Introduction

The Department of Modern Languages and Literatures offers a wide range of of programs in language study to meet the varying needs of today's students. The ability to communicate effectively is essential for success-oriented graduates, and acquiring the competence to communicate in a language other than English can often provide a competitive edge in today's global economy.

Communicating effectively in a second language is more than the acquisition of language skills. Students also gain insight into another culture which often provides invaluable perspectives and greater sense of appreciation for alternate ways of life and thought. The department views language, culture and literature as integrally related facets of communication that help us better understand ourselves and others in the rapidly changing world we live in.

The French Program is a progression of courses designed to enable you to think in French and to develop (on however modest a scale) a veritable second self, while expanding your consciousness to include the mental world of one of the principal Western cultures, and giving you a critical and creative perspective on American identity and culture and typical American ways of perceiving and reacting.

Learning a language involves much more than conjugating verbs. It means learning to think (and thus to converse, to write and to read) using the words and thought patterns of the new language.

The French language in which millions of people think and express their personal reality, the literature which preserves that reality and makes it available to people outside of the French-speaking world, and the social institutions in which the French live their lives are the principal experiences which the French program makes available to you. Whether you are planning to teach, to work in the world of international business and diplomatic relations, or simply want a real liberal arts education, our program will make French a living reality within you rather than a process of memorizing facts about something others have experienced.

Goals:

1. Language: students communicate effectively and culturally-appropriately in oral and written form in a variety of social and professional circumstances.  

2. Culture: students acquire a comprehensive understanding of French history as well as modern culture and society in its various aspects, from daily life to general socio-economic and institutional structures.

3. Linguistics: students gain knowledge in the structure of the French language as well as current issues in French linguistics, and develop comparative analyses of the French and English languages.   

4. Literature: students gain knowledge of the major French literary movements while situating them in their socio-historical contexts. They develop a greater appreciation of French literature as well as the analytical tools to produce informed and critical readings of French literary texts.  

Career Opportunities

With the recent strengthening of foreign language requirements in California for graduation from high school and entry into public universities, there will be an increasing demand for teachers of French in the public schools. The Department of Modern Languages and Literatures in cooperation with the Department of Secondary Education has a state-approved Single Subject Matter Preparation Program for students who wish to teach at the secondary level. Openings for college-level French faculty are expected to increase in the future as well.

The growing internationalization of business in the U.S., and especially in Southern California, means that there will be a greater need in business and commerce for persons proficient in French. The College of Business and Economics, in cooperation with the Department of Modern Languages and Literatures, offers a B.A. in International Business with a concentration in French. Similar opportunities for individuals proficient in French exist in travel and tourism, the media, publishing, the fields of translation and interpreting, and governmental and non-governmental organizations.

Advisement

Department faculty members provide academic and career advisement. Each student majoring or seeking a minor in French is assigned a faculty adviser. Advisement takes place during the instructor's office hours or by appointment. Students are encouraged to meet with their faculty advisers at least once a semester.

Advisors

Admission Requirements

Students who wish to begin work in the department's undergraduate program must first apply for admission within the appropriate filing period to CSU Fullerton and declare their objective as Bachelor of Arts in French. Application may be obtained from the Office of Amissions & Records at any California State University campus. An electronic version of the CSU application is available on the World Wide Web at http://www.csumentor.edu/AdmissionApp/.

Placement

Students should enroll at that point in the sequence of courses for which their previous study and/or experience prepares them. Students with no language background should enroll in Fundamental 101-level courses. Normally, two years of high school language study are considered to be equivalent to one year of college language. Students just completing two years of high school language should begin at 200-level Intermediate courses. A minimum of four years of high school language, or its equivalent, is considered a prerequisite for more advanced 300-level major work.

Courses at the 101-level are not open to students who have completed two or more years of high school study or one term of college study in that language, unless such study was completed three years or more before entering the class. Courses at the 102-level are not open to students who have completed two or more years of high school study or two terms of college study in that language, unless such study was completed two years or more before entering the class.

