French and Francophone Studies

• M.A. French and Francophone Studies
• M.A.French and Francophone Studies with Specialization in African Studies
• M.A. French and Francophone Studies with Specialization in Digital Humanities

M.A. French and Francophone Studies

About the Program

The Department of French at Carleton University offers graduate students an intimate and collegial environment to pursue training at the MA level. The Department fosters a comparative and interdisciplinary approach to French and francophone studies. Our graduate students can choose from a variety of specializations across Francophone literatures and French linguistics. Seminars and research projects can focus on sociolinguistics or Caribbean literatures, Acadian French or French-based creoles, Québécois literature (including New France) and contemporary French fiction, among other topics. As active and published researchers in their respective fields, our faculty members promote student participation in a range of teaching and research activities. The Department is home to the Centre for Transnational Cultural Analysis, an interdisciplinary research unit, and also hosts a yearly graduate conference, organized by and for students. French and Francophone studies at Carleton gives students the opportunity to actively engage with the intellectual life of a dedicated group of scholars and students.

Academic Regulations

See the General Regulations section of this Calendar.

Academic Standing

A grade of B- or higher must be obtained in each course counted towards the master's degree.

Admission Requirements

The normal requirement for admission into the master's program is a B.A.(Honours) in French with at least high honours standing (normally B+ or better in Honours subject; B- or better overall).

Qualifying Year

Applicants who hold a general (3-year) bachelor's degree with at least B standing or higher, with a major in French, are required to register in the qualifying-year program (normally 5.0 credits in French chosen from those numbered at the 4000-level), and maintain at least B+ standing overall, before proceeding to the M.A. program.

Qualifying-year students should consult the Undergraduate Calendar and the departmental website for a listing of 4000-level courses.

Program Requirements

FREN 5300 and FREN 5301 are mandatory for all students and are to be taken in the first and second terms of study.

Candidates select from one of three program options, chosen in consultation with an adviser from the Department, normally the Supervisor of Graduate Studies.

With the approval of the Supervisor of Graduate Studies, M.A. students in French may select the equivalent of 1.0 credit at the graduate or 4000- level in French and at the 4000- or 5000-level in another department.

Students are restricted to a maximum of 0.5 credit in directed readings FREN 5800.

Selection of Courses - African Studies

The courses listed below (all are worth 0.5 credit) are relevant to students of African Studies and could, with the approval of the specific requirements of the units involved, be used as courses to help fulfill degree requirements. There are also often graduate courses and 4000-level courses in a number of units at Carleton that are offered on an ad hoc basis that have significant content appropriate to African Studies. To have any such course count towards their degree requires approval of the Director of the Institute of African Studies when it is being offered.

Note: the number of spaces in graduate courses offered by other departments may be limited, and registration may be conditional upon obtaining the prior approval of the department concerned. It is the student's responsibility to ensure that permission is obtained from the appropriate department prior to registering in any of the following courses.

Guidelines for Completion of Master's Degree

Full-time students in the comprehensive examination and research essay options should be able to complete their program within three terms. Full-time students in the thesis option should be able to complete their program within five terms.

Students are required to submit a detailed proposal of their thesis, research essay or comprehensive exam. Full-time master's candidates are required to submit this proposal by the end of the ninth month of full-time registration.

Summer session: some of the courses listed in this Calendar are offered during the summer. Hours and scheduling for summer session courses will differ significantly from those reported in the fall/winter Calendar. To determine the scheduling and hours for summer session classes, consult the class schedule at central.carleton.ca

Not all courses listed are offered in a given year. For an up-to-date statement of course offerings for the current session and to determine the term of offering, consult the class schedule at central.carleton.ca