Honours in French Studies
‘Honours’ is an intensive year-long program of advanced study with research at its centre. The Honours year enables students to engage with the subject of their major in depth by undertaking research of their own, under the supervision of an expert in the their field. For some students, Honours is the culmination of their formal education while for other students, Honours is the first step on the path to careers as professional researchers and academics. Many staff in the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences find Honours teaching the most rewarding part of their job.
Entry Requirements and Program Structure
Students need to have results at Credit (65%) level or better in eight Senior units (48 credit points) in French including FRNC3631 Senior French Language (or equivalent) and FRNC2666 Research Methods in French Studies.
Students whose bachelor's degree was undertaken at another university, or students who completed their bachelor's degrees at the University of Sydney more than two years ago should contact the Honours Coordinator to discuss whether the classes they have taken are equivalent to these prerequisites.
Assessment
Honours in French studies consists of a thesis of 18000-20000 words and 6000-8000 words of written work, or its equivalent, for each seminar. Each of the two seminars meets weekly for 2 hours, for one semester. The thesis is worth 60% of the final mark, and each seminar is worth 20%. While you will receive marks for all pieces of assessment, your academic transcripts will record only your final, overall Honours mark.
Seminars
The following seminars are on offer in 2013:
- Semester 1: Words, Images, Traces (Dr Françoise Grauby)
- Semester 2: Minorities in French Cinema (Dr Michelle Royer)
Thesis
The honours thesis constitutes an original piece of research and writing in a field that can be supervised by a member of staff. It amounts to 18000-20000 words of writing and must demonstrate both a command of a wide range of secondary source material in French studies, as well as a command of a particular disciplinary or interdisciplinary approach to the topic of the research. The thesis can be written in either English or French.
Thesis Supervision
In the first instance, students should contact the Honours Coordinator to discuss their preferred field of Honours study. They will be able to suggest the most appropriate member of staff within the department to supervise the Thesis. The list below, whilst not exhaustive, gives an idea of the areas of interest of staff from the Department.
- Assoc Prof Marie-Thérèse Barbaux supervises in Second language learning and pedagogy * Learning technologies and social media * French as a foreign language pedagogy * Collaborative and autonomous language learning * Learning design * Blended learning design * Digital literacy
- Dr Alice Caffarel-Cayron supervises in Theoretical and applied linguistics * Systemic Functional Linguistics * Language Typology * Discourse analysis * Stylistics * First and Second language development.
- Dr Françoise Grauby supervises in Nineteenth century French popular literature and writers.
- Dr Caroline Lipovsky supervises in French language * Sociolinguistics * Systemic Functional Linguistics * Research methods in applied linguistics.
- Dr Michelle Royer supervises in French cinema * French feminist discourse * Marguerite Duras and the media * Marguerite Duras’ films, novels and autobiographic writing.
- Dr Carolyn Stott supervises in French detective fiction and roman noir * Parisian history, sociology and fiction * French as a foreign language pedagogy * France in the 20th and 21st centuries.
- Dr Sonia Wilson supervises in French autobiographical writing * intersection of gender and genre *late nineteenth century French women's writing and social history * Annie Ernaux
- Assoc Prof Bronwyn Winter supervises in Colonisation/decolonisation/postcolonialism * Francophone Studies: The Maghreb, West Africa, The Caribbean * The politics and theory of race and gender in France * Post world-war-II social movements * Le grand siècle (17th century) * The ideology of the French Revolution and of the First and Third Republics * Comparative literature esp. history and theories of the discipline * Orientalism in literature and dance * Lesbian and gay literature * Literature, culture and politics * Representations of Paris in literature * International and Global Studies, esp. international institutions, transnational social movements and the politics of transculturation.
Enrolment
In the first instance you should discuss your intention to apply for Honours with the Honours Coordinator. Students will enrol in FRNC4011, 4012, 4013 and 4014. These, however, are merely generic or ‘shell’ units for your coursework component.
Enrolments are completed online. Go to the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences Honours webpage for further information on Honours and on the online enrolment application procedure.
Contacts
Queries relating to the French studies Honours program should be directed to the Honours Coordinator.