 Graduate Student Contacts 2007-2008:
Ph.D. Representative to the Faculty:
Helen Dunn
M.A. Representative to the Faculty:
Kelly McConnell
Graduate Representative to the Graduate Council of Arts & Sciences:
Elizabeth Head
Mediation Committee:
Danielle Smith
Graduate Labor Union Representative:
Rachel Geer
Degree Requirements
The Master of Arts
Whether an end in itself, or a preparation for the Ph.D, the M.A. is a
broad and general degree, drawing upon the materials and methods of French
(and closely allied) studies to extend and deepen the candidate's humanistic
background and competencies. The program's prime goals thus include the
following: broad knowledge and understanding of French culture from its
origins to the present; effective teaching skills built through training
and experience; tools of intellectual inquiry necessary for further study,
including abstract thinking and research skills; mastery of the French
language.
Requirements for the Master of Arts
Please see the Requirements for the Degree of Master of Arts worksheet.
Course Requirements:
Thirty credit hours (usually ten courses) are required for the M.A.degree.
A minimum of twenty-four credits (usually eight courses) must be taken
in the department. Nine credits (three courses) must focus on Field A;
nine on Field B (see below). Six of the thirty credits may be taken in
other departments. The Proseminar is required (as a Field A or a Field
B course, with instructor permission, or as an elective). Students may
petition for exemption from Proseminar, but such exemption will stand as
a decision not to pursue doctoral work in our department. With the permission
of the DGS, a literary theory course offered outside the Department may
replace FREN 700 (Proseminar) and may count as a Departmental course for
Field A or Field B or elective credit; in this case, the student will still
be allowed to take two courses outside the Department. All courses are
selected in consultation with the Director of Graduate Studies and with
the student's faculty advisor. We also offer the opportunity to work with
individual faculty directors on a research thesis at the M.A. level.
Satisfactory Progress:
A minimum G.P.A. of 3.0 (B) in each semester. Students in their first
year of the M.A. or the Ph.D. program must earn letter grades in a minimum
of 2 3-credit-hour courses per semester by the end of the grading period
for each semester. Incompletes do not count toward maintaining Satisfactory
Progress. (Effective January 1, 2006.)
Comprehensive Examination (updated 12/04):
The M.A. exam consists of a two-part written and a two-part oral, covering
a broad chronological spectrum of French and Francophone Studies from the
Middle Ages to the present: Field A (Pre-1800) and Field B (Post-1750).
These exams are typically taken at the end of the student's second year
in the program. Each candidate must choose one field (A or B) for his or
her written examination and the other for the oral examination.
All MA written examinations are administered during a one-week period
in mid March; oral examinations are scheduled two weeks after the written
examinations. It is the responsibility of the candidate to notify the M.A.
exam coordinator, by the end of January, of the intent to sit for the M.A.
examinations and of the periods (Field A or B) selected for the written
and oral segments. All parts of the examination must be passed; in case
of failure, any part of the comprehensive examination may be retaken only
once, normally at a make-up session held no later than the first week of
May of that same year. No student passes whose French and English are not
deemed by the examining committee to be sufficiently fluent and correct.
Part One of the written examination (Field A or Field B) is a 2-hour textual
commentary based on the close reading of a passage distributed to exam
candidates 72 hours prior to the examination date. Part Two is a 4-hour
written exam, based upon the same reading list elected for the textual
commentary. Questions will be distributed on Monday afternoon. The examination
is to be completed and returned by Wednesday afternoon at 5 P.M. Either
Part One or one of the essays for Part Two must be in English; the other
parts must be in French.
The 75-minute oral examination covers the field not examined in the written.
It includes two parts, one of which will be conducted in French and one
in English, as chosen by the student: (1) a twenty-minute oral presentation,
based either on a course paper or on independent research, followed by
discussion of that paper, and (2) general questions on the reading list
elected for this examination.
Optional Thesis:
Up to six credits for thesis preparation may be substituted for six credits
of coursework among the thirty credits required.
