departmental honors program
The Honors Program in French and Italian offers talented majors the opportunity to take an active role in their own learning and to pursue their interests in depth. Honors courses and independent study help students develop key skills of life-long learning, especially those involving critical thinking, writing, and research that will be useful in graduate study or future careers.
Honors students beginning their language study may choose the accelerated elementary courses French F115 or Italian M115. Upon completion of the basic language sequence, or as the result of a placement exam, honors students studying French may enroll in S300, "Reading and Expression in French-Honors." Other 300 and 400-level French and Italian courses, such as F311, "Contemporary France: Film and Culture," sometimes offer special discussion sections for honors students. Students planning to earn an honors degree in French or Italian are expected to enroll in F499/M499, "Reading for Honors," and to prepare an honors thesis during the senior year.
Foreign travel is strongly encouraged for honors students, and credit may be earned for intensive study or research projects done abroad. Interested students should also contact the Office of Overseas Studies and the Hutton Honors College. The Honors College offers International Experience Grants to encourage study and service abroad. Students with strong research proposals are encouraged to enter the competition for research grants offered through the Honors College as well. Click here for grant information.
Because of our department's belief that honors students have distinct needs that must be met through ongoing dialogue and mentoring from faculty, they may participate in designing some aspects of their curriculum. Those interested in earning honors in their French or Italian majors should contact the appropriate Honors Advisor: Prof. Emanuel Mickel (French) and/or Prof. Massimo Scalabrini (Italian).
Students interested in departmental Honors must meet the following criteria:
- They must have an overall G.P.A. of 3.3.
- They must have a cumulative G.P.A. of 3.5 in their French or Italian courses.
- They must enroll in F499/M499 "Reading in French or Italian for Honors" for at least one semester in order to finish writing an Honors Thesis under the direction of a faculty member. F499 may be taken for a maximum of 12 credits in French, and M499 for a maximum of 3 credits in Italian.
Other courses, while not required, do give students the opportunity to research their thesis topics:
F399 - Reading for Honors (12 credits maximum) P: Consent of a faculty member.
F495 / M495 - Individual Readings in French or Italian Literature (1-3 credits) P: Consent of individual faculty member. May count for the honors major at the discretion of the Honors Advisor. May be repeated. Does not count as 400-level course in residence for major or minor.
F496 - Foreign Study in French (3-8 credits) P: consent of chairperson. Course involves planning a research project during the school year preceding summer abroad. Time spent in research abroad must amount to at least one week for each credit hour granted. Research paper must be presented by end of semester following foreign study. May be taken once only. Does not count as F400-level course in residence for major or minor.
F499/M499 Reading in French or Italian for Honors (12 Credits max. for French; 3 Credits for Italian) P: Approval of Honors Advisor. Does not count as 400-level course in residence for major or minor.
