312 Humanities Hall; (949) 824-6407
David Carroll, Department Chair
Faculty
Luke P. Bouvier, Ph.D. Cornell University, Assistant Professor of French (nineteenth-century narrative)
Ellen S. Burt, Ph.D. Yale University, Associate Professor of French (eighteenth-century French literature and nineteenth-century poetry)
David Carroll, Ph.D. The Johns Hopkins University, Department Chair and Professor of French (literary theory and twentieth-century French literature)
James Chiampi, Ph.D. Yale University, Associate Professor of Italian (Italian Renaissance)
Jacques Derrida, Doctorat d'Etat ès Lettres, Professor of French, Philosophy, and Comparative Literature (philosophy, critical theory)
Suzanne Gearhart, Ph.D. The Johns Hopkins University, Professor of French (seventeenth- and eighteenth-century French literature, philosophy and literature)
Elizabeth Guthrie, Ph.D. University of Illinois, Director of the French Language Program and Lecturer in French (second-language acquisition and teaching)
Judd D. Hubert, Ph.D. Columbia University, Professor Emeritus of French (seventeenth- and nineteenth-century French literature)
Renée Riese Hubert, Ph.D. Columbia University, Professor Emerita of French and Comparative Literature (literature and fine arts, modern poetry, surrealism, Romanticism, comparative literature)
Alice M. Laborde, Ph.D. University of California, Los Angeles, Professor Emerita of French (eighteenth-century French literature)
Carrie J. Noland, Ph.D. Harvard University, Assistant Professor of French (twentieth-century poetry; World War II and literature of the avant-garde)
Leslie W. Rabine, Ph.D. Stanford University, Professor of French (nineteenth-century French literature and women's studies)
Richard L. Regosin, Ph.D. The Johns Hopkins University, Professor of French (sixteenth-century French literature)
The Undergraduate Program in French offers a broad humanistic course of study designed for students in the liberal arts. The orientation of the program is multidisciplinary, where the study of literature is linked to critical, cultural, and historical concerns. Courses reflect the faculty's interest in the related disciplines of history, philosophy, anthropology, women's studies, cultural studies, and comparative literature, and express its conviction that the study of French literature and culture is enriched by pursuing its relations with other disciplines, fields, and cultures.
Lower-division language courses encourage students to participate in the creative process of language, to think in French as they learn to understand, speak, read, and write. These courses are taught entirely in French, and the approach to teaching stresses the interdependence of the four basic language skills and makes them mutually reinforcing. The Language Laboratory is used to complement classroom activity.
At the intermediate lower-division level, texts of contemporary literary and social interest provide the focus for advanced conversation, reading, and composition. After the second year, advanced courses in conversation and writing enable students to attain a greater degree of proficiency, preparing them for further study in the multidisciplinary upper-division program.
All upper-division offerings are taught in the seminar mode. Because classes are limited in size, they promote and encourage participation and discussion and facilitate direct contact with professors. In the introductory courses in literature, complete texts are studied in their historical context. The student learns to analyze and interpret different types of creative literature and is introduced to various critical concepts and vocabularies. At the more advanced level, the multidisciplinary courses bring together material and methodologies from the various disciplines in order to address interpretive problems of French literature, culture, and history. In recent years, courses have been offered in literature and political opposition, monsters and madness in Renaissance literature, ethnography and literature, women and sexuality, autobiography, and the supernatural in nineteenth-century narrative. The content of these courses changes yearly according to the interests of both faculty and students.
Students are placed in French courses according to their years of previous study. In general, one year of high school French is equated with one quarter of UCI work. Thus, students with one, two, three, or four years of high school French will enroll in French 1B, 1C, 2A, and 2B, respectively. Exceptions to this placement formula must be approved by the appropriate course director. Students with transfer credit for college-level French may not repeat those courses for credit.
Student representatives serve on departmental committees. These representatives also participate in Department meetings and are responsible for student evaluation procedures.
