| Master
of Arts in French
Faculty
Admission
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FOREWORD
The School of International Letters and Cultures offers a graduate program in French leading to the degree of Master of Arts in French with concentrations in Literature, Linguistics, or Comparative Literature. There is also an M.A. program in Secondary Education with a major in French. This guide is intended to provide new graduate students in the School of International Letters and Cultures with the information necessary for compliance with the degree requirements of the respective programs. It should be used in conjunction with the Graduate College Guide to Graduate College Procedures. In addition, graduate students are expected to consult regularly with the Graduate Director, and programs of study for each semester must be signed by the Graduate Director. Students are urged to discuss their studies with the Director of French Graduate Studies who is available to answer whatever questions or problems may arise during the pursuit of the M.A. degree. Since it is the students' responsibility to comply with all requirements and to keep informed of their nature and application, it is in their interest to familiarize themselves with these documents and to consult with the departmental faculty on a regular basis. The French section of the School of International Letters and Cultures encourages and appreciates suggestions coming from graduate students which could lead to an improvement of the programs offered. It also welcomes concrete proposals which would improve the usefulness of this guide.
Responsibilities of the Section French Section Coordinator: Sylvain Gallais French Faculty: Frédéric Canovas : Twentieth-Century Literature, Critical Theory ( Ph.D. University of Oregon) Mark Cruse: Medieval Literature (Ph.D. New York University) Aleksandra Gruzinska : Nineteenth-Century Literature ( Ph.D. Pennsylvania State University) Suzanne Hendrickson: T.A. Supervisor, Methods of Teaching French ( Ph.D. Washington University, St. Louis) Deborah Losse : Renaissance Literature, Francophone African Literature ( Ph.D. University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill) Helene Ossipov : Linguistics ( Ph.D. Indiana University, Bloomington) David Wetsel : Seventeenth-Century Literature, Eighteenth-Century Literature, Intellectual Currents (Ph.D. Brandeis, M. Div. The Divinity School, University of Chicago) Whom to Contact: For general information about graduate studies: For information on the French M.A. (until 7/1/06; thereafter contact Frédéric Canovas): Aleksandra Gruzinska Graduate College ADMISSION PROCEDURES Important dates:
Students seeking admission must first apply to the Graduate College. This is a process totally independent of the application for a teaching assistantship. It is expected that the applicant will have been accepted into the graduate program before s/he may be awarded a Teaching Assistantship. Foreign students should apply as early as possible in the Fall Semester, preferably before the first of October, and must pass the TOEFL before admission. All applications for admission are processed by the departmental Chair, in consultation with the Director of French Graduate Studies and members of the French section. Applicants for the Master's program are evaluated on the basis of their B.A. preparation. In addition, the overall nature of the students' undergraduate preparation is taken into account. The committee is guided by the grade-point average in all undergraduate work, by the junior-senior average, and by the average in the major. Normally, students are expected to have at least a 3.25 average in their undergraduate French major in order to be accepted into the Master's program. Students denied admission may apply at a later date, after consultation with the Director of French Graduate Studies. Factors which are also taken into consideration include the schools where the students have studied previously, whether or not they have had the opportunity to study abroad, and, where necessary, the nature of any letters of recommendation which they may have submitted in support of an evaluation of their command of French and potential for graduate work. Should the applicants' GPA in previous work not meet the appropriate standard, they may submit graduate record examination scores. The total of the three sections of the GRE Basic Examination (verbal, quantitative, and analytical) should be 1500 or better in order for the students to be given regular admission. The Graduate College gives priority to on-line applications. French Master of Arts Graduate Admission Application Requirements Submit to the Graduate College Admissions Office • Official Application and $50.00 application fee • Application online: http://www.asu.edu/graduate/admissions/apply.html • International Applicants http://www.asu.edu/graduate/admissions/international.html • An official BA transcript from the degree granting institution. • Test score reports International Students –TOEFL score must be reported by ETS directly to Graduate Admissions. *Official Transcripts – One set of official transcripts from every college and university attended. All international records must be submitted in the original language accompanied by an official English translation. Translations must be literal, complete versions of original records, and the documents must be translated by a university, a government official, or an official translation service. You cannot do your own translation. Nota Bene: Photocopies certified by a notary public are not official. Submit the following to the Department of Languages & Literatures • 1) Personal Statement – Highlighting your motivations and skills and indicating why you are interested in the French graduate program. • 2) Writing Sample that represents your thinking as well as your writing skills (preferably written in French, on a topic connected with the language or French and Francophone culture. • 3) There (3) letters of recommendation – Addressing your expertise in French and commenting on your language and intellectual skills as well as your teaching potential. Teaching Assistantship Application (In addition to the materials listed above) • 1) TA application - http://www.asu.edu/graduate/forms/wordforms/RATAap.doc • 2) Third letter of recommendation – the letter should address the student’s competence in the language and the ability to conduct a university-level language course. • 3) Brief recording in French If you are a non-native French speaker: a 4 minute (approximately) recorded message in French on a topic of your choice (please do not read; this is to help the committee evaluate your level; it should reflect realistically your spoken French). If you are a non-native English speaker, a 4 minute (approximately) recorded message in English on a topic of your choice. (The same criteria are applied as above) In order to teach, non-native English speakers are required to pass the ASU SPEAK test given during Orientation.
GENERAL DETAILS A total of 30 hours of graduate work is required. Graduate students may take only 500-level courses for graduate credit. At least 9 hours must be selected from those courses listed exclusively for graduate students. The program must include a research methods course (FRE 500 or LIN 500). It is recommended that the candidate enroll in this course as early as possible. When approved by the Graduate Committee, up to 6 hours of related course work may be taken outside of French. A student must achieve a grade point average of B (G.P.A. 3.0) or better in all work specifically included in the program of study. Grades below C cannot be used to meet the requirements of a graduate degree. Students are encouraged to file an Official Program of Study as early as possible and no later than the end of the first year. This form must be completed on-line. On it the students list the courses taken and grades as well as the courses they expect to take, or are in the process of taking. Once the form has been completed, it must be checked and signed by the Director of French Graduate Studies. An examining committee will be designated in consultation with the student, who must obtain the signatures of the three members selected. These members will normally be chosen from among the faculty with whom the student has taken course work. It must then be signed by the Chair of the School of International Letters and Cultures and returned to the Graduate Office, Administration B-Wing, Room 285. Prior to completing the form the student should check with the Director of French Graduate Programs to avoid delays in processing by the Graduation Office. Independent Study courses will be given only under exceptional circumstances and will not duplicate courses which are available. The French Graduate Committee is responsible for authorizing such work in cooperation with the individual professor. No more than 6 hours of Independent Study will be permitted.
FINANCIAL AID AND TEACHING ASSISTANTSHIPS Financial Aid is available to qualified applicants on a competitive basis in the form of Teaching Assistantships, with stipends. Tuition is automatically waived for teaching assistants. An effort is made to award assistantships for four consecutive semesters, depending on the teaching openings available in the Department. Assistants may teach up to two four-hour courses each semester on the elementary and/or intermediate levels. Deadline for applications is normally January 31; later applications for assistantships will be considered if any positions remain unfilled. Applications for graduate admission may be obtained from Graduate Admissions. Applications for teaching assistantships and scholarships may be obtained from the Director of French Graduate Studies, the Graduate Secretary, or online.
