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French and Italian Languages and Literatures

Chair: Andrea Tarnowski

Professors F. E. Beasley, L. D. Kritzman, D. P. LaGuardia, G. Parati; Associate Professors N. L. Canepa, Y. Elhariry, L.C. Hollister, S. M. Sanders, R.A. St. Clair, A. W. Tarnowski; Assistant Professors D. Callegari, M. W. Larose; Research Assistant Professor T. Convertini; Senior Lecturers G. Alberti, D. Benvegnù, K. F. McConnell, B. D. Mosenthal; Lecturers M. Doyle, M. Gilebbi, E.K. Kane, S. S. Mefoude Obiono, A. Zoller.

To view French courses, click here.

To view French and Italian in Translation courses, click here.

To view Italian courses, click here.

 

Majors

Five types of major are available to the student. All programs are designed individually by the student with the help of a faculty advisor of his or her choosing within the Department. Major programs may be organized historically, around a genre (like poetry, drama, or prose fiction), or around a period concept or movement (such as the Enlightenment, Baroque, Classicism and Romanticism, or Existentialism). Major programs normally include at least one term of study in France or Italy. Some courses on the L.S.A., L.S.A.+ and F.S.P. count towards the minor and/or major; for more information, see section titled ‘Foreign Study’. Whether students have an individual advisor or not, all major plans and subsequent changes must be approved by the French or Italian Major Advisor.

I. Major in French. Prerequisite for the major: FREN 8.

The French Major consists of ten (minimum) or more courses above the level of FREN 8, excluding FREN 11 and FREN 15. Each major must include a FREN 10 (prerequisite for all upper-level courses), (1) either FREN 20 or FREN 21; (2) either FREN 22 or FREN 23; and (3) either FREN 24 or FREN 25 (to be completed by the end of the junior year). FREN 10 and FREN 12 taken on the L.S.A.+, and FREN 29, FREN 30, and FREN 31 taken on the F.S.P., may count toward the major. FRIT courses taught in English (see French and Italian in Translation) may count toward the major if the student attends a weekly x-hour and does reading and all written work in French. During their senior year, as their culminating experience, majors must take either FREN 78: Senior Major Workshop or, with special permission, an upper-level French course (numbered FREN 40 or above). Students taking an upper-level FREN course as their culminating experience are required to supplement the regular reading with extra materials chosen in consultation with the instructor, and to write a research or critical paper of at least twenty pages. French courses numbered 40 and above may be taken for major credit more than once in cases where the topic is different.

II. Major in Italian. Prerequisite for the major: ITAL 8 through the Italian L.S.A. or L.S.A.+ or ITAL 9 on campus.

A. Course requirements for the major:

1. 8 courses numbered ITAL 10 or above, excluding ITAL 11 (see the exception below in 3c.)
2. 5 of the 8 must be numbered above ITAL 12.
3. 3 of the 8 may be numbered ITAL 12 or below.

a) ITAL 10, the prerequisite for all upper-level courses, is required for the major and may be taken on campus or on the L.S.A.+. With the approval of the Italian Major Advisor, ITAL 10 may be counted toward the major twice, provided the course topics are different.
b) Along with ITAL 10 on the LSA+, ITAL 12 taken on the L.S.A.+ may count toward the major.
c) If ITAL 9 is taken on campus and ITAL 8 is taken on the L.S.A. or L.S.A.+, ITAL 8 will count as fulfilling the prerequisite for the major and ITAL 9 may count toward the major.

4. Of the 5 of the 8 courses required for the major that must be numbered above ITAL 12:

a) At least two must be courses from the pre-1800 period (ITAL 21, ITAL 22, ITAL 23).
b) At least two courses must be from the post-1800 period (ITAL 15, ITAL 24, ITAL 25, FRIT 35, FRIT 93).
c) ITAL 27 and FRIT 37 are topics courses and may be counted either toward the pre-1800 or post-1800 requirement, depending on the topic.
d) FRIT and ITAL courses taught in English (FRIT 33, FRIT 34, FRIT 35, FRIT 37, FRIT 93) may count toward the major if the student attends a weekly x-hour and does the reading and all of the written work in Italian.

B. Senior culmination in the major:

1. Majors must complete a culminating activity. Three options are available for the culminating activity, all of which include an oral presentation of the completed project. For the culminating experience, students may:

a) Take ITAL 88: Senior Independent Reading and Research, in which they are required to write a critical or research paper of at least 20 pages; OR
b) Take an upper-level course numbered ITAL 15 or above, in which they are required to supplement course readings and activities with extra assignments chosen in consultation with the instructor, and to write a critical or research paper of at least 20 pages; OR
c) Write a senior thesis (see Requirements for the Honors Major in Italian, below).

