The Department of French and Italian offers courses of study leading to the M.A. and Ph.D. degrees in French. The vast majority of students pursue the doctorate in preparation for a career of teaching and research at the college or university level in the field of French literature and cultural studies. A much smaller number pursue the terminal M.A. to enhance their qualifications as teachers of literature at the high school and junior college levels or to further careers in such related fields as publishing, translation or journalism.

Admission Requirements

Requirements for admission to graduate study in French include: scores satisfactory to the department on the verbal, quantitative and analytical Graduate Record Examinations tests; acceptable samples of written work demonstrating competence in critical analysis and in the writing of French; a written statement of the applicant's aims and interests in graduate work; a cumulative GPA satisfactory to the department; evidence of mastery of oral French; letters of recommendation from at least three college instructors in French or related fields.

Degree Requirements

These degrees are under the jurisdiction of the Graduate School. Refer to the Requirements for Graduation section and the Graduate School section of this catalogue for general regulations. All courses applied toward the degrees must be courses accepted by the Graduate School.

Master of Arts in French

Course Requirements

The M.A. in French is intended as a transitional degree for a student intending to complete the Ph.D. Only a very few self-designated "terminal M.A. candidates" can be admitted. A minimum of eight 500-600 level courses (32 units) in French or (with permission) in cognate departments is required, including FREN 515 and 660. More units may be required, depending on the student's previous preparation. In addition each student must successfully complete three field examinations, based on reading lists and course work, to be administered at the end of the second, third and fourth semester. An oral examination consisting of a thirty-minute lecture on an assigned topic, followed by questions from the graduate faculty, will test mastery of spoken French and English, comprehension, analytic skills and pedagogical aptitude. The M.A. in French does not require a thesis.

Doctor of Philosophy in French

Screening Procedure

To be permitted to work toward the Ph.D. in French, a student must pass the comprehensive examination in a manner demonstrative of the literary knowledge and critical acumen necessary for successful completion of the doctorate. Students entering the program with an M.A. (or equivalent) from another institution must pass a special screening examination at the end of their second semester, one function of which is to determine what portion(s) of the comprehensive examination they will be required to take. The progress of all students is periodically reviewed by the French Graduate Studies Committee. Inadequate performance (as measured by examination results, grades or other criteria) may lead to the recommendation that the student not be allowed to continue to the Ph.D.

Foreign Language Requirement

The foreign language requirement for the doctorate in French may be fulfilled under one of two options. Option one is to take reading examinations in two further languages. Typically, this entails a first examination in Latin or German and a second in a modern Romance language other than French. Option two involves completing a seminar at or above the 400 level on any aspect of another national literature or culture. The language of instruction of this class must be other than French or English and all required written work is to be done in the relevant foreign language. Which option students choose to pursue will depend largely on the specific linguistic demands of their intended areas of specialization. All language requirements must be completed at least 60 days before the qualifying examination.

Course Requirements

To obtain the Ph.D., students must complete at least 60 units of course work beyond the B.A. Most of these units will be earned in French department courses, although courses from other departments may be applied toward the degree with permission from the director of graduate studies. Students must take FREN 660 or a recognized equivalent. At least four (but no more than eight) units of 794 Doctoral Dissertation are also required. No more than eight of the 60 units counted toward the Ph.D., may be earned in courses at the 400 level. No more than eight units may be earned through Directed Research (FREN 590 or 790). Students with significant prior graduate study in French at other institutions may be granted up to 30 units of transfer credit.

Qualifying Examination

Shortly after completing the comprehensive examination, the student designates a five-member guidance committee, whose function is to monitor preparation for, and completion of, the qualifying examination. In consultation with this committee, the student designs a reading list of those literary, critical, historical and/or theoretical works most central to the dissertation topic. This list, together with a 20-25 page dissertation proposal, forms the basis of the qualifying examination, which is to be taken upon completion of at least 52 units and fulfillment of the language requirement. The qualifying examination consists of a six-hour written examination, focusing largely on the student's reading list, followed by a 90-minute oral examination centering on the dissertation prospectus. Successful completion of the qualifying examination constitutes approval of the dissertation topic.

Dissertation

The dissertation defense takes place upon approval from a three-member dissertation committee formed after completion of the qualifying examination. The format of the defense is determined by the candidate's committee, but will normally consist of a brief lecture presenting the thesis and its conclusions followed by questions from the readers. All thesis defenses in the Department of French are open to the public.

Certificate in Foreign Language Teaching

The Certificate in Foreign Language Teaching provides certification in the theory and practice of second or foreign language teaching for student language teachers concurrently enrolled in graduate degree programs in foreign languages or related graduate programs at USC; for graduates of such programs who are teaching languages; for external candidates concurrently enrolled in similar programs at accredited colleges or universities; or for graduates of such programs who are teaching languages. The certificate is meant to supplement graduate study in the literature or linguistics of foreign languages. It is also meant to supplement classroom teaching. Refer to the Department of Spanish and Portuguesefor course work requirements.

NEXT SECTION