College of Arts and Sciences

Departmental E-mail: fritdept [at] indiana [dot] edu

Departmental URL: http://frit.indiana.edu/

(Please note that when conferring University Graduate School degrees, minors, certificates, and sub-plans, The University Graduate School’s staff use those requirements contained only in The University Graduate School Bulletin.)

Curriculum

Curriculum
Courses
Faculty

Degrees Offered

Master of Arts (French/Francophone Studies, French Linguistics, French Instruction, Italian), and Doctor of Philosophy (French/Francophone Studies, French Linguistics, Italian)

Special Departmental Requirements

(See also general University Graduate School requirements.)

All Associate Instructors in French are required to take F572 and F573; all Associate Instructors in Italian are required to take M572 and M573.

Admission Requirements for All Programs

1. Undergraduate major in French or Italian, depending on intended focus, or its equivalent
2. Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL):  Non-native English speakers only
3. Three letters of recommendation
4. Statement of purpose in English and target language
5. Official transcripts and certified English translations
6. CV
7. Writing sample

For further details and program-specific requirements, please check the Web site ( https://frit.indiana.edu/graduate/how-to-apply.html) or contact the Graduate Student Services Coordinator in the department.

Degrees in French

Master of Arts Degree—French Instruction

Course Requirements

A total of 30 credit hours, at least 21 credit hours of which must be in the French program (FRIT-F courses), including F572, F573, and F580. Additional work must include at least one course in French Linguistics and one course in pedagogy/language acquisition, as well as two courses in French/Francophone Studies. 

Language Proficiency Requirement

There is no language requirement other than proficiency in French.  At the end of the first year of graduate study, students must arrange for an ACTFL OPI and send results to FRIT.  A score equivalent to “Advanced High” on the ACTFL/ETS scale (2+ on the ILR scale) is required.  Should a student fail to attain a score of “Advanced high,” specific remedial course work may be required.

Final Examination

Written examinations in the following two areas (one essay written in French): applied French linguistics and foreign language methodology/second language acquisition. Oral examination in one of the following two areas of the student’s choice: Francophone civilization or Francophone literature.

Master of Arts Degree—French/Francophone Studies

Course Requirements

A total of 30 credit hours, at least 23 credit hours of which must be in the French program (FRIT-F courses).

Final Project

Evaluation of accumulated dossier of graduate-level term papers by the French/Francophone Studies faculty. Dossier must be prefaced by 4-5 page rationale written by the student (in French for native English speakers; in English for native French speakers; all other cases must be approved by the DGS).

Master of Arts Degree—French Linguistics

Course Requirements

A total of 30 credit hours, of which 20 must be in the French program (FRIT-F courses), including F576, F577, F579, F580, F582 and F603, as well as one of the following three courses: F574, F578, F581.

Language Requirement

Reading proficiency in a language selected from the following list: a modern Romance language other than French (Haitian Creole may count), a regional/minority language of France, German, Russian, Latin, or Classical Greek.

Final Examination

Two written exams: one chosen from Group A and one from Group B. Group A: applied French linguistics, history of the French language, and pedagogy/language acquisition. Group B: phonology, syntax. To be admitted to the Ph.D. program, students must select from the first two areas in Group A (that is, either applied French linguistics or history of the French language). Students desiring admission to the Ph.D. program must submit a research statement on the day of the written exams and participate in an oral Ph.D. admission interview.

Doctor of Philosophy Degree—French/Francophone Studies

Admission Requirements

Successful completion of the curriculum and final evaluation constituting the department’s M.A. program in French/Francophone Studies. Students with an M.A. from another institution will first be admitted to the M.A. program, but their work will be submitted for a faculty review at the end of the second semester to be considered for admission to the Ph.D. program.

Course Requirements

A total of 90 credit hours: 65 credit hours of course work plus 25 thesis (F875), elective, or other graduate credit hours selected in consultation with the student’s Director of Graduate Studies. F564 and F603 or their equivalents are required. At least one course taken for graduate credit in each of the six literary periods: Medieval; 16th century; 17th century; 18th century; 19th century; 20th and 21st century literature, media and culture. Thematic and transhistorical courses count for the literary period determined in consultation with the professor, usually based on final paper topic.

Language Requirement

Reading proficiency in one outside language such as German, Latin, Catalan, Classical Greek, Italian, Russian, Portuguese, Spanish or another language germane to the student’s field of research, with the approval of the DGS and the PhD dissertation advisor.

Minor(s)

One Ph.D. minor in an outside field is required according to the minor program’s or department’s requirements (generally 12-16 credit hours).  Examination on the minor subject is at the discretion of the minor department.

Qualifying Examination

Oral and written exams covering six literary periods (Middle Ages, sixteenth, seventeenth, eighteenth, nineteenth, and twentieth/twenty-first centuries) or five  literary periods and literary/media theory. Students may choose to be exempted from written exams on two of the six literary periods, provided they have achieved a grade of B or higher in two courses from each of these areas. Students must develop a customized reading list in their intended area (literary period) of specialization; the list can cover up to two periods.

Doctor of Philosophy Degree—French Linguistics

Admission Requirements

Students admitted into the M.A. program who wish to continue their studies at the doctoral level must successfully complete the curriculum and final examination constituting the department’s M.A. program in French linguistics; they must also submit a research statement and successfully complete the Ph.D. admission interview. Students admitted directly into the Ph.D. program must submit a research statement and sit for an oral interview at the beginning of their second year in the program. 

