  We report on a population of short duration near-ultraviolet (NUV) flares in
stars observed by the Kepler and GALEX missions. We analyzed NUV light curves
of 34,276 stars observed from 2009-2013 by both the GALEX (NUV) and Kepler
(optical) space missions with the eventual goal of investigating
multi-wavelength flares. From the GALEX data we constructed light curves with a
10 second cadence, and ultimately detected 1,904 short duration flares on 1,021
stars. The vast majority (94.5\%) of these flares have durations less than five
minutes, with flare flux enhancements above the quiescent flux level ranging
from 1.5 to 1700. The flaring stars are primarily solar-like, with T$_{\rm
eff}$ ranging from 3,000-11,000 K and radii between 0.5-15 R$_{\odot}$. This
set of flaring stars is almost entirely distinct from that of previous flare
surveys of Kepler data and indicates a previously undetected collection of
small flares contained within the Kepler sample. The range in flare energies
spans 1.8$\times$10$^{32}$-8.9$\times$10$^{37}$ erg, with associated relative
errors spanning 2-87\%. The flare frequency distribution by energy follows a
power-law with index $\alpha=1.72\pm0.05$, consistent with results of other
solar and stellar flare studies at a range of wavelengths. This supports the
idea that the NUV flares we observe are governed by the same physical processes
present in solar and optical flares. The relationship between flare duration
and associated flare energy extends results found for solar and stellar
white-light flares, and suggests that these flares originate in regions with
magnetic field strengths of several hundred Gauss, and length scales of order
10$^{10}$ cm.
