Romance Languages and Literatures Major
Requirements for the Major in Romance Languages and Literatures
Students who major in Romance Languages and Literatures are expected to develop significant linguistic proficiency in both French and Spanish. Study abroad is strongly encouraged; it allows students to complete some of the major requirements in a Spanish- or French-speaking country. The Senior Paper or Thesis for the Romance Languages and Literatures Major consists of a comparative literary study involving both languages and written in Spanish or French.
- Five courses in French (four, if the student started at the elementary level at Pomona), including FREN 101 PO , FREN 105 PO and three upper-division courses
- Five courses in Spanish (four, if the student started at the elementary level at Pomona), including SPAN 101 PO and four upper-division courses, with at least one course in either Latin American or Peninsular Literatures
- The Senior Paper/Senior Research Paper or Thesis (RLIT 191 PO ). If the project is written in French, the Senior Oral Presentation (FREN 193 PO ) is also required.
Requirements for all Majors
Students completing a major in French, Spanish or Romance languages and literatures are required to complete senior exercises as described below. They are expected to have an advisor in the department, to participate in the Study Abroad Program and to reside in Oldenborg Center for one year.
Senior Exercises. Detailed information concerning the senior exercises for each of these majors is contained in the information packets, available in the department office. All majors should obtain a copy of the appropriate document during their junior year.
Majors in French are required to write a Senior Paper (FREN 192 PO ) or Senior Thesis (FREN 191 PO ) in French and to enroll in the Senior Oral Presentation (FREN 193 PO ). By the end of the third week of the first semester of the senior year, every major must have the topic for the Senior Paper or Senior Thesis approved by a director. Another faculty member must agree to serve as a second reader for the paper or thesis and the proposal must be approved in writing by the section coordinator. The Senior Paper counts as a half-course and must be at least 12-15 pages in length, exclusive of bibliography and notes. It must be completed during the first semester of the senior year, although under exceptional circumstances, a student may request to do the Senior Paper in the spring. The Senior Thesis earns one course credit (one-half course credit per semester) and must be at least 30 pages in length, exclusive of bibliography and notes. Approximately one-half of the thesis (bibliography and 12-15 pages of the thesis itself) must be completed during the first semester of the senior year and the remainder will be completed during the second semester. At the end of the fall semester, the grade for the thesis will indicate that the course is in progress (N).
Majors in French who choose to write a thesis must prepare an oral presentation of 20-30 minutes in length in French on the topic of the thesis; those who write a paper will present an oral presentation of 15-20 minutes. The presentation will be delivered during the second semester of the senior year to the faculty and majors of the French section. A single grade will be awarded for the Paper/Thesis; this grade will be posted on the student’s transcript after the second semester of the senior year. No course credit is awarded for the Oral Presentation and it is graded P/NC. Students who do exceptionally well on the senior paper or thesis will be eligible to obtain distinction in the senior exercise and may receive a Phyllis Johnson Award.
Majors in Spanish are required to write a Senior Research Paper (SPAN 192 PO ) or Senior Thesis (SPAN 191 PO ) in Spanish. The Senior Research Paper will be based on a seminal paper that the student has written in the context of a Pomona College upper-division course (SPAN 126 PO or higher). The Senior Research Paper counts as half-course and must be at least 25 pages in length, exclusive of bibliography and notes. By the end of the first week of the semester (fall or spring of the Senior year) in which the research paper will be completed, the student must submit a description of the project, which will be reviewed by the Spanish section Senior Exercise Committee for approval. A director, ideally the professor of the course in which the seminal paper was written, and a second reader will oversee the exercise. Students who wish to write a Senior Thesis must present a Senior Thesis proposal by the 13th week of their junior year. The thesis proposal must be approved by the Spanish section Senior Exercise Committee. If the Senior Theses proposal is not approved, the student must complete a Senior Research Paper exercise. The Senior Thesis earns one course credit (one-half course credit per semester) and must be at least 35 pages in length, exclusive of bibliography and notes. Approximately one-half of the thesis (bibliography and 15-20 pages of the thesis itself) must be completed during the first semester of the senior year and the remainder will be completed during the second semester. At the end of the fall semester, the grade for the thesis will indicate that the course is in progress. Students who complete the Senior Thesis meritoriously will be eligible to obtain distinction in the senior exercise.
It is expected that the topic for the romance languages and literatures senior paper or thesis will be comparative in nature.
Majors in romance languages and literatures who decide to complete their Senior Exercise in French must follow the French Senior Exercise guidelines for the Senior Paper or Senior Thesis. They will be required to enroll and participate in the Senior Oral Presentation (FREN 193 PO ). Students who decide to complete their Senior Exercise in Spanish must follow the Spanish Senior Exercise guidelines for the Senior Research Paper or Senior Thesis, which does not include a Senior Oral Presentation.
Study Abroad
Study abroad is considered an important part of the French and Spanish major curriculum at Pomona and students in romance languages are expected to complement their Claremont curriculum with a semester or a year stay in France, Spain or French- or Spanish-speaking countries, offered through the Study Abroad Program of Pomona College. Most of the coursework completed in France counts toward the major and minor. It is strongly recommended that students studying abroad take a French or Spanish course the semester prior to leaving. Currently, students may study abroad on the following approved programs:
French: France/Cameroon/Senegal
Paris: Institute for the International Education of Students (Chicago)
Paris: Middlebury College
Montpellier: The Global Campus of the University of Minnesota
Cameroon: School for International Training (Brattleboro, VT)
Senegal: Council on International Educational Exchange (CIEE)
NOTE: For the major and the minor, only courses taught in French count. For the major; courses must consider French or francophone literature, cultural history, politics, economics, geography, etc. Grammar courses do not count toward the major, but they do count toward the minor.
Spanish: Spain/Latin America
Santiago, Chile: Council on International Educational Exchange (CIEE)
Monteverde, Costa Rica: CIEE (Biology and Ecology)
Havana, Cuba: Sarah Lawrence College (SLC)
Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic: CIEE
Quito, Ecuador: School for International Training (SIT)
Merida, Mexico: IFSA-Butler University Program
Madrid, Spain: Middlebury College program (Córdoba, Getafe, Logroño)
Salamanca, Spain: Institute for the International Education of Students
Buenos Aires, Argentina: Middlebury College Program