Due to the sequential nature of language instruction, consultation with an adviser in the Department of Modern Languages and Literatures is essential before enrolling in a course.

Bachelor of Arts in French

The Bachelor of Arts in French consists of 30 units of upper-division French course work, plus the required 3-unit upper-division English writing course, Modern Language (MLNG) 301. Prior to undertaking upper-division work, the French major will have completed the following lower-division courses or their equivalents:

Basic Requirements (20 units)
Each of the following courses or their equivalent:
French 101 Fundamental French-A (5)
French 102 Fundamental French-B (5)
French 203 Intermediate French-A (3)
French 204 Intermediate French-B (3)
French 213 Intermediate Diction and Phonetics (2)
French 214 Intermediate Conversation and Composition (2)

Upper-Division Requirements (33 units)
Italicized classes are required.
I. Upper-Division Writing Requirement (3 units required)
Modern Language 301 Writing in an Intercultural Context (3)
II. Language (3 units required*, up to 9 units)
French 307 Advanced Composition and Grammar (3)
or French 308 Advanced Composition and Grammar (3)
French 310 French in the Professional World (3)
French 409 Techniques of French-English Translation (3)
III. Linguistics (3 units required*, up to 9 units)
French 300 Advanced Oral Expression and Phonetics (3)
French 408 Advanced Writing: Syntax and Morphology (3)
French 466 Introduction to French Linguistics (3)
IV. Civilization and Culture (6 units required, up to 12 units)
French 315 Origins of Modern France (3)
or French 325 Contemporary French Civilization (3)
French 311 French for International Business (3)
French 407 French Film (3)
French 435T Topics in French/Francophone Culture (3)
V. Literature (6 units required, up to 12 units)
French 375 Explorations in Literature (3)
One of the following Interdisciplinary Approaches to Literature:
French 470 French Literature & Power (3)
French 471 Literature and the Human Psyche (3)
French 472 Philosophical Exploration in Literature (3)
VI. Capstone Seminar (3 units required)
French 485 Senior Seminar in French Studies (3)
VII. Electives (9 units required)
In consultation with your adviser, choose nine (9) additional units of electives of which a minimum of six must be at the 400-level, from at least two of the categories II. - V. listed above.

* Six (6) units are required in each of the areas II. and III. for the Single Subject Matter Preparation Program for the Secondary Education Teaching Credential.

Minor in French

Basic Requirements (20 units)
Each of the following courses or their equivalent:
French 101 Fundamental French-A (5)
French 102 Fundamental French-B (5)
French 203 Intermediate French-A (3)
French 204 Intermediate French-B (3)
French 213 Intermediate Diction and Phonetics (2)
French 214 Intermediate Conversation and Composition (2)

Upper-Division Requirements (a total of 12 units)
Six units required from these courses:
French 307 Advanced Composition and Grammar (3)
OR French 308 Advanced Composition and Grammar (3)
French 315 Origins of Modern France (3)
OR French 325 Contemporary French Civilization (3)
Plus, in consultation with an adviser, choose two additional electives from the following (if not taken above) - 6 units required:
French 300 Advanced Oral Expression and Phonetics (3)
French 307 Advanced Composition and Grammar (3)
OR French 308 Advanced Composition and Grammar (3)
French 310 French in the Professional World (3)
French 311 French for International Business (3)
French 315 Origins of Modern France (3)
OR French 325 Contemporary French Civilization (3)
French 375 Explorations in Literature (3)
French 407 French Film (3)
French 408 Advanced Writing: Syntax and Morphology (3)
French 409 Techniques of French-English Translation (3)
French 415 French Classicism (3)
French 425 French Romanticism (3)
French 435T Topics in French/Francophone Culture (3)
French 466 Introduction to French Linguistics (3)
French 470 French Literature & Power (3)
French 471 Literature and the Human Psyche (3)
French 472 Philosophical Exploration in Literature (3)
French 475 Seminar in 20th Century French Literature (3)
French 485 Senior Seminar in French Studies (3)