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ROMANCE LANGUAGES AND LITERATURES

Professors: B. Antonio González (Chair), Joyce O. Lowrie, Jeff Rider, Norman R. Shapiro, Diana Sorensen

Associate Professor: Robert T. Conn

Assistant Professors: Michael Armstrong Roche, Andrew Curran, Carmen Moreno-Nuño, Ellen Nerenberg, Catherine A. Poisson, Gareth Williams, Michael Wyatt

Adjunct Professor: Paula Paige

Adjunct Assistant Professors: Octavio Flores, Ana M. Pérez-Gironés

Visiting Assistant Professor: Luca Bufano

Visiting Instructors: Pablo Ansolabehere, Greg Schelonka, Françoise Schneider

Adjunct Lecturers: Jane Edwards, Catherine Ostrow

Departmental Advising Experts (2000-2001): Joyce Lowrie (French Literatures), Ellen Nerenberg (Italian), Jeff Rider (French Studies), B. Antonio Gonzalez (Spanish, Romance Literatures)

Department majors programs. The Department of Romance Languages and Literatures offers major programs in French literature, French studies, Italian studies, Spanish literature, and Romance literatures. Students entering any of the major programs offered by the department must have an overall average of B- or better and should be complying with the General Education Expectations. Students who wish to major in Romance literatures normally take a combination of 12 semester courses in two Romance literatures. Students interested in selecting this major should consult with the department chair to arrange their programs.

Senior thesis. Highly qualified students will be permitted to write a senior thesis. Interested students should consult with the chair or with the major advisor.

Departmental honors. Students may apply for admission to the program during the second semester of their junior year, and not later than April 15. Applicants will be admitted on the basis of all of the following:

* A minimum grade-point average of 90 in department courses

* A recommendation of a member of the department

* Determination by the departmental honors committee of the merit and feasibility of the applicants’ projects.

The departmental honors committee will assign a tutor or tutors. The criteria upon which honors may be granted are:

* A thesis, which will be read by the tutor(s) and two other faculty members, one of whom will be from outside the department

* Other approved projects.

Students interested in entrance to the program should consult with the major advisor and the department chair.

Ampersand (&) courses. It is the firm policy of the department to award credit for the first semester of an ampersand course only if the student completes the second semester of the course or the equivalent or is moved to a higher-level course. Students who are given permission to enter the second semester of an ampersand course without having taken the first semester of the sequence will receive credit for that semester only.

 

French Language, Literature, and Culture

The French section offers major programs in both French literature and French studies. These programs are intended to provide students with a command of the French language sufficient to enable them to live and work successfully in a French-speaking environment and to help them develop a concentration that may serve as the basis for future work or further academic or professional studies.

Students who intend to major in either French literature or French studies should normally complete FREN223 and FREN224 as soon as possible.

All majors are strongly encouraged to spend at least one semester with the Wesleyan Program in Paris. Students must petition for courses taken at other universities and programs in the United States or abroad to be credited toward the major.

French Literature

The French literature major offers students the opportunity to develop an in-depth knowledge of French literature and critical approaches, and through it, an awareness of French culture and modes of thought and expression. The major consists of a minimum of eight courses:

* FREN223 and FREN224, normally to be completed before the end of the sophomore year and FREN397 (Advanced Seminar), normally to be taken in the senior year.

* Five other courses conducted in French between FREN215 and FREN300, only one of which may be a language course.

In consultation with the advisor to French literature majors, students will select as wide a variety as possible of courses. Normally, FREN397 (Advanced Seminar) and three other courses numbered between 223 and 300 must be taken on the home campus. Students who spend a semester on the Wesleyan Program in Paris may count two French literature courses taken there toward the major; students who spend a year on the program in Paris may count four French literature courses taken there toward the major.

French Studies

The French studies major offers students the opportunity to develop a broad knowledge of French culture through a flexible, interdisciplinary program combining course work in French with work in related fields. The major consists of a minimum of nine courses:

* FREN223 and FREN224, normally to be completed before the end of the sophomore year;

* Two other courses conducted in French numbered between FREN215 and FREN300, only one of which may be a language course

* Four courses, the content of which is devoted substantially to the study of French history, culture, or society. These courses may include FRST or FIST courses, courses offered through the Wesleyan Program in Paris or other approved study-abroad programs, or approved courses offered by other departments and programs on campus;

* A senior research project (which may be developed into a senior honors thesis).

In consultation with the advisor to French studies majors, students will arrange a coherent course of study suited to their individual interests and needs. A list of approved courses is available from the advisor.

 

Wesleyan Program in Paris

The Wesleyan Program in Paris is based on a comprehensive or whole-life approach to study abroad. It has three goals:

* To bring students’ command of the French language as close as possible to fluency in all skills.

* To permit the study all aspects of French civilization–politics, art, literature, cinema, history–both in French university courses and in small seminars organized by the program, while simultaneously making regular progress toward the completion of the major.

