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French and French Studies
For 2007 - 2008
From left: George Poe, Olivia Choplin, Kathryn Mills, Waring McCrady, Donald Rung
Welcome to the Francophone world in Sewanee! We are a friendly department of five (photos), and we love French so much that we would welcome any chance to show you our enthusiasm for all things French-related: literature, culture, music, movies, food, wine, and more! On campus you may practice your French in our classes, at the weekly Table Française (lunch on Mondays at McClurg), at the lovely Maison Française where students reside and where the Department sponsors Francophone programs, at the SUT for occasional French movies, and in the hallways of Gailor Hall where you will hear us chattering away in the "langue de Molière."
Our language classes (FREN 103, 104, 203, and 300) are designed to help you develop basic skills in reading literary and cultural texts, in writing correct French, listening comprehension, and in speaking the language. In addition, we integrate culture and technology into these classes and cross disciplinary boundaries into other areas of the liberal arts. We develop each of the emphases of the National Foreign Language Standards: Communication, Cultures, Connections, Comparisons, and Communities.
Our 300-level courses are designed to help you make the transition to upper-level courses in the major. We offer conversation, composition, an introduction to French and Francophone Literature, Explication de textes, and summer courses abroad (Sewanee Summer-in-France). Designed for French and French Studies majors and minors, our 400-level courses are either literary in nature or oriented toward non-literary uses of French in interdisciplinary studies. See the catalog for more information on requirements for a major or minor in these two particular tracks.
We strive to provide as much individual attention to students as possible in all of our courses.
In the 2007-2008 academic year, we had 22 majors and minors enrolled. Our majors are accepted into fine graduate schools and have also gone on to very interesting careers, including public service, academe, banking, and governmental jobs, to name just a few vocational paths.
Faculty
Professor Poe
Associate Professor Ramsey, Chair
Associate Professor Mills
Assistant Professor Glacet
Professor Emeritus McCrady, Advent semester 2008
Visiting Professor Miannay, Easter semester 2009
Associate Professor Rung, on leave 2008 - 2009
Requirements
Students having studied French at the secondary-school level must take the department placement examination. Those who wish to enroll at a level beneath that indicated by the placement examination receive credit only if departmental permission is obtained prior to registration in the course. Through the sequence of courses designed for Sewanee students choosing to meet their language requirement in French, an operative level of oral and written proficiency is obtained, and students will likewise be capable of reading important works in French and reacting to them critically.
The study of French language, culture, and literature should ultimately provide Sewanee students with a paradigmatic set of tools for a lifetime of cultural exploration and a sympathetic understanding of otherness. For those wishing to go beyond the required sequence in French, the department sponsors two major tracks, one in French and one in French Studies, with minors available in both French and French Studies. These two programs offer Sewanee students the opportunity, in the former case, to deepen their understanding of French literature and literary criticism through an approach interweaving period with theme, or, in the latter case, to obtain a firm grounding in the evolution of French history, culture and language.
Major in French - The minimum requirement for a French major is seven full courses beyond 300 and at least a semester of study abroad in a French-speaking country (the department helps students find appropriate program). Along with 314, majors are normally expected to take at least two additional courses at the 300 level, one of which must be 360, before registering for 400-level courses. A minimum of three 400-leve; French-major courses is expected, and senior French majors also participate, during their final semester, in the 410 seminar which ties together their upper-level coursework and prepares all French majors for their comprehensive examination. All French majors are expected to live in the French House for at least one semester and to study in France for a semester or more. To satisfy the latter requirement, the Department advises the students in the choice of appropriate programs.
Minor in French - The minimum requirements for a French minor is four full courses beyond the French 300 and a participation in a summer-abroad program in a French-speaking country (Sewanee’s own summer program when offered, or a similar program approved by the department in off-years). Along with 314, French minors are expected to take at least one additional 300-level course and two 400-level courses of their choosing. The Department also offers a biennial summer program in France for its majors and other motivated students who have fulfilled the language requirement and are anxious to improve their fluency and to learn more about French culture, history and literature on site. The two-course program is based in Mediterranean Provence, with follow-up travel through different provinces and a final stay in Paris.
Major in French Studies - The French studies major is an interdisciplinary program combining substantial core work in the Department of French and abroad ( one semester minimum in a French-speaking country) on the language, history, culture, and society of French and of other Francophone countries, with complementary coursework in at least two related fields; acceptable courses in the related fields are specified in the following program layout.
Minor in French Studies - The minimum requirement for a French Studies minor is four full courses beyond French 300 and participation in a summer-abroad program in a French-speaking country (Sewanee’s own summer program when offered, or a similar program approved by the department in off-years). Along with 314, students are expected to take at least one course among 311, 312, and 419; at least one course at the 400 level; and at least one course in art history, music, or theatre from the related-courses list for the French Studies major OR Fren 415 on the history of the French cinema. For a substitute course to be taken abroad in answer to these requirements, it must be approved by the Department of French prior to departure.
La Maison
The French House (La Maison française) was founded in 1973 and is located on Texas Avenue, near the Fowler Center. Set on a large and shady lot, the house is a ten-minute walk from the central part of campus. The downstairs areas are the common spaces, including a handsome foyer, a dining room, a living room, a TV room for showing French-speaking films and for receiving French programming via satellite, and a well-equipped kitchen. Upstairs, eight students share four bedrooms, each with a separate study corner and a connecting bathroom. The Head Resident, always a native from France, lives in an apartment on the first floor and is responsible for overseeing the semestral program of activities; these include lectures, film projections, parties, dances, dinners, and talent shows. And sometimes residents embark on excursions to Chattanooga or to Nashville to see a French film or play. The purpose of the French House is to promote the French language as well as French and Francophone culture. Thus, the official language there is French. The French Department maintains close ties with the French House and its residents during the year. Living in the French House for at least a semester is strongly recommended of all French majors, and minors and other French enthusaists are also encouraged to apply.
Sewanee in France
The Department of French offers its own five-to-six-week summer program in France on a biennial basis (now in odd-numbered years) for motivated students who have fulfilled the language requirement and are anxious to improve their fluency and learn more about French culture, history, and literature on site. The program should particularly serve French minors who are expected to study in France for at least a summer, ideally between their sophomore and junior years, though the summer between the junior and senior years could work in exceptional cases. The two-course program ("Advanced Language Abroad" and "Studies in Culture and Literature Abroad") is based in Mediterranean Provence, where students live with French families and study French language and culture intensively. Then during the final ten days, the group makes cultural stops throughout the provinces en route to Paris where the program concludes in early-to-mid July (students may stay on beyond the official end-date for independent travel if they wish). For the even-numbered "off years," other good summer programs are suggested to interested students. In all cases, students should begin exploring their summer-in-France options no later than mid-November of the academic year prior to their intended departure. Students interested in this program should contact Professor Aymeric Glacet.
French majors are expected to spend at least a semester studying in France, and majors in other fields of study may be interested in doing likewise. For stays longer than a summer, Sewanee makes use of its affiliate status with programs like I.E.S. to send students to Nantes, Paris, and many other destinations.
For general questions concerning financial aid, course credit, and deadlines, please go to the University's Foreign Study Page.
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