III. Honors Major in Italian: Prerequisite for the Honors Major: Complete ITAL 8 through the Italian L.S.A. or L.S.A.+ or ITAL 9 on campus.

A. Course requirements for the Honors Major:

1. 9 courses numbered ITAL 10 or above, excluding ITAL 11 (see the exception below in 3c.)
2. 6 of the 9 must be numbered above ITAL 12 and must include ITAL 89 (the thesis).
3. 3 of the 9 may be numbered ITAL 12 or below.

a) ITAL 10, the prerequisite for all upper level courses, is required for the major and may be taken on campus or on the L.S.A.+. With the approval of the Italian Major Advisor, ITAL 10 may be counted toward the major twice, provided the course topics are different.
b) Along with ITAL 10 on the L.S.A.+, ITAL 12 taken on the L.S.A.+ may count toward the major.
c) If ITAL 9 is taken on campus and ITAL 8 is taken on the L.S.A. or L.S.A.+, ITAL 8 will count as fulfilling the prerequisite for the major and ITAL 9 may count toward the major.

4. Of the 6 of the 9 courses required for the major that must be numbered above ITAL 12:

a) At least two must be courses from the pre-1800 period (ITAL 21, ITAL 22, ITAL 23, FRIT 33, FRIT 34).
b) At least two courses must be from the post-1800 period (ITAL 15, ITAL 24, ITAL 25, FRIT 35, FRIT 93).
c) ITAL 27 and FRIT 37 are topics courses and may be counted either toward the pre-1800 or post-1800 requirement, depending on the topic.
d) FRIT and ITAL courses taught in English (FRIT 33, FRIT 34, FRIT 35, FRIT 37, FRIT 93) may count toward the major if the student attends a weekly x-hour and does the reading and all of the written work in Italian.
e) ITAL 88 and ITAL 89 must be taken in the fall and winter of senior year, or, alternatively, in the winter and spring. ITAL 89 is required for the thesis and must be taken in senior year.

B. Thesis:

1. Identify and contact a potential faculty thesis advisor and submit the thesis proposal to the advisor by June 1 of the junior year. In the proposal, provide:

a) The topic
b) A brief bibliography of summer research readings.

2. Enroll in ITAL 88 in the fall or winter term of the senior year.
3. Enroll in ITAL 89 in the winter or spring terms of the senior year.
4. Submit final thesis to the thesis advisor by May 8 in the senior year.
5. Provide public oral presentation by May 22 in the senior year.
6. Submit three bound copies of the thesis to the department by May 29.

IV. Major in Romance Languages. Prerequisite for the major: The appropriate prerequisite course in each of the two languages studied.

Includes two of the principal Romance languages (French, Italian, Spanish, Portuguese). Majors will be required to take ten major-level courses, six of which shall be selected from the primary language, and four from the secondary language. If the primary language is French, the six courses must include FREN 10 and one course from FREN 22, FREN 23, FREN 24, FREN 25 (to be completed by the end of junior year). FREN 10 and FREN 12 taken on the L.S.A.+ and FREN 29 and FREN 30 taken on the F.S.P. may count toward the major. During their senior year, as their culminating activity, Romance Language majors (whose primary language is French) must take either FREN 78: Senior Major Workshop or, with special permission, an upper-level French course (numbered FREN 40 or above). Students taking an upper-level French course as their culminating experience are required to supplement the regular reading with extra materials chosen in consultation with the instructor, and to write a research or critical paper of at least twenty pages. If the primary language is Italian, the six courses must include ITAL 10, at least one course from the pre-1800 period, and at least one course from the post-1800 period. Two of the Italian L.S.A.+ courses (ITAL 10 and ITAL 12) may count toward the major. During their senior year, as their culminating activity, Romance Language majors (whose primary language is Italian) must take either ITAL 88: Senior Independent Reading and Research or an upper-level Italian course (numbered ITAL 21 or above). Students taking an upper-level Italian course as their culminating activity are required to supplement the regular reading with extra materials chosen in consultation with the instructor, and to write a research or critical paper of at least twenty pages. Italian culminating experiences must include a public presentation. The major plan must be approved by the Major Advisor for the department of the primary language.

