Program Overview

Program Overview

The Department of Modern Languages and Literatures offers courses of study leading to the Bachelor of Arts in French. The major in French requires a minimum of 10 courses, equivalent to 30-35 credit hours. Students seeking to complete this major and degree program must meet the general requirements for bachelor's degrees and the Unified General Education Requirements.

Placement Procedure

Students with prior experience in French work with department faculty members to determine an appropriate level at which to start. In general, one year of high school language instruction is the equivalent to one university-level course. Students who have taken four years or more of one language in high school are generally eligible to take 300-level language courses.

Learning Outcomes

• Students will be able to demonstrate proficiency in the French language: listening and speaking; writing and reading; and be able to express abstract thoughts in the acquired language.
• Students will be able to translingual and transcultural competence, by perfecting their ability to operate between languages and global cultures.
• Students will be able to analyze texts written in French as well as in translation, such as but not limited to literature, including cinema and other types of cultural productions and non-fiction writings.
• Students will be able to utilize the knowledge and skills acquired to conduct research in a foreign language and practice academic and professional standards.

Undergraduate Policies

For undergraduate policies and procedures, please review the Undergraduate Academics section of the General Bulletin.

Teacher Licensure

Students admitted to Case Western Reserve University prior to Fall 2024 can declare a secondary major in Teacher Education and prepare for licensure in Adolescent to Young Adult (grades 7-12) in French.

Accelerated Master's Programs

Undergraduate students may participate in accelerated programs toward graduate or professional degrees.

Program Requirements

The major in French requires a minimum of 10 courses, equivalent to 30-35 credit hours. Course requirements are as follows:

• For students placed into 200-level coursework, the major requirements include FRCH 201 Intermediate French I, FRCH 202 Intermediate French II, FRCH 320, and seven additional 300-level courses taught in the target language, at least two of which must be numbered above 320.
• For students placed into 300-level coursework, the major requirements include FRCH 320 and nine additional 300-level courses taught in the target language, at least two of which must be numbered above 320.

Departmental Honors

The departmental honors program is for especially dedicated majors. Requirements for honors in modern languages and literatures are:

1. A GPA of at least 3.5 in the major;
2. An honors thesis (FRCH 397, FRCH 398) in addition to the major credit hour requirements. The thesis is devoted to a literary, linguistic, or cultural topic and must be written in the target language.