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Fall 2025 Undergraduate Catalog
French, BA
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 Return to: Majors
Department of Languages and Cultural Studies; College of Arts and Sciences
Degree Awarded: Bachelor of Arts in French Language and Literature
Chair: Sarah Jourdain
Director of Undergraduate Studies: Kathleen de Riesthal
Coordinator of the Program: Sarah Jourdain
Department Administrator: Elizabeth Tolson
Office: Humanities 2042
Phone: (631) 632-7440
Pursuing French as an academic field means mastering the language in addition to studying the literature and the social and political culture of France and French-speaking countries. French is spoken all around the globe–in Europe, Africa, Asia, Canada, and the Caribbean–where it has produced rich national literatures and diverse cultures over the span of many centuries. As a recent Association of the Teachers of French publication has stated, “French is the other international language.” Command of the language is the first prerequisite to entrance into the discipline which depends upon linguistic, literary, and analytical skills. On a more practical level, French is the language of government, law, management, and business in many regions of the international community, and the study of French as used in these areas is an applied field within the discipline.
Students who graduate with a major in French pursue diverse careers and employment. Many become teachers or take positions in international commerce, marketing, banking, or travel (e.g., airlines, travel agencies, Club Med). Others work in fields of government, publishing, journalism, or international relations. As a liberal arts major, French is also the choice of some who go on to professional schools in law, management and business, library science, computer technology, or medicine.
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Degree Requirements
Placement in Language Courses for Incoming Students Students who have studied French previously are encouraged to take the French Placement Exam offered through our Language Learning Research Center. High school language study is not counted for college credit. Students are advised to consult the FRN Program Coordinator if they believe that they should be placed in a different level course. Major Requirements The major in French Language and Literature leads to the Bachelor of Arts degree. Students must complete Concentration A or Concentration B. These concentrations are designed to allow maximum flexibility in the students’ programs and to fulfill their varying needs and interests. Both require as a basis a solid preparation in French. Concentration A provides preparation for graduate study in literature; concentrations A and B both provide appropriate background for students preparing for work in law, government, international relations, business, banking, hotel management, or translation and interpretation. Students interested in teaching French in secondary schools may choose either Concentration A or B. However, they must have 36 credits in FRN before the State of New York will certify them. Please see the staff of the Foreign Language Secondary Teacher Education Program for further advising in this area. Foreign language education students are also highly encouraged to study more than one foreign language. All courses offered for the major must be passed with a letter grade of C or higher. Transfer students must take at least 18 credits of French in residence at Stony Brook. Please note that FRN 475 /FRN 476 (Undergraduate Teaching Practicum) may not count for the major or minor. Completion of the major requires 36-42 credits for Concentration A (all in FRN or HUF) or 42-48 credits for Concentration B (30 credits of FRN and HUF, and 12 credits of a non-FRN discipline), depending on language placement. See here for placement exam information. All students should consult with the Director of the French Program. A. Concentration in Language and Literature
Upper-division writing requirement:
- See Upper-Division Writing Requirement below
B. Concentration in French and a Second Discipline
Elective courses:
- 12 additional credits (nine of which must be 300-level or higher) to be chosen with the help of the designated advisor and approved by the Department. Students must choose a sequence of four courses in a department or program other than French (FRN or HUF).
Upper-Division Writing Requirement
To demonstrate proficiency in writing English, students majoring in French must register for the 0-credit FRN 459 and present a dossier of a minimum of two papers of at least three to five pages each. The dossier must be submitted before the second semester of the junior year to the FRN Program Coordinator. Since this requirement is a University requirement and not a French requirement, the Program Coordinator will accept research papers written in English for any course students have taken at Stony Brook University. Graded papers are much preferred. For students who do not have research papers written in English, they must translate two papers written for their FRN courses from French to English. Students should consult with the department advisor to ensure that their plan for completing the Upper Division Writing Requirement is consistent with university graduation requirements for General Education. Students completing the Stony Brook Curriculum (SBC) must complete a course that satisfies the “Write Effectively within One’s Discipline” (WRTD) learning objective to graduate. The Upper Division Writing Requirement is consistent in most cases with the SBC learning outcomes for WRTD. French Honors Program
To be eligible to participate in the honors program, majors must have a cumulative grade point average of 3.00 and an average of 3.50 in French through the junior year. An eligible student wishing to write a senior thesis must find a faculty member of the Department to act as thesis advisor. The student, with the approval of this advisor, must submit a proposal of a project in writing to the Department. Deadline for submission of the proposal for fall semester is April 30 and for spring semester is November 30. Final selection of candidates and topics is determined by an honors committee of the Department. Students selected for the program must enroll in FRN 495 for the semester in which the thesis is written. The thesis is evaluated by the thesis advisor, another member of the Department, and a third reader from outside the Department. For further information consult the Director of Undergraduate Studies. SBC Courses
This table illustrates major courses that can also be used to fulfill SBC requirements. (See Note 1 & Note 2) | SBC Category | Required Major Courses | Optional Major Courses (see Note 3) | | ARTS | | HUF 211 | | GLO | FRN 211, FRN 212 | HUF 216, HUF 219 | | HUM | FRN 212 | HUF 216 | | LANG (see Note 4) | FRN 211, FRN 212, FRN 311, FRN 312 | | | QPS | | | | SBS | | | | SNW | | | | TECH | | | | USA | | | | WRT | | | | STAS | | | | EXP+ | | FRN 444, FRN 447, FRN 475, FRN 476, FRN 488, FRN 495 | | HFA+ | FRN 311, FRN 312, FRN 313, FRN 395, FRN 396, FRN 411, FRN 412 | FRN 413, FRN 423, FRN 433, FRN 434, FRN 435, FRN 438, FRN 441, FRN 442, HUL 324 | | SBS+ | | FRN 410 | | STEM+ | | | | CER | | | | DIV (see Note 5) | | | | ESI | FRN 312 | | | SPK | FRN 311 | | | WRTD | FRN 312, FRN 412 | FRN 459 | Note 1: Some course information may be subject to change. Please contact your major advisor for additional consultation. Note 2: For majors that require study in a related area or completion of a minor, visit the respective program’s “Major SBC Courses” page to view expanded SBC options. Note 3: Denotes any course in which students can choose from more than one option. These may include, but are not limited to, major electives, concentration/track/specialization courses, or calculus/physics/chemistry sequences. Note 4: CEAS majors, the Athletic Training major, the Respiratory Care major, and the Clinical Laboratory Sciences major are exempt from the LANG learning objective. Students enrolled in the major in Social Work are exempt from the LANG learning objective, but are required to enroll in and pass with a letter grade of C or higher the first semester of an elementary foreign language course numbered 111, or satisfy through alternate methods. Note 5: Students are responsible for completing the general education requirements published in the Bulletin that was current as of the first semester of matriculation (or rematriculation). The following student groups must satisfy the DIV learning objective as part of their degree requirements: - Freshmen who matriculate in the Fall of 2019 or later
- Transfer students who matriculate in the Spring of 2020 or later
- Students who rematriculate in the Fall of 2019 or later
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