French and French Studies

French Website: http://french.sewanee.edu/

Professor Poe

Associate Professor Rung

Associate Professor Ramsey

Associate Professor Mills, Chair

Associate Professor Glacet

The study of French language, culture, and literature provides Sewanee students with a paradigmatic set of tools for a lifetime of cultural exploration and a sympathetic understanding of otherness.

To begin courses in the department, students having taken French at the secondary-school level must take the departmental 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 are likewise capable of reading important works in French and reacting to them critically.

For those wishing to go beyond the required sequence in French, the department sponsors two major tracks — one in French literature and one in French Studies, with minors available in both areas. These two programs offer Sewanee students the opportunity, in the former case, to deepen their understanding of French literature and thought through an approach interweaving period with theme, or, in the latter case, to obtain a firm grounding in the evolution of French and Francophone history, culture, and language.

Major in French Literature: The major in French literature includes preparatory courses in advanced French language (one course in the department, and a second course normally taken abroad) meant to facilitate oral and written work pertaining to literary study; an introductory course in literary analysis; and three courses representing different literary periods. The minimum requirement for a major in French literature is eight full courses beyond French 300 (see list below). During their final semester, senior majors participate in the 410 seminar which ties together their upper-level coursework and prepares them for their comprehensive examinations; seminar participants also research a French literary topic of their choosing and complete a sustained piece of writing on the subject in French. In addition, majors must study in a French-speaking country for at least a semester and take an advanced language course there; the department helps students find appropriate programs. In exceptional cases, the department is willing to offer one of the following two alternatives in fulfilling this requirement: study abroad for a summer (5 to 8 weeks, 2 course credits) and one additional 400-level literature course taken within the department; or two additional 400-level literature courses taken within the department. Students seeking these exceptional provisions must submit a satisfactory petition explaining the impossibility of studying in a French-speaking country for a full semester.

—A French major takes the following five courses:

  • Fren 311: Composition, or Fren 312: Conversation, or Fren 313: Contemporary Language and Usage
  • another advanced language course, normally taken abroad
  • Fren 314: Introduction to Literature of the French-Speaking World
  • Fren 400: Techniques of Literary Analysis
  • Fren 410: Senior Seminar in French Literature


—In addition, French majors take a minimum of three of the following courses in literature:

  • Fren 401: Early French Literature
  • Fren 403: The Seventeenth Century
  • Fren 405: The Eighteenth Century
  • Fren 407: The Nineteenth Century
  • Fren 409: Contemporary Literature
  • Fren 417: Topics of the French-Speaking World (when the orientation is literary)

Minor in French LIterature: The requirement for a minor in French literature is six full courses beyond French 300. For these six courses, 314 is required, along with 311, 312, or 313, and two 400-level literature courses. For the other two courses, minors may choose either to participate in a summer-abroad program in a French-speaking country for 5-8 weeks for 2 course credits (Sewanee’s own summer program when offered, or a similar program approved by the department) or to take two additional 400-level courses in the department.

Major in French Studies: The major in French Studies is an interdisciplinary program which examines the language, history, culture, and society of France and of other Francophone countries, combining a core of courses in the department with complementary coursework in at least two related fields outside of the department (see list below). During their final semester, senior French Studies majors participate in the 420 seminar which ties together their upper-level coursework and prepares them for their comprehensive examinations; seminar participants also research a French Studies topic of their choosing and complete a sustained piece of writing on the subject in French. In addition, majors must study in a French-speaking country for at least a semester and take an advanced language course there (the department helps students find appropriate programs). In exceptional cases, the department is willing to offer one of the following two alternatives in fulfilling this requirement: study abroad for a summer (5 to 8 weeks, 2 course credits) and one additional 400-level course taken within the department; or two additional 400-level courses taken within the department. Students seeking these exceptional provisions must submit a satisfactory petition explaining the impossibility of studying in a French-speaking country for a full semester.

