French Placement Test
The Language Requirement
The French Major
The French Cultural Studies Major
Honors
Graduate Study and Careers
All incoming students who have studied some French and who are considering taking French at some point during their college career at Wellesley are required to take the placement test. True beginners, without an experience in French may register for French 101 or 103 without taking the test. The placement test is a tool to evaluate your proficiency in French so that you will be placed with students who are at the same level as you. If your SAT or AP score suggests a different placement level than your French Department placement results, the French department placement committee will advise you as to which course to take. Any student who intends to fulfill her language requirement by taking a course at another institution must take the French placement test upon her return and attain the required level.
A student entering Wellesley must have an Advanced Placement score of 5 or an SAT II score of 690 to satisfy the foreign language requirement. The Wellesley College language requirement is normally met with the completion of either FREN 201-202 or FREN 203. Students who present an AP score of 3 or an SAT II score between 600–640 can satisfy the requirement by taking FREN 205. Students who present an AP score of 4 or an SAT II score between 650–680 can satisfy the requirement by taking one of the following courses: FREN 206, 207, 208 or 209.
The French department’s courses develop skills in the language of France and French-speaking countries and offer access to cultures that are rich in tradition and have important roles to play in a rapidly diversifying Europe and a rapidly contracting world. All but one of our courses, from elementary to advanced, are taught in French. Their topics, in literature and culture, span ten centuries, from the Middle Ages to the present. In addition to opening cultural doors, the department’s courses help students develop a number of critical skills and habits—linguistic, analytical, interpretive, expressive.
Early in the language cycle students encounter material from different parts of the world, from historical periods that range from the medieval to the contemporary, and in a variety of genres and media. They encounter as well a number of different approaches to reading and analyzing texts: historical, sociological, psychological, and literary—including the perspectives of race and gender and women’s studies. Students who graduate from our program have gone on to further study in (among other areas) the law, medicine, international relations, museum science, art and art history, English, French, and Middle Eastern Studies, as well as to careers in publishing and on Wall Street and Madison Avenue. Graduates routinely report that their skills in French are a significant asset in pursuing careers with international organizations and companies.
Majors are required to complete a minimum of eight units, including the following courses or their equivalents: FREN 211 (or FREN 210, only for classes 2008-2011) and 308. The goals of a coherent program are: (a) oral and written linguistic competence; (b) acquisition of basic techniques of reading and interpreting texts; and (c) a general understanding of the history of French literature and culture. FREN 232, which is taught in English, does not count for the minimum major in French. All majors must take at least one culture course (FREN 206, 207, 225, 229, 237) or spend one semester studying in a francophone country, and at least one literature course (FREN 208, 209, 210, 213, 214, 215, 216, 217, 218, 219, 223, 224). All majors must take two 300-level French courses at Wellesley College, at least one of which must be during their senior year. FREN 350, 360 and 370 do not count towards the minimum requirement of two 300-level courses for the major. No more than two courses taken credit/noncredit at Wellesley College may be applied to the French major. Students planning to major in French should consult with the chair of the French department.
The French Cultural Studies Major
The French Cultural
Studies major is intended for students whose interests in the French
and Francophone world are primarily cultural and historical. This
interdepartmental major combines courses from the department of French
with those in Africana studies, art, history, music, political science,
or any other department offering courses on France or Francophone
countries. The French department’s courses in history and society
are the core of the program. These courses examine institutions,
political and social movements, along with the mass media, using
methodologies grounded in the social sciences, primarily history and
sociology. Other French department offerings in the field include
courses that place literature and film in a social context. French
cultural studies majors ordinarily work closely with two advisors, one
from the French department and one from their other area of
concentration.
The major in French cultural studies consists of a minimum of eight units. At least four units in the French department above the 100 level are required including FREN 211 (for students in the classes 2010 and 2011 only, FREN 210 may be substituted) and FREN 207. In special cases, an upper-level culture course in French approved by the program director may be substituted for FREN 207. At least one unit in French at the 300 (advanced) level is required. All majors must take two 300-level courses at Wellesley College. FRST 350, 360 and 370 do not normally count towards the minimum requirement of two 300-level courses for the major. In exceptional cases, this requirement may be waived by the FCS director and/or the chair of the French department. No more than two courses taken credit/noncredit at Wellesley College may be applied to the French cultural studies major. Students planning to major in French Cultural Studies should consult with Venita Datta, Advisor to the major in 2009-2010.
The only route to honors in the major is writing a thesis and passing an oral examination.
