen to 47th in the world for arts and humanities in the 2019 Times Higher Education (THE) World University Rankings by subject.