The great majority of students who major in French pursue careers in business and commerce, where they can take advantage not only of their proficiency in French language but also of their knowledge of French literature and culture. Many students also go on to law school, to medical school, and to careers in the diplomatic service. In recent years, graduates have entered the field of education in increasing numbers. The Department's multidisciplinary approach to the study of literature teaches students to think critically and develops analytical skills that can be applied to a wide range of problems. It also helps students to develop the interpretive and writing skills necessary to express their own ideas clearly and persuasively. Whether they enter business or professions such as law, education, or government, French majors acquire the intellectual and communicative skills requisite for success.
The UCI Career Center provides service to students and alumni including career counseling, information about job opportunities, a career library, and workshops on resume preparation, job search, and interview techniques. See the Career Center section for additional information.
University Requirements: See pages 54-58.
School Requirements: See page 190.
Departmental Requirements for the Major
French 100A-B, 101A-B-C, and nine other upper-division courses taught in the Department. Students may take up to two courses from the Department offerings taught in English.
Residence Requirement for the Major: At least five upper-division courses (above 101A-B-C) required for the major must be completed successfully at UCI.
Departmental Requirements for the Minor
French 100A-B plus five other French courses, four of which must be upper-division. Prerequisite: French 2C or equivalent.
Residence Requirement for the Minor: Four upper-division courses must be successfully completed at UCI.
The student and the faculty advisor (assigned upon entering the major) should plan a coherent program of courses to fulfill the major requirements.
The Department encourages the student to study in France, either through the University's Education Abroad Program or independently. Information is available in the Department Office.
Students should consult with faculty members concerning career plans in areas such as teaching, industry, journalism, law, and civil service.
The Department offers a minor in Italian. Lower-division courses gradually develop the student's mastery of spoken and written Italian and, as the sequence progresses, introduce readings in literature and culture.
A third-year, two-quarter sequence is designed to improve the student's proficiency in aural and written comprehension as well as in speaking and writing skills. A three-quarter introduction to Italian literature acquaints the student with major historical periods and genres, and introduces the student to various critical concepts and vocabulary. Tutorial and seminar courses provide the advanced student with an opportunity for in-depth study of a single author, critical problem, or historical period. From year to year, the Department's offerings in literature vary considerably; students interested in planning course work in Italian should consult with Department of French and Italian faculty.
Students are encouraged to pursue their interests through a major in Humanities, leading to a B.A. degree in Humanities, which combines Italian literature, culture, history, art, and music.
Departmental Requirements for the Minor
Italian 100A-B, 101A-B-C, 130, and one other course outside the Department on Italian history, film, art, or other aspect of Italian culture, chosen in consultation with Department of French and Italian faculty.
Residence Requirement for the Minor: Four upper-division courses must be successfully completed at UCI.
The Department of French and Italian offers a graduate program in French with a strong theoretical, cultural, and multidisciplinary orientation. In addition to their specialties in the traditionally constituted fields of French literature, the faculty is actively involved in related disciplines such as philosophy, psychoanalysis, anthropology, history, women's studies, cultural studies, and comparative literature. A theoretical and multidisciplinary approach to literature is a demanding one requiring, among other things, a restless critique of its own evaluations and concepts.
In small seminars designed to stimulate intellectual exchange, students and faculty explore literature written in French within the context of relevant historical, cultural, or theoretical issues. They raise questions engaged by literary discourse and study critically the theories formulated to account for it. Courses tend to cross lines between disciplines and to emphasize both the close reading of texts and modern theories of history, culture, literature, and criticism. Students are encouraged to pursue their work in related fields outside the Department. They are also strongly encouraged to study abroad at some point during their graduate career.
The Master of Arts degree is considered to be a step toward the Ph.D. degree; only students intending to pursue studies for the doctorate are admitted to the program. Performance on the Master's examination, usually given in the second year of graduate study, determines entrance into the doctoral program. Most candidates take a minimum of 11 graduate courses. All entering graduate students are counseled by the graduate advisor. During the winter quarter of each year, the teaching performance and academic record of each student who is a Teaching Assistant are evaluated. All graduate students are also given a written evaluation of their work on a course-by-course basis. Proficiency in a foreign language in addition to French is required for the M.A. degree (proficiency is defined as the equivalent of the level attained at the end of course 2C).
