Romance Languages, M.A. - French

For further information:RomanceLanguageGrad@southernct.edu

Application Deadlines

Rolling Admissions

Master of Arts Degree in Romance Languages

Master of Arts in Romance Languages is designed for students interested in French, Italian or Spanish. It provides advanced training for those who plan to complete their graduate studies in literature, language, literary and cultural theory at the master's level, and for those who anticipate continuing graduate work up to the doctoral degree. The program is tailored to the needs of those who wish:

• To teach these languages at the elementary, middle school, or high school levels, whether they are seeking initial certification or cross-endorsement;
• To teach these languages at the college level;
• To work in related fields, such as foreign service, other government service, private industry, translation and interpreting, librarianship, etc.

The program consists of 31 credits, 7 of which are core courses that are taught in English for all language concentrations; 18 credits are electives in a language-specific concentration; and 6 credits are designated for Capstone experiences, including the Comprehensive Examination option, Thesis option, or Special Project option.

Admissions Requirements

In accordance with the Admission Policy of the School of Graduate and Professional Studies, the following are the minimum requirements for admission to the MA in Romance Languages:

• An undergraduate degree from an institution accredited by a recognized regional accrediting agency in the United States. Degrees from outside the U.S. must be evaluated by the WES evaluating agency.
• Undergraduate degree from an Anglophone university or TOEFL with the minimum score of 600.
• Proficiency in the target language at Advanced Low level demonstrated by ACTFL Oral Proficiency Interview (OPI or OPIc) and Written Production Test (WPT).
• Writing sample in the target language or English.
• A letter of intent in English to explain the candidate's background, reasons for enrolling in the program and areas of interest.
• Two letters of recommendation.

Program Requirements - 31 Credits

*Students must earn a "B" or higher in each course

Core Courses (7 credits)
WLL 581 — Introduction to Graduate Studies in Romance Languages - 3 credits
To be taken as the first course in the program.
WLL 582 — Culture of Expression - 4 credits
Prerequisite is WLL 581

Electives: Six courses from a specific language concentration (18 credits):
Students must take at least one course from each of the four categories. A course from each category is offered once every 4 semesters.

Category I: Early Period: Medieval and Renaissance
FRE 505 — The Middle Ages: Romance and Faith - 3 credits
FRE 512 — Literature of the Renaissance - 3 credits
FRE 522 — Molière - 3 credits

Category II: Middle Period: Classicism, XVIIth, Enlightenment, XVIIIth, Romanticism, XIXth
FRE 527 — 17th Century "Moralists" - 3 credits
FRE 531 — The Novel from Mme de Lafayette to Laclos - 3 credits
FRE 534 — French Literary Thought in the 18th century - 3 credits
FRE 541 — Romantic Poetry - 3 credits

Category III: Modern and Contemporary: Realism, XIXth, Modernism and XXth into XXIth
FRE 546 — Flaubert - 3 credits
FRE 548 — Poetry from Baudelaire to the Surrealists - 3 credits
FRE 559 — French Literature from 1950 to the present - 3 credits

Category IV: Thematic Courses
FRE 506 — French Culture in France - 3 credits
FRE 513 — French and Francophone Studies — 3 credits
FRE 544 — Autobiographical Literature — 3 credits
FRE 550 — Sexual Citizenship in the French Speaking World — 3 credits

In addition, students are required to choose one of three options for a two-semester sequence Capstone course (6 credits)

Thesis Option

Permits the analysis of a substantial applied topic in the selected area of concentration. The student works with an adviser to write a proposal, which must be passed by the Graduate Committee and the Dean of the Graduate School. Thesis completion requires satisfactory oral defense of the thesis, and the approval of the thesis adviser, a second reader (a member of the Graduate Committee) and the Dean of the Graduate School.

WLL 590 — Writing the Thesis Proposal - 3 credits
WLL 591 — Writing the Thesis: Prerequisite is WLL 590 - 3 credits

Special Project Option

The special project involves the integration and application of discipline-specific knowledge, concepts, theory and skills in the development of a tangible product (a.k.a., deliverable), accompanied by a written report describing the process and results of the product's development.

WLL 592 — Special Project I - 3 credits
WLL 593 — Special Project II: Prerequisite is WLL 592 - 3 credits

Comprehensive Exam Option

The comprehensive examination is designed by the graduate faculty to rigorously assess the student's mastery and synthesis of knowledge garnered during coursework. Students work individually with an adviser in selecting and researching themes from the Master 's Reading List provided by the individual language section.

WLL 594 — Comprehensive Exam Seminar I - 3 credits
WLL 595 — Comprehensive Exam Seminar II - 3 credits
Prerequisite is WLL 594