SELECTION FOR SUMMER SESSION TEACHING Students interested in being considered for summer appointment must submit applications separate from applications for continuation in the next academic year. The French Graduate committee will review applications after the announced deadline for submission, although applications may be received and evaluated until all positions have been filled. The French section coordinator, in consultation with the Graduate Committee and the T.A. supervisor makes recommendations to the departmental chair who, as the executive officer of the department, makes all final decisions. The French section recognizes its obligation to provide continuous appointment for as many graduate students as possible during the summer months. Openings for the summer employment of teaching assistants will be determined on the basis of budgetary allowances and the teaching preferences of regular faculty members. Ordinarily, such openings will be on the 100 and 200 levels and qualifications for such openings will be the same as during the regular academic year. Students desiring a summer appointment must be registered for classes in the summer and must not have graduated. Applicants for summer positions must have been Teaching or Research Assistant/Associates during at least one semester of the previous academic year and evaluations will be sought by the Committee. Applications must be ranked by the graduate committee, taking into account the following priorities and criteria: 1. Academic and teaching rating on a 10 point scale. 2. All factors equal, previous summer support will be taken into account. 3. Every attempt will be made to give Master's students a turn at summer teaching, pending available openings. Since the faculty's recommendations are made to the Chair, it is the Chair's responsibility to inform students of the final disposition of their applications. Notification will be made at the earliest time permitted, pending final budget decisions for the summer sessions. EVALUATION OF TEACHING ASSISTANTS/GRADUATE STUDENTS 1. In the spring of each academic year, the French Faculty will evaluate all students’ academic performance. In addition, the quality of each student’s French will be evaluated, and students who need to improve their language skills must do so within the time limit given them by the section. 2. Evaluation of teaching assistants is done by the French TA-Supervisor. 3. Optionally, each teaching assistant may arrange through her/his supervisor to be evaluated by another faculty member. This evaluation will result in a narrative statement. The evaluation will be arranged in consultation with the supervisor, and the teaching assistant will submit the names of three faculty members s/he feels would be appropriate evaluators. 4. All evaluations will go into the teaching assistant's academic file and will be available for examination by the teaching assistant. 5. All incompletes must be removed by the start of the contract (August or January) or the assistantship will be withdrawn.A condition for holding a Teaching Assistantship in the French section will be the enrollment in at least 2 courses (6 hours) per semester in French appropriate for graduate students. Students may receive permission to take an appropriate course in another department, provided that the total number of credit hours outside of French does not exceed 6 (six). AREAS OF EMPHASIS There are two tracks in the Master's Degree in French: a) Literature option; b) Linguistics option. Thirty hours are required for the M.A. program. Prerequisite for admission into the Literature Program: French 321 (Introduction to French Literature: Medieval through the Eighteenth Century); French 322 (Introduction to French Literature: Nineteenth and Twentieth Centuries), in addition to two 400-level French classes of which at least one must be a literature course. I. Required Courses: 1. French 500: Research Methods. II. Core Courses: A minimum of four (4) courses offered by the French Section selected from any combination of the following categories: 1. Period Courses. Summary: Students must take a total of eight courses, among them Research Methods and two courses dealing with Linguistics or Civilization as well as one course in critical or cultural theory. The remaining four courses are to be chosen from the Literature courses in the French section. All teaching assistants are required to attend orientation and register for the Teaching Methods course during August. This course does not count as part of the 30 hours required for the M.A. III. Thesis:
Prerequisite for admission into the linguistics program: FLA 400/598, Introduction to Linguistics, or equivalent course. I. Required Courses: 1. LIN 500: Research Methods, or a similar course. II. Core Courses: A minimum of four (4) courses offered by the French section. Suggested courses are listed below; additional ones may be offered if the circumstances and opportunities to do so arise. 1. History of the French Language Summary: Students must take a total of eight courses, among them Research Methods and two courses dealing with literature and Francophone studies. The remaining five courses are to be chosen from linguistics courses in French or another department. All teaching assistants are required to attend orientation and register for the Teaching Methods course during August. This course does not count as part of the 30 hours required for the M.A. III. Thesis:
The courses listed below may be used to satisfy the minimum requirements in the Literature option or the Linguistics option. I. Literature Courses: II. Linguistic Courses: 1. French Syntax III. Elective Courses: 1. Intellectual Currents2. Explication de textes 3. Translation Theory and Practice (if available) 4. French Women in Society and the Arts 5. Civilisation Québécoise 6. Problems in Literary Translation (if available) 7. Gay Identities in Modern French Literature 8. Love and Death in the Great French Novels As new courses are designed, they will be approved for one or the other category on an ad hoc basis. Students in Comparative Literature will design their program with their committee in Comparative Literature in accordance with the program requirements.