All M.A. candidates are required to pass the Master's examination. Plan I allows particularly well-prepared students to receive special permission to take nine courses and to write a short thesis, for which two course credits are given. Under Plan II candidates take a minimum of 11 courses and have the option of taking a written examination or of writing a research paper. The written examination consists of essays that demonstrate skills of literary analysis and an understanding of theoretical concepts and their application to the study of specific literary texts. The research paper involves a carefully developed and well-documented analysis that reflects extensive critical reading. In all cases students also take an oral examination that focuses on the written essays or the research paper and that seeks as well to test the student's broader knowledge.
The Master's examination is normally given at the end of the winter quarter of the second year of studies. Students who are Teaching Assistants normally take the examination in the fifth quarter of their studies.
Students transferring to the program from other graduate institutions may receive credit for up to two courses, subject to the approval of the Department. A maximum of five courses may be transferable from other UC graduate programs, with departmental approval.
Upon successful completion of the Master's examination and admission to the Ph.D. program, or upon admission with a Master's degree from an accredited institution, a Guidance Committee is appointed in consultation with the student. The Guidance Committee advises the student in the choice of courses to help prepare for the written and oral Qualifying Examinations leading to advancement to candidacy for the Ph.D. degree. The Committee is comprised of five faculty members: three from the Department, one from outside the Department who represents the student's outside area of specialization, and, for the qualifying examination, another faculty member not affiliated with the Department who represents the faculty-at-large. One member of the Committee is expected to direct the dissertation.
Language Requirements: A reading knowledge of two foreign languages relevant to the student's area of specialization and subject to the approval of the Guidance Committee.
Course Requirements: A minimum of 15 graduate courses or seminars in French beyond the B.A. and three graduate courses outside the Department in areas related to the field of specialization are required.
A student may pursue the Ph.D. with particular emphasis in literary theory by taking additional course work in the Department and in the Critical Theory Program beyond the minimum number required.
A graduate emphasis in Feminist Studies also is available. Refer to the Women's Studies section of the Catalogue for information.
Teaching: Since the overwhelming majority of Ph.D. candidates plan to teach, the Department recognizes its responsibility to train them as teachers. Therefore, as far as it is possible, all candidates without previous teaching experience are required to participate in a program of supervised teaching for at least one year.
Qualifying Examination--Written and Oral: Upon completion of course work, the student takes a series of examinations involving problems of a critical and interpretive nature. The Ph.D. Examination encourages focus and depth at a time when the student's area of specialization and eventual dissertation topic should be taking an increasingly clearer shape. In consultation with the Guidance Committee, the student defines the precise nature and scope of four topics for the examination, which consists of written and oral parts. Upon successful completion of the written and oral Qualifying Examinations, the student is advanced to candidacy for the Ph.D. degree.
Dissertation: The dissertation topic chosen by the candidate will normally, but not necessarily, fall within one of the major fields covered by the Qualifying Examination. The dissertation must be defended in an oral examination and approved by the Doctoral Committee before the candidate is recommended for the degree.
Three faculty members, chosen by the candidate, proposed by the Department, and appointed on behalf of the Dean of Graduate Studies and the Graduate Council, constitute the Doctoral Committee which directs the preparation and completion of the doctoral dissertation. The Doctoral Committee supervises an oral defense, the focus of which is the content of the doctoral dissertation, and certifies that a completed dissertation is satisfactory.
1A-B-C Fundamentals of French (5-5-5) 1A (F), 1B (F, W), 1C (W, S). Students are taught to conceptualize in French as they learn to understand, read, write, and speak. Classes are conducted entirely in French and meet daily. Language Laboratory attendance is required. French 1A-B-C and S1AB-BC may not both be taken for credit.
S1AB-BC Fundamentals of French (7.5-7.5) Summer. First-year French in an intensified form. Same as French 1A-B-C during academic year. Prerequisite for S1AB:none; for S1BC: French S1AB or 1B, or two years of high school French. Formerly French S1A-B. French S1AB-BC and 1A-B-C may not both be taken for credit.
