Majors and Minor
DECLARING A MAJOR
The student is expected to declare her option by the end of the junior year. Programs may include additional courses in French literature, culture, and language, or in other subjects which may vary with the interest of the student. Certain courses in the French and Romance Philology Department at Columbia University may be substituted with the approval of the Chair. A student who elects French as part of a combined double or interdisciplinary major will establish her individualized program with the departments concerned. All combined or interdisciplinary majors require approval from the Committee on Petitions and Academic Standing.
3 Easy Steps to Declare a French Major!
- First, meet with your pre-Advisor.
- Second, meet with one of our co-Chairs, either Professor Boyman or Professor Connor, to discuss your plans and be assigned an advisor.
- Last, complete your Major Declaration form here: Barnard Registrar Major Declaration Form
Students may chose one of three programs for the major, from which eleven (11) courses are required.
This program emphasizes the language, culture, and literature of France and other French-speaking countries.
I. Choose three (3) advanced language courses:
- FREN BC3006 - Composition and Conversation
- FREN BC3010 - Textual Analysis
- FREN BC3012 - Advanced Composition and Grammar Review
- FREN BC3013 - Writing Workshop
- FREN BC3014 - Advanced Translation
- FREN BC3016 - Advanced Oral French
- FREN BC3019 - Advanced Phonetics
- FREN BC3100 - Podcasting in French Workshop
- FREN BC3106 - Transatlantic Translation
II. Choose one sequential pair (2 courses) of courses:
- FREN BC3021 - Major French Texts I
- FREN BC3022 - Major French Texts II
or - FREN UN3420 - Introduction to Francophone Studies I
- FREN UN3421 - Introduction to Francophone Studies II
III. Choose two (2) Pre- and Early Modern courses:
- FREN BC3025 - Theater of the Classical Age
- FREN BC3032 - Women and Writing in Early Modern France
- FREN BC3035 - 18th-Century French Fiction
- FREN BC3036 - Age of Enlightenment
- FREN BC3067 - Golden Age of Versailles
- FREN BC3079 - History of the French Language
- FREN BC3103 - Women, Sex, and Power in 17th-Century France
IV. Choose three (3) Modern courses:
- FREN BC3037 - Baudelaire, Rimbaud, Mallarmé
- FREN BC3038 - 19th-Century French Novel
- FREN BC3040 - 20th-Century French Fiction
- FREN BC3044 - Theater of the Absurd
- FREN BC3054 - Translation through Film
- FREN BC3056 - Proust
- FREN BC3062 - Women in French Cinema
- FREN BC3063 - Structuralism and Post-Structuralism
- FREN BC3065 - Surrealism
- FREN BC3071 - Literature of the French Speaking World
- FREN BC3072 - Francophone Fiction: Special Topics
- FREN BC3073 - Africa in Cinema
- FREN BC3077 - Jalousie-Litterature Français
- FREN BC3078 - Literature Francophone North America
- FREN BC3079 - History of the French Language
- FREN BC3080 - Advanced Seminar: Special Topics
- FREN BC3101 - Love and Literature
- FREN BC3102 - Women of the Left Bank
- FREN BC3104 - Women Writers of Contemporary Middle East and North Africa
- FREN BC3105 - Existentialism
V. Senior Requirement: FREN BC3091 - Senior Thesis
This program teaches students to translate from French into English and English into French, within a context of French culture and literature.
I. Choose four (4) advanced language courses:
- FREN BC3006 - Composition and Conversation
- FREN BC3010 - Textual Analysis
- FREN BC3012 - Advanced Composition and Grammar Review
- FREN BC3013 - Writing Workshop
- FREN BC3014 - Advanced Translation
- FREN BC3016 - Advanced Oral French
- FREN BC3019 - Advanced Phonetics
- FREN BC3100 - Podcasting in French Workshop
- FREN BC3106 - Transatlantic Translation
II. Choose one sequential pair (2 courses) of courses:
- FREN BC3021 - Major French Texts I
- FREN BC3022 - Major French Texts II
or - FREN UN3420 - Introduction to Francophone Studies I
- FREN UN3421 - Introduction to Francophone Studies II
III. Choose four (4) courses:
- FREN BC3025 - Theater of the Classical Age
- FREN BC3032 - Women and Writing in Early Modern France
- FREN BC3035 - 18th-Century French Fiction
- FREN BC3036 - Age of Enlightenment
- FREN BC3067 - Golden Age of Versailles
- FREN BC3079 - History of the French Language
- FREN BC3103 - Women, Sex, and Power in 17th-Century France
- FREN BC3037 - Baudelaire, Rimbaud, Mallarmé
- FREN BC3038 - 19th-Century French Novel
- FREN BC3040 - 20th-Century French Fiction
- FREN BC3044 - Theater of the Absurd
- FREN BC3054 - Translation through Film
- FREN BC3056 - Proust
- FREN BC3062 - Women in French Cinema
- FREN BC3063 - Structuralism and Post-Structuralism
- FREN BC3065 - Surrealism
- FREN BC3071 - Literature of the French Speaking World
- FREN BC3072 - Francophone Fiction: Special Topics
- FREN BC3073 - Africa in Cinema
- FREN BC3077 - Jalousie-Litterature Français
- FREN BC3078 - Literature Francophone North America
- FREN BC3079 - History of the French Language
- FREN BC3080 - Advanced Seminar: Special Topics
- FREN BC3101 - Love and Literature
- FREN BC3102 - Women of the Left Bank
- FREN BC3104 - Women Writers of Contemporary Middle East and North Africa
- FREN BC3105 - Existentialism
- Students majoring in Translation and Literature are strongly encouraged to take Professor Connor's CPLT BC3110: Introduction to Translation Studies as well as FREN BC3014 Advanced Translation.
