French Studies
The ability to think internationally and across cultures is the core mission of the University. With this in mind, French Studies is conceived and designed to support and strengthen students’ abilities to think, read, and write in French and about French literature, culture, and the Francophone world. Students will begin the French sequence according to prior experience and continue through advanced courses devoted to French literature, culture, and contemporary society. As part of their program of study, students may spend one semester at a French-speaking university after finishing FRE 300, or complete a series of courses in related disciplines; students will complete a capstone seminar in French Studies. Students who do not study in a French-speaking university will be encouraged to complete at least one travel course to France or the French-speaking world.
Major Requirements (51 Credits)
Required courses (or equivalent proficiency) (18 Credits)
| FRE 100 | Introductory French, Part I | 3 |
| FRE 101 | Introductory French, Part II | 3 |
| FRE 200 | Intermediate French, Part I | 3 |
| FRE 201 | Intermediate French, Part II | 3 |
| FRE 300 | Advanced French, Part I | 3 |
| FRE 301 | Advanced French, Part II | 3 |
Four of the following (12 Credits)
| FRE 302 | Advanced French Conversation | 3 |
| FRE 303 | French Translation | 3 |
| FRE 320 | Writing the Self: French Autobiography and Autofiction | 3 |
| FRE 324 | From Beur to Post-Beur Literature: Exile, Margins, and Re-Territorialization | 3 |
| FRE 325 | Representation of the Shoah in French Literature and Cinema | 3 |
| FRE 350 | French Civilization | 3 |
| Topics in French Literature | 3 |
| FRE 372 | Distinction in French Literature: From the 17th to the 21st Century | 3 |
| FRE 374 | Introduction to French Cinema | 3 |
| FRE 376 | French Cinema: The New Wave | 3 |
| FYS 399 | Academic Mentoring | 3 |
Major Electives (15 Credits)
One semester abroad in the French-speaking world (9 credits towards the major plus 6 elective credits); or
| CLCS 100 | The Stories We Live By | 3 |
| CLCS 110 | Reading Cultures: Approaches to Cultural Studies | 3 |
Three of the following:
Courses are to be selected in consultation with the student’s academic advisor and the department chair.
| AHT 216 | Introduction to the History of Photography | 3 |
| AHT 234 | Painting in France in the 19th Century: Reality, Impressions, Simultaneity | 3 |
| AHT 338 | The City and Its Representation in the 20th Century | 3 |
| CLCS 200 | Gender and Sexuality in a Global Context | 3 |
| CLCS 247T | French Cultural Institutions: Power and Representation | 3 |
| CLCS 251T | Reading Moroccan Culture | 3 |
| CLCS 254 | Introduction to Postcolonial Literatures and Theories | 3 |
| CLCS 300 | Masculinities in Literature and Film | 3 |
| CLCS 320 | Culture, Class, Cuisine: Questions of Taste | 3 |
| HIS 202T | History of Switzerland | 3 |
| HIS 271 | History of Modern France | 3 |
| POL 224 | Politics and Society in Switzerland | 3 |
Senior Capstone Requirement (6 Credits)
| FRE 497 | Senior Seminar in French Studies | 3 |
One of the following:
Note: Prerequisites may be required for courses outside of the major.