French Major (B.A.)

Director: Matthew Escobar

www.shu.edu/academics/ba-french.html

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French has a rich cultural heritage from the medieval troubadour poets to great novelists such as Balzac, Hugo, Flaubert, Proust and influential artistic and philosophical movements such as Impressionism, Surrealism, Existentialism and the French New Wave (Nouvelle Vague).

Today, French is a global language, spoken by more than 300 million people. This diversity is the result of a colonial heritage that continues to impact France and Francophone countries in complex ways via economic and political tensions as well as immigration.

As a French major, you will study for a liberal arts degree that hones your skills in the language, literatures, and cultures of the Francophone world (including North Africa, West Africa and Québec) in ways that are directly applicable to any profession that requires strong analytical and writing skills.

The courses we offer provide instruction in the French language (in a 3-year sequence from Elementary I to Advanced II) and cover all major periods, such as the Medieval, Renaissance and Romantic periods as well as major historical and artistic movements of the 20^th and 21^st Centuries.

We offer a wide array of advanced courses in conversation, film, special topics, culture, business, international relations, diplomacy and literature including courses such as 18^th, 19^th and 20^th Century French Literature, French Detective Fiction, The Parisian Lens, the Values of the French Republic, French Diplomacy and Foreign Policy and Franco-American Exchanges.

Graduates in French go on to a wide variety of careers. Some pursue graduate study while others enter business or the cultural field. Many of our French students register for a double major, which is perhaps the ideal way to excel in a career in the humanities, education, journalism, government, or business as—beyond analytical skills—employers value the capacity to understand and engage with different cultures.

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Students are required to take an online placement test through the Global Learning Center in order to register for classes in any language(s) that they have previously studied.

Link to College Core requirement.

The sequence of courses for a major in French language is as follows:  

Course List

Code	Title	Hours
A. Primary Major
FREN 2001 & FREN 2002	Interm French I and Interm French II	6
FREN 3001 & FREN 3002	Adv French I and Adv French II	6
Language, culture, or literature electives above the Advanced level*		24
Total Hours		36

The department also offers a secondary major in French. Students are required to complete 36 credits in courses above the Elementary level. (The requirements for a secondary major in modern languages are the same as for the primary major, 36 credits in courses above the Elementary level).

The sequence of courses for a secondary major in French is as follows:

Course List

Code	Title	Hours
B. Secondary Major
FREN 2001 & FREN 2002	Interm French I and Interm French II	6
FREN 3001 & FREN 3002	Adv French I and Adv French II	6
Language, culture, or literature electives above the Advanced level*		24
Total Hours		36

* All FREN courses 3000 and above are taught entirely in French.