FRENCH AND FRANCOPHONE STUDIES
The Concentration in French & Francophone Studies
This concentration unites a diversity of disciplinary approaches
to France while extending the notion of French Studies beyond the
specific territorial and linguistic boundaries of France and Parisian
French. Relying on a solid language training, courses offered in
French literature of France, Francophone literature of Africa and the
Caribbean, film studies, social, political history, art history and
economics, will afford a synthetic view of the evolution and impact
of French cultural institutions. The majors most organically
connected with French Studies are French, history, anthropology, art
history and political science, although students majoring in other
disciplines may also concentrate in French Studies.
The following are the requirements of the concentration:
- Language Requirements:
French
204 or equivalent.
- Two supporting courses:
- FREN 243: Topics in Cultural Studies
- FREN 249/349: Paris Trough Fiction and Culture (Paris
Program)
- FREN 250: Film, Literature and Society in Mali (Mali
Program)
- HIST 181: West African Societies in Historical Perspective
- HIST 237: The Enlightenment
- HIST 340: France in Revolution, 1750-1870
- Four core courses. Two from Group I, one from Groups
II and III.
- Group I: French and Francophone Literature
- FREN 233: The French Cinema
- FREN 235: Francophone Literature of Africa and the
Caribbean
- RERN 240/241: Introduction to French and Francophone
Literatures
- FREN 245: Francophone Literature of Africa and the
Caribbean
- FREN 248: African Cinema: In Search of Identity and Self
Definition
- FREN 249/349: Paris Through Fiction and Culture (Paris
Program)*
- FREN 250: Film, Literature and society in Mali (Mali
Program)*
- FREN 351: Topics in Sixteenth Century: Metamorphoses: Love,
War and Monsters in Early Modern France
- FREN 352: Seventeenth-Century Literature: Eccentrics in
Classical France
- FREN 354: Ploys of Enlightenment: Literature of the Other
- FREN 357: Modern French Poetry
- FREN 358: Twentieth-Century Literature: Theater of Derision
- FREN 359: Twentieth-Century Literature: Poetics of
Subversion
*This course qualifies for Group II if not taken to fulfill the
supporting course requirement.
- Group II: History and Art History
- ARTH 140: Modern Art
- ARTH 180: Medieval Art
- ARTH 239: Netherlandish Art on Site (with projecton Van
gogh in France)
- FREN 246: City of Visions: Paris in the Arts (Paris
Ptogram)
- HIST 140: Europe During the French and Industrial
Revolutions, 1789-1900
- HIST 142: The Peasants are Revolting! Popular Culture in
Early Modern Europe
- HIST 181: West African Societies in Historical
Perspectives*
- HIST 235: Social History of Early Modern Europe
- HIST 237: The Enlightement*
- HIST 243: Balzac's France
- HIST 246: Julie's France, Pamela's England:
Women in Society in the Age of Sensibility
- HIST 340: France in Revolution, 1750-1870*
*This course qualifies for Group II if not taken to fulfill the
supporting course requirement.
- Group III: Social Sciences: Anthropology, Economics,
Political Science
- FREN 243: Topics in Cultural Studies*
- MEDA 241: The French Cinema
- MEDA 247: African Cinema: In Search of Identity and Self
Definition
- POSC 251: Modern Political Philosophy
- POSC 255: Post-Modern Political Thought
- POSC 357: Tocqueville
- SOAN 239: African Identities: Anthropological and Literary
Perspectives
- SOAN 256: Ethnography of Africa
- SOAN 332: Contemporary Social Theory
*This course qualifies for Group III if not taken to fulfill
the supporting course requirement.
Senior Seminar: FREN 395: Interdisciplinary Seminar in
French or Francophone History, Culture or Literature. For 1999-2000:
Writing and Identity (in French) or Revolutions of Paris (in English)
For courses other than those in the French department, students
will be expected to do source reading in French, but papers and exams
will be written in English. Check with the Coordinator for other on
or off-campus courses that may count for the concentration.
The Major in French & Francophone Studies
- The French and Francophone Studies program will respond to the
growing interest in cultural studies, Africana and post-colonial
studies by combining in the best possible way the resources of
various disciplinary approaches including literature, political
science, history, anthropology, arts, etc. After acquiring a solid
grounding in the language, students will embark on the study of
topics such as French cultural theory, issues of identity, social
change, nationalism and gender in France and the Francophone
societies of Canada, Africa, the Caribbean, and Asia.
- In addition to our regular French major, we are instituting a
major in French and Francophone Studies that follows the general
outlines of the French and Francophone Studies Concentration with
a total of 27 additional credits in coursework and senior
requirements.
The following are the requirements of this major:
- Language competence. Prerequisite: French 204.
- French 243 or French 249.
- History 181 or History 340.
- Four literature courses, 2 of which must be at the 300-level.
- Three elective courses appropriate for the major.
- One capstone seminar.
- Comprehensive exercise.
Total credits: 69 credits.
Study Abroad: Study in a Carleton Off-Campus or
non-Carleton program in a French-speaking country is strongly
recommended.
Explanation of requirements:
- Language competence: In order to handle the
sophisticated materials in French covered in our departmental
courses and in order to be able to conduct research in French,
where appropriate, in the courses offered outside the French
section, it is highly recommended that students take French
language classes above the 204-level.
Examples:
- French 243 or 249: These interdisciplinary courses will
serve to introduce students to a variety of topics and techniques
relevant to cultural studies.
Examples:
- French 243: From Camembert to French Kiss: Interpreting
French Culture.
- French 249 (offered on the Paris program): Paris from the
Literary Imagination to the Streets.
- History 181 (African History) or 340 (French History):
Students will be able to choose between these two history courses
(although both are strongly recommended), based upon their primary
interest in either French or Francophone studies. This requirement
reflects the importance of historical grounding that was
previously recognized in the organization of the
Concentration.
Examples:
- History 181: West African Societies in Historical
Perspective.
- History 340: France in Revolution, 1750-1870.
- Four literature courses: Since our literature courses
adopt an interdisciplinary approach, students can complement their
learning in other disciplines through the literature offerings of
the French section. We insist on two courses at the 300-level,
because we find that the complex issues raised by the intersection
of history, politics, and socio-cultural perspectives can best be
explored by students who have a solid background in both language
and literary studies.
- Three elective courses: Students may choose from any of
the courses included in the Concentration description, or any
course appropriate for the major.
Examples:
- Sociology/Anthropology 256: Ethnography of Africa
- Political Science 255: Post-Modern Political Thought
- Philosophy 322: Twentieth-Century Continental Philosophy
- Art and Art History 242: Impressionism
- History 231: High Middle Ages
- One capstone seminar: This 300-level course is an
advanced interdisciplinary seminar focused on a particular topic
and the methodology used for its study. It will be taught in
French or English.
Example:
- French 395: Revolutions of Paris: Topics in Modern French
History and Literature
- Comprehensive exercise:
I. French 398 and 399: Seminar and Essay (required)
- A seminar focusing on the planning, preparation, and
completion of a significant paper in French or French Studies
under the supervision of two advisors: one from the French
section (the designated comps czar) and one from another
discipline. This exercise will normally be written in French. 3
credits each term. Fall, Winter (registration for both terms
required).
II. French 400: Integrative exercise: Senior Colloquium
- A colloquium in which seniors (French and French Studies
majors) will defend their senior papers and discuss the essays
of others. 3 credits. Spring.
The coordinator of the French and Francophone Studies
Concentration and Major is Professor Éva Pósfay .
If you have any questions that you would like to be answered by a
French & Francophone Studies major, contact
Peter Everett.