Course overview

The greatest concentration of countries in the world in which French is the official language is in Africa. Yet very little is known in the English-speaking world about the history, politics and society of those vast areas of the African continent that were previously under French colonial rule and that are today referred to under the generic term 'Francophone Africa'.

The MA Francophone Africa provides an exciting opportunity to study in depth France's relations with both French-speaking North Africa (focusing in particular on Algeria) and sub-Saharan Africa. The degree incorporates a study of the history of the very different approaches to French colonial rule in each of these regions with an analysis of how this historical relationship has shaped - and continues to shape - contemporary relations between France and its former African colonies. France's rapidly changing relationship with both North Africa and sub-Saharan Africa in the contemporary period and the impact of France's African empire on France today are key areas of study.

What makes the University of Portsmouth’s MA Francophone Africa stand out?

• It’s unique. This MA is the first of its kind in Europe: no other MA focuses exclusively on Francophone Africa. One of the most distinctive features of the course – which sets it apart from many other Masters programmes in African Studies – is the importance it places on the study of Africa as a cohesive geographical area: at Portsmouth, ‘Africa’ does not stop at the Sahara desert.
• It’s part of a stimulating and innovative research culture. In addition to drawing upon the expertise of Professor Martin Evans, Professor Tony Chafer and Dr Natalya Vince (you can meet the team here), students on the MA Francophone Africa also benefit from a wide range of study days, conferences and guest speakers organised as part of the course. This enables students to engage with a network of international specialists working on Francophone Africa, from Europe, Africa, North America and beyond. You can find out more about some of the many events organised in 2011/12 here.
• It’s flexible to suit your interests and needs. Because the MA Francophone Africa is a degree by research, you have the possibility to do two research projects (the dissertation and the independent project) focused on areas which you are interested in, with close tutorial support. Part-time and full-time modes both offer flexible learning and we place strong emphasis on excellent student support.
• We’re thinking ahead to improve your employment prospects. Giving students the knowledge, skills and contacts to go on to relevant employment or further study is an integral part of the course. The university has excellent links with the universities of Algiers and Dakar and also with the Ecole Normale (teacher training college) in Algiers. Students will be encouraged to use our institutional and workplace links to obtain placements of up to four months in Algeria, Senegal and elsewhere, including the opportunity to take up a 6-week placement with the BBC World Service Service Afrique office in Dakar. Masters students are also eligible for placements in European universities as part of Erasmus exchanges. All students can also benefit from our careers service, helping you to find relevant work experience and employment during your course and after you graduate.
• You don’t need to speak French. Although having a working knowledge of French is an advantage, the course is specifically designed to be accessible to non-French speakers, making it an ideal choice for those who wish to improve their knowledge of Francophone Africa, but who come from either a professional background (government institutions, NGOs, media, etc) or an academic discipline which is not language-based (International Relations, History, Sociology, Literature, etc). 

Course content

The course is informed by three distinctive intellectual approaches. The first is comparative. The focus is not on a particular nation or area, the examination of connections and relationships across the whole of Francophone Africa. Second, the course studies Francophone Africa within a transnational context, underlining how Africans have engaged with, for example, decolonisation, nationalism, the Cold War, political Islam and globalisation. Third, the course situates the region within its wider global context, with a view to analysing the singularity of the colonial and post-colonial experience of Francophone Africa.

Students take two core taught units:

• France and Africa: from the colonial to the contemporary era
• Post-colonial memory in Francophone Africa and France

In these units students study French colonial rule in North Africa and sub-Saharan Africa; decolonisation and the end of France’s African empire; France’s ‘special relationship’ with Africa 1960-1989; Franco-African relations in the era of globalisation; colonial memory and representations of empire in the post-colonial period; and the post-colonial impact of France’s African empire on metropolitan France. Students are also trained in research methods. This provides students with generic research methods training as well as specialised training for students undertaking research on Francophone Africa, including oral history. This will prepare students for writing their dissertations/projects.

