graduate program
GRADUATE PROGRAM
IN FRENCH
Please direct inquiries to:
Janet Whatley
Department of Romance Languages
517 Waterman Building
University of Vermont
Burlington, VT 05405-0160
PHONE: (802)656-1371
FAX: (802)656-5773
Janet.Whatley@uvm.edu
Master of Arts Degree
This degree program prepares
students for futher study or for professional opportunities. It requires
a total of 30 hours of graduate-level work: 24 hours of course work plus 6
hours of directed research. All students participate in a 3-credit interdisciplinary
Graduate Humanities Seminar, and take a course in the methods of teaching
foreign languages. Small classes, individual attention, and possibilities
for independent study in all areas of Francophone literature and culture
permit M.A. candidates to tailor the program to their needs.
Application Information
Applicants to the Graduate Program in French should begin by consulting
the Graduate College web page, www.uvm.edu/~gradcoll/. The Graduate
College will then forward applications to our department. Please notice
that applicants need to take the General Graduate Record Examination.
In addition to the materials required by the Graduate College, applicants
should provide a sample of their writing in French on a literary or cultural
topic; such writing may be a recent paper for a course. The sample should
be sent directly to Janet Whatley at the above address.
Financial Aid
The Department of Romance Languages can offer financial aid to one M.A.
student through our Graduate Teaching Fellowship. To be eligible for
this and other possibilities of financial aid, students should submit complete
applications, including the Graduate Record Exam scores, by February 15.
For admission without financial aid, applications should reach us by August
1.
Directed Research
Students have the choice
between two types of directed research:
-
one thesis
-
two research papers
For regulations regarding
the thesis, see the Graduate College Website. Each reseach paper is normally
written under the guidance of a different instructor. The papers are preferably,
but not necessarily, related to a course. If they are based on a previous
paper, they must significantly rework that paper by including new material
and a new bibliography. Both papers are then turned in to allow an assessment
of their differences. Normal length for a paper is 20-30 pages, 250 words
per page. The deadline to submit the second paper is 0ctober 31 for a December
graduation, and March 31 for a May graduation.
Humanities Seminar
All of Master of Arts candidates must complete at least 3 credits in the
Interdisciplinary Humanities Seminar (HUM 300, 301). The advisor has the
list of topics to be offered. One examination and one research paper can
be based on a Humanities Seminar, provided that it was taught by a member
of the Department of Romance Languages.
Foreign Language Teaching Methods
All Master of Arts and Master of Arts in Teaching candidates must take
the class in Foreign Language Teaching Methods (EDSC 259) offered each Spring.
For more information, contact Professor André Senécal at 656-3196.
Comprehensive Examination
All candidates for the M.A. in French must pass an examination before receiving
their degree. The exam consists of the three parts, each 2 hours.
1) An exam based on a field identified by the student, which may
be related to the M.A. thesis or papers. The reading list will be worked
up by the student in consultation with professors who are directing the thesis
or papers.
2) An exam based on readings from the Middle Ages through the 18th Century.
3) An exam based on readings from the 19th and 20th Centuries, including
Francophone literature and culture.
For exams 2 and 3, the format will include:
a) Textual analysis of a passage, placing it in context.
b) A broader question or questions.
The exams will provide some choice in the questions to be answered. The
reading list on which the exams are based will be available to graduate
students upon their entry into the program, and may be customized to some
extent for each student.
Teaching and Research Areas of the French Faculty
Joseph Acquisto, Ph.D., Yale University. 19th and early 20th
Century French literature, especially poetry and the novel; relations between
music and literature.
Meaghan Emery, Ph. D., Ohio State University. 20th Century
French and Francophone literatures, cultures, and film.
André Senécal, Ph. D., University of Massachusetts.
Québecois and Franco-American literature and culture; bibliography;
language teaching methodology.
Gretchen van Slyke, Ph. D., University of Pennslyvania. 19th
Century literature; the novel; revolutions; women's autobiography.
Janet Whatley, Ph. D., Vanderbilt. The Renaissance; the Enlightenment;
New World encounters; women writers of the 18th Century.
Last modified October 28 2005 10:10 AM