MASTER'S THESIS An introduction to research is an integral part of all M.A. programs at Arizona State University. All students are therefore required to present a thesis. Once students have declared an area of research interest (e.g., period, figure, or theme), they must decide, in consultation with a faculty member, on a thesis topic and on a committee. The thesis director will be a member of this committee which will consist of three members. This committee will function as an advising body. Students who plan to write a thesis should submit to their committee a written proposal of about five pages (including bibliography) of their idea. The student should meet with the committee to discuss the project, assign roles to committee members, anticipate problems and solutions, and settle on a tentative defense date. Once that is done, the student must give a copy of the proposal to the Graduate director. The preparation of theses must conform to Graduate College guidelines (a copy may be obtained from the Graduate College). A thesis in progress will be assigned the grade "Z". Students will normally receive 6 hours of credit (out of a total of 30) for the thesis. Upon completion of the thesis, the "Z" will be changed to a "Y". This will be done by the Thesis Director in consultation with the committee. Prior to the defense of the thesis, the student will be required to write a Master’s Examination. In lieu of a thesis, students who are planning to teach in the secondary school system may choose to do an applied project. The requirements for the Applied Project are: Twenty-seven hours of course work in either the Literature or Linguistics tracks of French. A comprehensive examination A portfolio comprising:
The portfolio will be evaluated and approved by the student’s supervisory committee and will be presented in a public defense.
The Master's Degree Examination in French is represented by a separate written component administered over a one-day period in January, May, or August. The examination is based on the student's course work and field of concentration, as defined in the reading list made up by the student. The examination will consist of three parts: a question based on the student´s thesis topic, one general question, and a problem to solve or a text to analyze. A sample of a previous exam is available on request from the Graduate Director. The exam is made up and graded by the student´s thesis committee. A student desiring to take the examination must file the appropriate application (obtainable from the Graduate College) with the Director of French Graduate Studies at least four weeks prior to the examination date. The student must consult at least one semester prior to the exam with his/her committee to establish a reading list and thesis topic. Possible grades are Pass, Fail, and exceptionally, Pass with Distinction.Comparative Literature For the concentration in comparative literature, a candidate must complete 36 semester hours of graduate-level courses, with a minimum of 12 hours being taken in the School of International Letters and Cultures. Included in the hours must be ENG 500 Research Methods; ENG 503 Comparative Literature, Theory and Practice; and ENG 599 Thesis. The examination for the concentration in Comparative Literature will be administered by the interdepartmental committee for Comparative Literature. The examination in Comparative Literature will consist of the following parts: 1. General Concepts of Comparative Literature: Essay questions on selected aspects of Comparative Literature, designed to test the student's grasp of the general principles of the disciplines. 2. Problems of Comparative Literature: Essay questions based on specific comparative problems. The chair of each examining committee will report the results of the examination (determined by polling the members of the committee) to the departmental chair, who will report the results to all students at the same time. In no case is the chair of the examining committee to discuss the results of the exam with the student until the latter has received official notification of the results from the departmental chair. A student desiring to take the Comprehensive Examination must file the appropriate application (obtainable from the Graduate College) with the Director of French Graduate Studies at least four weeks prior to the examination dates.
