French & Francophone Studies

During the first two years of study toward the doctoral degree, students must complete a total of 13 courses (52 units) taken for a letter grade. These 13 courses fulfill the course requirements for the master's degree. First year: students should be enrolled in a total of nine (9) courses: three (3) courses per quarter of which at least two (2) must be from departmental offerings. Second year: students should be enrolled in a total of four (4) courses of which at least three (3) must be from departmental offerings: one (1) course in the Fall in addition to the Teaching Apprentice Practicum, two (2) in the Winter, and one (1) in the Spring.

No courses in the 500 series may be applied toward the course requirements for the master's degree.

Although all students are admitted directly into the doctoral program, those who decide not to pursue the doctoral degree and to leave the graduate program must have completed the 13-course requirement above in order to receive the M.A. degree.

Teaching Experience

Not required.

Field Experience

Not required.

Capstone Plan

The capstone requirement is met through two reviews, assessing academic performance and other evidence of professional promise. The first review, taken in the third quarter, is meant to be advisory in nature. Students are evaluated by the faculty and are provided with suggestions through a follow-up departmental written evaluation. The second review occurs in the sixth quarter and is conducted by a departmental review committee. This committee is appointed each year by the Chair and consists of three to four departmental faculty members, including the Director of Graduate Studies ex officio, and endeavors to reflect as broadly as possible the department’s faculty expertise. The review is based on two components:

1. An expanded paper term paper. The student must select a course paper by the end of the fifth quarter and write an expanded version in consultation with a departmental faculty member of her/his choice. The student should enroll for this purpose in a two to four-unit individual preparation course (FR597), usually (though not necessarily) with the faculty member for whose course the paper was initially written. The paper must be 20-25 pages in length, written in French, include additional research, and be approved for submission by the consulting faculty member. This must be submitted to the DGS by week 8 of the Spring quarter.

2. The oral review is conducted by the departmental review committee. This one-hour review is designed to gauge the student’s general literary knowledge and is based on a reading list of works from the Middle Ages to the contemporary period selected by the faculty. This list is available on the department’s website and in person from the Student Affairs Officer (SAO). The intellectual orientation of the oral review is guided by problematics/thematics/questions developed by the student in consultation with the DGS, and takes the form of a one page single-spaced abstract written in French to be submitted to the DGS no later than the Friday of week 2 of the Winter quarter of the second year.

During a departmental meeting scheduled within two weeks of the oral review, the departmental review committee discusses the performance of individual students with the faculty as a whole. The faculty also share their views on each student’s overall progress in the program and preparedness for further advanced study. Following deliberation, the DGS meets with students individually and presents them with an oral evaluation of their progress, and subsequently with an official departmental review letter. Students who have obtained a satisfactory review will be invited to continue in the Ph.D. program in French and Francophone Studies.

Students who elect not to continue with advanced doctoral research at this juncture are responsible for contacting the DGS and SAO in order to petition for the M.A. degree. This should be done as early as possible after completion of the oral review. Eligibility for the M.A. degree is contingent on having satisfactorily completed the sixth quarter review, a minimum of thirteen (13) graduate courses with a grade of B or above, and the first foreign language requirement.

Thesis Plan

None.

Time-to-Degree

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Advising

The department is committed to providing an individualized advising structure hat is directed toward their individual needs and interests. Students are strongly encouraged to take full advantage of the available guidance.

The Director of Graduate Studies is the principal contact person who advises graduate students in the planning of their individual courses of study and in the completion of degree requirements in a timely fashion. At the beginning of each quarter, all graduate students who have not yet formed a doctoral guidance committee (discussed under Written and Oral Qualifying Examinations) are required to consult with the Director before enrolling in courses.

Students who have established a doctoral guidance committee are advised by the chair of their committee. All students are required to meet with their adviser each quarter to have their program of study approved.

Matriculating students first enter the two-year phase of the doctoral program. Following the sixth-quarter review, a faculty review committee decides on whether to recommend students for admission into the second phase of the doctoral program.

Major Fields or Subdisciplines

French and Francophone Literatures.

Foreign Language Requirement

Doctoral candidates are expected to satisfy foreign language and interdisciplinary requirements relevant to their dissertation research. Methods of fulfillment must be discussed beforehand with the Director of Graduate Studies (DGS). The two requirements are outlined as follows:

1. The first requirement is a foreign language, other than French, in which the student demonstrates an advanced level of proficiency by (a) satisfactory completion of a departmental translation or reading exam; (b) placing into level 4 on a departmental language placement examination; (c) completing level 3 (or the equivalent of one year) in a language with a grade of B+ or better; (d) passing, with a grade of B+ or better, one upper-division or graduate course offered by another language department.

