FRENC-MA - French (MA)
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Program Overview
The French MA allows students to pursue coursework at all levels in French language, literature, cultural and intellectual history, theory, film, and Francophone studies. It understands the domain of French Studies as encompassing the complex cultural, political, social, scientific, commercial, and intellectual phenomena associated with French-speaking parts of the world, from France and Belgium to Canada, Africa, and the Caribbean.
Visiting faculty and instructors regularly contribute to the life of the French section. The section maintains contacts with the Ecole Normale Supérieure, the Institut d'Etudes Politiques, and the Ecole Polytechnique.
A curator for Romance languages oversees the extensive French collection at Green Library. The Hoover Institute on War, Revolution, and Peace also includes materials on 20th-century France and French social and political movements.
Minimum Units in the Program
Minimum University Units
The MA in French provides a flexible combination of language, literature, cultural history, and methodology coursework designed to enhance the preparation of secondary school, junior college, or college teachers.
Candidates must complete a minimum of 45 units of graduate work with all courses being taken for a letter grade and a minimum grade point average (GPA) of 3.3, and pass the master’s examination at the end of their studies. To fulfill the requirements in a single year, enrollment must be for an average of 15 units per quarter.
Candidates must take one cultural history course (to be taken either inside or outside the Department of French and Italian). All remaining units are to be taken in advanced French literature courses (200 level or above), three of which must be concerned with the pre-revolutionary period of French cultural history.
The terminal MA examination is administered between the third and fifth week of spring quarter by a three-member committee selected each year by the Director. It consists of two parts:
Written Exam
The two-hour written exam tests the candidate’s general knowledge of French literature and is based on the French PhD reading list, which may be obtained from the Director, Student Services Manager, or by referencing the French and Italian Graduate Student Handbook.
The exam requires that the candidate answer two questions (out of three) in a manner that demonstrates their ability to synthesize and draw parallels between periods, genres, and systems of representation based on the standard reading list. One question must be answered in French. The use of a dictionary is allowed.
If the student’s performance on the exam is deemed a ‘pass’ by two out of three of the members of the examining committee, the student is then permitted to go on to the oral examination (taken later the same week). Candidates who fail the MA written exam are given a second chance at the end of spring quarter.Oral Exam
The 90-minute oral exam is based on the student’s answers on the written exam. It examines the candidate’s knowledge and understanding of French literary history based on the standard reading list.
After the oral exam, the examination committee meets in a closed session and discusses the student’s performance on the written and oral portions of the examination. If it is judged adequate, the MA degree is granted. In no event may the master’s written and oral exams be taken more than twice.