Comparative Studies in Literature and Culture (French and Francophone Studies) (MA)

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The Comparative Studies in Literature and Culture Department offers the MA and PhD in three tracks: Comparative Media and Culture; Comparative Literature; and National Literatures and Cultures (French and Francophone Studies or Spanish and Latin American Studies).

Track III: National Literatures and Cultures

French and Francophone Studies

The majority of students pursue the doctorate in Comparative Studies in Literature and Culture (French and Francophone Studies) in preparation for a career of teaching and research at the college or university level in the field of French and Francophone literature and cultural studies. Students preparing for these careers must obtain a broad knowledge of major French and Francophone literary texts and traditions from the Middle Ages to the present, which is achieved through a combination of course work and exams. They should also develop the intellectual depth that allows them to produce an original dissertation in a timely manner.

Course Requirements

Completion of at least 8 courses (29–32 units) distributed as follows: (1) CSLC 501 , CSLC 502 and CSLC 503 ; three core courses, FREN 500 , FREN 501 and FREN 503 ; (3) two additional courses in French or, with permission, in a related field. No more than two of the eight courses may be at the 400 level and no more than one course may be in directed research (590).

First-year Review

The program conducts a thorough review of all first-year students at the end of the second semester. To be permitted to continue doctoral work, students must receive a satisfactory evaluation in this review.

Field Examination

A written exam based on a reading list, followed by an oral defense (both in French), must be successfully passed by all students in the track. A syllabus for an undergraduate French course of the student’s design is submitted two weeks prior to the Field Examination and is discussed by the examining committee at the oral defense. The Field Examination is normally taken at the end of the semester in which MA course work is completed.