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French (Structured PhD)

Structured PhD (Arts, Humanities, and Social Sciences) (French)

College of Arts, Social Sciences, & Celtic Studies,
School of Languages, Literatures and Cultures

Course overview

PhD research in French at NUIG offers a wide range of areas in which PhD research can be undertaken. The major periods of literary production in French from the Middle Ages to the present day are covered as are Cultural and Linguistic topics dealing with the Francophone world. There are vibrant research clusters in French, research seminars and the opportunity to undertake translation-related topics.


As part of the doctoral training available on the Structured PhD programme, students avail themselves of a range of interdisciplinary taught modules. The wide menu of available options include modules that:



  • are discipline-specific in that they augment the student’s existing knowledge in their specialist area.

  • are dissertation-specific in that they supply core skills which are essential to completion of the research project.

  • acknowledge a student’s professional development e.g. presentation of a paper at an International Conference

  • enhance a student’s employability through generic training, e.g., Careers Workshops, Computer literacy.


Each student will be assigned a primary Supervisor(s) and a Graduate Research Committee made up of experienced researchers to plan their programme of study and to provide on-going support to their research.


Research supervision is available in the areas listed below.


Modules may be taken from approved structured PhD modules as per College regulations. 

Programmes available

Structured PhD (French)—full-time: PAC Code GYG10
Structured PhD (French)—part-time: PAC Code GYG19

Entry requirements

Candidates should have obtained an honours degree in French (Second Class Honours, Grade 1 [or equivalent international qualification ] minimum), and would usually already hold a Master’s degree.

Areas of interest

  • 17th Century French Literature, Linguistics, Translation Theory, Travel Literature, Realism and Fantasy.
  • French Canadian Literature and Society; Commercial French.
  • History and Politics of French Decolonisation, History and Sociology of French Sport and Leisure, History and Sociology of French Rugby.  
  • Medieval literature (in particular 15th Century Literature and History), the Mémoires of Olivier de la Marche, Historiography, the Manneken Pis as Belgian regional icon, Illegitimacy 1300-1600.
  • Autobiography, 20th Century French Literature, Yves Navarre, Autofiction, Diary, Writing and Identity.
  • Gender and Language, Scientific French, French Language Teaching and New Technologies.
  • Literature and Religion, Jean Sulivan.
  • New Methodologies in Language Learning and Teaching, CALL, SALL, the Internet as a learning tool, French-Canadian Women’s Writing: Brossard, Martin, Marchessault, Laberge, etc.
  • 19th-Century Poetry, Prose Poetry, Novel, Charles Baudelaire, Stendhal, Gender Studies, Critical Theory.

Researcher profiles

 Mr. Ruadhán Cooke
Dr. Philip Dine
Dr. Catherine Emerson
Dr. Sylvie Lannegrand 
Dr. Máire Áine Ní Mhainnín 
Dr. Ornaith Rodgers 
Dr. Maura Stewart

Contact Us

E french@nuigalway.ie

PAC code

GYG10 full-time
GYG19 part-time
Important: apply by mid-July for September entry

Current project

French Sport
Politics in France
Children’s Literature

Fees for this course

EU: €4,275 p.a. 2016/17

Non-EU: €13,250 p.a. 2016/17

Apply now

Find out how to apply

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