French Major

Print Degree Planner (opens a new window) |

Major Requirements

The major in French requires nine courses above FREN 033 CM - Intermediate French , or the equivalent, distributed as follows:

Required courses: two courses selected from:
- FREN 100 SC - French Culture and Civilization , and
- FREN 117 CM - Novel and Cinema in Africa and the Caribbean , or FREN 132 CM - North African Literature After Independence , or FREN 133 CM - The Beur Question in Films and Texts .
Elective courses: seven courses
At least one of the elective courses must pertain to the 20th century. Courses offered at Pomona College or Scripps College may be used for the major with permission of the department chair.

Senior Thesis in French

The senior thesis is a general education requirement and the capstone experience of a student’s undergraduate education. Students must complete a senior thesis in at least one of their majors under supervision of a faculty reader who teaches within that major, unless granted a special exception.

Students interested in doing a two-semester thesis project complete a one-half credit or full credit thesis research course in the first semester and the senior thesis in the second semester. The senior thesis and the thesis research course may not be counted as courses in the major.

Special Options for Majors

Dual Majors

Students with a dual major including French must complete at least seven courses in French above FREN 033 CM . Students with a dual major including eight courses in French must meet the major requirements listed above.

Students with a dual major including French are encouraged to write their senior thesis on a topic in French. For further information, see Senior Thesis in French above.

Please note the restrictions on honors in the major for students with a dual major under Honors in French below. For further information on dual majors and the requirements for the other discipline of the dual major, please check the appropriate sections of this catalog.

Honors in French

To be eligible for departmental honors in French a student must achieve an “A-” (11.00) average in the major and at least an “A-” (11.00) for an honors thesis in French. A petition for honors candidacy must be submitted at the beginning of the senior year to the chair of the Modern Languages department.

Students with a dual major including French who wish to be considered for honors in French will only receive honors if they:

have completed all requirements for a full major in French and are granted honors, or
qualify and receive honors in both disciplines of their dual major. See Academic Honors at Graduation for details

Study Abroad

A semester (or year) of study abroad in France or another French-speaking country is highly recommended. Two of the nine courses required for the major may be completed abroad for each semester spent studying abroad. For details, see Foreign Language Study Abroad .