French & Francophone Studies

Study French, one of the world's most influential languages spoken by approximately 300 million people on all continents, and learn to communicate persuasively, think critically, and engage with global society — skills needed for career success. Explore the literatures, cultures and societies of France, Francophone Africa, Québec, and the Caribbean from the Middle Ages through the 21st century. Gain cross-cultural awareness by studying French through cultural artifacts (literature, music, cinema and the visual arts) and social practices (history, gastronomy, business and politics). Learn how historical and sociocultural events inform gender, class, and race constructions and relations within French-speaking societies. Join our study abroad program in France. 

The French & Francophone studies program offers a minor consisting of five courses and a rigorous and interdisciplinary major consisting of eight courses. The major is best seen as a progression of linguistic-cultural study organized in four stages. The 100-level courses focus on language proficiency in cultural context. The 200-level courses consolidate language skills while beginning a more interdisciplinary study of French and Francophone literatures and cultures. A year or semester in France provides direct experience in the French and Francophone cultures. The 300-level courses focus on specific critical approaches to topics in literature, civilization and cultural studies.

Double Majors 

Students will find that the skills they develop through the study of French and Francophone languages, literatures and cultures will complement wide ranging interests and career trajectories. Past French & Francophone studies majors have also majored in such disciplines as international relations, political science, psychology, biology, economics and management.

Recent graduates hold jobs in international organizations, design, investment banking, marketing and pharmaceuticals, and pursue advanced degrees in fields from statistics to education.

Online Placement Test

Students who have studied French in secondary school or who are heritage speakers of the language must take the online placement test to determine the level at which they may register for a French course. Information on accessing the test is included in the first-year student registration information. Current students may access the placement test from the French & Francophone studies program webpage. Any questions regarding placement should be addressed to the director of the French & Francophone studies program.

Transfer Credits

Students may normally transfer up to two credits for coursework equivalent to courses offered by the French & Francophone studies program. Students need to obtain approval from the French & Francophone studies program director; otherwise, credit is not guaranteed.

For the French & Francophone studies minor, no more than one of the five required courses may be taken for credit at another institution. Likewise, students need to obtain approval from the French & Francophone studies program director; otherwise, credit is not guaranteed. 

French & Francophone Studies Major

The major in French & Francophone studies consists of a minimum of eight courses at the FREN 102 Exploring French level and above. At least two of these courses must be taken at the 300 level, and one of these must be taken during the senior year.

The major includes:

At least one pre-revolutionary France literature and/or civilization course in French at the 200 or 300 level. All topics courses must be pre-1789 subject matter. 1		1
FREN 220	Women’s Voices In Early Modern France
FREN 230	French Literature I
FREN 322	Medieval and/or Renaissance Studies
FREN 323	Early Modern Worlds & Cultures
At least one post-revolutionary France literature and/or civilization course in French at the 200 or 300 level. All topics courses must be post-1789 subject matter. 1		1
FREN 231	French Literature II
FREN 250	French Comics & Graphic Novels
FREN 255	Introduction to French Cinema
FREN 270	La France actuelle
FREN 275	French Business Culture
FREN 326	19th Century Through Empires & Revolutions
FREN 327	The Making of Contemporary France
At least one Francophone literature and/or civilization course in French at the 200 or 300 level. All topics courses must be Francophone subject matter. 1		1
FREN 236	Topics in Francophone Literature and Culture
FREN 336	Francophone Worlds
5 additional FREN courses at or above the FREN 102 level. 1		5

¹

The following topics courses may satisfy this requirement, pending approval by the program director: FREN 295 Topics in French or Francophone Studies, FREN 330 Topics in Literature, FREN 355 Topics in French and/or Francophone Cinema, FREN 370 Topics in Civilization, FREN 371 Topics in the Arts, FREN 395 Seminar in French or Francophone Studies. At least two of the eight major courses must be taken at the 300 level; one of these must be taken during the senior year.

​Upon approval from the French & Francophone Studies Program director, majors may elect to take one course taught in English within or outside of the French & Francophone Studies Program (e.g., in history, English, anthropology, etc.) on a French/Francophone subject. 

FREN 201	Intermediate French Conversation I	.5
FREN 202	Intermediate French Conversation II	.5
FREN 262	Intercultural Communication (When taking FREN 262 as 1 credit it may count toward the major.)	.5
FREN 301	Advanced French Conversation I	.5
FREN 302	Advanced French Conversation II	.5

All majors will complete a Culminating Experience: During the senior year (or second semester of the junior year with permission of their adviser and the program director), majors in French & Francophone studies will designate as their culminating experience one 300-level seminar on a French or Francophone topic taught by a faculty member in the French & Francophone Studies Program (FFSP). As part of the learning activities in that seminar, majors will undertake a paper or research project related to French or Francophone literature or culture. At the end of the semester, they will present the result in its final written form and as an oral presentation in French based on their research, preferably at a symposium organized by the FFSP on campus. These two components of the Culminating Experience (paper and presentation) must provide evidence of: 1) competency in written and oral communication through structured arguments using appropriate forms of textual, cultural and visual analysis and evidence, and 2) familiarity with critical approaches, academic research and methodology in the field of French & Francophone studies. A committee of French & Francophone studies faculty will evaluate these culminating experiences to determine whether they meet both of these learning objectives and thus satisfy the requirement. With the permission of the French & Francophone studies adviser, students who are taking an independent study or pursuing honors in French & Francophone studies may satisfy the culminating experience requirement through the successful completion of an independent study project or an honors thesis. However, in such cases, these students will still be required to make an oral presentation in French based on their research project or thesis to provide evidence for the two learning outcomes under examination, as stated above.

