French

Undergraduate Information
Graduate Information
Faculty

OFFICE: Storm Hall 224A
TELEPHONE: 619-594-5111 / FAX: 619-594-8006
E-MAIL: french.coord@sdsu.edu
WEBSITE: https://esdepartment.sdsu.edu/academic-programs/french

Undergraduate Information

The Major

A student who majors in French learns to speak the language, to read literature and cultural materials in their original form, and to interact with members of an important worldwide cultural community. With more than 120 million speakers on five continents, French is one of the five official languages of the United Nations and is an official language in over 40 countries in Africa, Europe, and the Americas. The French major provides a global perspective and can help prepare students for careers in the arts, business, education, international business, public service, tourism, and translation.

Students generally choose to major in French in order to enrich their lives rather than to train for a specific career, but many employers recognize the value of a well-rounded liberal arts education that includes critical thinking and communication skills. The increasing involvement of the United States in international business has created new opportunities for people interested in international management. Employers look for knowledge of a foreign country’s culture and language together with training in economics or business. A major in French combines effectively with a second major or minor in business, economics, political science, the humanities, or another language area study.

A significant number of French majors choose a career in teaching. With a secondary teaching credential, one can teach at the high school level or pursue more advanced study in preparation for a university career, either in French or in related subjects such as linguistics or comparative literature.

Students majoring in French are strongly encouraged to participate in the CSU-IP (California State University International Programs) study abroad program in France.

Advising

All College of Arts and Letters majors are urged to consult with their department adviser as soon as possible; they are required to meet with their department adviser within the first two semesters after declaration or change of major.

Impacted Program

The French major is an impacted program. To be admitted to the French major, students must meet the following criteria:

Complete preparation for the major with a grade of C (2.0) or better;
Complete a minimum of 60 transferable semester units;
Have a minimum cumulative GPA of 2.0.

To complete the major, students must fulfill the degree requirements for the major described in the catalog in effect at the time they are accepted into the premajor at SDSU (assuming continuous enrollment).

Major Academic Plans (MAPs)

Visit http://www.sdsu.edu/mymap for the recommended courses needed to fulfill your major requirements. The MAPs website was created to help students navigate the course requirements for their majors and to identify which General Education course will also fulfill a major preparation course requirement.

Graduate Information

Associateships

Graduate teaching associateships in French are available to a limited number of qualified students. Application forms and additional information may be secured from the Department of European Studies.

General Information

Research areas of the graduate faculty include French and Francophone cultural, film, and literature studies; issues of colonialism, gender, and race; multilingualism and translation. SDSU houses a research library and a Language Acquisition Resource Center, which conducts research and dissemination projects in all areas of language and culture.

The graduate program in French offers opportunities for well-qualified M.A. candidates to complete up to nine units of their 30 unit official program on a study abroad program. Graduate students may participate in the CSU International Programs or ISEP programs. An M.A. degree earned in the program can provide students with university-level teaching experience and access to community college level teaching positions. Students who earn an M.A. in French at SDSU may also continue on to a Ph.D. program or pursue a variety of careers in areas where knowledge of French language and culture are necessary.

Admission to Graduate Study

The student must satisfy the general requirements for admission to the university with classified standing, as described in Admission and Registration. In addition, the student must satisfy the following requirements: (1) an undergraduate major in French, or its equivalent, including 30 upper division units, at least six units of which must be in a survey course in French literature; (2) a GPA of 3.0 (on a 4-point scale) in all upper division French courses.

Students applying for admission should electronically submit the university application available at http://www.calstate.edu/apply along with the application fee.

All applicants must submit admissions materials separately to SDSU Graduate Admissions and to the Department of European Studies.

Graduate Admissions

The following materials should be submitted as a complete package directly to:

Graduate Admissions
San Diego State University

5500 Campanile Drive

San Diego, CA 92182-8225

Official transcripts (in sealed envelopes) from all postsecondary institutions attended, and proof of degree if not mentioned on official transcript;

NOTE:

Students who attended SDSU need only submit transcripts for work completed since last attendance.
Students with international coursework must submit both the official transcript and proof of degree. If documents are in a language other than English, they must be accompanied by a certified literal English translation.

English language score, if medium of instruction was in a language other than English (http://www.ets.org SDSU institution code 4682).

Department of European Studies

The following materials should be mailed or delivered to:

Department of European Studies
(Attention: Graduate Adviser)
San Diego State University
5500 Campanile Drive
San Diego, CA 92182-7704

Three letters of recommendation from professors, at least two of which should be from professors of French at the institution where the degree was granted (letters may be emailed directly to the graduate adviser by the professors);
A writing sample (your best research paper written in French, preferably for a literature class);
The filled out graduate teaching assistant application form if you are interested in teaching French in the program. The graduate teaching assistant form should be requested from the graduate adviser for the M.A. in French before the application deadline.

Faculty

Chair: Clò, Clarissa, Professor of Italian (Laurea, University of Bologna, Italy; M.A., University of Cincinnati; Ph.D., University of California, San Diego)

French Program Director and Undergraduate and Graduate Adviser: Donadey, Anne, Professor of French and Women’s Studies (B.A., M.A., Université de Nice, France; Ph.D., Northwestern University)

Tenured and Tenure-Track Faculty:

Sago, Kylie, Assistant Professor of French (B.A. Georgetown University; Ph.D. Harvard University)

Lecturers:

Forrayi, Susanne, M.A., European Studies, French

Rosskopf, Amy Harker, M.A., European Studies, French

Ransom Thomson, Holly E., C.Phil., European Studies, French

Emeritus Faculty:

Benkov, Edith J., Ph.D., 1983-2015, Associate Vice President for Faculty Affairs, Provost’s Office; Professor of French

Cornwell, JoAnne, Ph.D., 1984-2010, Associate Professor of French and Africana Studies

Jackson, Elizabeth R., Doctorat, 1969-1986, Professor of French

Lyman-Hager, Mary Ann, Ph.D., 1997-2017, Professor of French

Palmer, Dennis, A.B., 1965-1997, Associate Professor of French

Sacco, Steven J., Ph.D., 1997-2014, Professor of French

Schorr, James L., Ph.D., 1983-2015, Professor of French