IV. Senior Requirement: FREN BC3091 - Senior Thesis
This program emphasizes the historical and contemporary interrelationship between France and the French-speaking world in their social, literary, and cultural aspects.
I. Choose two (2) advanced language courses:
- FREN BC3006 - Composition and Conversation
- FREN BC3010 - Textual Analysis
- FREN BC3012 - Advanced Composition and Grammar Review
- FREN BC3013 - Writing Workshop
- FREN BC3014 - Advanced Translation
- FREN BC3016 - Advanced Oral French
- FREN BC3019 - Advanced Phonetics
- FREN BC3100 - Podcasting in French Workshop
- FREN BC3106 - Transatlantic Translation
II. The following pair (2 courses):
- FREN UN3420 - Introduction to Francophone Studies I
- FREN UN3421 - Introduction to Francophone Studies II
III. Choose four (4) courses, two (2) must come from FREN BC3071 - FREN BC3078:
- FREN BC3025 - Theater of the Classical Age
- FREN BC3032 - Women and Writing in Early Modern France
- FREN BC3035 - 18th-Century French Fiction
- FREN BC3036 - Age of Enlightenment
- FREN BC3067 - Golden Age of Versailles
- FREN BC3079 - History of the French Language
- FREN BC3103 - Women, Sex, and Power in 17th-Century France
- FREN BC3037 - Baudelaire, Rimbaud, Mallarmé
- FREN BC3038 - 19th-Century French Novel
- FREN BC3040 - 20th-Century French Fiction
- FREN BC3044 - Theater of the Absurd
- FREN BC3054 - Translation through Film
- FREN BC3056 - Proust
- FREN BC3062 - Women in French Cinema
- FREN BC3063 - Structuralism and Post-Structuralism
- FREN BC3065 - Surrealism
- FREN BC3071 - Literature of the French Speaking World
- FREN BC3072 - Francophone Fiction: Special Topics
- FREN BC3073 - Africa in Cinema
- FREN BC3077 - Jalousie-Litterature Français
- FREN BC3078 - Literature Francophone North America
- FREN BC3079 - History of the French Language
- FREN BC3080 - Advanced Seminar: Special Topics
- FREN BC3101 - Love and Literature
- FREN BC3102 - Women of the Left Bank
- FREN BC3104 - Women Writers of Contemporary Middle East and North Africa
- FREN BC3105 - Existentialism
IV. Choose two (2) courses from other departments at Barnard or Columbia pertaining to the major and chosen in consultation with the adviser
V. Senior Requirement: FREN BC3091 - Senior Thesis
Seven (7) courses are required for the minor:
I. Choose two (2) advanced language courses:
- FREN BC3006 - Composition and Conversation
- FREN BC3010 - Textual Analysis
- FREN BC3012 - Advanced Composition and Grammar Review
- FREN BC3013 - Writing Workshop
- FREN BC3014 - Advanced Translation
- FREN BC3016 - Advanced Oral French
- FREN BC3019 - Advanced Phonetics
- FREN BC3100 - Podcasting in French Workshop
- FREN BC3106 - Transatlantic Translation
II. Choose one sequential pair (2 courses) of courses:
- FREN BC3021 - Major French Texts I
- FREN BC3022 - Major French Texts II
or - FREN UN3420 - Introduction to Francophone Studies I
- FREN UN3421 - Introduction to Francophone Studies II
III. Choose three (3) courses:
- FREN BC3025 - Theater of the Classical Age
- FREN BC3032 - Women and Writing in Early Modern France
- FREN BC3035 - 18th-Century French Fiction
- FREN BC3036 - Age of Enlightenment
- FREN BC3067 - Golden Age of Versailles
- FREN BC3079 - History of the French Language
- FREN BC3103 - Women, Sex, and Power in 17th-Century France
- FREN BC3037 - Baudelaire, Rimbaud, Mallarmé
- FREN BC3038 - 19th-Century French Novel
- FREN BC3040 - 20th-Century French Fiction
- FREN BC3044 - Theater of the Absurd
- FREN BC3054 - Translation through Film
- FREN BC3056 - Proust
- FREN BC3062 - Women in French Cinema
- FREN BC3063 - Structuralism and Post-Structuralism
- FREN BC3065 - Surrealism
- FREN BC3071 - Literature of the French Speaking World
- FREN BC3072 - Francophone Fiction: Special Topics
- FREN BC3073 - Africa in Cinema
- FREN BC3077 - Jalousie-Litterature Français
- FREN BC3078 - Literature Francophone North America
- FREN BC3079 - History of the French Language
- FREN BC3080 - Advanced Seminar: Special Topics
- FREN BC3101 - Love and Literature
- FREN BC3102 - Women of the Left Bank
- FREN BC3104 - Women Writers of Contemporary Middle East and North Africa
- FREN BC3105 - Existentialism
How to Elect a Minor in French
All courses must be "in progress" or completed no later than March 1st of your senior year.
Simply, complete the Minor Election Form here: Barnard Registrar Minor Election Form