M.A. Degree Program

The Department offers an M.A. in French with options in French Literature and in North American French studies. Candidates for the M.A. degree are generally teachers who have a strong interest in literature and culture or individuals whose goals may include doctoral studies in French or in North American French language and culture.

M.A. candidates are required to earn a minimum of 30 credits. These include core requirements in linguistics (3 cr.), contemporary society (3 cr.), film or literature (3 cr.), research and bibliographic tools (1 cr.). Additional courses, amounting to 15 credit hours, will ordinarily be taken from the list that can be found in the Course Descriptions section of this catalog  and can be based on individual needs and interests. While the candidate’s program of study may include courses in other departments, it is expected that he/she will take at least four courses in literature and/or linguistics, three of which must be at the 500 level. A thesis, which normally carries six hours of research credit, is required of candidates for the M.A. degree. Upon completion of the thesis, the candidate takes an oral examination bearing on the thesis topic and course work. Individuals interested in the M.A. in French should consult with the graduate coordinator of the Department of Modern Languages and Classics for specific information on admission and graduation requirements.

The M.A. in North American French studies provides an option to the M.A. in French for graduate students interested in Francophone North America. The program developed from a natural link between the department and the geographic location of the university. The large number of francophone citizens who make up the state of Maine, the significant communities with French heritage (Québécois and Acadian) that surround the state, the presence of Franco-American and Canadian-American Centers on campus have combined to create a strong interest and an expertise in North American French language and culture. The requirements for the M.A. in North American French studies are similar to those for the M.A. in French. The focus of the former is on the literature, language, and culture of francophone North America while the latter is oriented toward France.

M.A.T. in French Degree Program

The Department also offers a program of study leading to the degree of Master of Arts in Teaching French for which no thesis is required. This degree  is intended to further the professional education of current language teachers or to prepare students of foreign languages for careers in teaching, primarily at the secondary school level. The M.A.T is not considered a research degree and does not prepare students specifically for doctoral work.

The degree of Master of Arts in Teaching French also requires completion of a minimum of 30 credit hours, including the core requirements in linguistics (3 cr.), contemporary society (3 cr.), film or literature (3 cr.) and one course in advanced grammar or stylistics(3 cr.). In addition, the candidate must take six credits in foreign language pedagogy and twelve hours of 500-level courses in film, literature, linguistics, language, and/or cultural history from the Department of Modern Languages and Classics. The culminating project for this degree is a professional teaching portfolio illustrating the candidate’s familiarity with Maine’s ten teaching standards and readiness to teach a second language in the K-12 classroom. The portfolio will be defended in French before a graduate committee of the Department of Modern Languages and Classics.

M.A.T. in French Degree Program offered through the Summer Institute

The Master of Arts in Teaching French is also available to teachers through a summer institute that assembles a community of learners in a language immersion setting at different campuses around the state of Maine. The degree represents the collaborative effort of all the campuses of the University of Maine System and Colby, Bates, and Bowdoin Colleges. The delivery of courses relies primarily on a summer institute while a number of academic year  courses will be adapted to  electronic delivery.  Candidates have the option of completing their program in two summers (12 credits each) and an academic year (1 course per semester) or of spreading their work load over a longer period of time by participating in summer institutes and by registering for courses offered online or at campuses in their region.

This program is intended for teachers who currently hold conditional, transitional, provisional, professional, or targeted needs certificates in French. The degree is designed to provide both the advanced level of mastery in language and culture and the professional knowledge required for full certification. Candidates for the latter will also have to take a course on teaching the exceptional student if they have not done so already. Teachers who are already fully certified in language education and who want to pursue the M.A.T. in French can take additional courses in French language and culture or they may opt to study a second language at the intermediate level or higher.  The requirements for this degree are the same as those for the M.A.T. in French outlined in the previous section.

Credits earned at other institutions may be transferred to the UMaine graduate program in accordance with the policies and regulations of the Graduate School. Courses taken abroad may meet degree requirements provided they have been approved by the Graduate School and the Department before the student registers for study abroad.

For all degrees, the candidate will be expected to demonstrate both oral and written proficiency in French both as a part of his or her program of study and within the examination process.

Graduate Faculty

Eugene F. DelVecchio, Ph.D. (Washington, 1979), Professor and Department Chair. 19th and early 20th century Spanish literature. Comparative literature. Literary and genre criticism.

Cathleen M. Bauschatz, Ph.D. (Columbia, 1973), Professor. French Renaissance. French Medieval. Critical theory. French women writers. French civilization.

Nancy Bouzrara, Ph.D. (University of Michigan, 1992), Assistant Professor. French Renaissance literature. French women writers. (at USM)

Gisela Hoecherl-Alden, Ph.D. (Wisconsin, 1996), Assistant Professor. 19th and 20th century German literature. Film. Exile studies. Second language acquisiton.

Sue Huseman, Ph.D. (Illinois, 1979), Professor. Comparative literature. 19th century French literature. French language and culture (at UMM).

Madelon Kohler, Busch, Ph.D. (Wisconsin, 2004), Assistant Professor. German. 

Kathleen N. March, Ph.D. (SUNY at Buffalo, 1979), Professor. Contemporary Hispanic literature. Literature and society. Peninsular and Latin-American narrative and poetry.

Kristina Passman, Ph.D. (Iowa, 1982), Associate Professor. Mythology. Latin literature. Women in the Ancient World. Greek.

Raymond J. Pelletier, Ph.D. (Massachusetts- Amherst, 1977), Associate Professor and Chairpersonn of the Graduate Committee. 18th century French literature. Foreign language pedagogy. Franco-American literature and culture. Bilingualism and bilingual education.

Susan Pinette, Ph.D. (University of California, Irvine, 1999), Assistant Professor and Director, Franco-American Studies. Francophone literature. Eighteenth Century French literature.

Kathryn E. Slott, Ph.D. (Pennsylvania, 1980), Associate Professor. 19th and 20th Century poetry. 19th Century novel. 20th Century theatre. Poetics. Québec Literature.

Jane S. Smith, Ph.D. (University of Washington, 1994), Assistant Professor. French Linguistics. Morphology. French Regional Dialects.

James Troiano, Ph.D. (Suny at Buffalo, 1973), Professor. Contemporary Latin-American theatre and short story.

Associate Faculty

Bertille Beaulieu, Ph.D. (Laval), Professor, Université de Moncton à Edmunston. The Acadian Novel.

Raoul Boudreau, Ph.D.(Laval, 1987), Professor, Université de Moncton. Acadian language and literature.

Charlotte Daniels, Ph.D. (Pennsylvania), Associate Professor, Bowdoin College. Early French novels.

Jane M. Moss. Ph.D. (Yale, 1976), Professor, Colby College. Québec literature and women’s studies.

Claude Poirier, Ph.D. (Strasbourg. 1975), Professor, Université Laval. North American French linguistics.

William C. VanderWolk, Ph.D. (North Carolina/Chapel Hill), Professor, Bowdoin College, 19^th century French literature.

Richard C. Williamson, Ph.D. (Indiana, 1975), Professor, Bates College. 19th and 20th Century French literature. Foreign language methodology, Québec literature.