Twin Cities campus

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Twin Cities Campus

French Studies B.A.

French & Italian
College of Liberal Arts
  • Program Type: Baccalaureate
  • Requirements for this program are current for Spring 2014
  • Required credits to graduate with this degree: 120
  • Required credits within the major: 33 to 38
  • Degree: Bachelor of Arts
The French studies major includes courses in three areas of concentration: linguistics, literature, and culture. Courses in language and linguistics include history of the French language, structure of the language, sociolinguistics, phonetics, conversation, and business French. Courses in literature and culture focus on topics and problems in three broad historical periods: the Middle Ages and Renaissance, early modern France, and modern and contemporary France. A number of courses focus on Francophone literature from Africa, the Caribbean, and Quebec. Courses in French cinema are also offered. Many students combine a French studies major with another major. The department offers selected courses in English for students who have not mastered French but want to study France and the French-speaking world.
Program Delivery
This program is available:
  • via classroom (the majority of instruction is face-to-face)
Admission Requirements
Students must formally declare a major within the department before completing the majority of the major elective requirements.
For information about University of Minnesota admission requirements, visit the Office of Admissions website.
General Requirements
All students in baccalaureate degree programs are required to complete general University and college requirements including writing and liberal education courses. For more information about University-wide requirements, see the liberal education requirements. Required courses for the major, minor or certificate in which a student receives a D grade (with or without plus or minus) do not count toward the major, minor or certificate (including transfer courses).
Program Requirements
Students are required to complete 4 semester(s) of French. with a grade of C-, or better, or S, or demonstrate proficiency in the language(s) as defined by the department or college.
The four required semesters of a second language do not factor into the overall length of credits in the major. Majors must complete a minimum of 11 upper-division FREN courses for 33 credits, plus a senior project. At least 4 of the 11 upper-division FREN courses (not counting the senior project) must be taken in the Department of French at the University of Minnesota - Twin Cities campus. Students may earn a B.A. or a minor in French, but not both. Beginning fall 2012, all incoming CLA freshman must complete the appropriate First Year Experience course sequence. Specific information about this collegiate requirement can be found at: http://class.umn.edu/degree_requirements/index.html
Major Courses
Take all of the following courses.
FREN 3015 - Advanced French Grammar and Communication (3.0 cr)
FREN 3016 - Advanced French Composition and Communication (3.0 cr)
FREN 3101W - Methods in French and Francophone Studies [LITR, WI] (3.0 cr)
Upper-Division French Courses
All courses are worth 3 credits, except FREN 3014 (2 cr). FREN 37xx courses do NOT fulfill the upper-division French courses sub-requirement. FREN 3010 is repeatable up to three times for a total of 9 credits. Note: most FREN linguistics courses require LING 3001 or FREN 3500 as a pre-requisite.
Take 8 or more course(s) totaling 23 or more credit(s) from the following:
· FREN 3xxx
· FREN 4xxx
· FREN 5xxx
Senior Project
The senior project is completed in FREN 4109W in the last or next-to-last semester before graduation. Honors students should consult the Honors UHP Program Sub-plan for their senior project requirements. Research topics must be approved by course instructor. Papers are written in consultation with course instructor or other appropriate faculty. Double majors can complete the senior project in their other CLA major, but are still responsible for taking a minimum of 33 FREN credits.
FREN 4109W - Capstone Independent Study in French and Francophone Studies [WI] (2.0 cr)
Program Sub-plans
A sub-plan is not required for this program.
 
