Major programs usually include at least one term of study in France or Italy—all courses on the LSA+ and FSP study abroad programs count toward departmental majors and minors.
Major in French Studies
Prerequisite: French 5 and 6
The French Studies major consists of two prerequisite courses, FREN 5 and FREN 6, followed by eight seminar courses selected by the student in consultation with the French major advisor. At least one of the eight seminar courses must be a department-designated Writing Workshop and must be taken before the senior year. A maximum of two courses may come from the roster of FREN classes offered in English, though majors who elect these must take an x-hour in French and do all reading and written work in French. Alternatively, up to two courses from other departments may be counted towards the French Studies major if the material of such courses is directly germane to the student's major plan; these must be approved by the French major advisor. All three courses taken on the French LSA+ in Toulouse (winter) or the French FSP in Paris (winter or spring) count towards the major or minor.
Honors Thesis: If a student seeks to write an honors thesis in French Studies, they should contact a potential faculty thesis advisor and submit their thesis proposal by June 1 of their junior year. The honors thesis represents two course credits in the major during the student's senior year.
Culminating experience: Majors who do not write an honors thesis will, in their senior year, select an upper-level seminar in which they will submit additional assignments to produce a sustained piece of writing (20+ pages) to fulfill the College requirement for the culminating experience.
The major plan must be approved by the French major advisor.
Major in Italian Studies
Prerequisite: Italian 3
The Italian Studies major consists of eight courses beyond the level of ITAL 3. It must include either ITAL 8 (if taken on an LSA+ program in Rome) or ITAL 9 (if taken on campus), ITAL 10, and six additional courses selected from among those offered by the department. A maximum of two courses may come from the roster of ITAL classes offered in English, though majors who elect these must take an x-hour in Italian and do all reading and written work in Italian. All three courses taken on the Italian LSA+ in Rome during winter term count towards the major or minor. Note: ITAL 10 may only be taken once for credit.
Honors Thesis: If a student seeks to write an honors thesis in the Italian major, they should contact a potential faculty thesis advisor and submit their thesis proposal by June 1 of their junior year. The honors thesis adds one course to the major because the student is granted a course credit for conducting research and writing their thesis essay; thus, the honors major consists of a total of nine courses.
Culminating experience: Majors who do not write an honors thesis will, in their senior year, select an upper-level seminar in which they will submit additional assignments to produce a sustained piece of writing (20+ pages) to fulfill the College requirement for the culminating experience.
The major plan must be approved by the Italian major advisor.
Major in Romance Languages
French or Italian can be either the primary or secondary language in a Romance Languages major (the major can also include Spanish or Portuguese as a primary or secondary language).
French as primary language: students take FREN 5 and FREN 6 followed by four seminars in French, for a total of six courses. One course may come from the roster of FREN classes offered in English, though students who elect such a course must take an x-hour in French and do all reading and written work in French. When French is the primary language of the major, students do their culminating experience in French, either through an independent study with a professor or through additional reading and writing in an upper-level FREN seminar.
Italian as primary language: students take six courses in Italian beyond ITAL 3. These must include either ITAL 8 on the Rome LSA+ or ITAL 9 on campus, ITAL 10, and four additional courses selected from among those offered by the department. One course may come from the roster of ITAL classes offered in English, though students who elect such a course must take an x-hour in Italian and do all reading and written work in Italian. When Italian is the primary language of the major, students do their culminating experience in Italian, either through an independent study with a professor or through additional reading and writing in an upper-level ITAL seminar.
French as secondary language: students take FREN 5, FREN 6, and then an additional two seminars, for a total of four courses. As with other courses of study that include French, participation in the LSA+ in Toulouse or the FSP in Paris will give the student three courses towards the Romance Languages major.
Italian as secondary language: students take four courses in Italian beyond ITAL 3: ITAL 8 or 9, ITAL 10, and two additional seminars. As with other courses of study that include Italian, participation in the LSA+ in Rome will give the student three courses towards the Romance Languages major.
French or Italian as a Modifier
If a student wishes to modify a major in another department with French or Italian and wishes the modifying language to be entered on their permanent record, the major program must be approved by the Department of French and Italian Studies as well as by the primary department. The modifying component, which must add intellectual coherence to the primary major, must consist of major-level courses.
Minors
The department offers two minors: Italian Studies and French Studies. Minors often include at least one term of study in Italy or France; all courses on the LSA+ and FSP study abroad programs count toward departmental minors.
The Italian Studies minor consists of six courses beyond the level of ITAL 3. It must include either ITAL 8 (if taken on an LSA+ program in Rome) or ITAL 9 (if taken on campus), ITAL 10, and four additional courses selected from among those offered by the department. One course may come from the roster of ITAL classes offered in English, though minors who elect such a course must take an x-hour in Italian and do all reading and written work in Italian.
All three courses taken on the Italian LSA+ in Rome during winter term count towards the minor or major.
ITAL 10 may only be taken once for credit.
The French Studies minor consists of two prerequisite courses, FREN 5 and FREN 6, followed by four seminar courses selected by the student in consultation with the minor advisor. Among their four seminar courses, students are strongly encouraged to take at least one department-designated Writing Workshop. One course may come from the roster of FREN classes offered in English, though minors who elect such a course must take an x-hour in French and do all reading and written work in French.
All three courses taken on the French LSA+ in Toulouse (winter) or the French FSP in Paris (winter or spring) count towards the minor or major.
Honors Thesis Program
Please refer to the ORC for general, College-wide requirements for admission to the Honors Program. Students who wish to write an honors thesis must give evidence of exceptional ability and interest in the major field by having a GPA of 3.5 or better.
The thesis topic and the individual faculty advisor for the thesis must be determined during the student's junior year, with a one-page thesis proposal due to both the advisor and the department chair by June 1st.
French Studies: If a student seeks to write an honors thesis in French Studies, they should contact a potential faculty thesis advisor and submit their thesis proposal by June 1 of their junior year. The honors thesis represents two course credits in the major during the student's senior year.
Culminating experience: Majors who do not write an honors thesis will, in their senior year, select an upper-level seminar in which they will submit additional assignments to produce a sustained piece of writing (20+ pages) to fulfill the college requirement for the culminating experience.
Italian Studies: If a student seeks to write an honors thesis in the Italian major, they should contact a potential faculty thesis advisor and submit their thesis proposal by June 1 of their junior year. The honors thesis adds one course to the major because the student is granted a course credit for conducting research and writing their thesis essay; thus, the honors major consists of a total of nine courses.
Culminating experience: Majors who do not write an honors thesis will, in their senior year, select an upper-level seminar in which they will submit additional assignments to produce a sustained piece of writing (20+ pages) to fulfill the College requirement for the culminating experience.
Upon student submission of a thesis, department faculty will determine whether the student will graduate without honors in the major, with an Honors designation, or with a designation of High Honors.
Please refer to the department's website for details on thesis writing and timelines.