Executive Officer: Professor Maxime Blanchard

The Graduate Center

365 Fifth Avenue

New York, NY 10016

Email: French@gc.cuny.edu

https://www.gc.cuny.edu/French

FACULTY

André Aciman, Esther Allen, Maxime Blanchard, Jerry Carlson, Peter Consenstein, Rachel Corkle, Anselmo Elazar Elhanan, Evelyne Ender, Nathalie Etoke, David Jones, Amr Kamal, Andrea Khalil, Erec Koch, Wayne Koestenbaum, Max Kramer, Bettina Lerner, Giancarlo Lombardi, Sophie Marinez, Clement Mbom, Sara McDougall, Nancy K. Miller, Ali Nematollahy, Bernd Renner, Helena Anna Christina Rosenblatt, Boukary Sawadogo, Domna Stanton, Karen Sullivan, Gary Wilder

THE PROGRAM

A distinctive trait of the Ph.D. Program in French is its long-standing innovative and interdisciplinary curriculum, reflected in particular in the five curricular options described below.

The program provides training in the history, periods, genres, and theories of French/ Francophone literatures inside and outside the Hexagon, and stresses the relations between such literatures and the arts, including music and film, between literature, civilization, history, philosophy, political thought, and psychoanalysis. It is attuned to the relations between French/ Francophone literatures and literatures in other languages and to current approaches to diversity and “littérature-monde.” It fosters the exploration of all current areas of critical theory, including but not limited to poetics, film theory, feminist, gender, and queer theory, postcolonial theory, and theories that problematize the notion of the human. The Ph.D. Program in French also provides a welcoming home to projects in the Digital Humanities.

An option in Translation covers theories, techniques, terminology, and specific applications. A practicum provides for individual projects supervised by a faculty committee.

An option in Comparative Studies includes courses in the theory and methods of other disciplines, in the relations of French/Francophone literatures to the visual arts and to other disciplines, and courses tailored to the student’s particular interdisciplinary interests. An individual project will be worked out with a committee of faculty.

An option in French/Francophone Cultural Studies stresses methods for interpreting literary and nonliterary sources to shed light on cultural phenomena, the need to develop new theoretical frameworks for French/Francophone Studies, to prepare doctoral candidates to teach civilization courses to undergraduates, and to think critically about a French curriculum that incorporates a variety of cultural issues and media considered along interdisciplinary lines.

An option in International Issues in the French-speaking world focuses on questions of human rights and citizenship. This option draws in particular on a solid preparation in Francophone literature that provides a rich exploration of voice, identity, creolization, transnationalism, and migration. It also makes use of courses addressing literature and politics and combines with credits taken outside of the French Program in other disciplines, such as law, history, or political science, as well as other literatures. The option includes an internship with a human rights organization and a post-internship theoretical unit of study.

An option in French/Francophone Literatures and Performance Studies explores the place of art, media studies, and the relationship of body, text, and space in French/Francophone studies. It stresses the importance of other modes of communication beyond the mere verbal text in performing arts. It incorporates the study of literary and visual texts with a strong theoretical preparation—and with practical explorations of theoretical and creative modes in relation to performance in the French-speaking world. Students are encouraged to choose additional courses in related disciplines. See also the Certificate Programs in Film Studies, Medieval Studies, Global Early Modern Studies, and Women’s Studies.

All courses are given as seminars at CUNY Graduate Center, some in French, some in English. All students enrolled in the program must have an excellent working knowledge of the French language. A list of courses and descriptions may be procured from the French office and the website. Most courses are scheduled in the afternoon and evening. Teacher training is mostly conducted on-site at the various CUNY campuses as well as through courses and workshops at the Graduate Center and in the program.

Our doctoral candidates complete their degree with a wealth of teaching experience, acquired through the teaching component of their fellowships at colleges in the CUNY system and through working as part-time instructors within CUNY and in other colleges and universities in the New York area.

The doctoral faculty in French, composed of scholars known for their experience in directing advanced research and for their publications, provide attentive counseling to students, supervision of independent study, and advice on placement and publication opportunities. In addition to the program’s 26 professors, lecturers from other universities and from abroad are often invited to the Graduate Center for colloquia. Meetings each semester with faculty and students provide opportunities to exchange views on literary and methodological matters and to discuss ongoing projects. A library containing the essential tools for research, the standard texts and works of criticism, and many scholarly periodicals is located at the Graduate Center, including volumes donated in honor of Henri Peyre, the program’s founder. The ample resources of branches of the New York Public Library, with its wide range of holdings in French literature, are available nearby.

En-route M.A.

Upon completing 45 credits with an average grade of B, passing the First Examination, passing the Latin and modern foreign language examinations, and satisfactorily completing a major research paper, the student may apply for an M.A. degree. The primary focus of this M.A. may be on translation studies. The degree is awarded formally by one of the participating colleges.

Master of Philosophy

Upon completion of all requirements for the Ph.D. degree except the dissertation, students may apply for the master of philosophy degree.

Name	Degree	Type	NYSED Code	HEGIS Code	CIP Code
French	MPHIL - Master of Philosophy	Major	78753 - FREN-MPHIL	1102.00	16.0901
French	PHD - Doctor of Philosophy	Major	02316 - FRENCH-PHD	1102.00	16.0901

Department: French