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French Language and Literature

 

Requirements for the Major

The major in French Language and Literature leads to the Bachelor of Arts degree. Students must complete Concen­tration A or Concentration B. These concentrations are designed to allow maximum flexibility in the students' programs and to fulfill their varying needs and interests. Both require as a basis a solid preparation in French. Concen­tration A provides preparation for graduate study in literature; concentrations A and B both provide appropriate background for students preparing for work in law, government, international relations, business, banking, hotel management, or translation and interpretation. Students interested in teaching French in secondary schools may choose either Concentration A or B. However, they must have 36 credits in FRN before the State of New York will certify them. Please see the staff of the Foreign Lan­guage Secondary Teacher Education Program for further advising in this area. Foreign language education students are also highly encouraged to study more than one foreign language.

All courses offered for the major must be passed with a letter grade of C or higher. Transfer students must take at least 18 credits of French in residence at Stony Brook. Please note that FRN 475/FRN 476 (Undergraduate Teaching Practicum) may not count for the major or minor.

Completion of the major requires 36-42 credits for Concentration A (all in FRN or HUF) or 42-48 credits for Concentration B (30 credits of FRN and HUF, and 12 credits of a non-FRN discipline), depending on language placement. See https://www.stonybrook.edu/commcms/llrc/placement_challenge_exams/placement_exam.html for placement exam information. All students should consult with the Director of the French Program.

A. Concentration in Language and Literature 

1. Required courses: 

a. Language courses:

b. Literature courses:

  • FRN 395 Readings in French Literature: Analysis and Interpretation I
  • FRN 396 Readings in French Literature: Analysis and Interpretation II

2. Elective courses:

  • 15 additional credits in FRN ­courses beyond FRN 395, FRN 396, of which 12 credits must be in literature (Two courses from among HUF 211, HUF 216, HUF 219, and HUL 324 are also acceptable)

3. Upper-division writing requirement: See C below

B. Concentration in French and a Second Discipline 

1. Required courses:

  • FRN 211 Intermediate French I
  • FRN 212 Intermediate French II
  • FRN 311 Conversation
  • FRN 312 Composition
  • FRN 313 French Vocabulary through Popular Culture
  • FRN 395, FRN 396 Readings in French Literature: Analysis and Interpretation I, II
  • FRN 411 Phonetics and Diction
  • FRN 412 Stylistics 
  • One course in French literature numbered 300 or higher
  • FRN 441 French Civilization or HUF 216 or HUF 219
  • One additional FRN or HUF course (Please note that no more than two HUF courses in total may count for the major or minor.)

2. Elective courses:

  • 12 additional credits (nine of which must be 300-level or higher) to be chosen with the help of the designated advisor and approved by the Department. Students must choose a sequence of four courses in a department or program other than French (FRN or HUF).

C. Upper-Division Writing Requirement 

To demonstrate proficiency in writing English, students majoring in French must present a dossier of a minimum of two papers of at least three to five pages each. The dossier must be submitted before the second semester of the junior year to the FRN Program Coordinator. Since this requirement is a University requirement and not a French requirement, the Program Coordinator will accept research papers written in English for any course students have taken at Stony Brook University. Graded papers are much preferred. For students who do not have research papers written in English, they must translate two papers written for their FRN courses from French to English.

Students should consult with the department advisor to ensure that their plan for completing the Upper Division Writing Requirement is consistent with  university graduation requirements for General Education.  Students completing the Stony Brook Curriculum (SBC) must complete a course that satisfies the "Write Effectively within One's Discipline" (WRTD) learning objective to graduate.  The Upper Division Writing Requirement is consistent in most cases with the SBC learning outcomes for WRTD.

Notes: 
1. Students whose language proficiency is such that they can be exempted from FRN 211, 212,  311, FRN 312 may, and are strongly urged to, apply to have courses in art, music, history, or another language count for major credit. 
2. Students who wish to offer their native language as the main area of concentration are asked to replace FRN 211, FRN 212,FRN 311, FRN 312, FRN 410, and FRN 411 by English courses appropriate to their level of proficiency in that language.

Requirements for the Minor

All courses offered for the minor must be taken for a letter grade, excluding those graded S/U. All upper-division courses offered for the minor must be passed with a grade of C or higher. Students must complete either A. Emphasis on Lan­guage or B. Emphasis on Literature. Transfer students must take at least six credits of upper-division French or Italian courses in residence at Stony Brook.

Completion of the minor requires 21-27 credits, depending on language placement. See https://www.stonybrook.edu/commcms/llrc/placement_challenge_exams/placement_exam.html for placement exam information.

A. Emphasis on Language 

Required courses:

Note: A French literature course or FRN 441 or HUL 324 may be substituted for FRN 410

B. Emphasis on Literature 

Required courses:

  • FRN 211 Intermediate French I
  • FRN 212 Intermediate French II
  • FRN 311 Conversation and Composition
  • FRN 312 Introduction to Stylistics
  • FRN 395 Readings in French Literature I
  • FRN 396 Readings in French Literature II
  • Electives: three literature courses at the 300 level

 

Honors Program in French

To be eligible to participate in the honors program, majors must have a cumulative grade point average of 3.00 and an average of 3.50 in French through the junior year. An eligible student will write a senior thesis with a faculty member of the Department to act as thesis advisor. The student, with the approval of this advisor, must submit a proposal of a project in writing to the Department. Deadline for submission of the proposal for fall semester is April 30 and for spring semester is November 30. Final selection of candidates and topics is determined by an honors committee of the Department. Students selected for the program must enroll in FRN 495 for the semester in which the thesis is written. The thesis is evaluated by the thesis advisor, another member of the Department, and a third reader from outside the Department. For further information consult the Director of Undergraduate Studies.

Secondary Teacher Preparation Program

Students in the Teacher Preparation Program must complete at least 36 credits in FRN to satisfy the SED requirements.

Contact

Franck Dalmas, Program Director

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