Time Limit:
The M.A. degree is normally completed in four semesters. The Graduate
Studies Committee must be petitioned for any extension. By Graduate School
regulations, the absolute time limit for completion
of the degree is five years.
Review and Permission to Take Further Course Work:
At the end of the first year, individual progress is reviewed and a second-year
calendar prepared by the director of graduate studies in consultation with
the candidate. The director submits to the faculty a report and evidence
of insufficient progress, if the need arises.
Permission to Proceed:
Candidates who wish to take further course work must petition the Director
of Graduate Studies for consideration by the faculty. Such candidates will
submit to the Director of Graduate Studies, no later than April 15, the
following documents:
- a statement of purpose for their doctoral studies;
- a declaration designating their Advisory Board Director;
- the "Permission to Proceed" form.
Before submitting these documents, students are responsible for securing
both the agreement of a faculty member in the Department to serve as their
Advisory Board Director and his or her approval of the statement of purpose.
(Effective 1 January 2006)
In deciding whether or not to admit a candidate to the Ph.D. program, the faculty
consider grades, M.A. examination results, and faculty reports. Prior to admission
to the Ph.D. program, appointment to a graduate teaching assistantship does
not entail, nor should it be construed as implying, such admission. Continuance
is conditional upon satisfactory progress toward completion of the doctoral
program; permission to take further course work does not entail admission to
candidacy for the degree of Ph.D., which follows upon successful completion
of the Ph.D. preliminary examinations.
Adopted by the Graduate Faculty of the department September 9, 2005.
The Degree of Doctor of Philosophy
Please see the Requirements for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy
worksheet.
The Ph.D. is a closely supervised research degree, emphasizing (1) extensive
advanced work in at least two related fields of French studies; (2) a high
degree of sophistication in appropriate aspects of theory and methods;
and (3) proficiency in the expository, investigative and linguistic skills
required in the chief modes of professional writing.
Admission:
To begin doctoral course work, the prospective candidate will normally
hold the University of Virginia M.A. degree in French and have permission
to take further course work or will hold an equivalent degree.
A student entering with an M.A. degree (or the equivalent) from another
institution shall be considered for permission to take further course work
after completion of all requirements for the University of Virginia M.A.
in French not satisfied by courses taken (or proficiency achieved) elsewhere.
A student admitted without deficiency shall be considered for permission
to take further course work after one semester (nine hours) of doctoral
courses completed in this department.
Advisory Board:
Students with an M.A. from outside UVA will be appointed a faculty advisor
for their first semester at UVA; they will secure the agreement of a faculty
member in the Department to serve as their Advisory Board Director by the
end of that semester.
All students entering the Ph.D. program (with an M.A. from UVA or elsewhere)
will select an Advisory Board, which must be approved by their Advisory
Board Director, by the end of their first semester of doctoral coursework.
At that time, they are required to complete an Advisory
Board Declaration Form and to return it to Cabell
302, where it will be kept on file. (Effective Sept. 1, 2006)
The Advisory Board will consist of two or three members of the Graduate
Faculty in French or officially affiliated faculty in other Departments.
Faculty members who are not officially affiliated with the Department may
serve on an Advisory Board with the consent of the Advisory Board Director.
Experience tells us that members of the advisory boards have played an
important part in guiding and challenging students outside of the formal
confines of the classroom. As mentors, they help students focus on their
academic and intellectual goals from the start.
Requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy:
A minimum of eight (8) courses beyond the M.A., including Proseminar,
(up to three courses may be taken in other departments) chosen in consultation
with the Student's Advisory Board. (By Graduate School rule, students entering
with the M.A. degree from another institution must complete ten courses
for the Ph.D.).
One six-hour written exam on a single (major) field, and one three-hour
written exam in a second (adjunct) field, followed by a two-hour oral examination.
Dissertation and final oral examination ("defense"):
Recommended Courses:
Language and professional development courses as appropriate; a course
in French civilization, African literature, New World literature, or all
three; a foundation course in Philosophy.
