2018-2019 Academic Catalog 
    
    Mar 28, 2024  
2018-2019 Academic Catalog [ARCHIVED CATALOG]

French Major


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Language, Literature and Culture Overview


The Language, Literature and Culture Department aims to promote students’ competency in learning other languages, and to broaden and enrich their education through in-depth study of other cultures. Mastering a language includes listening, speaking, reading and writing proficiency.  Students can easily apply these skills to other disciplines at Clark and to their future professions. 

Students can study ASL, Chinese, French, German, Hebrew, Japanese, Latin and Spanish at Clark, and can major in Ancient Civilization, Comparative Literature, French or Spanish. It is also possible, at the department’s discretion, to major in more than one language taught at Clark (the Combined Language major), or to self-design a major in German. Students can also apply skills in Asian languages to an Asian Studies major and skills in Hebrew to a concentration in Jewish Studies.

The Language, Literature and Culture Department is part of the Alice Coonley Higgins School of Humanities.

For more information, please visit the Language, Literature, and Culture Department’s website.

Language Placement


Please use the chart on the department’s main web page to determine what course level to take, depending on how many previous years of the language you’ve had. The University reviews transcripts to ensure that students are not over-qualified for a particular course. Students with native or near-native fluency in a language should consult with the coordinator in that language to determine the appropriate level.

For more on language placement, please consult
http://www.clarku.edu/departments/foreign/undergraduate/placement.cfm

Study Abroad


Participation in a Study Abroad program gives you a chance to view the interests and issues you care about from the perspective of another culture. Students in LL&C are encouraged to study abroad in exciting cities in Chile, China, the Dominican Republic, France, Germany, Japan, Senegal, and Spain.  The staff in Clark’s Office of Study Abroad and Study Away Programs can help you find an experience that fits your requirements.

French Major Requirements


1.  Eight courses above the intermediate level. French major credit is given only for courses above FREN 106:

  • An introductory course in literary analysis, in French  (FREN 131   or FREN 132 )
  • A course in culture criticism, in French (FREN 137   or FREN 140 )
  • The Advanced Topics course (297) or equivalent
  • At least two courses taken in a Clark-sponsored or Clark-approved study-abroad program (This requirement may be waived in special circumstances.)

At least four of the eight required courses must be taken in residence at the Worcester campus.

 

2. Credit is only given for FREN 120  or FREN 124 , not both.


3. Five related courses, one of which must be CMLT 130  - The National Imagination. These five related courses should be selected with the major adviser. These are courses that explore human activities and knowledge as related to cultural practices. They might be courses in other languages and literatures or in areas that are broadly related to cultural studies such as: writing/rhetoric/English, the arts (drama/music/art), history/politics/philosophy/religion, some social science courses, but not methodologies or field work in social sciences, and usually not hard sciences/math. When the major program is concentrated in one language, a reading knowledge of a second language is strongly recommended. Only course grades of C or better may be counted toward the major.

Honors


This honors program is for language, literature and culture majors only. By November 1 of the capstone semester, faculty will identify qualified senior majors (with a minimum GPA of 3.5) and invite them to submit a proposal for a semester-long honors thesis during the spring of their senior year. Other students who wish to take honors should identify an area of interest during the capstone semester, consult with the capstone professor and/or an appropriate honors adviser, and submit a proposal (by December 1) to the professor they would like to direct the project.*

  • Proposals will be approved at the discretion of the individual professor.
  • The Department Chair must also approve the project.
  • The honors candidate and adviser will decide on a work schedule, but a preliminary draft must be completed by the first week of April.
  • The final version is due one week before the last day of classes.
  • A second faculty reader will participate in the final evaluation of the honors project.
  • An honors project counts as one unit of credit.

*Students graduating early and wishing to do an honors project should see their adviser during the fall of their junior year and get approval for the project from the thesis director and the department chair.

Language, Literature and Culture Faculty


Program


María Acosta Cruz, Ph.D.
Belén Atienza, Ph.D.
Odile Ferly, Ph.D.
Allison Fong, Ph.D.
Everett Fox, Ph.D.
Beth Gale, Ph.D.
Dolores Juan-Moreno, Ph.D.
Juan Pablo Rivera, Ph.D.
Robert D. Tobin, Ph.D.
Alice Valentine, M.A.

 

Adjunct


Diogenes Costa-Curras, Ph.D.
John Dunn
Talia Mugg
Joanne Qu, Ph.D.
Kathleen Suchenski, Ph.D.
Chris Synodinos
Yanna Zhang, Ph.D.

 

Emeriti


Paul Burke, Ph.D.
Carol D’Lugo, Ph.D.
Marvin D’Lugo, Ph.D.
Kenneth Hughes, Ph.D.
Hartmut Kaiser, Ph.D.
Dorothy Kaufmann, Ph.D.
Constance Montross, Ph.D.
Walter Schatzberg, Ph.D.
Michael Spingler, Ph.D.

Languages, Literature and Culture Courses


Courses offered within the last 2 Academic Years

Listing by Fields of Specialization


Courses


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