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Requirements for Majors and Minors
The Undergraduate Program in French Studies
The Major in French Studies
The Dual Major in Romance Languages
Honors in French Studies
Submatriculation
The Minor in French Studies
The Certificate in French Language
Advanced Placement
Transfer of Credit
Advising
The French language and French civilization have long been one of the
dominant influences on world culture and France has played a major role
in world history. French is spoken not only in Europe (France, Belgium,
Switzerland) but in North America, the Caribbean , South America, Africa,
Southeast Asia and the Pacific. France exerts a strong cultural influence
throughout the world and is a leading trading nation, excelling in such
areas as aviation, public transportation, military hardware, food, wine,
fashion, to name only the most highly visible. France is also a leader
in the fields of science and medicine. A sound knowledge of the French
language and of French culture is therefore of great advantage to students
who intend to major in many areas (political science, international
relations, business, literature, cinema, art history, psychology, medicine).
French is, after English, the second truly global language.
The major in French Studies has a double aim: to promote linguistic
fluency in French and to produce cultural literacy in the fascinating
and complex francophone world. The major builds on the linguistic skills
students have acquired in high school or at Penn by offering a series
of advanced, multi-media and interactive language courses with cultural
content which students assimilate through cinema, newspaper and magazine
articles, literary texts and internet-based material (French 202, 212,
214). Students then move on to courses focusing on literature (221/222),
history, civilization and youth culture (French 223, 226, 227), French
cinema (230-231), phonetics (217), commercial French (211 which contains
cultural information indispensable for those wishing to work in a francophone
business environment), and the francophone world (228-229). When students
have mastered courses at the 200 level (those with advanced placement
or other advanced standing can proceed at their own pace with approval
of the Undergraduate Chair), they advance to the 300 level, which includes
literature courses from all periods of French literature (Middle Ages
to the Twenty-First Century, including francophone literature produced
by French-speaking authors from countries outside Metropolitan France),
courses in contemporary French civilization, courses on “bande
dessinée,” French film noír, the horror film, queer
literature and film, advanced business French, and the European Union.
Students always have the opportunity to arrange independent study courses
to pursue special areas of interest not covered by regular course offerings.
To prepare students to pursue research either in graduate work or in
the wider world, all students must complete a 12-15 page paper in one
of their 300 level courses. Students with at least a 3.5 GPA in the
major and 3.3 GPA overall are encouraged to take 398, an independent
thesis course in which they write a 35 page research paper under the
supervision of one or more faculty members. Those with an “A”
or “A-“ graduate with honors in the major.
Students who complete a major in French Studies (either a single major or in tandem with a second major) will be supremely well equipped to work or study in the world of literature, the arts, business or science. They will not only have acquired an excellent knowledge of the language but will have received invaluable training in cultural literacy, an indispensable tool for operating in any area which involves contact with any aspect of France and francophone countries.
The major consists of 12 french courses above French 200. To declare a major, students should meet with the Undergraduate Coordinator and the Undergradute Chair, who will approve a course of studies.
Required Courses
French 212 or 214: “Advanced Grammar and Composition” or “Advanced Composition and Conversation”
French 221 or 222: “Perspectives in French Literature,” the former focused on passion, the latter on the relationship between individual and society
French 226: “French Civilization from its Beginning to 1789”
French 227: “Modern France”
Elective Courses
Eight (8) additional french courses are required for the completion of the major; six (6) must be taken at the 300-level. Of the six 300-level courses, two (2) must be completed in the department at Penn. Four french courses may be completed on study abroad programs. The remaining two (2) credits may be major-related or French courses, taken either at the 200- or 300-level. All courses, except major related, must be taught in french. At least 50% of the courses required for the major must be taken at Penn.
NB: French courses taught in English (e.g., French 250) can only count toward the major as major-related courses.
Research Requirement
All French Studies majors will be required to complete a research paper of 12-15 pages in French with bibliography and notes. Students can choose to do this in any 300-level course taken at Penn during the senior year, and should consult with the instructor, who will certify that the student has completed the research requirement. One copy of the paper must be submitted to the Undergraduate Chair before the major certification is approved for graduation.
Dual Major in Romance Languages
The major consists of 18 course units (9 in French Studies, plus 9 in Italian Studies or Hispanic Studies). To declare a major, students should meet with the Undergraduate Chairs
in each of the languages elected, who will approve a course of studies.
Application to a major must be made by the second semester of the sophomore
year prior to advance registration for the first semester of the junior
year.
Required courses in French Studies:
(a) French 212 or 214, 221 or 222, 226 and 227
(b) Two (2) additional courses at the 200- or 300-level
(c) Three (3) French Studies courses at the 300-level [one (1) course may be major-related]
Other Romance Language: students should consult the appropriate Undergraduate
Chair for the other nine (9) courses.
Honors
Applicants for honors majors should have during the fall term of their senior year an average of at least 3.5 in the major and at least a 3.3 overall GPA. They register for French 398 (1 course) in the spring semester of their senior year and write a senior thesis in French of approximately 35-40 pages in length under the supervision of a faculty member whose area of expertise coincides with the subject of the thesis. In order to qualify for honors in French Studies, students must receive at least an A- in French 398. Otherwise they simply receive one course unit for their thesis, but do not graduate with honors in their major.
Interested majors should confer with the Undergraduate Chair early in the fall semester of their senior year to select a thesis advisor and to discuss the requirements of the Honors Program.
Submatriculation
Under College regulations, the department allows exceptional students whose work is of high quality and who complete most of the major requirements by the end of the junior year to submatriculate and begin to take courses at the graduate level in French, Hispanic and/or Italian Studies before completing the B.A. This option is above all for those considering pursuing a Ph.D. in a Romance Language subsequently. Submatriculants must take eight (8) graduate courses, four (4) of which may double-count towards the B.A. and the M.A. See the College Handbook for details and consult with both the Undergraduate and Graduate Chairs of the appropriate section.
The minor in French Studies
The minor consists of 6 courses above French 200.
Required courses
French 212 or 214: “Advanced Grammar and Composition” or “Advanced Composition and Conversation”
French 221 or 222: “Perspectives in French Literature,” the former focused on passion, the latter on the relationship between individual and society
Elective courses
Four (4) courses may be taken at the 200- or 300-level; 50% of courses must be taken in the department at Penn. All courses must be taught in French.
The Certificate in French Language
Students who have completed any three courses in the 200-300 level sequence are eligible for the Language Certificate in French. At least two (2) of these courses must be taken in the department at Penn. Only courses taught in French count towards the Certificate. A "B+" average is required across the three courses.To apply for the certificate, please e-mail the Undergraduate Coordinator with a list of the relevant courses.
Advanced Placement
As of the entering class of 2012, only one course credit for Advanced Placement or International Baccalaureate (i.e., French 210 and French 220) may be counted towards the major or minor. The other will count as a college elective.
In order to evaluate requests for transfer credit, the following material should be provided with a Transfer Credit Application: a catalogue course description, an actual course syllabus, list of assigned readings and texts used, corrected and graded tests, examinations, and/or papers used for evaluating student's work. Credit will be awarded only for courses taken in time frames equivalent to SAS schedules (semester and summer sessions).
The Department of Romance Languages maintains a web site at http://ccat.sas.upenn.edu/roml. It is a repository for all information about the Department, including course descriptions, profiles of the faculty, requirements for major and minor programs, etc. For advising on French language courses, contact the Language Program Director; for advising on major and minor programs, transfer credit, and general advising on French courses and programs abroad, contact the Undergraduate Chair.
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