French
The French MA program is designed for students who wish to pursue careers in post-secondary teaching, research, administration, federal and provincial government service, national and international organisations, and other areas in which advanced bilingual and multicultural skills are required. This program highlights the converging and diverging historical and linguistic forces at play in cultural environments that share French as a common language.
Administrative Staff
Interim Director
John Walsh (266 MacKinnon, Ext. 53167)
waljo@uoguelph.ca
Graduate Program Coordinator
Dawn Cornelio (254 MacKinnon, Ext. 53186)
dcorneli@uoguelph.ca
Graduate Program Assistant
Enrica Cominetti (267 MacKinnon, Ext. 56887)
ecominet@uoguelph.ca
Graduate Faculty
This list may include Regular Graduate Faculty, Associated Graduate Faculty and/or Graduate Faculty from other universities.
Frédérique Arroyas
BA, MA, PhD Western Ontario - Associate Professor
Graduate Faculty
Alena Barysevich
BA Minsk, MA, PhD Western Ontario - Assistant Professor
Graduate Faculty
Donald Bruce
BA Alberta, MA Queen's, PhD Toronto - Professor
Graduate Faculty
Dawn M. Cornelio
BA, MA, PhD Connecticut - Professor
Graduate Faculty
Margot Irvine
BA, MA, PhD Toronto - Associate Professor
Graduate Faculty
Stéphanie Nutting
BA Toronto, MA, PhD Queen's - Associate Professor
Graduate Faculty
Ania Wroblewski
BA Western, PhD Montreal - Assistant Professor
Graduate Faculty
MA Program
Admission Requirements
The normal requirement for admission to the French MA program is the equivalent of an Honours degree in French studies from a recognized post-secondary institution with an overall average of B+ or equivalent. Applicants who do not have an Honours BA in French from a Canadian university may be required to take a short competence test and/or qualifying undergraduate courses prior to beginning graduate study. Students enter the program in September with full-time status.
Program Requirements
Students are required to take a minimum of six semester courses (3.0 credits), with the service-learning placement counting as one of these courses. They are also required to write a 40 page MRP (major research paper). Courses must be approved by the Graduate Program Coordinator and will normally be completed in three semesters on a full-time basis. The minimum average required for graduation from the program is a B or equivalent. All work is written in French.
During their first two semesters of course work, students may take a range of courses in Quebec, continental French, African and Caribbean literatures, as well as in intermediality, literary translation and the pedagogy of French as a second language.
This program also offers an experiential service-learning practicum which takes place outside the classroom. Working with the Graduate Program Coordinator, students will develop and have approved a project that suits their interests and goals. This practicum normally takes place in a Francophone milieu and is the equivalent of one academic course (0.5 credit).
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| Required Courses | ||
| FREN*6000 | Research Methods Seminar | 0.50 |
| FREN*6042 | Topics in FSL Pedagogy | 0.50 |
| FREN*6051 | Major Research Paper | 0.50 |
| FREN*6053 | Practicum in French Studies | 0.50 |
Collaborative Specializations
Sexualities, Genders and Bodies
The French program participates in the collaborative specialization in Sexualities, Genders and Bodies. MA students wishing to undertake their major research paper/project with an emphasis on sexualities, genders and bodies are eligible to apply to register concurrently in French and the collaborative specialization. Students should consult the Sexualities, Genders and Bodies listing for more information.
Courses
The content of the courses listed below will vary according to the research interests of the faculty involved in offering the course. Specific course descriptions for a particular offering of the course will be available from the Graduate Program Coordinator in advance of the course being offered.
This course will introduce students to the field and research methods of various disciplines and of interdisciplinary studies, and it will familiarize them with field-relevant research skills and methodologies.
This course will focus on European French literature in relation to thematic approaches including: gender and feminism, transgression, (post)colonialisms, identity and alterity. Offered in conjunction with FREN*4600. Extra work is required for graduate students.
This course will focus on how literature functions as a socio-political institution in Quebec and in French Canada. It will also deal with elements that relate more broadly to identity, reception theory and semiotics.
This course focuses on the works of major Francophone African and Caribbean fictional and theoretical works with particular attention being given to links between notions of cultural hierarchies, identity, metissage and creolization.
This course deals with various aspects of literary translation, including theories of translation, the role of reading in translation, the active translation of a text from English into French, and the reflection upon the influence of each of these categories on the others.
An investigation of the intersection of artistic expression taking place in literature, theatre, film, television and new media and the various effects produced by the interaction of two or more media.
This course will allow students to explore, within the framework of sociolinguistics and applied linguistics, the relationship between language and society, with particular reference to French and the French-speaking world.
This compulsory course covers theories, methods, and real-life applications of the teaching/learning of a second language, specifically French.
An independent study course, the nature and content of which is agreed upon between the student and the professor offering the course. Subject to the approval of the graduate program coordinator.
This independent, required course allows students to pursue research in an area of particular interest to them in the field of French Studies. A compulsory major paper 40 pages in length will be required.
This course will allow students to engage in volunteer service in a francophone community. Students will be asked to forge links between knowledge acquired in the academic setting and problem-based learning in a real-world context. A list of authorized community partners will be provided.