Major
The major in French is intended to develop skills
in the language and provide a broad and varied acquaintance with
French and Francophone culture and literature. All courses are conducted
in French (except 220). In language courses, students work with
native French and Francophone assistants in small supplementary
conversation groups. Graduates of Mount Holyoke who have majored
in French have used the analytical skills and means of expression
acquired during their studies to pursue a wide range of career options:
education, government service, law, international banking, publishing,
and marketing, among others.
Requirements
for the Major
Credits
Required courses for the major are:
- Two intermediate courses in culture and literature (215, 219,
225, or 230)
- One 4-credit elective in culture and literature at the 200 or
300 level.
- Three advanced courses in culture and literature at the 300
level. At least one must deal (in whole or substantial part) with
culture and/or literature prior to 1800, and at least one other
must deal (in whole or substantial part) with culture and/or literature
after 1800. Independent study (295 and 395) and courses taught
in English translation, will not be counted among these courses.
- One seminar (370).
- Advanced language study in phonetics as well as in grammar,
composition,or stylistics, equivalent to four MHC credits and
subject to approval by the French department. Typically, majors
spending a year or semester in France or another Francophone country
will fulfill this requirement through appropriate course work
abroad. Majors who do not study abroad may fulfill the requirement
in advanced language study by taking appropriate course work within
the Five College consortium or independent study arranged through
the Mount Holyoke Department of French.
- The major program should provide continuity in the study of
French. To this end, at least one 4-credit course taught in French
must be elected each semester of the junior and senior years.
Independent study will not be counted among these courses.
- Students should also consider complementing the French major
with courses in other disciplines dealing with France, Francophone
countries, or Western Europe, such as international relations,
art history, English, European studies, geography, history, language,
music, philosophy, politics, or religion.
Other
requirements
- A student may design her French major organized around a particular
topic, century, theme, or area such as French or Francophone studies;
gender/women's studies; medieval studies; eighteenth-, nineteenth-,
and twentieth-century studies; theater studies; classicism; symbolism;
travel literature, etc. She should work closely with a faculty
adviser to select appropriate courses in other departments, which
may include independent study that would complement her course
work in French. Whenever graduate study in French is contemplated,
the major should include courses covering several centuries of
French culture and literature.
- A student spending her junior year in France or a Francophone
country with a program approved by the department will normally
meet some of the requirements of her major through study abroad.
By taking appropriate courses, a student may bring back the equivalent
of 4 Mount Holyoke credits in advanced language study (two in
phonetics and two in grammar, composition, or stylistics) as well
as two courses at the 300 level to count toward the major. Additional
courses in French taken abroad will normally receive credit at
the 300 level but will not count toward the minimum requirement
for the major.
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