French Minor

The minor consists of a minimum of 5 full courses (or the equivalent).

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

View the catalog page for the French and Italian department.

The minor 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 minor 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

Minimum of One Full French Minor Gateway Course
Two Additional Full 300-Level French Courses
One Full 400-Level French Course
French Minor Elective Courses

Note(s) on Requirements

Any course dealing with the francophone world, taken at Oberlin or abroad, is eligible to count toward the minor within the limits detailed in the requirements; two half courses may count as one full course. See French minor 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 minor credit.
The required 400-level French course must be taken at Oberlin.
FREN 101 , FREN 102 , and FREN 205 are not counted toward the minor.
Students who enter the minor at a higher level than FREN 206 are still required to complete five full courses.

Transfer of Credit Toward the Minor

The French and Italian department will accept up to the equivalent of two full courses of transfer credit to count toward the French minor 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 minor. 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 minor requirements.

Advanced Placement and International Baccalaureate Credit

AP/IB transfer credit received for FREN 300 counts toward the minor, and does not count toward the two-full-course transfer of credit limit.

Course of Study

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

Detailed Minor Requirements

French Minor Course Lists

French Minor 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.

French Minor

Summary of Requirements

Note(s) on Requirements

Transfer of Credit Toward the Minor

Advanced Placement and International Baccalaureate Credit

Course of Study

Detailed Minor Requirements

French Minor Course Lists

French Minor Gateway Courses

300-Level French Courses

400-Level French Courses

French Minor Elective Courses

Art History Courses

Comparative Literature Courses

Creative Writing Courses

French Courses

History Courses

Music Theory Courses