Erasmus Exchanges
A year or semester studying abroad is one of the highlights of a student's Trinity experience and immersing oneself in the language and culture is also one of the most valuable ways of achieving fluency when you are studying a language.
Single Honours students have a compulsory third year of study abroad and other students are encouraged to spend a semester in their third year in one of our partner universities. Joint Honour students intending to undertake an Erasmus exchange may do so in their Junior Sophister year.
Intending Erasmus students are required to obtain at least a 2.2 result overall in French at their JF Semester 2 exams and need to obtain a 2.2 result or higher in French language module FRU11002. Other departments have different requirements and you must satisfy the requirements of each department in order to go on Erasmus.
Students in the French department can go on Erasmus to France through the French department, but also through another JH department. For example, students of English, Classics and History of Art often go on Erasmus to France through those departments, rather than through French. Your choice will be based on the university you wish to attend and the options available in your other subject.
In general terms, students should aim to do in the host university what they would have done at home. This does not mean that students must perform exactly the same exercises, or study exactly the same authors. It does mean that they should study a balanced combination of language and content courses (French literature, culture, or history of ideas). The precise split between language and content courses will vary from institution to institution, but both should figure prominently.
Students are generally expected to select options appropriate to their year. Third-year students should take third-year courses. There is no objection to students taking a course above their equivalent year but students should be aware that this comprises an element of risk, should they not be successful in assessments. However, JS students may well find third-year translation courses in France too advanced for their level, and by agreement with the Department, may then be advised to take a lower level course.
The courses selected by students should be courses intended for and available to full-time students in the host university, and NOT special courses designed for Erasmus students, except by special, specific and prior arrangement with the French Department. This does not apply, however, to French grammar courses designed for incoming Erasmus students, which students are encouraged to take.
Students are required to submit themselves to the assessment provided by the host university. This may take the form of examination or continuous assessment, or any combination of the two. In order that the ECTS should count, students must be successful in their assessments. As a precaution, students should bring their marks with them on their return. However, only officially returned marks from the host institution can be counted at the end of the year. It is the student’s responsibility to ascertain the dates and location of examinations, and failure to present for examinations will lead to a loss of credit.
The French Department TJH outgoing Erasmus coordinator is Dr Alexandra Lukes, email: lukesa@tcd.ie
The French Department TJH incoming Erasmus coordinator is Ms Florence Signorini, email: fsgnorni@tcd.ie
For more information, please see the Erasmus Information Presentation below.