* To bring students into direct contact with French and European life over an extended period and, thereby, add a new dimension both to their personal and social consciousness.

To make the experience in Paris as rich and valuable as possible, students are encouraged to focus on the comprehensive endeavor of observing and learning to live in French culture, to seize the opportunities to perfect their language skills and learn about French life that are offered every moment of every day. The various components of the Wesleyan program–taking courses with French students and about French culture, living in French homes, participating in extracurricular activities with French people, and visiting various sites in Paris and France–are intended to help students to pursue these goals, to inform them about France, and to bring them into contact with contemporary French life.

Students may participate in the program for either one semester (fall or spring) or two semesters (fall and spring, or spring and fall) during their sophomore, junior, or senior year. To be admitted, students must have an overall academic average of at least a B and have completed FREN215 or a higher level French course with a B or better. Brochures and applications may be obtained from the Office of International Studies in Fisk Hall. Applications are due in March and October.

Housing. The best way to have regular, long-term contact with Parisians is to live with them. Students’ housing situations can offer a unique means to encounter, observe, and imitate French behaviors and to take part in everyday Parisian life. We thus encourage students to choose an arrangement that will provide them with a maximum of contact with French people. Most students are housed in homes, with the option of having meals provided for them or of doing their own cooking. Independent rooms in apartments and studio apartments are also available, and some students choose to work (usually 12 to 15 hours of babysitting a week) in exchange for a room. Students are free to arrange their own housing through personal contacts, if they wish.

Cultural orientation and activities. The Wesleyan program organizes numerous cultural activities and visits, both to introduce students to the great monuments of French culture and to help them understand the working realities of everyday France. A two-week orientation program at the beginning of every semester combines guided tours to Paris’ major monuments and museums with a series of meetings devoted to matters like getting around Paris, French etiquette, the organization of the French university system, the structure of the French government, and so on. Throughout the rest of the semester, students will learn about the economy, government, and culture of contemporary France through weekly visits to French institutions and sites like the control rooms of the métro, the Assemblée Nationale, the Sénat, the Palais de Justice, the sewers, a farm, a vineyard and wine cellar, a mushroom grower, or a bakery. Excursions outside of Paris to Chartres, Monet’s home at Giverny, Rouen, Vaux-le-Vicomte, and Versailles, and overnight trips to the French provinces (Bourgogne, the Loire valley, Normandy and the Mont Saint Michel, or the Berry) also form an integral part of the cultural program.

Extracurricular activities. Because it is easiest to become acquainted with people who share interests, students are encouraged to integrate themselves into French society by participating in some extracurricular activity: joining an athletic team, a choir, or a hiking club, for example, or taking dance or art classes. We help students find these groups and opportunities and get in touch with them.

Students can also volunteer to be an English-language teaching assistant in a Parisian secondary school, working with teachers and conducting small conversation sessions for four hours a week. This gives them the opportunity to learn firsthand about the French school system and to meet young French people and their teachers.

The academic program. Our program develops out of three concerns. First, because we want students from all disciplines, majors in the sciences and social sciences as well as in the humanities, to be able to spend a year or a semester in Paris, we have devised a broad academic program offering courses in nine general fields: government, history, sociology and anthropology, economics, literature, art history, film, psychology, and biology. Students should be sure to discuss their projected programs with their advisors before leaving the U.S., but they can probably take courses in Paris that will count toward the major.

Second, because we think that a great deal can be learned about French people and the French educational system from taking courses at a French university, Wesleyan has established agreements with the Institut d’Études Politiques (or Sciences Po) and the Universités de Paris 7 and 12 that permit our students to take courses there. These courses are valuable for their academic content, for what students learn about literature, history, or biology, but they also permit students to observe French behavior in an important cultural institution. University courses likewise offer students a singularly good opportunity to meet French people their own age.

Third, because American students–especially those who are in Paris for only one semester–often have a hard time finding the kinds of courses on French civilization and culture they want to take at French universities, we organize our own seminars each semester on French politics, history, art history, film, literature, and theater. Taught by outstanding French professors, these seminars are conducted entirely in French and provide the kind of close student-teacher contact associated with a Wesleyan education.

The resident director, who is always a regular member of the Wesleyan faculty, will serve as academic advisor, and students will plan their academic program in consultation with him or her.

Students spending the entire academic year in Paris will enroll in five courses during the first semester: four regular courses and a French writing workshop that will facilitate writing papers for the other courses. Four courses will be taken during the spring semester. Students spending only one semester in Paris will enroll in five courses: four regular courses and the French writing workshop mentioned above. Information on courses may be obtained from the Office of International Studies.

Italian Studies

Major program in Italian studies. The major program in Italian studies offers students the opportunity to develop an in-depth knowledge of Italian literature, language, and civilization through a flexible program combining course work in Italian with work in related fields (art history, classical studies, history, music, philosophy, Romance literatures). All students are required to complete the two-year language sequence in Italian (ITAL101/102, 111/112) or its equivalent. Students considering an Italian major are strongly encouraged to consult with the major advisor as early as possible to design a course of study suited to their individual needs and cultural interests.

