Undergraduate Program

General information

The prerequisite to the French and Francophone Studies major is proficiency in French at the elementary level (French 120 or 126 or equivalent).

Requirements

Requirements for the Major

The major requires a total of 36 credits. A maximum of six credits of courses at the intermediate level (230, 240, 250) may be counted in these 36 credits; all others must be in courses at the 300-level or higher.

Students must demonstrate proficiency at the intermediate level by achieving a grade of B+ in FREN 240. Students who do not do this must complete FREN 250 .

Majors are required to to take courses in the following areas.

Advanced Language Proficiency

371 Advanced Grammar

473 Composition

Introduction to Literature and Culture

384 Themes in French Intellectual and Literary History

386 French Civilization to 1945

At least one course in three of the following five areas of French literature and culture: Medieval and Renaissance; 17th and 18th centuries; the Revolutionary period through the late 19th century; the 20th century; the Francophone world.

Additional courses at the 300-level or above to complete the 36 credit major are electives.

491 Senior Seminar

Junior Year Writing: 303 Writing on Language (fulfills the University requirements only).

The Major With Concentration in Teaching

Students planning to teach French at levels 5-12 should contact the Foreign Language Teacher Training Program director, Professor Rhonda Tarr, and apply formally through the STEP program at the School of Education, Furcolo Hall. The application should be submitted as early as possible in order to plan the program, which includes both the foreign language major and the necessary courses in professional education.

Requirements for the Minor

The minor in French concentrates not only on the development of language skills, but also on the study of the literature, thought, culture, and institutions of France, French Canada, and other French speaking countries

1. Intermediate proficiency in French, which may be exhibited by successful completion of lower level courses taken at the University of Massachusetts, by equivalent courses taken elsewhere, or by proficiency examination, is required before students undertake work for the minor.

2.A total of 15 credits are required for the French Studies Minor. French 240 (with a grade of B+ or better) OR French 250 will count for 3 credits towards the Minor. A total of 12 credits must be earned at the 300 level or above (with a grade of C or better). This shall include Advanced Grammar and Composition I and II (French 371 and 473), and at least one 300 level course in literature or culture. Some credits from foreign programs or other institutions may be applicable.

Restrictions

All prospective majors must make an appointment to see an Undergraduate Advisor. Majors must secure an advisor's signature of approval when registering for courses.

It is the student's responsibility to check with an Undergraduate advisor in advance of the last semester of the senior year in order to be sure that all program requirements for graduation have been fulfilled.

The grade of C- in a French course or in a related course required for the major is not acceptable and will not be counted toward the number of major credits. These C- credits may be made up either by repeating the course for no credit or by successfully passing an equivalency exam to be given by the French and Francophone Studies Program. This second option is possible only in language courses taken in the senior year. Grades of Pass/Fail for major courses taken here or elsewhere are not accepted. At least 12 of the 36 major required credits must be taken on the University of Massachusetts' Amherst campus

French and Francophone Studies, Deparment of Languages, Literatures and Cultures

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