Mar 20, 2026  
[DRAFT] Course Catalog 2026-2027 
    
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[DRAFT] Course Catalog 2026-2027 [ARCHIVED CATALOG]

French Major

The major consists of a minimum of 9 full courses (or the equivalent).

Note: Students must earn minimum grades of C- or P for all courses that apply toward the major.

arrow View the catalog page for the French and Italian department.  

The major prepares students to be life-long, autonomous learners and users of French, a fast-growing, global language spoken on five continents. Students develop linguistic, cultural, and communicative competence, allowing them not just to hold a conversation in French, but also to begin to think and to view the world through cultural references, attitudes, and traditions that are different from their own. Students complete the major prepared to join an engaged, digitally connected, global community of Francophones, having gained access to the rich traditions of the francophone world and to the challenges facing it today.

Summary of Requirements

Note(s) on Requirements

  • Students who enter the major at a higher level than FREN 206  are still required to complete nine full courses.
  • Any course dealing with the francophone world, taken at Oberlin or abroad, is eligible to count toward the major within the limits detailed in the requirements; two half courses may count as one full course. See French major elective courses.
    • Courses that dedicate at least 30% of the syllabus to French or francophone content may, with the chair’s approval, be counted as partial major credit.
  • One of the three required 400-level French courses must be taken at Oberlin.
  • At least seven of the courses must be taught in French.
    • French-taught Languages across the Curriculum (LxC) sections, which are generally half courses, will count as French-taught credits.
  • FREN 101 , FREN 102 , and FREN 205  are not counted toward the major.

Transfer of Credit Toward the Major

The French and Italian department will accept up to the equivalent of four full courses of transfer credit to count toward the French major requirements. Two types of approval are needed. (1) Approval from the Office of the Registrar that the transfer course meets Oberlin’s transfer-of-credit eligibility standards and (2) approval from the department/program chair that the course(s) may count to the major. Current students taking post-matriculation credit must secure this approval before registering for course(s). Students who enter Oberlin as transfer students will have their pre-matriculation credit evaluated by the Office of the Registrar for elective credit, and they can later seek approval from the department/program for applying coursework to major requirements.

Advanced Placement and International Baccalaureate Credit

Transferred credit for FREN 300 counts toward the major, and does not count toward the four-full-course transfer of credit limit.

Study Away

Students who complete two semesters (or one semester and one summer session) of study away may transfer up to the equivalent of six full courses toward the major.

Course of Study

Students who are interested in French and francophone studies and are motivated to learn French can, with proper planning, complete a major in French even if they have no previous language preparation.

arrow See the “Curriculum” section of the department’s catalog page for information on initial and advanced placement and course sequence suggestions.  

Honors in French

The Honors Program in French provides qualified majors with the opportunity to complete a special project during their senior year. An honors project entails independent study in French, in consultation with a faculty sponsor, completed over two semesters (FREN 505). Qualified students are invited to apply to the program during the second semester of their junior year. Admission is determined on the basis of faculty evaluation and approval of honors proposals and overall and major GPA.

arrow Find further information about the honors program on the department website.

Detailed Major Requirements

French Major Course Lists

French Major Gateway Courses

Return to the summary of requirements.

FREN 301  is the recommended gateway course for most students, but another of the listed courses may be more appropriate for students entering with advanced prior experience.

300-Level French Courses

Return to the summary of requirements.

400-Level French Courses

Return to the summary of requirements.

Note: One of the three required 400-level French courses must be taken at Oberlin.

Cross-Referenced Courses

Return to the summary of requirements.

Cross-referenced courses are courses offered by a department other than French and Italian with content that the department has determined pertains to the French major.

French-Taught Courses

Return to the summary of requirements.

French Major Elective Courses

Return to the summary of requirements.