2A-B-C Intermediate French (4-4-4) 2A (F, S), 2B (F, W), 2C (W, S). Texts of contemporary literary or social interest provide the focus for more advanced conversation, reading and composition. Classes are conducted entirely in French. Prerequisite: normally three years of high school French or one year of college French. French 2A-B-C and S2AB-BC may not both be taken for credit. (2A: VI)
S2AB-BC Intermediate French (6-6) Summer. Second-year in an intensified form. Same as French 2A-B-C during academic year. Prerequisite: French 1C or three years of high school French. Formerly French S2A-B. French S2AB-BC and 2A-B-C may not both be taken for credit. (S2AB: VI)
13 Conversation (4) F, W, S. Helps students increase their fluency and enrich their vocabulary. Prerequisite: French 2C or equivalent.
100 Composition and Grammar Review
100A Advanced Grammar and Composition (4) F, W. Systematic review of grammar with written compositions on various topics. Students study and practice forms of descriptive and imitative writing, techniques of translation, and textual analysis including explication de texte of prose and poetry passages. Prerequisite: French 2C or equivalent.
100B Essay Writing (4) W, S. Trains students to write about literature in French, and introduces them to specific critical approaches and strategies for utilizing library resources, organizing arguments, and developing a coherent essay. Topics for weekly compositions drawn from texts of literary, historical, and social interest. Prerequisite: French 100A or equivalent.
101A-B-C Introduction to French Literature (4-4-4) F, W, S. Introduction to all of the genres of a narrowly defined period in relationship to a specific literary problem. In French. French 100A and 100B are recommended as prerequisites but may be taken concurrently with French 101A-B-C. (VII-B)
105 Advanced Composition and Style (4). Helps the student attain greater proficiency and elegance in the written language. Prerequisites: French 100B.
NOTE: The prerequisite for the following upper-division courses is French 101A-B-C or the equivalent. The content of these upper-division courses changes yearly. Courses numbered 110 through 198, except 139 and 180, may be repeated for credit when topics change.
110 Problems in French Culture (4). Same as Women's Studies 170FB when topic is appropriate. (VII-B)
111 French Phonetics (4) W. Study of the sound structure of French. Introduction to elements of general phonetics, contrastive (French/English) phonetics, and French phonetics and phonology. Designed to help students improve their pronunciation. Also serves as a preparatory course for language teaching. Prerequisite: French 2C or equivalent. Same as Linguistics 164B. Formerly French 11. Not offered 1998-99.
116 Sixteenth-Century French Literature (4). (VII-B)
117 Seventeenth-Century French Literature (4). (VII-B)
118 Eighteenth-Century French Literature (4). (VII-B)
119 Nineteenth-Century French Literature (4). (VII-B)
120 Twentieth-Century French Literature (4). (VII-B)
125 African Literature of French Expression (4). Introduction to the principal African and Caribbean works written in French. Offers opportunity to study literature and culture in French in a non-European context. Lectures and papers in French. (VII-B)
127 Francophone Literature and Culture (4). Literature and cultures of the francophone world. Same as Women's Studies 170FC when topic is appropriate. (VII-B)
130 Junior-Senior Seminar in French Literature (4). Provides advanced students in French literature an opportunity to explore in-depth selected topics in French literature and culture in a seminar environment. Class discussion and independent research projects are emphasized. Prerequisite: two upper-division French literature courses beyond French 101A-B-C. May be repeated for credit as topics vary.
139 Literature and Society (4). In English. Readings of masterpieces of French literature in their social, political, and historical contexts. Course requires at least 4,000 words of assigned composition based on French works. Several essays required. Topics vary. French majors have admission priority. Prerequisites: satisfaction of lower-division writing requirement; junior standing or consent of instructor. May be repeated for credit as topics vary. (VII-B)
140 Studies in French Literary Genre (4)
150 Topics in French Literature and Culture (4). In English. Same as Women's Studies 170FA when topic is appropriate. (VII-B)
160 French Cinema (4) F, W, S, Summer. In English. May have discussion sections in French. May be repeated when topic varies, but can be taken only twice for credit toward the major. Same as Film Studies 160. (VII-B)
170 History and Literature (4)
171 Politics and Literature (4)
180 Junior/Senior Seminar in Theory and Criticism (4). May be repeated for credit once when topics vary.
199 Special Studies in French (1 to 4) F, W, S. Open only to outstanding students. Research paper required. Prerequisites: consent of instructor and of Department Chair; student must submit a written description of the proposed course to the instructor and the Chair prior to the beginning of classes. May be repeated for credit as topics vary.
