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 The
French department is recognized as one of the top undergraduate French
programs in the country. It has been called “a jewel
of a program” and “one of the mainstays of French education” in
the States.1 The excellence of the program and of the students it
attracts can be gauged by the latters’ success in winning postbaccalaureate
awards: Every year but one for the past fifteen years, at least one
of our senior majors has been awarded a Fulbright Teaching Assistantship
in France. In 2004, five students won this coveted award. Eight recent
alumnae are recipients of Rhodes, Watson, Mellon, and Jacob K. Javits
Fellowships for subsequent study. Every year, two or three of our
majors who are interested in university teaching are accepted by
the top doctoral programs in French, comparative literature and political
science. They often have been admitted to our demanding four-year
B.A./M.A. program, which is one of few in this country and hence
attracts gifted students of French to the College
Many of our majors apply for entry-level positions in international
affairs (e.g., ElfAquitaine, Certainteed) and international
relations (e.g., the U.N., where two of our B.A./M.A. students
have interned or work, and The Center for Reproductive Law
and Policy). Many opt to prepare for careers in the international
arena by applying to graduate programs in international studies
or public health and to law school; in the latter area, our
graduates have found that the rigorous training they have in
dissecting texts and analyzing discourse is excellent preparation.
One or two majors each year head to medical school, where the need for bilingual
doctors is more and more apparent in this hemisphere and in world health organizations
active in Francophone Africa, Eastern Europe and the Far East. Often our graduates
have chosen a double major, e.g., French and Political Science, French and
Economics, French and Anthropology, French and Comparative
Literature, or French and a hard science (Physics and Mathematics
most recently); some opt to minor in a related field (Art History)
or concentration (International Studies: Economics, Politics
or Ethics).
 One of the reasons our French students fare so well in the competition for
positions in the job market or in graduate school is that our program is known
for its rigor: since we also have a graduate (Masters) program, our undergraduate
offerings profit from the presence of a faculty fully equipped to teach both
undergraduate and graduate courses and from the presence of graduate students
in our most advanced courses. Unlike Ivy League institutions and large research
universities, our undergraduates in French, and in languages in general, are
not taught by graduate assistants. For example, a faculty member often teaches
a senior or graduate-level seminar in the same semester that s/he teaches elementary,
intermediate or third-year French.
 In other words, we offer the best of both worlds to students interested in
language acquisition: intensive language learning tracks (for those beginning
a second or third language) or, in some cases, the possibility of earning a
B.A./M.A. in four or five years, both possibilities offered by a dedicated
faculty expert in teaching French language, literature and culture from the
beginning to the most advanced levels.
The purpose of the French major is to
lay the foundation for an understanding and appreciation of French culture
through its literature and language, the history of its arts, its thought,
and its institutions. All courses in the department are taught in French. Majors
and minors choose between a literary concentration, whose courses in periods,
genres, thematic clusters and individual authors range from the Middle Ages
to the most recently published 20th-c. texts, and an interdisciplinary studies
concentration whose courses, selected by the student to fit her particular
interests, culminate in a senior thesis, e.g., in the study of the politics
of immigration or the economics of decolonization.
Yet one other component of our French program is the well-known and highly
selective Institut d’Etudes françaises d’Avignon, our summer institute
in France which annually admits five to ten Bryn Mawr students among its 65-70
advanced undergraduates and graduate students from American and European universities.
The Institut is designed for selected undergraduates and graduate students with
a serious interest in French literature and culture, most particularly for those
who anticipate professional careers requiring a knowledge of the language and
civilisation of France. The curriculum includes general and advanced courses
in French language, literature, social sciences, history, and art.  The
program is open to students of high academic achievement who have completed a
course in French at the third-year level or the equivalent. The graduates of
this program are at the forefront of their profession, as professors in top college
programs, and as leaders in international business, banking, and commerce. In
forming the latter, the Institut shares a connection with Bryn Mawr’s minor in International
Studies, by offering students preparation in economics courses on the Bryn Mawr
campus and practical internships in Avignon, France, complemented by two courses
in European economic relations and commercial French.
Most French majors spend either their sophomore or junior summer at the Avignon Institut
or one or two semesters of their junior year at approved programs in France,
Canada, or Francophone Africa. Students on the Bryn Mawr campus can reproduce
this immersion experience by choosing to live at Haffner in the Maison française,
or by participing in the weekly film series, conversation groups, and goûters,
and by profiting from the resources of our Language Learning Center, which is
equipped with interactive technology and a satellite dish that beams in French
news and cultural programs daily.
Requirements in the French and Francophone
Studies major are:
1. French
and Francophone Literature: FREN 005-102 or 005-105 or 101-102
or 101-105; FREN 212 or 260; four semesters of 200-level literature
courses, three semesters of 300-level literature courses, one semester
Senior Conference (Fall semester). Thesis writers take two 300-level
courses, the fall semester Senior Conference and a thesis (semester
II) in French.