Study Abroad

All learners of French are strongly encouraged to study abroad in France in our own Bucknell en France (BEF) program, as we believe this immersion experience to be an integral part of language acquisition and the development of skills as culturally-competent citizens in an increasingly globalized world. Indeed, since its inception in 1987, the BEF program features rich, immersive experience grounded in a strong academic program targeting students at all levels of language proficiency, and has become a defining feature of the academic and personal experiences of most of our students, both majors and minors. Through BEF, the French & Francophone Studies Program is able to graduate highly qualified majors who are proficient in spoken and written French, who are able to understand and articulate positions on social, literary or cultural topics in a manner understandable to native speakers, and who have attained the linguistic and cultural proficiency necessary to function in a French-speaking academic or professional environment. Through courses offered at Bucknell and abroad, our majors and minors further develop transferable skills such as critical thinking, active learning, information literacy, writing and presentation skills. Students are encouraged to develop an appreciation for and sensitivity to cultural differences and the socio-cultural logic informing them to develop the basis for a self-reflexive approach to their future engagement in professional and communal life.

All courses taken from the BEF program may be counted toward the major as long as the courses are approved by the French & Francophone Studies Program director. 

Up to two courses taken abroad from non-Bucknell-administered programs may be counted toward the major. Students need to obtain approval from the French & Francophone Studies Program director; otherwise, credit is not guaranteed.

French & Francophone Studies Minor

The minor in French & Francophone studies consists of five courses taught in French at the FREN 101 Discovering French level and above, excluding:

FREN 201	Intermediate French Conversation I	.5
FREN 202	Intermediate French Conversation II	.5
FREN 262	Intercultural Communication (When taking FREN 262 as 1 credit it may count toward the minor.)	.5
FREN 301	Advanced French Conversation I	.5
FREN 302	Advanced French Conversation II	.5

Study Abroad

All learners of French are strongly encouraged to study abroad in France in our own Bucknell en France (BEF) program, as we believe this immersion experience to be an integral part of language acquisition and the development of skills as culturally-competent citizens in an increasingly globalized world. Indeed, since its inception in 1987, the BEF program features a rich, immersive, home-stay experience grounded in a strong academic program targeting students at all levels of language proficiency, and it has become a defining feature of the academic and personal experiences of most of our students, both majors and minors. Through BEF, the French & Francophone studies program is able to graduate highly qualified majors who are proficient in spoken and written French, who can understand and articulate positions on social, literary or cultural topics in a manner understandable to native speakers, and who have attained the linguistic and cultural proficiency necessary to function in a French-speaking academic or professional environment. Through courses offered at Bucknell and abroad, our majors and minors further develop transferable skills such as critical thinking, active learning, information literacy, writing and presentation skills. Students are encouraged to develop an appreciation for and sensitivity to cultural differences and the socio-cultural logic informing them to develop the basis for a self-reflexive approach to their future engagement in professional and communal life.

All courses taken from the BEF program may be counted toward the minor as long as the courses are approved by the French & Francophone studies program director. 

One course taken abroad from non-Bucknell-administered programs may be counted toward the minor. Students need to obtain approval from the French & Francophone studies program director; otherwise, credit is not guaranteed.

Majors in French & Francophone studies will be able to:

1.     Speak, read, write and understand French at an “advanced-low” level as defined by the proficiency criteria of the American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages (“ACTFL guidelines”) or the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages level B1 or higher. (7, 9)

2.     Demonstrate an ability to analyze and interpret a wide variety of Francophone literary and cultural works, drawing on the disciplinary tools and critical methods of French & Francophone studies. (1, 2, 3, 7)

3.     Demonstrate competency in written and oral communication through the production of persuasive texts and presentations supported by structured arguments that respect disciplinary norms for evidence and citation. (7)

4.     Demonstrate research competency in French & Francophone literatures and cultures, through the application of appropriate academic research methodologies and the use of pertinent bibliographical and other sources related to coursework. (8)

5.     Demonstrate the ability to synthesize learning across courses in French & Francophone studies in order to develop a global view of the discipline and to apply the knowledge and skills it promotes beyond the discipline. (2, 9)

Minors in our program will be able to:

1.     Speak, read, write and understand French at an “intermediate-high” level as defined by the proficiency criteria of the American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages. (2, 3, 7, 9)

Numbers in parentheses reflect related Educational Goals of Bucknell University.

Faculty

Professors: Renée K. Gosson, Angèle M. Kingué (Associate Provost for Engagement & Inclusion)

Associate Professors: Nathalie Dupont (Director), John Westbrook

Assistant Teaching Professor: Esra Arici