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French Minor

Statement of Purpose

The undergraduate French program provides liberal arts training that sharpens communicative, analytical and interpretive skills. It is designed to assist students in appreciating the history of the French and Francophone language, literature and culture. It also aims to form general habits of thought and analysis that allow students to interpret complex symbolic systems. Students learn to use literature as a means for understanding culturally specific as well as universal issues and values, and they do so in ways that enrich their curiosity and learning beyond university studies.

Curricular Structure

The core:

  • Fren 321 Advanced Grammar
  • Fren 322 Advanced Composition
  • Fren 340 Introduction to Literary Analysis

Complete one course from the following:

  • Fren 452R Studies in Period, Movement, and Theme
  • Fren 453R Studies in Genre
  • Fren 454R Studies in Author
  • Fren 455R Studies in Literary Theory
  • Fren 456R Francophone Studies

Complete two of the following:

  • Fren 361 French Civ., Beginning to 1715
  • Fren 362 French Civ., 1715 to Present
  • Fren 363 Contemporary French Civilization


Catalog Information
Course Requirements

Expected Learning Outcomes

Students:

  1. Progress toward advanced-level "proficiency" in writing, speaking and listening in a variety of living as well as professional contexts, and reading various text types (newspapers, literature, college-level texts, etc.) with a strong level of comprehension.
  2. Learn to use writing as a process of discovery by composing academic essays that work toward mature thinking, the orderly development of ideas, and vigorous argument.
  3. Learn to recognize and comment intelligently on the major periods and contributions of French and Francophone literature and history, with an eye to appreciating the respective culture and intellectual history of nations whose modern history runs parallel to and intertwines with that of the United States.
  4. Are equipped with a fundamental linguistic competence and general habits of thought and expression that will assist them in as a supplement to scientific or business degrees, or for further graduate or professional studies in the humanities, law, or business.