Satisfactory Progress:
A minimum G.P.A. of 3.0 (B) in each semester. Students in their first
year of the M.A. or the Ph.D. program must earn letter grades in a minimum
of 2 3-credit-hour courses per semester by the end of the grading period
for each semester. Incompletes do not count toward maintaining Satisfactory
Progress. (Effective January 1, 2006.)
Total Credits:
By rule of the Graduate School of Arts & Sciences, total time in the
Ph.D. program after the B.A. must be at least three sessions (academic
years) and total credit hours of graduate study (excluding non-topical
research, but including independent study) must be at least 54 hours (eighteen
three-hour courses).
Please note: Ph.D. students are normally required to serve as graduate
instructors and may therefore expect to take the one-hour practicum, FREN
704, "Theories and Methods of Foreign Language Teaching," which
is required of all TA's in the first semester of teaching.
The Language Requirement:
To fulfill the general reading knowledge requirements of the Graduate
School of Arts & Sciences, the student pursuing the Ph.D. in French
may not present that language, but should present another Romance language
or German, or any other language approved by the Students' Advisory Board.
The Preliminary Examination:
After the student has completed course work and language requirements,
his or her Advisory Board will determine readiness for the preliminary
examination, successful completion of which will admit the student to candidacy
for the Ph.D.
The Dissertation:
Upon completion of preliminary examinations, the Advisory Board is replaced
by the departmental Dissertation Committee consisting of the prospective
dissertation director and a colleague, both chosen by the candidate. Within
three months after admission to candidacy, the student will present a prospectus
of his or her dissertation to the Dissertation Committee and the Graduate
Studies Committee for discussion, approval, and possible amendment by both
bodies. As the dissertation progresses, the Dissertation Committee will
be joined by a third reader from the Department and a dean's representative
for the final examination, an oral defense.
Special Programs:
In addition to concentrations in all areas of French literature, the Department
offers the following options:
The Doctorate in French Civilization
In response to increasing demand for culture-content courses in colleges
and universities, the Ph.D. concentration in civilization is designed to
give students a solid foundation in cultural history from the Middle Ages
to the present. It pays attention not only to fundamental, classical literary
texts and artistic products but also to studies and documents that illustrate
and analyze geographical, social, economic, political and institutional
components of dominant cultural "mentalités" throughout
the history of France. A second, and equally important, aspect of the program
consists in preparing students to address questions pertaining to French
society today. Whereas the historical approach should enable the students
to identify deeply-rooted cultural structures and manifestations of continuity
in today's France, the emphasis on present-day institutions and cultural
comportments should equip the future teacher/scholar to deal with the cultural
issues as they emerge. Students are encouraged to work with specialists
in the departments of Anthropology, History, Government (Political Science)
and Sociology, who have expressed interest in collaborating with the faculty
in the French Department in the expansion and advancement of its civilization
curriculum.
The Doctorate in African Literatures and Cultures; New World Literatures
and Cultures; New World Studies
Now that most speakers of French live outside Europe, the study of French
is being rapidly globalized. Teaching at all levels from high school to
university assumes the historical and cultural knowledge requisite to the
understanding of non-French societies. The Department offers major and
adjunct concentrations on the doctorate level in the language, literature,
and cultures of Africa (south of the Sahara, Maghreb), or the New World
(Canada, the Caribbean). Job opportunities in this area have expanded rapidly,
both for specialists and for teachers who can present non-European Francophone
Studies as a second concentration ("adjunct field"). Caribbean
or Canadian specialists in Francophone Studies may also prepare a Certificate
in New World Studies administered by an interdisciplinary committee in
conjunction with the Department. Courses and seminars in Anthropology,
English, History, Spanish or Portuguese may be presented under the adjunct
field rubric toward the Ph.D. Certificate in New World Studies, which is
designed to expand the opportunities open to our graduates.
Interdisciplinary Opportunities include, but are not limited to: Comparative
Literature; Medieval and Early Modern Studies; Studies in Women and Gender;
Film and Media Studies.
The existence of the adjunct field for the Ph.D. makes it possible for
the student to design, with the guidance of the Advisory Board, an individualized
concentration in a number of different fields related to the area of specialization
in French.
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