Courses and Requirements

View academic requirements and course descriptions in the Vassar College Catalogue. The department offers a major and a correlate sequence.

French-speaking communities exist in many parts of the world, including Africa, the Caribbean, Europe, North America, Southeast Asia, and the South Pacific. This diversity is reflected in the Department of French and Francophone Studies curriculum which is designed to promote understanding and awareness of the language, literatures, and cultures of the French-speaking world. Upon graduating, majors and correlates in French have obtained internships and teaching assistantships in French-speaking countries and have earned advanced degrees in such fields as business, comparative literature, cultural studies, education, law, and medicine. Many French majors pursue a double-major with art history, economics, English, Hispanic studies, or one of the physical sciences.

For current and prospective majors and correlates as well as those who want to learn more about our department, information and procedures detailing various aspects of departmental life can be found on pages in the Information for FFS Students section. To access these pages, you will need to enter your Vassar ID and password.

Once you have familiarized yourself with this information, please contact your advisor, if you are a major or a correlate, for further details. If you have not yet declared a major or a correlate, the Department Chair would be happy to help you.

Awards and Prizes

Students of French may apply for prizes awarded each spring.

For First-Year (or other) students wishing to enroll in an FFS course for the first time:

All students registering for their first French course are urged to take the online placement exam (password required: see the first-year handbook or, during the school year, if you are on campus, contact French and Francophone Studies), whether they are continuing students or incoming students registering over the summer. The exam (approximately 20 minutes) automatically indicates to students what course usually corresponds to their score that falls within a particular range.

It is also strongly recommended that students read carefully the catalogue course description of prerequisites for each course level, and consult with department members before finalizing their registration. Because high school experiences vary, taking the online placement exam and conferring with departmental faculty ahead of time is the best way for students to maximize their own and others’ chances of getting into the course appropriate to their level.

Please note:

• Only students with no prior coursework in French are permitted to take 105a–106b. Students who have taken two years of French in high school normally elect 205.
• Students who have taken one or two years of French and who do not place into 205, may elect 109 to complete the equivalent of 105–106.
• Students who have taken either 105a–106b, or three years of French in high school, normally elect 205.
• Students who have taken four years of French in high school normally place into 210 or 212, before moving on to upper 200-level courses.

During add/drop period (the first 2 weeks of courses), students are encouraged to confer with the instructor immediately if they still have any doubts as to whether the course level is appropriate for them.

Students unable to register for a course that is “full” should keep in touch with the instructor during add/drop period. There is often considerable movement between courses during add/drop period.

The most recent information regarding the number of seats available in a given course does not always show up on the Schedule of Classes. The instructor has the most reliable information about the availability of seats.