The content of these courses changes yearly. Students should also consult the offerings of the Department of Linguistics.
In addition to the following courses, graduate students in French might find these Humanities courses of special interest: Humanities 200 (History and Theory); Humanities 220 (Literary Theory and Its History); and Humanities 270 (Advanced Critical Theory).
200 Selected Topics in French Linguistics (4). May be repeated for credit when topics vary.
201 History of the French Language (4)
202 Contrastive French Phonology (4)
203 Contrastive French Morphology and Syntax (4)
NOTE: Courses numbered 216 through 399, except 280 may be repeated for credit when topics vary.
216 Studies in Renaissance Literature (4)
217 Studies in Seventeenth-Century Literature (4)
218 Studies in Eighteenth-Century Literature (4)
219 Studies in Nineteenth-Century Literature (4)
220 Studies in Twentieth-Century Literature (4)
231 Studies in Fiction (4)
232 Studies in Nonfictional Prose (4)
233 Studies in Poetry and Poetics (4)
240 Studies on a Major Writer (4)
250 Studies in Theory and Criticism (4)
254 History and Literature (4)
272 Cultural Studies (4)
280 Directed Study in French Literature (4) F, W. Restricted to graduate students taking the Master's examination the same quarter.
290 Research in French Language and Literature (4-4-4) F, W, S. A project proposal must be prepared by the student and approved by the faculty member who will direct the project. This proposal, with the faculty member's signature, must be given to the Chair for approval and will be put in the student's file. This procedure can be completed before or after registration or at the very latest must be completed by the end of the first week of classes. After the end of the first week no 290s can be approved. M.A. candidates may take this course once; Ph.D. candidates may take it twice.
291 Research in French Linguistics (4-4-4) F, W, S. A project proposal must be prepared by the student and approved by the faculty member who will direct the project. This proposal, with the faculty member's signature, must be given to the Chair for approval and will be put in the student's file. This procedure can be completed before or after registration or at the very latest must be completed by the end of the first week of classes. After the end of the first week no 291s can be approved. M.A. candidates may take French 291 or French 290 only once; Ph.D. candidates may take French 291 or French 290 twice.
299 Dissertation Research (4 to 12) F, W, S
399 University Teaching (4-4-4) F, W, S. Required of and limited to Teaching Assistants.
1A-B-C Fundamentals of Italian (5-5-5) F, W, S. Students are taught to conceptualize in Italian as they learn to understand, read, write, and speak. Classes are conducted entirely in Italian and meet daily. Language Laboratory attendance is required.
2A-B-C Intermediate Italian (4-4-4) F, W, S. Texts of contemporary literary or social interest provide the focus for more advanced conversation, reading, and composition. Classes are conducted entirely in Italian. Prerequisite: normally three years of high school Italian or one year of college Italian. (2A: VI)
99 Special Studies in Italian (4) F, W, S. Both student and instructor arrive at the theme of the course and the critical approach to be followed in consultation. Intended to offer courses in Italian otherwise unavailable. Prerequisites: consent of instructor and Department Chair; student must submit a written description of the course to the Chair prior to the first week of classes to obtain consent. May be repeated for credit when topic changes.
100A-B Italian Language and Civilization (4-4). Systematic review of grammar with written and oral composition on topics chosen from readings on Italian culture and civilization. Prerequisite: completion of Italian 2C or equivalent. (VII-B)
101A, B, C Introduction to Italian Literature (4, 4, 4). Introduction to all of the genres of a narrowly defined period in relationship to a specific literary problem. In Italian. Prerequisite: Italian 2C or equivalent; Italian 100A-B recommended. (VII-B)
140A-B-C Readings in Medieval and Renaissance Literature (4-4-4). In English.
199 Tutorial in Italian Literature and Culture (4-4-4) F, W, S. The student must submit a written description of the proposed course to the instructor and the Chair prior to the beginning of the course. Prerequisites: consent of instructor and approval of the Department Chair.
