Requirements for the French Major
French: FREN 101 PO and seven courses numbered FREN 044 PO or higher, including one course numbered FREN 140–FREN 169 (or the equivalent: French or Francophone literature/culture from the Middle Ages to the 18th century), and one course numbered FREN 170-FREN 189 (or the equivalent: French literature/culture of the 19th, 20th and/or 21st centuries). A Senior Thesis (FREN 191 PO ) or Senior Paper (FREN 192 PO ) is also required. Students may be excused from FREN 044 PO if they place into a higher level through the department’s placement examination. FREN 101 PO is normally a prerequisite for majors for literature classes. FREN 185 PO is strongly recommended. Normally no more than three upper-division courses taken through study abroad in a French-speaking country can be counted for major credit unless the student is there for an entire year.
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 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) and the grade earned upon completion of the thesis will replace the ‘N’ grade.
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 on a Pass/No Credit (P/NC) basis. 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 thesis proposal is not approved, the student must complete a senior research paper. 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.