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· Summer 2014

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· French Studies

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· French Studies B.A.
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FREN 3015 - Advanced French Grammar and Communication
Credits: 3.0 [max 3.0]
Course Equivalencies: Fren 3015/Mont 3015
Typically offered: Every Fall, Spring & Summer
Taught entirely in French. Prerequisite: French 1004 or LPE. Voilà, c'est fait: You have completed French 1004 or passed the LPE. You are certified as an intermediate speaker of French. Don't lose your momentum! French 3015 allows you to start working toward a new goal: advanced proficiency in speaking, listening, reading, and writing French. Along with this higher proficiency comes a deeper understanding of French and Francophone culture around the world. In this class, you will focus on grammar in context, reading longer, more complex texts in the original language. You will write short compositions that include various genres such as the first-person narrative, the business letter, and the essay. You will learn how to use the correction software Antidote as a means of perfecting your writing skills. In class, you will participate in group work to boost your oral comprehension skills and in writing workshops to boost your writing skills. Listening activities include a film, an audiobook, a song, and videos related to readings. Written exercises include translation, grammar, and vocabulary building. Literary readings include excerpts from a medieval text (La légende de Tristan et Iseut), as well as four 20th-century texts (by Danielle Cadorette, Annie Ernaux, Albert Camus, and Pierre-Jakez Hélias). Journalists include Kamel Daoud (published in the Le Monde) and Fatym Layachi (published in the Moroccan newspaper Tel Quel). Based on these readings and discussions of the themes of friendship, family, education, work, technology, and bilingualism, you will explore notions of identity in the French and Francophone world.
FREN 3016 - Advanced French Composition and Communication
Credits: 3.0 [max 3.0]
Course Equivalencies: Fren 3016/Mont 3016
Typically offered: Every Fall & Spring
Taught entirely in French. In this class, you will continue the work you began in FREN 3015, keeping your eyes on the goal of advanced proficiency. You will continue to focus on grammar in context, reading challenging texts in the original language. You will write short compositions that include various genres: a summary of an online article of your own choosing, an argumentative essay, and a film or literary analysis. You will perfect your use of the correction software Antidote as you move toward advanced proficiency in writing. In class, you will participate in group work to boost your oral comprehension skills and in writing workshops to boost your writing skills. Listening activities include several films, a song, and videos related to readings. Written exercises include translation, grammar, and vocabulary building. This course explores identity in the French and Francophone world through the themes of youth, travel, immigration, and colonisation. Literary readings include excerpts from the 18th century (Voltaire and Louis Sébastien Mercier), the 20th century (Ying Chen and Driss Chraïbi), and the 21st century (Tahar Ben Jelloun, Abdellah Taïa, and Mina Oualdlhadj). Newspaper articles include the sociologist Edgar Morin (published in Le Monde) and the columnist Réda Allali (published in the Moroccan newspaper Tel Quel). But French 3016 adds new genres of writing as well. We will read selections from crime novels (René Frégni and Michel de Roy), a graphic novel (Marjane Satrapi), and science-fiction (Pierre Boulle). This course is a good stepping-stone for an advanced course in French and Francophone film as we read about and view samples of Algerian, Canadian, and French films. Prerequisite: FREN 3015.
FREN 3101W - Methods in French and Francophone Studies (LITR, WI)
Credits: 3.0 [max 4.0]
Typically offered: Every Fall & Spring
Taught entirely in French. In this course, you will delve deeply into original stories, lyrics, plays, and films in French, from around the world and across time. What verbal and visual codes carry meaning in a given culture? How do cultures create a space for the subject or the self? As you discuss these questions, you will become a faster and more independent reader, gain sensitivity to the sonorities and rhythms of the French language and the nuances of sense it makes possible, and learn to perceive implicit meaning in texts. Theoretical readings and lessons in developing thesis statements and organizing arguments will enhance your ability to understand and create complex arguments in French. Each individual section of this course addresses these questions with a different selection of readings and films grouped around a specific theme, so please consult the Class Info page to find out more! nonfiction texts, cultural artifacts, and audio/visual media pertaining to France and Francophone communities across the centuries. prereq: 3016 or equiv
FREN 4109W - Capstone Independent Study in French and Francophone Studies (WI)
Credits: 2.0 [max 2.0]
Course Equivalencies: Fren 4101W/Fren 4101V/Fren 410
Grading Basis: A-F only
Typically offered: Every Fall & Spring
Completion of research paper based on paper written for previous course or expansion of project undertaken in concurrent course. prereq: instr consent, [completion of most major coursework or permission of DUS]
FREN 4110V - Honors Capstone Independent Study in French and Francophone Studies (WI)
Credits: 2.0 -4.0 [max 8.0]
Grading Basis: A-F only
Typically offered: Every Fall & Spring
Directed study used to develop or complete honors thesis in French and Francophone studies. prereq: [Completion of most major coursework or permission of DUS], candidate for honors in French, instr consent