Each Fall, the graduate students elect two representatives. These representatives attend section meetings and Graduate Committee meetings. They may also participate in job searches. In those functions, they voice the concerns of graduate students, but do not vote or make policy. They are also excluded from those situations where there may be a conflict with the Buckley amendment that assures student privacy. Furthermore, the representatives act as advocates for the students. Members of the French section are affiliated with the Arizona Center for Medieval and Renaissance Studies, the Women and Gender Studies Program, the Interdisciplinary Ph.D. in Applied Linguistics. There exist exchange programs, administered through the International Programs Office, between the French section of the School of International Letters and Cultures and the Département de Langues et Linguistique at Laval University in Quebec City and the Faculté Libre des Lettres et Sciences Humaines in Lille, France. These are T.A. exchanges that give our students the opportunity to teach English in a Francophone setting. Students interested in the exchanges must be at the thesis level, have a Program of Study on file, and must have a research project in mind. Finally, students may attend Laval University in Quebec City ( Quebec, Canada) during the ASU Summer Study Abroad Program in Quebec City. Some assistantships are available for Graduate Students. Criteria defining satisfactory progress towards the M.A. degree in French: In order to continue work on the M.A. degree in French, students must fulfill the following conditions. Failure to fulfill these conditions will result in the student’s being excused from further participation in the program. 1. A minimum G.P.A. of 3.0 must be maintained. 2. Full-time students must complete all course work within two years of the first semester in which the student is enrolled. For example, a student who begins study in the Fall 1998 semester must complete all course work by the end of the Spring 2000 semester. Part-time students may take longer; however, they should keep in mind that the Graduate College has a six-year time limit, and that they may have to petition for an extension. 3. All students must take their comprehensive exams at the end of their second year of coursework. Exams are given in May, August, and January. Students must sign up for exams, and must take them at the appointed date. In case of emergency, the student must inform the graduate secretary as soon as possible. Exams may then be rescheduled for as soon as possible, and certainly no later than the next session. Exams may be rescheduled only once. 4. The student must have an approved thesis proposal within one year of passing the exams.
Appendix B M.A. IN FRENCH WITH EMPHASIS IN COMPARATIVE LITERATURE ENTRANCE REQUIREMENTS 3.00 G.P.A. in undergraduate French courses. Skill in oral and written French equivalent to that of students completing FRE 311 and 312. 6-9 hours in upper-division French literature as approved by the Comparative Literature Committee of the French section. The language requirements and required background in undergraduate literature courses of the second language chosen by the student will be determined by an intradepartmental (Dept. of Languages and Literatures) or inter-departmental (French and English) committee of three members. That committee will advise the students and approve of their program of courses. THESIS The thesis is required. CREDIT HOURS To be determined in consultation with the supervisory committee. Because of the diverse nature of comparative literature studies, it is unlikely the students can complete their degree work in less than 34-36 hours. I. Core Courses: I. Concepts and Methodology. (9 hours) A. Bibliographical methods. A research methods course at the 500 level. Required. 1. Theory and History of Literary Criticism. (e.g. ENG 400, SPA 545, etc.) II. Core Courses: II (Topics. Minimum of 6 hours) A. Ancillary Courses, e.g.: 1. Linguistics: FRE 521-History of the French Language FLA 400-Linguistics SPA 540-History of the Spanish Language ENG 510-The Structure of English, etc. B. Period Courses in French literature or literature of the second language. 1. ENG 500-Comparative Literature. C. Topic Courses, e.g.: 1. ENG 549-Studies in Comparative Literature. A minimum of 15-18 hours of French courses must be taken if the M.A. is to be granted in French. READING LIST The student and his/her Comparative Literature advisors will prepare a reading list which will include works on the theory of comparative literature, masterworks of the two literatures of the student's concentration, and masterpieces of world literature. EXAMS l. Written. The students will be examined on their course work only. 2. Oral. In addition to questions on the course work, there will be questions on the student's reading list. There will be a second oral exam in defense of the thesis.
Appendix C LINKS to Graduate Studies Information Graduate College MA Program of Study http://www.asu.edu/registrar/forms/wordfill/mastrpos.doc iPOS online (Links not yet available) As of February 14th, 2006, the Graduate College has fully implemented the new Interactive Program of Study (iPOS). As of March 1 st, the Graduate College will no longer accept paper Program of Study forms. Graduate Forms http://www.asu.edu/graduate/forms/index.html Graduate Deadlines and Procedures http://www.asu.edu/graduate/generalinfo/GradDdlns/index.html Registrar Forms http://www.asu.edu/registrar/forms TA/RA Application http://www.asu.edu/graduate/forms/wordforms/RATAap.doc |