—A French Studies major takes the following four courses:
  • Fren 311: Composition, or Fren 312: Conversation, or Fren 313: Contemporary Language and Usage
  • another advanced language course, normally taken abroad
  • Fren 314: Introduction to Literature of the French-Speaking World
  • Fren 420: Senior Seminar in French Studies

—In addition, French Studies majors take a minimum of three of the following courses in French Studies:
  • Fren 411: Culture through History
  • Fren 413: Modern France through Films and Other Texts
  • Fren 415: History of French Cinema
  • Fren 417: Topics of the French-Speaking World (may be retaken for credit when the topic is different)
  • Fren 419: Introduction to French Linguistics


— Four related courses from the following Sewanee offerings, with Anth 104* required of all beginning with the class of 2012, and with at least one course below in art history, music, or theatre (Fren 415 or 417 when music is treated can count for this fine arts expectation). Courses proposed as substitutes to be taken abroad must be approved by the department prior to departure.
  • Anth 104*: Introductory Cultural Anthropology (required course beginning with the class of 2012)
  • Anth 303: The Anthropology of Europe

  • ArtH 320: Medieval Art and Architecture
  • ArtH 322: Art and Devotion in Late Medieval and Early Modern Northern Europe 
  • ArtH 332: 17th- and 18th-Century Art
  • ArtH 335: 19th-Century Art
  • ArtH 345: Modern Art

  • Hist 219: History of Africa to 1880
  • Hist 220: History of Africa since 1880
  • Hist 270: Women in European History Since 1750
  • Hist 272: France Since 1815
  • Hist 303: Constructing Christendom: the West from Constantine to the First Crusade
  • Hist 304: Medieval Europe
  • Hist 305: The Renaissance
  • Hist 306: The Reformation Era
  • Hist 308: The Revolutionary Era
  • Hist 309: Politics and Society in Europe 1815-1914
  • Hist 311: Politics and Society in Europe after 1914
  • Hist 345: The Age of the Enlightenment
  • Hist 378:  Sexuality and the Self in Modern Europe
  • Hist 379:  Honor, Shame, and Violence in Modern Europe
  • Hist 380:  Crimes and Scandals in the Historical Imagination, 18th–20th Centuries
  • Hist 389:  European Cultural and Intellectual History, 1750–1890
  • Musc 205: Music of the Baroque Era
  • Musc 207: Music of the Romantic Period
  • Musc 208: Music of the Twentieth Century
  • Musc 212: Bach to Stravinsky: the Classical Canon
  • Musc 225: Music and Drama
  • Musc 301: Topics in Early Music

  • Phil 204: Modern Philosophy from Descartes to Kant
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  • PolS 103: Comparative Politics
  • PolS 227: Africa in World Politics
  • PolS 260: European Political Relations
  • PolS 303: Women and Politics
  • PolS 329: Comparative African Politics
  • PolS 356: Diplomatic History of Europe 1813–1914
  • PolS 364: European Union
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Note: One of the department's upper-level French literature courses, or a literature course abroad, may possibly be substituted for one of the four "related courses" above, upon special arrangement with the department, or prior to departure in the case of a literature course to be taken abroad.

Minor in French Studies: The requirement for a French Studies minor is six full courses beyond French 300. For these six courses, 314 is required, along with 311, 312, or 313, one 400-level French Studies course, and one related course outside the department. For the other two courses, minors may choose either to participate in a summer-abroad program in a French-speaking country for 5-8 weeks for 2 course credits (Sewanee’s own summer program when offered, or a similar program approved by the department) or to take two additional 400-level courses in the department.

All majors (and minors where possible) are expected to try to live in the French House for at least one semester; application forms are obtainable from the department. The French House also serves as the major site for most Cercle Français activity, and majors and minors are likewise expected to participate in the Cercle's cultural program, just as they should come regularly to the weekly Table Française.

Majors in French literature and French Studies may obtain honors by achieving a 3.5 departmental GPA, including courses taken during the last semester of their senior year.

The department also participates in interdisciplinary programs such as International and Global Studies and Women's Studies.