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.

Preparatory Subject Matter
Elementary French15
Elementary French
Elementary French
Elementary French
Elementary French
Elementary French
Elementary French
OR the equivalent.
Intermediate French15
Intermediate French
Intermediate French
Intermediate French
Intermediate French
Intermediate French
Intermediate French
OR the equivalent
Preparatory Subject Matter Subtotal0-30
Depth Subject Matter
French4
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 Subtotal44
Total Units44-74