Concentration in French and Italian

Current concentrators

Recent senior theses

The Department of French and Italian offers a liberal arts major designed to give students a thorough grounding in the language, literature, and culture of one or more of the subjects it teaches, seen as independent disciplines or in combination with other languages and cognate subjects. Its courses provide practical instruction in the French and Italian languages; an introduction to the history and development of those languages; the literatures and cultures of France and Italy in all periods, from medieval to contemporary; and literature in French written in other parts of Europe, Asia, Africa, and the Americas.

Students are encouraged to complement their courses in French and/or Italian with related and varied courses in other literatures, in art history, history, political science, sociology, comparative literature, or other humanities subjects.

In addition to serving as the focus for an education in liberal arts, the French and Italian concentrations can be the basis for graduate or professional study. In mostly small classes and seminars, allowing extensive student/teacher interaction, students become equipped to take up careers in many walks of life, including journalism, business, law, government service, and international affairs.

1    Departmental Plan of Study

A         Entrance Requirements

The normal requirement for admission to the department is successful  completion of at least one, preferably two 200-level courses,  including one of the following: FRE 221 or 222; ITA 208, 209, 221, or  222. Students who have not satisfied this prerequisite by the end of  sophomore year should consult with the departmental representative.  Concentrators who plan to participate in one of the certificate  programs, such as African Studies, African-American Studies, Latin  American Studies, the Program in the Study of Women and Gender, or  the Program in European Cultural Studies, must also satisfy the  prerequisites of that program.

EARLY CONCENTRATION . Qualified students are encouraged to begin departmental concentration in their sophomore year.   This has the advantage of a longer period for independent work and preparation of the senior thesis; it also makes a semester or junior year abroad more feasible.

B        Requirements for concentration

For the successful completion of our program, concentrators must receive a passing grade in three essential elements: the average of eight departmental courses, the senior thesis, and the comprehensive examination.

All students are expected to include one advanced language course (French 207, 215, 307, 407; Italian 207, 307) and to do course work in a range of historical periods in their subject(s) of concentration.   University regulations limit to twelve the number of departmental courses allowed to each student in his or her concentration.

Courses taught in the Department place varying emphases on language, literary history and interpretation, aesthetics and literary theory, and cultural and intellectual history. Students are therefore able to pursue courses of study that are consistent with their individual interests. To complement this individualized approach to students’ plans of study, the Department offers four distinct tracks within the concentration in French and/or Italian:

1. Concentration in One language , literature and culture Students concentrate in French OR Italian. Eight upper-division courses are counted towards concentration. At least five of these must be in the language and subject of concentration. Up to three of the eight may be cognate courses approved by the Departmental Representative and drawn from other sections of the Department or from other humanities and social science subjects.

2. Concentration in Two languages , literatures and cultures Students intending to combine work in two languages, civilizations and cultures normally take a minimum of eight upper-division courses: five in one of the languages (one of which may be a cognate), three in the other relevant language. The first language of concentration must be either French or Italian.

3. Concentration in Literature and Any other related field approved by the departmental representative Students intending to combine work in French or Italian and another related field normally take a minimum of eight upper-division courses: five in the relevant language and literature (one of which may be a cognate), and three in the other field. For example, students specializing in French or Italian and History, Politics, or Art and Archaeology, might take appropriate courses in those departments, such as HIS 350, 351, 345, or 365, POL 371, 372, or 381, or ART 319, 320, or 333.

4. Concentration in Language, Literature and the Creative Arts.  This track is designed for students wishing to combine work in French or Italian and a creative art, such as theater, music, dance, painting, film, and creative writing.  Upon approval by the Departmental Representative, the student would normally take a minimum of eight upper-division courses: five in the relevant language and literature and three in the field related to the art of interest.  In some cases, an original work of creation (paintings, prose or poetry…), or of performance (theatre…), may substitute for the senior thesis.  In these cases, students will be required to also submit an additional substantial critical work of at least 6,000 but no more than 10,000 words (25-35 pages), in which they will position and discuss their creative work in relation to the historical and cultural context of the language in question.

C        Independent Work

1 Junior Papers
At the time of entering the Department, and in all cases no later than spring of the sophomore year, students should discuss their likely area of interest with the Departmental Representative in order to make the attribution of Junior Advisers as appropriate as possible.   The Adviser will be assigned at the beginning of the junior year. Students should get in touch with their Junior Adviser and plan regular meetings.   Responsibility for making and keeping these arrangements falls on the student.

The first junior paper, written in the fall semester, should be about 4,000 words. The second junior paper, written in the spring semester, should be between 5,000 and 8,000 words. Both junior papers may be written in English, in which case a three-page summary in French or Italian must be provided. If the paper is written in French or Italian, a three-page summary in English is required.

Students following tracks 2 or 4 may write one junior paper in one of their two subjects of concentration, and one in the other.

2 Senior Thesis
Late in their junior year, students will discuss possible areas of interest with the Departmental Representative.   As the culmination of their independent work, senior year students write a thesis on an approved topic.

Topics chosen in the past have ranged over the whole field of French and Italian studies, from linguistic problems and literary techniques through close textual analysis, to thematic and ideological studies. Students primarily interested in culture and civilization have written on art, on political and economic issues, on education, and on a variety of social questions.   For students following tracks 2, 3, and 4, joint supervision may be arranged.

The senior thesis may be written in English, in which case a three-page summary in the relevant language must be provided. If the thesis is written in the relevant language, then a three-page summary in English is required.

Resources are available to assist students with the costs of senior thesis research including, when appropriate, foreign travel. The best time to use them is the summer preceding the senior year.

Senior theses should not be more than 20,000 words, nor should they fall below 15,000 words.

D   Comprehensive Examination

The examination, taken in May of the senior year, is designed to test aspects of the student's entire program of study in the department. A list of required and recommended readings is provided for each of the languages and literatures taught in the department, and guides students in preparing for the written examination. The format of the examination is as follows: Part I: essays in the language(s) of concentration (three hours); Part II: literary commentaries (three hours). Students are asked to identify and comment upon five out of eight passages excerpted from the relevant reading list -- French or Italian, as the case may be. Answers in Part II may be in English or in the language of concentration.

Study and Work Abroad
The department strongly encourages its concentrators and certificate students to spend as much time as they can in any country, including those in Africa, where the language(s) they study is (are) widely spoken. There are several ways of doing this within the four-year undergraduate degree: by study abroad for one or two semesters; by summer study abroad; and by obtaining summer work or an internship abroad.

Junior Semester/Junior Year Abroad. Students planning to spend a semester or their whole junior year abroad should seek advice from the departmental representative and from relevant faculty in choosing a suitable program of study. Further assistance is available from Dean Nancy Kanach in the Office of the Dean of the College. Departmental and University approval is required.

An approved one-semester course of study abroad normally counts for two departmental course credits. Students must complete the program abroad to the standard required by the foreign institution.

Summer Work Abroad. ''Princeton-in-France'' is a long-established summer work program that selects students who qualify linguistically to take on the responsibilities of a paying summer job or internship in France. Travel grants and salary supplements are available to students who receive financial aid. Announcements will be made early in the fall concerning an October information meeting about the program. The application deadline is in November.

Departmental Representative:
André Benhaïm
331 East Pyne
(25)8-7332
abenhaim@princeton.edu

Departmental Coordinator for Undergraduates and Concentrators:
RuthAnne Lavis
303 East Pyne
(25)8-4500
rlavis@princeton.edu

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