FRENCH

Head of the Department: Jean-Philippe Mathy

Director of Graduate Studies: Karen Fresco

Correspondence and Admission Information: Karen Fresco, Department of French, 2090 Foreign Languages Building, 707 South Mathews Avenue, Urbana, IL 61801; (217) 333-2022; E-mail: french@uiuc.edu

URL: www.french.uiuc.edu/

GRADUATE DEGREE PROGRAMS

The Department of French offers graduate programs leading to the master of arts and the doctor of philosophy degrees. Candidates for the master's degree may specialize in literature, in interdisciplinary French studies, in French linguistics, or in the learning/teaching of French. Candidates for the doctoral degree may choose one of four specia lizations: literature, interdisciplinary French studies, French linguistics, or second-language learning and teaching.

ADMISSION

Students considered for admission to the master's program usually have an overall undergraduate admission average of 3.0 (A = 4.0) with an average in French of 3.5. Students should usually have had a college major in French. Graduate Record Examination (GRE) scores are recommended. Applicants should also submit a statement of purpose and two samples of their writing in French. International applicants must present a minimum paper-based Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) score of 550 (213 on the computer-based test). Admission for the spring semester is rare. Entering students are given a diagnostic test to determine whether remedial study in French language is necessary. Some knowledge of other Romance languages and literatures is desirable. Students seeking admission to the Ph.D. program with a master of arts degree earned elsewhere are expec ted to have a 3.5 grade point average in graduate coursework. The master's degree should be in French literature or in French studies. Candidates seeking admission to the Ph.D. concentration in second-
language learning and teaching may hold a Master of Arts in Teaching degree.

Graduate Teaching Experience

Although teaching is not a general Graduate College requirement, the Department of French requires Ph.D. candidates to do some teaching as part of their academic work because such experience is considered a vital part of the graduate program.

MASTER OF ARTS

Candidates in all master's programs must complete eight units of coursework and pass a master's examination. Candidates in literature must take an examination based on a reading list covering the field of French literature. The examination in interdisciplinary French studies covers, in addition to readings in the field of French literature, material bearing on the candidate's field of specialization in French culture or related disciplines. The examination in linguistics is based on a list of readings in linguistics and in literature. The examination in French learning/teaching includes readings in second-language acquisition and teaching methods in addition to selected readings in French literature and/or civilization. Candidates in all programs are required to demonstrate, at the time of the master's examination, an ability to communicate effectively in both written and oral French.

DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY

Candidates in all programs must complete 16 units beyond the master's degree, including a minimum of eight units of coursework beyond the master's degree, and must pass a preliminary examination and write an acceptable thesis.

Specialization IN LITERATURE

This program is designed to prepare literary scholars and teachers. Candidates are required to include courses in textual criticism, linguistics or linguistically oriented textual theory, Old French, and French literatu re. Also required are reading proficiency in one language other than French or English and one year of college Latin or the equivalent.

Specialization IN INTERDISCIPLINARY FRENCH STUDIES

The doctoral program in interdisciplinary French studies allows for research in francophone literature or in the relation of French literature to some nonliterary discipline. Two of the required eight units of coursework beyond the master's degree may be taken in other departments or programs when available and approved by the graduate adviser. Candidates are required to include courses in French literature. Reading proficiency in one language other than French or English and one year of college Latin or the equivalent are required, or students may demonstrate high proficiency in one foreign language.

Specialization IN FRENCH LINGUISTICS

This graduate curriculum offers training in French descriptive linguistics and philology. Students in this program are required to take three units i n French literature and may elect up to two units of related work in other departments, in addition to required courses in the structure of French, history of the French language, and Old French. At the doctoral level, a concentration in Romance linguistics is available in cooperation with the Department of Spanish, Italian, and Portuguese; the Department of Linguistics; and the Department of the Classics.

Specialization IN SECOND LANGUAGE ACQUISITION/TEACHER EDUCATION

The multidisciplinary Ph.D. concentration in second-language acquisition and teacher education is available to candidates with an M.A. in French or M.A.T. in French and at least one year of experience in teaching French as a second language. Candidates selecting this option are required to complete courses in linguistic theory, psycholinguistics and the psychology of language and/or sociolinguistics and sociocultural analysis, curriculum development, research methodology, advanced study in French language and cultu re, and selected courses from a group of rotating topics related to the individual's particular interests. Minimum requirements for the degree in all the participating departments are 16 units of credit beyond the master's degree.

FINANCIAL AID

Assistantships and University fellowships are awarded. Several graduate students each year spend the academic year in France under exchange agreements with universities in France, Belgium, and Canada.