2. Interdisciplinary
Studies in French: FREN 005-102 or 005-105 or 101-102 or 101-105;
FREN 212 or 260; two 200-level courses within the department: e.g.,
FREN 255, 291 or 299; two 200-level courses to be chosen by the
student outside the French departments (at BMC/HC or JYA) which
contribute coherently to her independent program of study; FREN
326 Etudes avancées de
civilisation plus two 300-level courses outside the departments;
thesis of one semester in French or English. Students interested
in this option must present the rationale and the projected content
of their program for departmental approval during their sophomore
year; they should have excellent records in French and the other
subjects involved in their proposed program.
3. Both
concentrations: all French majors are expected to have acquired fluency
in the French language, both written and oral. Unless specifically
exempted by the department, they are required to take FREN 212 or 260.
Students may wish to continue from 212 to 260 to hone their skills
further. Students placed at the 200 level by departmental examinations
are exempted from the 100-level requirements. Occasionally, students
may be admitted to seminars in the graduate school.
A.B./M.A. Program Requirments: Particularly well-qualified
students may undertake work toward the joint A.B./M.A. degree in French.
Such a program may be completed in four or five years and is undertaken
with the approval of the department, the Undergraduate Council and
the Dean of the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences.
Requirements
for a French minor are:
Requirements for a French minor are FREN 005-102 or 005-105, or 101-102 or 101-105;
FREN 212 or 260; and four 200-level or 300-level courses. At least one course
must be at the 300 level.
Honors: Undergraduates who have excelled in French
by maintaining a minimum grade of 3.7 may, if invited by the department,
write a thesis during the second semester of their senior year. However,
the invitation and the subsequent writing of such a thesis do not
guarantee the award. Departmental honors may also be awarded for
excellence in the oral comprehensive examinations at the end of the
senior year.
Teaching
Certification: The
Department of French offers a certification program in
secondary teacher education. For more information, see Education.
Representative
Careers of French Majors:
Business:
L. Ayers, E. Ambos, R. Beckhard James, M. Belden, L. Block, V. Barr
Braun, D. Brown, A. Lilly Cone, P. Roberts Cook, A. Maclin Cripps,
E. Curtis, A. Fuller, D. Gormley, M. Ward Gosselink, A. Grahm, E.
Hunter, G. Kornblee, S. Kotler, S. Lassen, M. Hibbard Lauer, R. Levy,
M. Orr Lincoln, A. Loubatan, E. Marcus, P. McGreevy, K. Norton, T.
Doughty, C. Pages, P. Parker, J. Prall, P. Pruett, J. Railton, L.
Reynolds, S. Reich, M. Rothman, A. Sark, A. Sencovici, L. Smith, C.
Hopkins Valentine, C. Weaver, N. Witting, E. Zelnik, M. de Melo, G.
von Wachter.
College and University Teaching:
J. Alesch, P. Allen, G. Bolter, M. Bruckner, M. Caws, A. Conklin,
A. Davison, J. DellaNeva, N. Broekhuysen Garrett, H. Ferguson, L.
Forsleff, M. Freeman, L. Gelber, M. Gosser, N. Grey, K. Grossman,
J. Harris, C. Healey, R. Herzel, F. Hoekstra, J. Husemoller, M. Horban-Carynnyk,
A. Hudon, F. Jameson, M. Jewett, P. Jones, F. Lindsay, E. Marks, C.
Matlack, A. Moger, B. Pike, E. Posfay, A. Roberts, R. Scharfman, D.
Schwartz, J. Shuster, E. Stefansky Ratner, J. Stern, M. Stolee, D.
Stone, M. Switen, B. Warfield, J. Weinstein, B. Wennberg, N. Wing,
J. Theis Whitaker, E. Chesney Zegura.
Communications/Journalism:
D. Luzzatto Gardner, A. Dithurbide, N. Habachy, K. Lewis, A. Rossman,
N. Schoeffler, A. Strainchamps, M. Uitti.
Cuisine and Wine:
J. Gardner, A. Loubaton.
Fine Arts:
L. Cohen, E. Cumings Curtis, P. Bousel, R. Rosenhek, E. Rosenthal,
D. Sampson, L. Meadow Shechtman, H. Shipman, P. Wadhera.
Editing/Publishing:
M. Allen, A. Aydelotte, J. Baboukis, B. Bacon, S. Bryant, P. Corbett,
B. Termin Dodson, D. Fuhrer, L. Gui, L. Hahn, S. Hall, S. Huss, E.
Krijgsman, S. McBride, C. Muntone, B. Newhouse, K. Ohnuma, E. Petee,
H. Reid, A. Stark.
International Organizations/Government:
J. Alty, S. Beicken, L. Brown, K. Dreher, B. Driscoll, C. Eyakuze,
M. Hall, A. Harrison, A. Uther Kane, M. Lavin, S. Thom Loubet, R.
Mani, R. Pinney, H. Portner, M. Toll, N. Valabrègue, P. Yourdon,
M. de Laillevault.
Law:
J. Bellah, R. Carmel, M.T. Doud, C. Flowers, M. Johnson, K. Kehr,
E. Klar, A. Lee, N. Lefkovitz, L. Levin, J. Lisser, M. Mann, L. Matrunich,
S. Milar, R. Neuman, V. Rand, M. Rosenberg, D. Stoughton, E. Tractman,
N. Klinghoffer Thaler, C. Caldwell Woglicki, N. DuBois Wright, O.
Vidal, D. Vogel.