V. Major in French Studies. Prerequisite for the major: FREN 8.

The French Studies Major consists of ten courses, with a minimum of six selected from FREN 10 and above, excluding FREN 11 and FREN 15, and from one to four from appropriate major-level courses offered by other departments or programs. French Studies Majors must include one course from FREN 20 through FREN 25 (to be completed by the end of the junior year). Two of the L.S.A.+ courses, FREN 10 and FREN 12, and all three F.S.P. courses, FREN 29, FREN 30, and FREN 31 may count toward the major. During their senior year, as their culminating experience, French Studies Majors must take either FREN 78: Senior Major Workshop or, with special permission, an upper-level French course (numbered FREN 40 or above). Students taking an upper-level French course as their culminating experience are required to supplement the regular reading with extra materials chosen in consultation with the instructor, and to write a research or critical paper of at least twenty pages. The major plan must be approved by the French Major Advisor.

VI. Major in Italian Studies. Prerequisite for the major: Complete ITAL 8 through the Italian L.S.A. or L.S.A.+ or ITAL 9 on campus.

The Italian Studies Major consists of ten courses, with a minimum of six selected from ITAL 10 and above, excluding ITAL 11, and from one to four from appropriate major-level courses offered by other departments or programs. Two of the Italian L.S.A.+ courses (ITAL 10 and ITAL 12) may count toward the major. The Italian courses must include ITAL 10, at least one course from the pre-1800 period, and at least one course from the post-1800 period. During their senior year, as their culminating experience, Italian Studies Majors must take either ITAL 88: Senior Independent Reading and Research or an upper-level Italian course (numbered ITAL 21 or above). Students taking an upper-level Italian course as their culminating experience are required to supplement the regular reading with extra materials chosen in consultation with the instructor, and to write a research or critical paper of at least twenty pages. All culminating experiences must include a public presentation. The major plan must be approved by the Italian Major Advisor.

French or Italian as a Modifier. If a student wishes to modify a major in another department with French or Italian and wishes the modifying language to be entered on his or her permanent record, the major program must be approved by the Department of French and Italian, as well as by the primary department. The modifying component, which must have some coherence with the primary major, may be organized historically, around a genre (like poetry, drama, or prose fiction), or around a period concept or movement (such as the Enlightenment, Baroque, Classicism and Romanticism, or Existentialism), and must consist of major-level courses.

Minors

I. Minor in French. Prerequisite for the minor: FREN 8.

The minor consists of six courses. The minor must include: FREN 10; one of the following: FREN 21, FREN 22, FREN 23, FREN 24, FREN 25; and three other advanced courses above the level of FREN 10, excluding FREN 11 and FREN 15. Among the courses taken on campus, at least one course must treat literature from before the nineteenth century, and at least one course must treat literature from the nineteenth century to the present. FREN 6 taken on the L.S.A. may count toward the minor. Two of the courses offered on the L.S.A.+ (FREN 10 and FREN 12) and three of the F.S.P. (FREN 29, FREN 30, FREN 31) count toward the minor. FREN 10 may be counted toward the minor only once. FRIT courses taught in English (see French and Italian in Translation) may count toward the minor if the student attends a weekly x-hour and does the reading and all of the written work in French. A maximum of one transfer course may count toward the minor. The French minor plan must be approved by the French Minor Advisor.

II. Minor in Italian. Prerequisite for the minor: ITAL 8 taken on the Italian L.S.A. or L.S.A.+ or ITAL 9 taken on campus.

A. Course requirements for the minor:

1. 6 courses numbered ITAL 10 or above, excluding ITAL 11 (see exceptions below in 3c and 3d).
2. 3 of the 6 must be numbered above ITAL 12.
3. 3 of the 6 may be numbered ITAL 12 or below.

a) ITAL 10, the prerequisite for all upper level courses, is required for the minor and may be taken on campus or on the L.S.A.+. With the approval of the Italian Minor Advisor, ITAL 10 may be counted toward the minor twice, provided the course topics are different.
b) Along with ITAL 10 on the LSA+, ITAL 12 taken on the L.S.A.+ may count toward the minor.
c) If ITAL 9 is taken on campus and ITAL 8 is taken on the L.S.A. or L.S.A.+, ITAL 8 will count as fulfilling the prerequisite for the minor and ITAL 9 may count toward the minor.
d) ITAL 6 taken on the Italian L.S.A. may count toward the minor.

4. Of the 3 of the 6 courses required for the minor that must be numbered above ITAL 12:

a) One must be a course from the pre-1800 period (ITAL 21, ITAL 22, ITAL 23).
b) One must be a course from the post-1800 period (ITAL 15, ITAL 24, ITAL 25, FRIT 35, FRIT 93).
c) ITAL 27 and FRIT 37 are topics courses and may be counted either toward the pre-1800 or post-1800 requirement, depending on the topic.
d) FRIT and Italian courses taught in English (FRIT 33, FRIT 34, FRIT 35, FRIT 37, FRIT 93) may count toward the minor if the student attends a weekly x-hour and does the reading and all written work in Italian.