Course Requirements

A total of 90 credit hours: 65 credit hours of course work plus 25 thesis (F875), elective, or other graduate credit hours selected in consultation with the student’s Director of Graduate Studies . Students must complete at least four 600-level courses in French Linguistics excluding F603. If an insufficient number of 600-level courses are offered for the student to move ahead in the program, courses in Linguistics or in Second Language Studies may be substituted with permission of the DGS.

Language Requirement

Reading proficiency in two languages as follows: (1) German or Latin, and (2) a Romance language other than French, a regional/minority language of France, or Haitian Creole. (Note that Picard and Occitan ARE regional/minority languages of France.) The language selected for the M.A. may count toward the Ph.D. requirement. For specialists in the history of French, we highly recommend the study of both German and Latin (in addition to the Romance language).

Minor(s)

Twelve (12) credit hours of course work required in (1) general linguistics, excluding LING-L 503, or (2) second language studies. Other minors are possible with the permission of the Director of Graduate Studies.

Qualifying Examination

Students will take two cloistered General Exams, three hours each in length, and one Research Exam, to be completed over a period of one week with access to research materials. For the General Exams the students can select one area from Group A and one area from Group B; Group A: Lexicology/Lexicography, Language Contact, History of French, Sociolinguistics and Dialectology. Group B: Phonology, Morphology, Syntax, Second Language Acquisition. Selection of the examination areas will be made in consultation with the student’s advisory committee.

The Research Exam is designed to demonstrate that students have developed sufficient depth in a particular constellation of research questions and that they are ready to begin work on their dissertations. The area of this exam corresponds to the area of the student’s projected dissertation topic and will be distinct from those of the two general exams. The particular question to be addressed, which will reflect the student’s research interests, will be assigned at the beginning of the one-week period during which students write the exam. The Research Exam must be written in English.

The exams will normally be taken during the second semester of the fourth year of study. The General Exams (cloistered) may be taken in January or September; the Research Exam requirement must be satisfied during the same semester as the General Exams. Examination on the minor subject is at the discretion of the minor department.

A student may elect to submit an article-length essay in lieu of the research exam. The topic of the essay, like the research exam it replaces, must be related to the expected dissertation topic and take significant steps towards that topic.

Degrees in Italian

Master of Arts Degree in Italian

Course Requirements

A total of 30 credit hours, of which 20 must be in Italian.

Final Examination

Written exam based on reading list covering all periods of Italian literature and culture. Exam must be taken no later than the fourth semester if the student intends to seek admission to the Ph.D. program. With advanced arrangement, a pedagogical project may be accepted in lieu of the written examination for students completing a terminal M.A. degree.

Doctor of Philosophy Degree in Italian

Admission Requirement

Successful completion of the department’s M.A. program in Italian or the equivalent. For further details, contact the Graduate Student Services Coordinator in the department.

Course Requirements

A total of 90 credit hours. 65 credit hours of course work plus 25 thesis (M875), elective, or other graduate credit hours selected in consultation with the student’s Director of Graduate Studies.

Language Requirement

Reading proficiency in one of the following: French, German, Classical Greek, Latin, Spanish or Portuguese. Another language may be substituted with permission of the DGS and the Ph.D. dissertation advisor.

Minor(s)

One Ph.D. minor in an outside field is required according to the minor program’s or department’s requirements (generally 12-16 credit hours). Examination on the minor subject is at the discretion of the minor department.

Qualifying Examination

The qualifying exam consists of (1) an in-depth written exam covering all periods of Italian literature and culture, including film; and (2) the submission of a dissertation project.

Students must take the written exam no later than their fourth semester in the Ph.D. program.  This is a two-day exam given on the first Friday and Saturday of each semester, 5 hours each day.  Day one will cover the Middle Ages, the Renaissance, and the Baroque.  Day two will cover the eighteenth century to the present including cinema.

The second part of the Ph.D. exam consists of the submission of a preliminary description of a dissertation project of approximately 20 to 25 pages of length (including a select bibliography).  Students must submit their dissertation project as soon as possible after having passed the first part of their Ph.D. exam, and no later than the following exam session.

Ph.D. Minors

Ph.D. Minor in French/Francophone Studies

Doctoral students from other departments may complete a minor in French/Francophone Studies by successfully completing no fewer than four French/Francophone literature or culture courses (12 credit hours) listed in the University Graduate School Bulletin as carrying credit toward the Ph.D., of which no more than one may be at the 400 level. In all cases, selection of the particular courses to be counted must be made in consultation with the Director of Graduate Studies in French/Francophone Studies.

Ph.D Minor in French Linguistics

Doctoral students from other departments may complete a minor in French linguistics by successfully completing no fewer than four French linguistics courses (12 credit hours) at the 500 level or above. Doctoral students in French/Francophone Studies may complete a minor in French linguistics by successfully completing no fewer than three French linguistics courses (9 credit hours, 500-level courses or above) in addition to F603, for a total of 4 courses. In all cases, selection of the particular courses to be counted must be made in consultation with the Director of Graduate Studies in French Linguistics.

Ph.D. Minor in Italian

Doctoral students from other departments may complete a minor in Italian by successfully completing no fewer than four Italian courses (12 credit hours) listed in this bulletin as carrying graduate credit. Selection of the particular courses to be counted must be made in consultation with the Director of Graduate Studies in Italian.