The French major consists of 33 credits. Students majoring in French may choose one of three distinct options: French cultural studies, French linguistics, or French literary studies. All French majors are strongly urged to spend at least one semester in residence in the French House and/or to participate in a program of study in a French-speaking country.
A grade-point average of 2.0 in all French courses taken at Rutgers at the 213 level or above is required of all majors.
French Cultural Studies
This option is designed to provide students with a critical knowledge of the culture, civilization, and history of France and Francophone areas. It consists of 33 credits, including 01:420:213, 214, 215 or 217, and 216 or 218, plus 21 credits on the 300 and 400 levels, of which 12 must be on the 400 level, 6 must be in literature, and only 3 may be taken in English. Students entering the program too late to take 01:420:215 or 217, and 216 or 218 must take 6 credits of 300-level literature instead. If approved in writing by a French adviser, students may replace 01:420:213 and/or 214 with 300-level courses. One 300- or 400-level course may be taken, as part of the major requirement, in a discipline such as history, art history, political science, or economics, provided it focuses on French or Francophonic subjects, and is approved in writing by a French adviser. Nine of the required 400-level credits must be taken with French professors in the School of Arts and Sciences. All students must take the senior seminar 01:420:481, usually in the fall of their senior year.
French Linguistics
This option focuses on the study of the nature of the human language faculty and aims at providing an understanding of what it means to "know" a language. While the curriculum centers on the French language, it acquaints the student with the central questions of modern linguistics and introduces elementary tools of formal syntax, phonology, and morphology. The French linguistics major consists of 33 credits, including 01:420:213, 214, 215 or 217, 216 or 218, 01:615:201 (in the Department of Linguistics), plus 18 credits on the 300 and 400 levels, of which 12 must be on the 400 level, and only 3 may be taken in English. Students entering the program too late to take 01:420:215 or 217, and 216 or 218 must take 6 credits of 300-level literature instead. If approved in writing by a French adviser, students may replace 01:420:213 and/or 214 with 300-level courses. Of the 300- or 400-level credits, at least 12 must be in French linguistics and/or the history of the French language. Of the remaining credits, 3 may be taken in the Department of Linguistics.
French Literary Studies
This option is designed to acquaint students with a wide spectrum of French literature and to provide them with the skills and methodology for the critical analysis of literary texts, history, and theory. It consists of 33 credits, including 01:420:213, 214, 215 or 217, and 216 or 218, plus 21 credits on the 300 and 400 levels, of which 12 must be on the 400 level, only 6 may be nonliterary, and only 3 may be taken in English. Students entering the program too late to take 01:420:215 or 217 and 216 or 218 must take 6 credits of 300-level literature instead. If approved in writing by a French adviser, students may replace 01:420:213 and/or 214 with 300-level courses. One 300- or 400-level course may be taken in another literature department, provided it is approved in writing by a French adviser. Nine of the required 400-level credits must be taken with French professors in the School of Arts and Sciences. All students must take the senior seminar 01:420:480, usually in the fall of their senior year.
