Graduate Studies

The M.A. Program in French

Program Description

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Reading List

Medieval French Literature
Sixteenth-Century Literature
Seventeenth-Century Literature
Eighteenth-Century Literature
Nineteenth-Century Literature
Twentieth-Century Literature
Language and Linguistics
Francophonic Literature

Sub-Saharan Africa
The Carribean
North Africa
French-Speaking Canada

Culture
French Cinema

MA Exam Prep and Administration

Student Forms

Student Course Record

The Master of Arts program in French is designed to give students both a broad background in French studies and advanced skills in research and critical thinking. In conjunction with their advisers, students will plan a program of study that builds upon their undergraduate education and allows them to develop a broad understanding of important developments in French and Francophone studies.

French 883 (Introduction to Graduate Study of French Literature) is required of all M.A. students and must be taken during the first quarter of the first year of study. This course will not be applied to the minimum hour requirement for any area of concentration. Graduate Teaching Associates are required to take French 801 (Teaching French at the College Level), credit for which will not be applied to the minimum hour requirement for any area of concentration. Following a placement test in French, some students will be required or advised to take one or more 600-level language courses; these courses will not be applied to the minimum area requirement for any area of concentration.

All graduate students must be computer literate-i.e., they must be able to use an appropriate word-processing program for all written work in the department, including the M.A. examination. Students not familiar with word processing and computers must take an appropriate course or receive appropriate training during their first quarter of graduate work.

With the exception of 600-level courses in film, francophone studies, and culture, no more than 15 credit hours of 600-level courses may count for credit towards completion of the M.A. degree. The inclusion of all 600-level courses in the program of study must have the approval of the M.A. adviser. With the approval of the student’s adviser and concurrence of the Department Graduate Studies Committee, up to ten (10) hours of graduate credit may be taken in related fields outside the French program. Courses taken outside the French program should not be applied to the minimum requirement (15 hours) for any of the areas of concentration. No more than 5 hours of independent study are permitted to count as part of the required 45 hours of course work. Independent studies do not count towards area requirements except with the approval of the M.A. advisor when a required course has been unavailable.

The M.A. in French has 10 areas of study: 1) Medieval literature 2) Renaissance literature 3) 17th century literature 4) 18th century literature 5) 19th century literature 6) 20th century literature 7) Francophone literature 8) Language, translation, and linguistics 9) Culture 10) Film

Students choose three (3) areas of concentration from the 10 areas. One area of concentration must be chosen from areas 1) through 5), and one area must be chosen from areas 6) through 10). (The third area of concentration may be any area of study on the list.) Students must take 10 credit hours in each area of concentration (30 credit hours). Three additional courses (fifteen additional credit hours) must be taken in three different areas that are NOT the chosen areas of concentration.

The M.A. examination will be a nine-hour written examination: three hours for each area of concentration.

M.A. Examinations

Examination Quarter Enrollment: The M.A. examination is given once a year during Spring Quarter and is normally taken by students at the end of their second year. Students are expected to demonstrate thorough knowledge of their chosen areas of concentration, critical and analytic skills, and fluency in French. Petitions to take the examination at a time other than Spring Quarter must be submitted to the Graduate Studies Committee and are only likely to be approved in extraordinary circumstances. There will be no M.A. examinations given during Summer Quarter. Students will take the M.A. examination on a day scheduled by the M.A. adviser(s). If holding a graduate appointment (i.e., GRA, GAA, or GTA), students are required by contract to enroll in at least nine hours of graduate credit and may, during their examination quarter, register for one course and complete the remaining hours with 999 credit. NOTE: students not employed as GRAs, GAAs, or GTAs need only register for a minimum of three hours of graduate credit in their examination quarter.

Reading List: No later than spring quarter of the first year of study (and preferably before), students will meet with the M.A. adviser to decide upon the three major areas of concentration.

Each area of specialization in the department has a relevant core reading list and each list represents the core texts with which M.A. students should be familiar. These reading lists are guides for the preparation of the reading lists for each area of concentration. Additions and substitutions will be made based on discussions between students and professors in the areas of specialization, as well as on relevant course work.

No later than autumn quarter of the second year of study (and preferably before), students will have selected their advisers for each area of concentration (depending upon the areas, this means one or two professors for each area) and will have finalized their exam reading lists.

Master of Arts Examination Procedure: The M.A. examination has two parts: one written and one oral. Graduate students will have three hours to complete the M.A. written examinations in each specialty area (nine hours in all). At least one part of the examination is to be written in French and one part in English.

The M.A. adviser chairs the M.A. examination.

The Chair of the M.A. examination is responsible for soliciting and collecting the questions for the written examination from the other members of the examining committee. If necessary, the Chair may solicit questions from area specialists other than those who sit on the examining committee.

The examining committee is appointed by the M.A. adviser and normally consists of two to five faculty members. All members of the M.A. Examination Committee will be present during the entire oral portion.

The examining committee is fully responsible for scoring or evaluating the answers. Only the M.A. Examination Committee members are to be present for discussion of the student’s performance and the decision about the outcome. The student will be informed of the decision in the presence of the committee. All other regulations pertaining to the M.A. degree will be those of the graduate school.

Conduct of the written and oral examinations:

All written M.A. examinations will be monitored.
No books (including dictionaries) or papers will be allowed.
The oral examination will be 45 to 60 minutes long. It will not be restricted to the material treated in the written part of the examination and may cover any topics on the pertinent Reading List.
At least one part of the oral examination will be conducted in French and at least one part in English.

If a student in the M.A. program has applied for the department’s PhD program (see PhD program, below, for more information), the graduate faculty in the department will make a decision on his/her candidacy after successful completion of the M.A. examination. All other regulations pertaining to the Master’s degree will be those of the Graduate School (for more information, see the Graduate School’s Web page.