Academic Programs
Department Website:
https://www.haverford.edu/french
The Bi-College (Bi-Co) French and Francophone Studies program at Haverford and Bryn Mawr is recognized as one of the top undergraduate French programs in the country. It offers a variety of courses and two options for the major. The major in French lays the foundation for an understanding and appreciation of French language and of French and Francophone cultures through their literatures and the history of their arts, thought, and institutions.
Course offerings serve those with particular interest in French and Francophone literature, literary theory, and criticism, as well as those with particular interest in studying France and French-speaking countries from an interdisciplinary perspective. A thorough knowledge of French is a common goal for both options, and texts and discussion in French are central to the program. The faculty teaches all courses in the program exclusively in French. Our courses adopt a variety of approaches, including literary studies, film and media studies, social history of ideas, and the study of politics and popular culture.
Our program is known for its rigor. Unlike at universities and Ivy League institutions, faculty rather than graduate students teach our undergraduates in French. Study abroad in France or in another Francophone country is an integral part of our students’ training. Virtually all majors spend one semester or a full year abroad (see below).
Often our graduates have chosen to double major, in political science, economics, anthropology, comparative literature, or in the natural sciences (chemistry, physics, and mathematics, most recently); some opt to minor or concentrate in a related field, such as art history or international economic relations.
Learning Goals
We wish to empower our students to:
1. Speak, read, and write in French with near-native proficiency.
2. Engage the French and Francophone world and achieve cultural literacy.
3. Become aware of cultural and linguistic diversity as global citizens who may someday work in the Francophone world.
4. Communicate, with logic and empathy, among different perspectives and values especially in cross-cultural contexts.
5. Think critically about texts, films, music, and fine arts as objects of inquiry.
6. Analyze French and Francophone literatures as sources of human experience.
7. Prepare for and pursue graduate studies, if they wish, in a variety of fields.
Haverford’s Institutional Learning Goals are available on the President’s website, at http://hav.to/learninggoals.
Curriculum
Majors and minors choose between:
- a literature concentration, with courses in periods, genres, thematic clusters, and individual authors, ranging from the Middle Ages to the most recent 21st-century texts; and
- an interdisciplinary concentration, with courses that cover the history of French civilization and particular problems of French and Francophone cultures, such as environmental issues and questions of identity.
Unless they have not previously studied French, all entering students (first-year and transfers) who wish to pursue their study of French must take a placement examination upon entrance to Haverford and Bryn Mawr. Those students who begin French have two options. They may study the language:
- In the intensive sections (the sequence FREN 001IN–002IN of Intensive Elementary French, only at Bryn Mawr); or
- In the non-intensive sections (the sequence FREN 001–002 of Non-Intensive Elementary French, on both campuses).
At the intermediate level students also have the choice to study the language non-intensively (the sequence FREN 003–004), or intensively (FREN 005):
- FREN 003–004 (Non-Intensive Intermediate French) is a year-long course, requiring both semesters for credit. It is open to students who have taken FREN 001–002 or been placed by departmental examination.
- FREN 005 (Intensive Intermediate French):
- Is open only to students who have been specially placed by the departmental placement exam or to students who have taken the year-long Intensive Elementary course (at Bryn Mawr only).
- Requires its graduates to take FREN 102 (Introduction à l’analyse littéraire et culturelle II), or FREN 105 (Directions de la France contemporaine) in semester II for credit.
- FREN 003 and FREN 005 are only offered in the fall semester.
Although it is possible to major in French using either of the two sequences, we encourage students placed at the 001 level who are considering doing so to take the intensive option.
The 100-level courses introduce students to the study of French and Francophone literatures and cultures, and give special attention to the speaking and writing of French.
Courses at the 200 level treat French and Francophone literatures and civilizations from the beginning to the present day. Two 200-level courses are devoted to advanced language training, and one to the study of theory (FREN 213). Students who pursue French to the 200 level often find it useful to take as their first 200-level course, either FREN 212 (Grammaire avancée) or FREN 260 (Atelier d’écriture). You may not take both 212 and 260.
Advanced (300-level) courses offer detailed study either of individual authors, genres, and movements or of particular periods, themes, and problems in French and Francophone cultures. For both options, the departments admit students to advanced courses after satisfactory completion of two semesters of 200-level courses in French.
The Department of French and Francophone Studies also cooperates with the departments of Italian (only at Bryn Mawr) and Spanish in the Romance Languages Major at Bryn Mawr.
Major Requirements
Majors may choose a concentration in French and Francophone literature or interdisciplinary studies in French. Majors must acquire fluency in the French language, both written and oral. All majors must take FREN 212 or 260, or their equivalent, unless specifically exempted by the department.
French and Francophone Literature
- FREN 005–102 or 005–105; or FREN 101–102 or 101–105.
- FREN 212 or 260 (you may not take both).
- FREN 213 (Approches théoriques/Theory in Practice).
- Three semesters of 200-level literature courses.
- Two semesters of 300-level literature courses.
- The two-semester Senior Experience, comprised of:
- Senior Conference in the fall semester.
- In the spring semester, either a senior essay, written in the context of a third 300-level course, or a senior thesis. Both the senior thesis and essay include a final oral defense. (For details, see The Senior Project section.)
