• UNM 2012-2013 Catalog
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French

Undergraduate Advisor:
Stephen Bishop, Ortega Hall 323C, (505) 277-6344
sbishop@unm.edu

Major Study Requirements

1. Thirty hours in French courses numbered above 290, including 301, 302, 305, 345, 346, 351, 352, and one 400 level or above French course. One content appropriate Comparative Literature course may be counted.
2. Two years of college work in another foreign language (or reading knowledge).

Second Major Study Requirements

Students who present two majors (French and another field) are required to take 24 hours in French courses numbered above 290, including 301, 302, and 305. One content appropriate Comparative Literature course may be counted. Students wishing to present an honors thesis with their second major must consult the French advisor to ensure an appropriate selection of courses.

Minor Study Requirements

Fifteen hours in French courses numbered above 290, including 301 or 302.

Lower-Division French

All beginning students should enroll in Elementary French (101 or 275), which provides a foundation in reading, writing, listening and speaking for all subsequent courses.

Students who have taken French previously should consult with the lower-division coordinator for accurate placement. The department offers an intensive language sequence (FREN 275–276) for 6 credit hours per semester. At the end of two semesters, students have completed the equivalent of FREN 101, 102, 201 and 202 and are prepared to enter third-year courses.

Graduate Program

Graduate Advisor
Rajeshwari Vallury, Ortega Hall 319C 
rvallury@unm.edu

M.A. in French

The M.A. in French provides an interdisciplinary foundation designed to prepare students for work in pertinent fields including secondary school teaching, translation and for entrance to doctoral programs in French. A background in French equivalent to that of an undergraduate major is required for entering candidates. M.A. candidates choose between two plans: under Plan I, they complete 24 hours of course work plus 6 hours of thesis; under Plan II, they complete 32 hours of course work without thesis. The comprehensive exams involve a more extensive written component for Plan II. Core requirements are a theory course (3 credit hours) and a professional development colloquium (1 credit hour). Students must demonstrate proficiency in another language through a four-semester sequence of course work, a proficiency examination, or proof of equivalent knowledge acquired elsewhere. Contact the graduate advisor or the department for specific information.

Ph.D. in French Studies

The Department of Foreign Languages & Literatures offers a Ph.D. in French Studies. Students are admitted on the basis of their past records and future promise for scholarship. The admissions committee also takes into consideration the expressed field of research with an eye to suitable faculty guidance and direction. Potential applicants are encouraged to contact the Department for more individual advisement.

Applicants to the Ph.D. program are expected to have completed a Master’s Degree in French or its equivalent. The University of New Mexico students who wish to pursue doctoral studies must submit a written plan. All applicants are expected to have taken at least one course in critical theory.

In addition to the general requirements for all Ph.D.s, the department specifies the following:

1. Each student must complete a minimum total of 54 semester hours of course work for the Ph.D. including transfer credit but exclusive of dissertation hours. Normally, a minimum of 24 hours of this total will be taken after the M.A. is completed.
2. A student may declare a minor in another discipline after approval from the committee on studies. Students with a declared minor must complete 48 hours of course work in French Studies and 12 hours in the minor.
3. Each student must demonstrate a reading knowledge of two other languages besides French and English.
4. Each student must assemble a committee on studies composed of three University of New Mexico faculty members before the end of the second semester of the Ph.D. program. The committee will meet regularly with the student to develop a program suited to his or her own needs and interests. The committee holds authority over each student’s program and may require specific courses dictated by a student’s scholarly interest and goals. The committee on studies will guide the candidate in forming an appropriate committee to administer comprehensive examinations as well as to plan and carry out the dissertation.
5. All Ph.D. candidates in French Studies are advised to gain teaching experience as well as experience in a French-speaking environment as part of their professional training.