As this is an MA by Research, all students will complete two extended assignments (dissertation and independent project), under the supervision of a dissertation/project tutor. These assignments will be based around the individual student’s particular areas of interest and may take the form of, for example, an analysis of primary source material, a dissertation on a particular historical or contemporary issue, a country or regional case study, a project focusing on a particular event, institution or cultural activity (eg an exhibition or museum) or on some aspect of the impact of France’s African empire on contemporary France.

Students also choose one taught option. Option provision (which may vary year-on-year) currently includes:

• Europe in the World (this unit considers France from within a European perspective, and is divided into two blocks, the first considering key themes in Europe's relationship with the wider world, the second enabling students to focus specifically on Africa)
• Nation and Identity in Europe
• French Translation (including a specialised workshop on translating texts on Francophone Africa)

Teaching is conducted through a combination of lectures, seminars and small-group tutorials. You will also be assigned dissertation/project supervisors to support you in the research and writing of your two extended assignments. We are very much focused on tailoring the course to individual interests and needs and providing excellent student support. Teaching staff are readily available for both individual tutorials and informal discussions. A distinctive feature of the MA Francophone Africa is the wide range of study days, guest speakers and conferences which we organise at the University of Portsmouth every year as an integral part of the course. These enable students to engage with a network of international experts on Francophone Africa, developing their knowledge, skills and contacts for future research and employment.

Assessment is normally in the form of an extended essay on a specific topic within a unit, allowing you to specialise on a subject that particularly interests you within the broad topic area of the unit, or (in the case of the Translation unit) by means of translation exercises accompanied by a commentary.

Career prospects

The course will be attractive to a wide range of students who wish to gain an advanced understanding of a region of the world that still remains relatively little studied, particularly in the English-speaking world. It will be of interest to students who have become interested in French-speaking Africa through their undergraduate degree programmes in International Relations, International Development Studies, European Studies, History, Politics, Modern Languages, French Studies or African Studies. In addition, it will appeal to students who wish to enhance their employability by extending their area of expertise and to anyone with professional experience whose work takes them to French-speaking Africa and who need to gain an in-depth understanding of the region.

In providing students with an advanced understanding of Francophone Africa, the course will appeal both to students who simply wish to improve their understanding of this region of the world and to those who wish to enhance their employability by extending their area of expertise. It will also be of interest to anyone with professional experience whose work takes them to French-speaking Africa and who needs to gain an in-depth understanding of the region.

While knowledge of French will provide access to a wider range of source materials, this is not a requirement in order to take the degree programme.

Facilities and features

The MA is based in the School of Languages and Area Studies within the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences. The School is located in the historic Park Building, in the centre of the city of Portsmouth. The School of Languages and Area Studies is a University department with an international reputation. We welcome students from across the world to our large portfolio of both undergraduate and postgraduate courses. The School also has its own learning resources centre, providing a variety of  open access resources that range from newspapers and journals to self-access texts, reference resources such as dictionaries and grammar books, satellite receivers and a multimedia development unit. It also has DVD/video viewing facilities and Wi-Fi access.

We are a short walk from the main University Library, which is open from 8am to midnight seven days a week (with reduced hours during vacations) and is a European Documentation Centre. The library contains more than half a million printed books. You will also have access to some 43,000 online journals and are eligible to join the ‘Sconul’ scheme, which is a cooperative venture between higher education libraries that makes it easier for you to use academic libraries nearer to home or work. The MA Francophone Africa also has a dedicated subject librarian to assist you.

You will have dedicated administrative support, as well as access to computer facilities at the University Library, in Park Building and in other University buildings.

Entry requirements

The entry requirements for MA Francophone Africa are shown above, for more detailed information please contact:

Department: School of Languages and Area Studies (SLAS)
Tel: +44(0)23 9284 8299
Email: humanities.admissions@port.ac.uk