Graduate Degree

French and Francophone Studies - Doctor of Philosophy

Program:
French and Francophone Studies - Doctor of Philosophy
Plan Code:
FRNFRA_PHD
Program Level:
Graduate
Award Type:
Doctor of Philosophy
College:
College of Arts and Letters
Department:
Romance and Classical Studies


Excerpt from the official Academic Programs Catalog:

Listed below are the approved requirements for the program from the official Academic Programs Catalog.
Students must consult their advisors to learn which specific requirements apply to their degree programs.


College of Arts and Letters

Department of Romance and Classical Studies

Graduate Study
French and Francophone Studies - Doctor of Philosophy

The Doctor of Philosophy degree program in French and Francophone Studies provides course work in the languages, literature, and cultures of France and the Francosphere.  Students who are enrolled in the program complete a concentration in literary and cultural studies or in interdisciplinary studies.

In addition to meeting the requirements of the University and of the College of Arts and Letters, students must meet the requirements specified below.

Admission

To be considered for admission to the Doctor of Philosophy degree program in French and Francophone Studies, an applicant must:

  1. Have a master’s degree in French or equivalent, or a total of 30 credits of approved course work.
  2. Have a grade-point average of at least 3.00 in graduate courses in French.
  3. Have letters of recommendation from three professors who are qualified to assess the applicant’s ability to pursue advanced graduate study in French.
  4. Have academic writing samples in French and English.
  5. Have a reading knowledge of a language other than French and English. This requirement may be completed once admitted into the program through additional course work. Non-native speakers of French are also required to submit a language proficiency evaluation form.

Guidance Committee

Initially, the student’s guidance committee must consist of three or four tenure-stream Michigan State University faculty members. After the student has passed the Ph.D. examinations, the dissertation committee consists of at least four faculty members, two of which must be members of the Department of Romance and Classical Studies. The chair of the dissertation committee must be a tenure-stream faculty member in French.

Requirements for the Doctor of Philosophy Degree in French and Francophone Studies

The student must:
1. Complete one of the following concentrations. A maximum of 9 credits in courses that were completed prior to enrollment in this degree program may be used to satisfy this requirement:
Interdisciplinary Studies
1. The following course (3 credits):
ROM 803 Foundations of Contemporary Language Teaching 3
2. Complete 12 credits in FRN courses at the 800-level.
3. Complete 12 credits of electives in a related area approved by the academic advisor which includes a research methods course.
4. The following course (3 credits):
FRN 896 Ph.D. Exam Preparation in French and Francophone 3
Literary and Cultural Studies
1. The following course (3 credits):
ROM 803 Foundations of Contemporary Language Teaching 3
2. Complete 21 credits from the following courses:
FRN 810 Understanding the Early Modern Culture in the Francosphere 3
FRN 820 Minority Perspectives in the Francosphere 3
FRN 830 Language(s) in the Francosphere 3
FRN 840 Understanding France through Literary and Cultural Productions 3
FRN 850 Francophone Postcolonial and Cultural Studies 3
Additional courses at the 800-level as approved by the academic advisor.
3. Complete 3 credits in a research methods or critical theory course approved by the academic advisor.
4. The following course (3 credits):
FRN 896 Ph.D. Exam Preparation in French and Francophone 3
2. Complete additional course work as required by the student’s guidance committee.
3. Pass a three-part Ph.D. examination that corresponds to the student’s concentrations.
The three parts include:
a. a publishable quality article.
b. a take-home examination on an area other than that of the article and based on an extensive reading list.
c. an oral examination on both elements.
A student who fails any part of the Ph.D. examination may retake that examination only once.
4. Submit a dissertation proposal and successfully defend it.
5. Submit a dissertation or equivalent research project as applicable or relevant to the field (multi-media, digital humanities) which demonstrates mastery of subject matter in the field of inquiry, sound critical judgment, and a contribution of original thought and research to the topic.