Scripps College

Dec 04, 2024

2022-2023 Scripps Catalog

2022-2023 Scripps Catalog THIS IS AN ARCHIVED CATALOG. LINKS MAY NO LONGER BE ACTIVE AND CONTENT MAY BE OUT OF DATE!

French and Francophone Studies

Professor Rachlin
Associate Professors Curulla, Everett (on leave fall 2022), and Lemoine (on leave fall 2022)

The French and Francophone Studies department is part of the Intercollegiate Program in French at CMC, Pitzer and Scripps, Students from these three schools can take any course at any level at CMC, Pitzer or Scripps without permission from the instructor. They can also take courses at Pomona. However, French majors must have permission to do so from their department chairs.

Placement Test

All students wishing to enroll in French language courses must take the Language Placement Test. The test is offered online and can be taken during the summer before fall registration as well as anytime during the academic year. Only those students who have had no more than one semester of high school French are exempt from taking this test and may enroll in French 1 (Introductory French) directly. Placement test results are valid for one year; thereafter it must be retaken. Students who place into French 44 will satisfy the language requirement by passing a French Proficiency test administered by the faculty of the Intercollegiate French program. All other students will satisfy the language requirement by passing French 33 or equivalent.

Students are strongly encouraged to fulfill the language requirement in an uninterrupted sequence. In all cases, however, the language requirement must be completed by the end of the first semester of the senior year.

Dual and Double Majors

Many students opt for a double or a dual major in French Studies and Francophone and another discipline (e.g., art, art history, sociology, psychology, European studies, politics, economics, history, etc.) to enhance their diplomas and resumes. Courses that count for the major or the minor have to be taught in French, in Claremont or abroad. In contrast to the double major, the dual major requires only one thesis (which may be written in English, although the student is encouraged to write in French, second reader permitting). Whereas the minor in French Studies allows the student to count only three courses taken in France or another francophone country, the dual major allows the student to count four. Students may also double count two courses toward their respective disciplines when pursuing either double or dual majors.

Study Abroad in France (Montpellier, Nantes, Paris, Strasbourg), Belgium, Madagascar or Senegal

Study Abroad is considered an integral part of the French and Francophone Studies curriculum at Scripps, and all students of French are strongly encouraged to complement their Claremont curriculum with at least a semester stay in France, Belgium, Senegal, or Madagascar. All coursework taught in French completed abroad in the latter programs satisfies the requirements for the major or minor in French and Francophone Studies, except for most language courses. We will accept only one studio art course as well. Students must also complete at least French 44 prior to going abroad. We strongly recommend however, that students also take French 100 which will prepare them more fully to take courses in French abroad. It is also strongly recommended that students intending to go abroad take a French course every semester prior to leaving, regardless of their incoming level. Thus, first-year students entering the French curriculum at the 44 level will have completed all major/minor requirements upon their return.

Currently, students may study abroad on the following approved semester programs:

Paris: Middlebury College Program
Paris: Sarah Lawrence College Program
Paris: Hamilton College Program
Paris: IFE Paris Field Study and Internship Program
Montpellier: University of Minnesota Integrated Studies
Nantes: Institute for International Education of Students (IES)
Strasbourg: IFE Strasbourg Field Study and Internship Program
Brussels, Belgium: IFE Brussels Field and Internship Study Program
Fort Dauphin, Madagascar: School for International Training (SIT) Biodiversity Program
Dakar, Senegal: University of Minnesota Integrated Studies (by petition)

Co-Curricular Activities

Scripps has a French Corridor in the residence halls where students speak French with the residing native French assistant and with each other. The members of the corridor form the core of the French Club, which organizes activities for students of French throughout the year, including a weekly film series. Any student of The Claremont Colleges is welcome to join the French Club by signing up with the French assistants at Scripps or CMC. In addition, weekly French language tables meet in the Malott Commons (SC), Collins (CMC).

Learning Outcomes of the Program in French Studies

Department Goals and/or Objectives

Goals are broad statements that describe what the program wants to accomplish

1. Speak and understand French at the advanced level, as detailed in the ACTFL Proficiency Guidelines.
2. Read and write in French at the Advanced level (ACTFL).
3. Demonstrate an understanding of important issues, past and present, associated with French and Francophone cultures and societies.
4. Discuss in French, both orally and in writing, literary and visual texts or cultural artifacts of the French speaking world.
5. Identify, evaluate and incorporate appropriate sources in research papers, presentations and senior theses.
6. Write an advanced research senior thesis in French (or in English for dual majors) that articulates a clear and convincing argument about texts or cultural artifacts of the target culture.

Student Learning Outcomes

Outcomes describe specific knowledge, abilities, values, and attitudes students should demonstrate

SLO1: Speak and understand French at the advanced level, as detailed in the ACTFL Proficiency Guidelines.
SLO2: Read and write in French at the Advanced level (ACTFL).
SLO3: Students can synthesize knowledge in Francophone cultural influences.
SLO4: Discuss in French, both orally and in writing, literary and visual texts or cultural artifacts of the French speaking world.
SLO5: Identify, evaluate and incorporate appropriate sources in their research papers, presentations and senior theses.
SLO6: Write an advanced research senior thesis in French that articulates a clear and convincing argument about texts or cultural artifacts of the target culture.