Interdisciplinary Studies in French
- FREN 005–102 or FREN 005–105; or FREN 101–102 or FREN 101–105.
- FREN 212 or 260 (you may not take both).
- Two 200-level courses within the French departments: e.g., FREN 255, 291, or 299.
- Two 200-level courses chosen by the student outside the French departments (at Haverford/Bryn Mawr or Junior Year Abroad) that contribute coherently to his/her independent program of study.
- FREN 325 or 326 (Etudes avancées de civilisation).
- Two 300-level courses outside the French departments.
- A thesis of one semester in French or English. (For details, see The Senior Project section.) Students interested in this option must present the rationale and the projected content of their program for departmental approval during their sophomore year; they should have strong records in French and the other subjects involved in their proposed program.
Senior Project
The Department of French and Francophone Studies offers two tracks in the major: the French and Francophone Literature track and the Interdisciplinary Studies in French track.
Literature Track
In the fall semester of the senior year, students majoring in the literature track take FREN 398. Senior Conference usually focuses on three texts, one theoretical and two primary texts. Particular attention is paid to research techniques, the assembling of a bibliography, and the types of resources and critical perspectives that constitute and legitimate an advanced research project.
After taking Senior Conference students have two options for the spring semester: they may write a thesis (30-40 pages) under the direction of a faculty member, or they may write an essay (15-20 pages) in the context of a 300-level course. The first option allows students who have already developed a clearly defined subject in the fall semester to pursue independent research and the writing of a thesis with a faculty supervisor.
The second option offers students the opportunity to produce a substantial, but shorter, piece of research within the structure of their 300-level course in the spring semester. Those writing a senior essay do all the readings assigned in the course plus additional readings (identified during research and specifically attached to the individual project). They do not complete the regular written assignments for the course. Instead, the final 15-20 page paper constitutes the writing portion of the grade for the course, as well as the senior project. In order to move research along, students are expected to have done all the assigned reading for the course by spring break.
Interdisciplinary Track
Students working in the interdisciplinary track are exempt from taking the Senior Conference but may find it useful to do so to help with the writing process of the mandatory spring semester thesis. In this track the student generally combines a discipline from outside of French with an issue relevant to the French or Francophone world. The thesis, which can be written in English or French, is followed by an oral exam.
The thesis advisors are from
- French and
- from the other discipline chosen.
Ideally, the student chooses their subject in the second semester of junior year, identifies their advisors and starts discussing the project with them. Discussion continues in the fall of senior year with the expectation that the student submit a thesis proposal by the end of the term. Students in this track follow a similar timeline as the ones in the literature track.
Senior Project Learning Goals
At the end of their career at Haverford, we expect our students to have achieved an extensive appreciation of French and Francophone literatures and cultures as well as an advanced level of linguistic and cultural fluency in French. We also require that they demonstrate the capacity to analyze a text and critically engage it in a sustained fashion, formulate an argument and present it intelligibly in both oral and written form. Whether writing a thesis or a senior paper they must show that they can conduct research efficiently.
Senior Project Assessment
Both Senior Thesis and Senior Essay include a final oral defense lasting thirty minutes. At this time, the student is expected to speak with authority about the research, the writing process, and some of the intellectual ramifications of the work accomplished.
Students receive a single grade for the Senior Project. The grade for both options is calculated according to the following formula: FREN 398 (40%)+spring 300-level course or spring thesis +oral defense (60%). Assessment of students’ work in FREN 398 (fall semester) is the sole responsibility of the instructor whereas students’ spring work (thesis or essay) is assessed by the first and second readers.
Requirements for Honors
Students with a GPA of 3.7 or above are usually recommended for departmental honors.
Minor Requirements
- FREN 005–102 or 005–105; or FREN 101–102 or 101–105.
- FREN 212 or 260 (you may not take both).
- Four courses at the 200 and 300 levels. At least one course must be at the 300 level.
Related Programs
French Teacher Certification
The Department of French and Francophone Studies offers a certification program in secondary teacher education. For more information, see the description of the Education Program.
French A.B./M.A. Program
Particularly well-qualified students may undertake work toward the joint A.B./M.A. degree in French. Students may complete such a program in four or five years and undertake it with the approval of the department and of the dean of Bryn Mawr’s Graduate School of Arts and Sciences.
Study Abroad
Study abroad in France is an integral part of our departmental training. We expect, among other things, students majoring or minoring in our department to achieve an advanced linguistic and cultural fluency in French. Therefore, we highly recommend that they participate in a study abroad program in France, preferably for one semester during the junior year with one of the programs recommended by the College. Other valuable options do exist, including the Institut d’Avignon program offered by Bryn Mawr College during the summer intersession.
Before going abroad for a semester-long program during junior year, students must have:
- declared their major or minor by the end of sophomore year.
- completed the 100-level series of French courses or one course at the 200-level during the semester prior to departure.
Students must consult with the chair of the French & Francophone Studies Department to discuss their course schedule before leaving for France or any other Francophone countries and also once abroad to arrange for course credits earned there to count toward the minor or major.
For more information on study abroad options and requirements, consult the Study Abroad supplement on the French and Francophone Studies departmental website.