About the Program
Professors: Deborah Hess, Marie-Pascale Pieretti (chair)
Assistant Professor: Marie-Christine Massé
Adjunct Assistant Professor: Muriel Placet-Kouassi
Adjunct Lecturer: Sarah Bonnefoi
The mastery of foreign languages has become increasingly valuable for employment in international law, finance, trade, banking, and communications as well as for graduate studies in the humanities and social sciences. At Drew, French course work and extracurricular activities integrate the study of literatures, cultures and societies of contemporary France , Francophone Africa and the Caribbean with innovative pedagogies that make the best use of current technologies and multimedia
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Requirements for the Major (36 Credits)
I. Prerequisites (does not count towards major)
FREN 1/Fundamentals of Oral and Written French I (4), FREN 20/Fundamentals of Oral and Written French II (4), or the equivalent
II. FREN 30/Intermediate French (4) or placement in upper-level French courses by examination, or through receiving a score of 4 or 5 on the AP exam.
III. Two Advanced French language and culture courses from (8 credits):
FREN 100/Surf, Watch and Talk: French Popular Culture (4)
FREN 101/Advanced Conversation (4)
FREN 102/French Cinema (4)
IV. Literary Analysis (4 credits)
FREN 104A/Literary Analysis: Games People Play (2)
FREN 104B/Literary Analysis: Strangers and Misfits (2)
V. Five Topics courses or 20 credits chosen from at least four different topics.
No more than one topic course may be taken in English.
Note: It is strongly recommended that all French majors spend time studying in France or in a French-speaking country. Students considering graduate studies in French language, civilization, and/or literature should take general education requirements in a cognate field and additional courses in French and Francophone literature and culture. Students interested in careers in international affairs, business, or law should take courses in the relevant disciplines and programs.
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Requirements for the Minor (20 Credits)
A sequence of twenty (20) credits taken at any level, or sixteen (16), including 4 through placement. Must include at least three 100 level courses.
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Advanced Placement (AP) Examinations
A student receiving a score of 4 or 5 on the French examination is exempt from FREN 30 and is considered to have fulfilled the College's general education language requirement. AP credits in French do not apply to the language-in-context general education requirement. See pages 15-16 for further information about AP credits.
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Language-in-Context Requirement for French
The following regularly offered courses fulfill the language-in-context requirement for students offering French as their language. Courses from foreign language departments and programs offered to fulfill this requirement must be in addition to the eight (8) credits needed to fulfill the language requirement. For other courses, see the list published each semester.
ANTH 39/Regional Archaeology (when topic applies) (4)
ANTH 51/Arts of Africa and the Diaspora (4)
ARTHST 4/Western Art I: Ancient and Medieval (4)
ARTHST 5/Western Art II: Pre-Modern and Modern (4)
ARTHST 102/Medieval Art (4)
ARTHST 104/Baroque and Rococo Art (4)
ARTHST 105/19th-Century Art (4)
ARTHST 106/Early 20th-Century Art (4)
ARTHST 146/Contemporary Theory and Criticism (4)
CL 136/Foundations of the European Intellectual Tradition (4)
FREN 99/Foreign Language Across the Curriculum (4)
HIST 61/Modern Sub-Saharan Africa (4)
HIST 136/Foundations of the European Intellectual Tradition (4)
HIST 137/Modern European Intellectual History (4)
HIST 145/Studies in French History (4)
HIST 153/Europe, 1914-1915: The World Wars and the Great Dictators (4)
MUS 3/The Enjoyment of Music (4)
MUS 12/History of Western Music I (4)
MUS 13/History of Western Music II (4)
MUS 101/Music of the Middle Ages and Renaissance (4)
MUS 103/Music of the Baroque and Classical Periods (4)
MUS 111/Music of the 19th and 20th Centuries (4)
PANAF 11/Peoples of Africa: Cultures and Civilization (4)
PHIL 114/Existentialism (4)
PSCI 107/European Politics (4)
PSCI 137/Europe in World Affairs (4)
PSCI 163/Politics of European Integration (4)
REL 143/Religions of Africa (4)
Students who wish to use a course designated FREN to satisfy the language-in-context requirement must take a course that is appropriate to their skills in French.
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Off-Campus Programs
The French department regularly offers Drew International Seminars in French-speaking countries. In the recent past, faculty leaders of these programs have taken students to France ( Paris and Toulouse ), Martinique, and Tunisia . Although our department does not offer its own semester in a French-speaking country, it helps students interested in study abroad to select one of the programs that the department has carefully reviewed and approved for the Study-Abroad Approved List.
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