French, Bachelor of Arts College of Letters & Science
The major program assures proficiency in all four language skills—speaking, listening, reading, and writing—and acquaints students with the intellectual and cultural contributions of the French-speaking world through the study of its literatures, traditions, and institutions.
The Program
The department encourages its students to work closely with the academic advisor in designing a major tailored to their needs and interests within the broad requirements prescribed by the program and to avail themselves of the guidance of an excellent teaching faculty. Each year, a substantial number of students with good preparation in French participate in the university's very popular Education Abroad Program, which maintains centers in Bordeaux, Lyon, and Paris.
Career Alternatives
Foreign language teachers, a cardiologist, a veterinarian, a naval commander at the Pentagon, a professor of Political Science, lawyers, sales representatives, journalists, a speech pathologist, a law professor, translators, a senior applications programmer, travel agents, independent business owners, a senior museum curator, nurses, financial managers, stock brokers, and an industrial attaché for a French trade commission—all graduated with an A.B. in French from UC Davis. These represent only a small fraction of the career choices documented in a survey of department graduates.
Major Advisor
Consult the department office.
Honors Program
Candidates for high or highest honors in French must write a senior thesis under the direction of a faculty member. For this purpose, honors candidates must enroll in FRE 194H (4 units) and FRE 195H (4 units). Normally, a student will undertake the honors project during the first two quarters of the senior year; other arrangements must be authorized by the department chair. Only students who, at the end of the junior year (135 units), have attained a cumulative grade-point average of 3.500 in courses required for the major will be eligible for the honors program. The requirements for earning high and highest honors in French are in addition to the regular requirements for the major in French.
Education Abroad
The department of French and Italian encourages students to study abroad in the Global Learning Hub. With the approval of a major advisor, applicable courses taken abroad may be accepted in the major or minor programs.
Prerequisite Credit
Credit will not normally be given for a course if it is the prerequisite of a course already successfully completed. Exceptions can be made by the department chairperson only.
Graduate Study
The department offers programs of study and research leading to the M.A. and Ph.D. degrees in French & Francophone Studies. Candidates for the Ph.D. have the option of enriching their degree program by preparing a designated emphasis in African American & African Studies, Classics & Classical Receptions, Critical Theory, Feminist Theory and Research, Second Language Acquisition, or Studies in Performance & Practice. Detailed information may be obtained from the graduate advisor or the department chairperson.
Graduate Advisor
Consult the department office.
The major requirements below are in addition to meeting University Requirements & College Requirements; unless otherwise noted. The minimum number of units required for the French Bachelor of Arts major is 44.
| Code | Title | Units |
|---|---|---|
| Preparatory Subject Matter | ||
| Elementary French | 15 | |
| Elementary French | ||
or FRE 001Y | Elementary French | |
| Elementary French | ||
or FRE 002Y | Elementary French | |
| Elementary French | ||
or FRE 003Y | Elementary French | |
OR the equivalent. | ||
| Intermediate French | 15 | |
| Intermediate French | ||
or FRE 021Y | Intermediate French | |
| Intermediate French | ||
or FRE 022Y | Intermediate French | |
| Intermediate French | ||
or FRE 023Y | Intermediate French | |
OR the equivalent | ||
| Preparatory Subject Matter Subtotal | 0-30 | |
| Depth Subject Matter | ||
| French | 4 | |
| Composition in French | ||
| French Literature | ||
| Choose three: | 12 | |
| Introduction to French Poetry | ||
| Introduction to French Drama | ||
| Introduction to French Prose | ||
| The Romantic Imaginary | ||
| Realism, History & the Novel | ||
| From Baudelaire to Surrealism | ||
| Modern French Thought | ||
| 20th-Century French Novel | ||
| French & Francophone Film | ||
| Post-Colonial & Francophone Literature | ||
| French Literature & Other Arts | ||
| From Page to Stage: Theatre & Theatricality | ||
| Gender & Politics in French Literature & Culture | ||
| Study of a Major Writer | ||
| Selected Topics in French Literature | ||
Choose at least one in French Literature prior to the French Revolution: | ||
| Medieval French Literature & Society | ||
| The French Renaissance | ||
| Baroque & Preclassicism | ||
| The Classical Moment | ||
| Age of Reason & Revolution | ||
| Private Lives & Public Secrets: The Early French Novel | ||
| French Culture | ||
| Choose two: | 8 | |
| Pre- & Early-Modern France | ||
| The Making of Modern France | ||
| Modern French Culture | ||
| Paris: Modernity & Metropolitan Culture | ||
| Topics in French Culture | ||
| French Linguistics & Language Science | ||
| Choose two: | 8 | |
| Advanced French Grammar | ||
| French Phonetics | ||
| Linguistic Study of French-Language in Context | ||
| Linguistic Study of French: Form & Meaning | ||
| History of the French Language | ||
| Choose electives in French Literature, Language, or Culture, in consultation with an undergraduate advisor: | 12 | |
| Introduction to French Poetry | ||
| Introduction to French Drama | ||
| Introduction to French Prose | ||
| Advanced French Grammar | ||
| Pre- & Early-Modern France | ||
| The Making of Modern France | ||
| Modern French Culture | ||
| French Phonetics | ||
| Stylistics & Creative Composition | ||
| Medieval French Literature & Society | ||
| The French Renaissance | ||
| Baroque & Preclassicism | ||
| The Classical Moment | ||
| Age of Reason & Revolution | ||
| Private Lives & Public Secrets: The Early French Novel | ||
| The Romantic Imaginary | ||
| Realism, History & the Novel | ||
| From Baudelaire to Surrealism | ||
| Modern French Thought | ||
| 20th-Century French Novel | ||
| French & Francophone Film | ||
| Post-Colonial & Francophone Literature | ||
| French Literature & Other Arts | ||
| Paris: Modernity & Metropolitan Culture | ||
| Topics in French Culture | ||
| From Page to Stage: Theatre & Theatricality | ||
| Gender & Politics in French Literature & Culture | ||
| Study of a Major Writer | ||
| Selected Topics in French Literature | ||
| Linguistic Study of French-Language in Context | ||
| Linguistic Study of French: Form & Meaning | ||
| History of the French Language | ||
| Depth Subject Matter Subtotal | 44 | |
| Total Units | 44-74 | |