Undergraduate Program: French

WHY STUDY FRENCH?

• For students interested in International relations, many of the world's international organizations operate in French speaking cities. United Nations, WTO, Red Cross (Geneva), UNESCO (Paris)
• For students interested in European Studies, the European Union main offices are located in Brussels and the European Parliament is in Strasbourg, France.
• Today, the majority of French speaking people live outside of France, from Dakar to Montréal, making French one of the most common second languages after English.
• As in all programs offered by the Department of Modern Languages and Cultures, French majors and minors will have the opportunity to attend small size classes, meet their instructors on a regular basis. Since we get to know so well, when the time will be right to move to graduate school or to look for a job, we'll be there to provide the necessary letters of recommendations
• For students interested in History, Philosophy, Political Sciences, Pyschology and Art History, many of the greatest thinkers are to be found in the French tradition.
• Students who study French at the U of Rochester can join the extended French and Francophone local community at cultural events, film screenings, conversation hour, and gastronomic adventures!!
• Former French majors and minors have gone on to Dental School, Medical School, Law School, Advanced Degrees in Education, Graduate School in Humanities and Sciences. Many of them attribute their competite edge to proficiency in a second language an exposure to other cultures.
• French majors and minors are eligible for a variety of academic awards and prices.

French Brochure

Major in French

1. Concentrators are required to take the following courses:
   • Five core courses: FR 151, FR 152, FR 200, FR 202, FR 204
   • The elective core: Five other courses above the 205 level in French. In order to achieve a historical and cultural balance to the concentration, students must complete at least one course in literature prior to the nineteenth century, and one course in francophone literature. This will normally done by completing at least one of the following: FR 206, FR 220, FR 225, FR 240; and at least one of the following: FR 271, FR 272, FR 273, FR 278, FR 284. With the approval of the undergraduate advisor, up to two electives may be fulfilled by advanced-level courses taken in another department, in comparative literature, or by French 151 and 152 taken at the UR. All courses you intend to count toward the major must be approved by the undergraduate advisor.
     
   • MLC Core:
     MLC 1: Introduction to Language, Literature, and Culture. A primary examination of the ideas of culture, language and literature which are at the foundation of the MLC program. This requirement may be fulfilled by any section of CLT 101, or by another CLT course chosen in consultation with the student's undergraduate advisor. This component should be taken by the fall of the junior year and may be taken concurrently with 200-level courses in the major.

   MLC 2: Major Seminar: A department-wide seminar conducted around a central topic such as "the represen-tation of gender," "postmodernism" etc.

2. Concentrators are expected to consult with the French undergraduate advisor before registering for courses.
3. Concentrators are urged to consider studying in a French-speaking country for a year, a semester, or in a UR-sponsored summer study program. The University is affiliated with the Institute of European Studies program at Paris and Nantes, and the Educational Programs Abroad internship in the French National Assembly, and the Paris Film Program. Work done in an approved study abroad program may be given concentration credit up to a maximum of four courses.
4. Concentrators intending to teach French at the secondary level or to do graduate work in French are advised to acquire a reasonable facility in another foreign language.

Minor in French

The minor in French requires five courses beyond FR 114. These will normally include FR 151 (Intermediate French I), FR 152 (Intermediate French II), FR 200 (Advanced French), FR 202 (Introduction to French Literature), FR 204 (Contemporary France), FR 206 (French Cultural Traditions), and FR 157 and FR 207 (Summer Program in Rennes). With permission of the undergraduate advisor, another 200-level course may be substituted for one of the above. All courses you intend to count toward the minor must be approved by the undergraduate advisor.

Prizes for Excellence in French

The Sophomore Book Award:
Awarded annually to one or more sopho-mores who show particular excellence and promise in the study of the French language, and French and Francophone literature and culture.

Study Abroad Essay Contest:
Students returning from a study abroad prgram are eligible to participate in the Department's essay contest describing their experiences in the host culture.

The Rennes Exchange:
Each year, the French program of the Department of Modern Languages and Cultures sends a graduating senior to teach at the Université de Rennes 2 (Haute Bretagne). Students teach English for the full academic year and are paid a salary that allows them to live comfortably and profit from the many activities in and around Rennes. Furthermore, they may enroll, free of charge, in academic programs and earn the Maîtrise degree.

The Neil C. Arvin Prize for Excellence in French:
Awarded annually to the graduating senior who has excelled in the study of French. The Arvin Prize carries with it a handsome cash award, and in some cases it may be divided between or among deserving students.

French Courses

French Clusters

1. Advanced French Language and Cultural Studies (H1FR007)
2. Comparative Cultural Studies (H1CLT004)
3. Comparative Film Traditions (H1CLT003)
4. French Cinema (H1FR003)
5. Intermediate French Language and Culture (H1FR006)
6. Introduction to Comparative Literature (H1CLT001)
7. Introduction to European Studies (H1MLC001)
8. Introduction to French Language and Culture (H1FR005)
9. Studies in Francophone Cultures (H1FR004)
10. Textual Analysis of Literature in French (H1FR002)

 

FACULTY

THOMAS DiPIERO, (Ph.D., Cornell University). Professor of French 18th Century French novel. Literary and cultural theory, most specifically in the domains of identity politics and psychoanalysis.

SHARON WILLIS, (Ph.D., Cornell University). Professor of French. Research interests include modern French literature and literary theory, and feminist theory, film theory and visual analysis, and cultural studies.

CILAS KEMEDJIO, (Ph.D., The Ohio State University) Associate Professor of French and Francophone Studies. Fields of research include Francophone African and Caribbean literatures, French theory, and cultural studies. "L'esclave est d'abord celui qui ne sait pas. L'esclave de l'esclavage est celui qui ne veut pas savoir." (Édouard Glissant).

JULIE PAPAIOANNOU, (Ph.D., University of Rochester) Visiting Assistant Professor

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ANDREE DOUCHIN (Ph.D., University of Rochester), Senior Lecturer "Il y a dans les hommes plus de choses à admirer que de choses à mépriser." (Alber Camus)

ANNE LUTKUS (Ph.D., Indiana University), Language Coordinator. "Le monde n'est qu'une branloire perenne. Toutes choses y branlent sans cesse: la terre, les rochers du Caucase, les pyramides d'Egypte, et du branle public et du leur. La constance mesme n'est autre chose qu'un branle plus languissant." (Montaigne).