2. The second requirement may be fulfilled by: (a) taking two courses in an intellectual discipline pertinent to the dissertation project, of which at least one must be a graduate course in another department and (with permission of the DGS) one may be an upper division course, with a grade of B+ or better (these two courses do not necessarily have to be taken within one department or program); (b) demonstrating a proficiency in a second foreign language in ways described for the first foreign language requirement. Alternatively, passing a graduate reading course (courses designated 2G) with a grade of B+ or better satisfies the second foreign language requirement.

We encourage students to go beyond these minimum requirements, depending on their research interests.

Students must complete the language/interdisciplinary requirements before nominating a doctoral committee and taking the qualifying examinations.

Course Requirements

Course work required for the first two years of doctoral study is listed under Master's Degree. For the third and fourth years of study, students are expected to complete the following course requirements: a minimum of three graduate courses in the department taken for a letter grade; complete the language/interdisciplinary requirement; and complete the doctoral written qualifying examinations.

Teaching Experience

Although teaching experience is not required, the department provides all graduate students with the opportunity to teach language courses. All teaching assistants are required to complete French and Francophone Studies 495.

Written and Oral Qualifying Examinations

Academic Senate regulations require all doctoral students to complete and pass university written and oral qualifying examinations prior to doctoral advancement to candidacy. Also, under Senate regulations, the University Oral Qualifying Examination is open only to the student and appointed members of the doctoral committee. In addition to university requirements, some graduate programs have other pre-candidacy examination requirements. What follows in this section is how students are required to fulfill all of these requirements for this doctoral program.

All committee nominations and reconstitutions adhere to the Minimum Standards for Doctoral Committee Constitution.

Students select a doctoral guidance committee no later than the seventh quarter of study. The guidance committee is composed of a chair, generally in the proposed period of specialization, and at least one other faculty member in the department. The committee directs the student up to the doctoral qualifying examinations. Once established, the doctoral guidance committee holds a meeting during which the student proposes a general topic for the dissertation. The student follows the guidance committee's suggestions for possible additional course work.

Doctoral qualifying examinations take place in two stages:

Stage 1: By the seventh quarters of study, students must consult with their doctoral guidance committee on the preparation of the written qualifying examination, which takes place in the ninth quarter of study. The written qualifying examination consists of two parts. The first part covers the literary history related to the proposed dissertation topic. The second part consists of critical theory relevant to the proposed dissertation topic. Each examination is based on an individual reading list of approximately 15 works, established by the examiner and the candidate. These two four-hour examinations are to be taken within one week and are administered by the guidance committee. A student may attempt one or both parts of this examination a maximum of two times.

Stage 2: The University Oral Qualifying Examination, which takes place in the quarter following the written examination or in the 11th quarter of study, may be taken only after completion of course and language requirements, successful passing of the written examinations, and submission of a dissertation proposal. Prior to this examination, two more members are added to the guidance committee, one from the department, and one from another department. This nominated committee is then submitted to the Graduate Division

Prior to taking the University Oral Qualifying Examination, students submit a dissertation prospectus to every member of the doctoral committee. The prospectus is a descriptive text of approximately 20-30 pages outlining the nature, scope, and significance of the proposed dissertation topic, plus a bibliography. For the preparation of the prospectus, students work in close consultation with the doctoral committee chair. Students are responsible for submitting the prospectus to the committee members within a time frame that is satisfactory to the committee for administering the examination. This two-hour oral examination includes a review and discussion of the dissertation prospectus.

Advancement to Candidacy

Students are advanced to candidacy and awarded the Candidate in Philosophy (C.Phil.) degree upon successful completion of the written and oral qualifying examinations.

Doctoral Dissertation

Every doctoral degree program requires the completion of an approved dissertation that demonstrates the student's ability to perform original, independent research and constitutes a distinct contribution to knowledge in the principal field of study.

Final Oral Examination (Defense of Dissertation)

Not required for all students in the program. The decision as to whether a defense is required is made by the doctoral committee.

Time-to-Degree

The following norms and maximums, including time to degree for the M.A. degree, are enforced by the Director of Graduate Studies and the Graduate Policy Committee:

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Termination of Graduate Study and Appeal of Termination

University Policy

A student who fails to meet the above requirements may be recommended for termination of graduate study. A graduate student may be disqualified from continuing in the graduate program for a variety of reasons. The most common is failure to maintain the minimum cumulative grade point average (3.00) required by the Academic Senate to remain in good standing (some programs require a higher grade point average). Other examples include failure of examinations, lack of timely progress toward the degree and poor performance in core courses. Probationary students (those with cumulative grade point averages below 3.00) are subject to immediate dismissal upon the recommendation of their department. University guidelines governing termination of graduate students, including the appeal procedure, are outlined in Standards and Procedures for Graduate Study at UCLA.

Special Departmental or Program Policy

A recommendation for termination is made by the Director of Graduate Studies and the Graduate Policy Committee. A student may appeal a recommendation for termination to the departmental chair.

UCLA is accredited by the Western Association of Schools and Colleges and by numerous special agencies. Information regarding the University's accreditation may be obtained from the Office of Academic Planning and Budget, 2107 Murphy Hall.