Library Science:
R. Chai Elholz, N. Harold, J. Hillyer, R. Jean-Baptiste, P. King,
V. Graham Leblanc, G. Reynolds, T. Goheen Swain, M. Thacher, N. Thompson,
E. Wolfsohn.
Science/Medicine:
V. Andrias, C. Artacho, B. Bechtel, K. Bent, D. Christensen, C. Coroneos,
I. Cuningham, F. Davidovski, M. Davila, M. DuQuette, E. Essex, C.
Fletcher, M. Fuller, S. Goodman, E. Hanlon, H. Hiam, A. Hook, N. Licht,
J. Markham, E. Warren Markson, D. Mirowski, D. Greenblatt, S. O'Malley,
H. Phillips, G. Reed, N. Sadrzadeh, S. Slater.
Secondary Education:
J. Abramson, A. Allen, A. Bien, C. Bluestein, S. Brindeau, A. Brownstein,
M. Burns, B. Campbell, L. Damsky, J. de la Torre, J. Demoreuille,
G. de Schweinitz, A. Elfersy, M. Farrell, R. Fox, V. Gunn, E. Handy,
C. Keilhauer, C. Lynton, J. Lyon, D. Mallery, L. McClung Hedlund,
S. McDaniel, E. Meigs, M. Montalva, J. Napier, C. O'Brien, J. Passman,
P. Perryman, E. Pressman, J. Roland, R. Rollin, P. Rosenthal, M. Sapir,
H. Scattergood, C. Serota, J. Sorel, J. Tebbets, N. Thompson, A. Thuman,
E. Vikan, C. Weir, C. Williams, E. Wolfsohn, L. Wollin.
Translating/Interpreting:
J. Denbo, J. Jourdin, R. Meza-Steel, J. Mulhall, B. Negley, C. O'Brien,
M. Steed.
Some
Other Thoughts About Our Program
"Thank
you again for the French Department's support. I really appreciate
your making an extra effort to help me. It is just one more example
of why Bryn Mawr is an exceptional school and why I am very grateful
for my experience there." Corinne Oliver, BA, '97 (law school)
" I've found the same thing to be true now as it was when I was
on Junior Year Abroad in France: a Bryn Mawr education prepares you
for anything and everything." Samantha Griffin, BA, '98 (banking)
"The more I learn about academia and life, the happier I am to
have started all this at Bryn Mawr. I feel as if you, my French professors,
are still influencing the way I read and work today, in a constant,
quiet, nurturing way I can always rely on. You are doing wonderful
work there and I can attest, that it has a lasting effect." Margaret
Jewett, AB/MA, '98 (Assistant Professor of French, Dartmouth College)
"My
success in the first semester of the Middlebury Masters program
[summer 2006] really made me realize how fantastic the Bryn Mawr
French program is! I was only a French minor, not a major. I graduated
in 2000 and aside from taking classes at the Alliance Francaise,
I didn't really have much of a chance to use French regularly and
the only amount of time I've lived in France was for the Avignon
program for 2-3 months in 1998! Other students in my program were
French majors who lived in France for a year or more and entered
the program here right after their undergrad studies, but the strength
of the French classes at Bryn Mawr put me on more than an equal
footing with those folks." Blythe Milbury-Steen, '00, now Master's
student in French ('06-)
Contact
Information
For further information regarding the French Department please contact:
At
Bryn Mawr College:
Chair:
Professor
Grace Armstrong
Thomas Hall 150
Tel.: (610) 526-5083
e-mail: garmstro@brynmawr.edu
Department Assistants:
Oliva Cardona
Thomas Hall 138
Tel.: (610) 526-5198
e-mail: ocardona@brynmawr.edu
Billie Jo Stiner
Thomas Hall 138
Tel.: (610) 526-5083
e-mail: bstiner@brynmawr.edu
At
Haverford College:
Chair:
Professor
Koffi Anyinefa
Founders Hall 312
Tel.: (610) 896-1439
e-mail: kanyinef@haverford.edu
Department
Assistant:
Karla
Alfaro-Urias
Founders Hall 122
tel.: (610) 795-1756
e-mail: kalfarou@haverford.edu
1
Prof. Lawrence Kritzman, Dartmouth College.
2 Many of the students who have graduated from this
program in French are either already faculty members themselves (Eva
Posfay, Carleton, Sahar Amer, U. of N. Carolina; Margaret Jewett, Dartmouth,
Amy Ogden, U. of Virginia, Julia Abramson, U. of Oklahoma, Alison Murray,
N. Carolina State) or completing further graduate study in French (Elisa
Mader andSarah Gibson, Yale; Priya Wadhera, Columbia, Raeleen Chai-Elsholz,
Paris IV), in medicine (Cecilia Artacho , Cynthia Eyakuze and Vivian
Andrias in public health at Columbia and Yale), or have completed their
work in law (Mary Teresa Doud and Elisa Tractman, U. of Pennsylvania).
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