Transfer Credit

Transfer credit is not granted for French or Italian courses taken at other colleges and universities before matriculation at Dartmouth. The Department Chair may authorize exceptions for upper-level French or Italian courses for students transferring from another school after their first year. Transfer credit is never granted for French 1, 2 or 3 or Italian 1, 2 or 3.

One transfer course may be counted toward the minor in French or Italian, while two transfer courses may count toward the majors. These courses are accepted pending the registrar's and the department's approval. Please see the registrar's guidelines and deadlines for transfer courses.

Honors Program

Please refer to the ORC for general, College-wide requirements for admission to the Honors Program. In any of the five types of major offered by the Department of French and Italian, a student who wishes to write an honors thesis must give evidence of exceptional ability and interest in the major field by having a GPA of 3.5 or better. The thesis topic and the individual faculty advisor for the thesis must be determined during the student’s junior year, with a one-page thesis proposal due to both the advisor and the department chair, by June 1st.

Honors Thesis in French - Students in their senior year writing an honors thesis in French will take FREN 87 in the fall, FREN 78: Senior Major Workshop in the winter, and FREN 89 in the spring. FREN 87 and FREN 89 are courses specifically and entirely devoted to thesis work. All three courses (FREN 87, FREN 78, and FREN 89) count toward the honors major. The honors thesis in French, French Studies, or Romance Studies with a principal concentration in French must be written in French.

Honors Thesis in Italian - Students in their senior year writing an honors thesis in Italian will take ITAL 88 in the fall and ITAL 89 in the winter, or, alternatively, ITAL 88 in the winter and ITAL 89 in the spring. Both ITAL 88 and ITAL 89 count toward the honors major. The honors thesis in Italian, Italian Studies or Romance Studies with a principal concentration in Italian must be written in Italian.

Upon student submission of a thesis, department faculty will determine whether the student will graduate without honors in the major, with an Honors designation, or with a designation of High Honors.

Language Study Abroad 

French L.S.A./L.S.A.+ - Spring—Toulouse, France

French L.S.A.+ - Winter —Toulouse, France

Italian L.S.A./L.S.A.+ - Fall, Winter, Spring (2021-2022)—Rome, Italy

Italian Full Immersion Rome Experience (F.I.R.E.) - Summer (2022) - Rome, Italy

Prerequisite: For French L.S.A., FREN 2 or FREN 11 with the grade of B or better, or equivalent preparation, and acceptance into the program; for French L.S.A.+, FREN 3 with the grade of B or better, or equivalent preparation, and acceptance into the program; for Italian L.S.A., ITAL 2 or ITAL 11 with the grade of B or better, or equivalent preparation; for Italian L.S.A.+, ITAL 3 with the grade of B or better, or equivalent preparation, and acceptance into the program; for Italian F.I.R.E., no course prerequisite except acceptance into the program. The preparatory course, when applicable, must be taken within six months of departure.
Students in the L.S.A. and L.S.A.+ live with families. Students in F.I.R.E. live in student apartments. Students in all three programs take courses in language, civilization, and literature taught by local instructors and the Dartmouth faculty member in residence.

Upon successful completion of the L.S.A. program in France, credit will be awarded for FREN 3, FREN 6 and FREN 8. FREN 3 completes the language requirement. FREN 8 completes the prerequisite for the major or the minor. FREN 6 counts toward the minor.

Upon successful completion of the L.S.A.+ program in France, credit will be awarded for FREN 8, FREN 10, and FREN 12. FREN 8 completes the prerequisite for the major or the minor. FREN 10 and FREN 12 apply to the major or the minor.

Upon successful completion of the Italian L.S.A. program, credit will be awarded for ITAL 3, ITAL 6 and ITAL 8. ITAL 3 completes the language requirement. ITAL 8 completes the prerequisite for the major or the minor.

Upon successful completion of the Italian L.S.A.+ program, credit will be awarded for ITAL 8, ITAL 10 and ITAL 12. ITAL 8 completes the prerequisites for the major or the minor. ITAL 10 and ITAL 12 apply to the major and the minor.

Upon successful completion of the Italian F.I.R.E. program, credit will be awarded for ITAL 1, ITAL 2, and ITAL 4, which complete the language requirement.

Students will be accepted on the basis of their application forms and letters of reference; actual participation in the program is contingent upon the maintenance of satisfactory academic standing and conduct, and compliance with orientation procedures. L.S.A. or F.I.R.E. may not be taken during the student’s senior year.