Requirements for Becoming an Honors Candidate
1. Grade point average of 3.5 in the major, above the 100-level
(Exceptions: see appended Articles of Government, Book II,
Section 2, Honors Programs.)
2. Recommendation of Department's Honors Committee when Project is submitted
3. A 300-level course or its equivalent before the Fall of senior year.
4. French 360 and 370 do not count towards the minimum requirement of two
300-level courses for the major.
Spring of Junior Year
In the Spring
of the Junior Year qualified students who wish to be in the Honors Program must
submit a proposal for 360 Senior Thesis Research. Students in the
Wellesley-in-Aix program should discuss their plans with the program Director.
Any eligible junior who wishes to do so should then consult a faculty member for
advice in selecting appropriate research material for summer reading and in
developing her topic into a promising proposal which is to be formally submitted
to the department in the fall. The advisor should be contacted in February. In
March and April the student should gather a bibliography and by the end of April
she should submit it to her advisor along with a preliminary proposal. The
advisor should comment on the bibliography and proposal by the beginning of
June.
It is suggested that interested students look at the Honors theses of former
students in the French Department Germaine Lafeuille Library. The Chair of the
department is available for advice about selecting an Honors advisor. You may
also consult the short description of the specializations of each French
Department faculty member on the department bulletin board.
Summer
Read in general area of research and begin writing proposal for submission to
the Department. Compile an annotated bibliography.
September
Meet
with advisor during the first week of classes to discuss thesis topic, annotated
bibliography, and the reading done over the summer. A schedule of conferences
and deadlines should be worked out at this time.
October 1
Proposals
are to be submitted to the Honors Committee of the department after consultation
with the advisor. Goals, scope of study, and critical approach should be clearly
and precisely defined. Special attention should be paid to grammar, spelling,
and style. A tentative, but detailed, outline of the thesis, suggesting the
progression of the argument or analysis must accompany the proposal. A
bibliography should also be included. Separate copies of the proposal are to be
provided for each member of the Honors Committee.
If the proposal is not approved, the student will be notified by October
8: in this case, the student may withdraw from the Honors Program. She will be
credited with one unit of 360 if sufficient work is done during the semester to
justify it.
October 30
A more substantial outline should be submitted to the advisor.
November 30
A substantial sample (chapter or section, 20-25 pages) should be submitted to
the advisor and the members of the Honors Committee. During finals week, a
mini-oral will be scheduled with the student, her advisor and two members of the
Honors Committee. At that time, the student, in consultation with her advisor
and the committee, should decide whether her 360-370 work thus far, written or
otherwise, justifies the continuation of her project into the second semester:
it happens sometimes that a topic turns out to be less interesting or fruitful
than originally anticipated. In that case, credit will be given for one unit of
360, provided sufficient work has been done. If the submitted sample appears
promising, work on the 360 project should continue in consultation with the
advisor. In the latter case the instructor may choose to give a T.B.G. grade (To
Be Graded) instead of a letter grade for work done in the fall semester.
December
By the end of the final exam period the student will be notified of the
decision of the Honors Committee. In order to avoid the possibility of having
two 360's on her transcript, a student may find it prudent to register for a
course in French which might serve as a substitute for the second semester.
List of Honors Candidates to Curriculum Committee of College
Before the end of the tenth week of classes the Honors Committee reports
to the Curriculum Committee of the College (with copy to the Chair of the
Department) which students registered for 370s are candidates for honors.
Before the end of the tenth week of classes the Honors Committee reports to the Curriculum Committee of the College (with copy to the Chair of the Department) which students registered for 370's are candidates for honors.
Oral exam
The thesis is due in the Dean's Office at a date specified by the College,
usually 2-3 weeks before the last day of classes.
The Oral Defense is comprised of the Advisor, the Chair of the Department (or
her or his deputy), a representative of the Curriculum Committee of the College,
and at least one other department member ordinarily chosen by the Advisor and
Honors candidate.
If her thesis and her oral exam are judged of honors quality, the student is
awarded honors in the major field. If the thesis is completed, but if it or the
honors exam is not of honors quality, honors are not awarded: 370 remains on the
transcript as Senior Thesis with an appropriate grade
French and French Cultural Studies majors have pursued interesting and diverse careers; they have entered fields such as teaching, business, banking, retail, law, publishing, government, sales, and computer programming. They have also enrolled in some of the best graduate schools in the country, including Harvard, Yale and New York University. Students who plan to do graduate work in French are advised to begin or pursue the study of a second modern language and Latin. Those who plan to do graduate work in comparative literature are advised to study the literature of several countries and to acquire proficiency in at least one classical language.