For More Information

Contact Undergraduate Advising Head Jane Hale.

Undergraduate Departmental Representatives (UDRs) are: Alison Dillon, Rebecca Ellis, Marsha Kaplan and Anya Kagan

French and Francophone Studies

The dragon gargoyle atop Notre-Dame in Paris, France.

The dragon gargoyle atop Notre-Dame in Paris, France.

In today’s world of globalization it is crucial for students to have an understanding of a broad range of cultures and languages. The French and Francophone studies program at Brandeis offers students a chance to study the Francophone world from a historical as well as a more contemporary perspective. By combining courses that span the geographical and cultural diversity of the modern Francophone world with more historically determined courses that plumb the earliest reaches of French cultural history, students can achieve a unique understanding of this rich and politically significant culture. 

Curriculum Overview

The major requires nine courses:
  • The Art of Composition (FREN 106b)
  • Cultural Representations (FREN 110a) or The Republic (FREN 111a)
  • Six additional courses numbered above FREN 110a
  • Senior Essay (FREN 97a)
After completing the senior essay in the fall semester, students seeking departmental honors, who have a GPA of 3.5 or higher in their French courses, may petition to take FREN 99b, the senior thesis, in the spring.

The minor requires five courses:
  • The Art of Composition (FREN 106b)
  • Cultural Representations (FREN 110a)
  • Three additional courses numbered above FREN 100
Electives for the French major are divided into three main groups:
  • Thematic classes based on a general concept, such as The Republic (FREN 111a), The Twentieth and Twenty-First Centuries: Plague, War, and Human Power (FREN 137a), and Jewish Identities in France since 1945 (FECS 147a)
  • Classes devoted to specific periods in French cultural history, such as The French Middle Ages (FREN 120a) or The Nineteenth Century (FREN 135a)
  • Classes devoted to a specific cultural or geographic locale, such as Francophone Literature of Africa (FREN 165b)

Students are encouraged to take a variety of classes to ensure that they have a good understanding of both the history and the geographical expanse of French and Francophone culture.

Honors

Students wishing to graduate with departmental honors must first complete a Senior Essay and apply to the honors program through the UAH. Full requirements for honors are here. 

Opportunities Beyond the Classroom

Study abroad plays a crucial role in the French and Francophone studies major at Brandeis. Most majors spend one or two semesters studying abroad during their junior year. Programs in Francophone Africa as well as in France and other Francophone European countries offer students the chance to bring their apprenticeship in language and culture to a much higher degree of mastery than would be possible in a purely domestic program.
 
Additionally, students have the opportunity to participate in many events—such as the French Table, Film Series and Speakers’ Series—in order to make sure that their understanding of the French and Francophone world is as complete as possible.

Career and Education Opportunities

Students who have pursued French and Francophone studies have gone on to have successful careers in the Foreign Service, and in the areas of international development, international business and academia. The Hiatt Career Center has a page devoted to French and Francophone studies, which has a host of information specific to majors.