In addition to the four semesters of language study, the major program in Italian studies consists of nine courses. All majors must complete the following requirements:

1. Four courses conducted in Italian numbered ITAL222 or above; of these, one should be in each of the following chronological periods, medieval, Renaissance to Romanticism, the 20th century;

2) A senior seminar (one credit) or senior thesis tutorial (two credits);

3) Four courses in related departments, the content of which is devoted substantially to the study of Italian history, culture, or society.

Italian majors are strongly encouraged to spend at least one semester of study abroad. It is also recommended, though not required, that majors learn at least one other classical or modern language (preferably Latin or another of the Romance languages), according to their area of interest.

Program In Bologna, Italy

Wesleyan University co-sponsors with Vassar College and Wellesley College a program in Italy for up to 15 students from each of the three schools without regard to their choice of major. Italian 102 or the equivalent of one year of college level Italian is the prerequisite for participation. Students may choose to participate in either the fall or spring semesters, or (optimally) both. For fall or full-year participants the program begins with a seven-week (2 credit) intensive language and culture course that consists of three-weeks in Siena in the month of August, followed by a short break and then four more weeks in Bologna before the beginning of the academic year; spring-only participants will have a similar three-week (1 credit) course in Bologna in January. A full complement of courses taught in Italian dealing with Italian literature, history, government, art history and other areas are offered at the program’s center, taught by faculty from the Universita’ di Bologna and by the program Director.

Qualified students are strongly encouraged to enroll in courses at the Universita’, and thus students with good language skills will have a wide range of fields from which to choose, including economics, government and the natural sciences. All courses carry one Wesleyan credit. Literature courses may count toward the Italian studies major. Courses in other disciplines must be approved for credit toward the major by the appropriate advisor.

Cost of the program is approximately equivalent to that of staying on the home campus for the same period, and it includes round-trip air transportation between New York and Italy. Applications for the fall semester are due by March 1, for the spring semester by October 1, and must be submitted to the Office of International Studies.

 

Spanish Literature

Major program in Spanish literature. A minimum of nine courses in the range 221-300 are necessary for the major. At least five courses must be taken on the home campus. Theses and similar projects are not counted within the major. Specific requirements are SPAN223, 224, 226, and 236 (bear in mind that SPAN236, Cervantes, is offered only in alternate years). Students are strongly encouraged to participate in Wesleyan’s Program in Spain. Up to four literature courses offered in Madrid may be counted toward the major. Students must petition for courses taken at other universities in the United States or abroad to be credited toward the major. Students may petition to count two courses for one semester or three courses for two semesters on a Wesleyan-approved program in Latin America. (Visit the Office of International Studies for more information.)

A grade of B- or better in SPAN221 or equivalent proof of linguistic competence is prerequisite for admission into the major. Students are expected to maintain at least a B- average in the major program. For further information, contact the advisor to the Spanish majors in the Department of Romance Languages and Literatures.

Program in Spain

Wesleyan University co-sponsors with Vassar College and Colgate University a program in Spain for up to 15 students from each of the three schools without regard to their choice of major. SPAN112 or the equivalent of two years of college-level Spanish is the prerequisite for participation. The program begins with a four-week course in Santiago de Compostela in the month of August (Intensive Language and Civilization) and continues in Madrid in the fall and spring semesters. Students may apply for either the first term (Santiago/fall) or the entire year. Those who have a strong background in Spanish might be considered for the spring semester only. A regular faculty member from one of the sponsoring schools administers the program in Spain. Classes in Madrid are taught by Spanish faculty and are given exclusively in Spanish at the Instituto Internacional en España. The curriculum includes a broad spectrum of courses in the humanities and social sciences, language and literature, history and government, sociology, anthropology, and art. All courses carry one Wesleyan credit. The literature seminars count toward completion of the Spanish major. Courses in history, art, government, etc., need to be approved for credit toward the major by the appropriate advisor. Cost for the program is approximately equivalent to that of staying on the home campus for the same period, and it includes round-trip transportation between New York and Spain and the program in Santiago. Applications are due by March 1 and must be submitted to the Office of International Studies, Fisk Hall.

Program In Puebla, México

Wesleyan’s new program at the Universidad de las Américas in Puebla, México is designed for students who have studied some Spanish in high school or at the college level but who have not yet attained proficiency. The goal of the program is to provide an immersion experience that will stimulate students to reach fluency as rapidly as possible, using innovative methods inside and outside the classroom to help students build their language sills and cultural knowledge. The program will be composed of a series of modules, as students progress from orientation to the ability to read and write complex texts and to function independently in the community. Students participating in the program will take Intermediate and Advanced Spanish courses equivalent to SPAN 111, 112, and 221, and are expected, at their return to Wesleyan, to take SPAN 223, 224, or 226.

 

 



Last Update 8/99

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