French

Honors Program

Majors are eligible to apply to the honors program if they have maintained an average grade point average (GPA) of 3.5 in five upper-division French courses. The honors program candidate must fulfill all regular requirements for the major, save the senior project, from which he or she is exempt. Instead, the student undertakes the writing of a research paper no shorter than 50 pages in length, written in French or English, on a specialized topic. No later than the end of the Spring Quarter of the junior year, the student must submit to the Director of Undergraduate Studies an “Application for Honors in French,” the central portion of which must contain an outline of the proposed honors essay. If it is in need of revisions, the Director of Undergraduate Studies helps the student through the revision process until the proposal is granted his or her approval. (The Director of Undergraduate Studies also helps the student identify an appropriate adviser for the essay.) Students may enroll for 2 units of credit in FRENLIT 198 for the drafting or revision of the thesis proposal in Spring Quarter of the junior year. In Autumn Quarter of the senior year, honors students must enroll in DLCL 189, a 5-unit seminar that focuses on researching and writing the honors thesis. Students then enroll for 5 units of credit in FRENLIT 198 while composing the thesis during Winter Quarter. A total of 10-12 units are awarded for successful completion of honors course work, independent study, and the finished thesis. All honors essays are due to the thesis adviser no later than 5:00 p.m. on May 15 of the terminal year. If an essay is found deserving of grade of ‘A-’ or better by the thesis adviser, honors are granted at the time of graduation.

Honors College —The Department of French and Italian encourages all honors students to enroll in the honors college run by the Division of Literatures, Cultures, and Languages. The college meets at the end of every summer, during the weeks directly preceding the start of the academic year, and is designed to help students develop their honors thesis projects. Applications must be submitted by the Spring Quarter of the same calendar year. For more information, contact the undergraduate student services officer.

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