Program Overview

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French Studies (MA)

The MA program in French Studies examines the French and French-speaking world through multiple disciplinary lenses, including history, sociology, political science, anthropology, cultural analysis, and more. Students explore various topics, such as the imperial nation and post-colonial situations, welfare and discrimination, memory and forgetting, gender and race, religion and secularism.

Program Description

The program provides students with a broad, interdisciplinary knowledge relating to modern France and the francophone world. MA students go on to careers in fields that prize clear thinking, global understanding, and analytical fluency in more than one language, including Foreign Service, journalism, humanitarian assistance, immigration law, primary and secondary education, translation, and international business.

Admissions

All applicants to the Graduate School of Arts and Science are required to submit the general application requirements, which include:

• Academic Transcripts
• Test Scores (if required)
• Applicant Statements
• Résumé or Curriculum Vitae
• Letters of Recommendation
• A non-refundable application fee

Dual Degree

The French Studies Department offers dual degrees with the NYU School of Law (French Studies MA/Law JD) and the Palmer School of Library and Information Science at Long Island University (LIU) (French Studies MA/Library Sciences).

Program Requirements

The program requires successful completion of eight courses (32 credits) and a comprehensive examination. The comprehensive examination covers the following fields in French studies:

1. 19th-Century French history
2. 20th-Century French history
3. French society
4. French politics and the economy or French culture in society

History

Current and recent courses include:

• Nineteenth-Century France
• Twentieth-Century France
• France and the Maghreb
• France and Africa
• Colonial and Postcolonial French Antilles
• Topics in French History: Journalism

Society

Current and recent courses include:

• Education in France
• Immigration in France
• The Urban Question in France
• Race, Class and Gender in French Society

Politics and the Economy

Current and recent courses include:

• The Fifth Republic
• The Extreme Right in France
• France and Globalization
• Topics in the French Economy: Work and Its Market

Culture in Society

Current and recent courses include:

• The Invention of the Belle Epoque
• The Sociolinguistics of French
• Cinema and History
• Press, Society, and Literature Since the 19th Century

Additional Program Requirements

Comprehensive Exam

The MA examination is a five-hour written exam (in English) that students are eligible to take only after completing all eight courses with at least a B average. MA candidates are examined in the fields of History and Society, and they choose a third field, which may be either Politics and the Economy or Culture in Society.

Sample Plan of Study

The sample plan of study includes: 1st Semester/Term:

• IFST-GA 1610: 19th Century France (4 credits)
• Elective Course (4 credits)
• Elective Course (4 credits) Total Credits: 12

2nd Semester/Term:

• Elective Course (4 credits)
• Elective Course (4 credits)
• Elective Course (4 credits) Total Credits: 12

3rd Semester/Term:

• Elective Course (4 credits)
• Elective Course (4 credits) Total Credits: 8 Total Credits: 32

Learning Outcomes

Upon successful completion of the program, graduates will:

1. Have a broad, interdisciplinary knowledge relating to modern France and the francophone world.
2. Be able to think analytically and historically, and use methods and concepts from history and other social sciences.
3. Possess critical thinking, speaking, and writing skills.
4. Have opportunities to improve their command of French.
5. Be in a position to obtain a job or gain acceptance to a doctoral program following graduation.

Policies

NYU Policies

University-wide policies can be found on the New York University Policy pages.

Graduate School of Arts and Science Policies

Academic Policies for the Graduate School of Arts and Science can be found on the Academic Policies page.