Mar 28, 2024  
2022-2023 Undergraduate Catalog 
    
2022-2023 Undergraduate Catalog [ARCHIVED CATALOG]

French Minor


Placement

Students with no previous French study will be placed in FRNC 101 , a class reserved for true beginners. Students with previous French study in high school or college will be placed into the appropriate course by means of the online WebCAPE placement test. This test may be taken more than once before enrolling in French courses; it is free of charge for IUP students. Instructions on how to take the online WebCAPE test are available on the departmental website and in print in the Department of Foreign Languages office (Sutton Hall). As deemed necessary by the individual student or French faculty, the proposed WebCAPE placement may be further refined: Students’ writing and speaking proficiency may be additionally assessed by one or more faculty members in the French program in the Department of Foreign Languages. Each student’s individual requirements and the judgment of the classroom instructors will also be considered in placement. No student will be allowed to register for or take a D/F repeat in FRNC 101 , FRNC 102 , or FRNC 201  when credit has already been received for a higher numbered course.

IUP Course Credit for Acquired Proficiency

Incoming students may receive course credit for their oral proficiency levels in French through the American Council on Education (ACE) Credit Recommendation Service and Language Testing International (LTI), the assessment agency for the American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages (ACTFL). Students who have taken an ACTFL Oral Proficiency Interview (OPI) through LTI, received a proficiency rating by LTI, and received credit recommendation by ACE may receive the following course credits in French at IUP:

ACTFL Oral Proficiency Ratings (rated by LTI) ACE Credit Recommendations IUP French Course Equivalencies
Intermediate-Mid 4 Lower Division credits Either FRNC 102  or FRNC 201  depending on placement on departmental written exam
Intermediate-High/Advanced Low 8 Lower Division credits FRNC 201  and FRNC 220  
Advanced-Mid or higher 10 Lower Division credits FRNC 201 , FRNC 220  and approved conversation elective

To begin the process, students must contact LTI by e-mail (testing@ language testing.com) to request an ACE College Credit Recommendation by OPI Examination information package and application. There is a fee for the OPI and an ACE application fee to be paid by the candidate.

Study Abroad French Studies Summer Programs: Aix-en-Provence, France/Intensive French Language (Aix-Marseille University) and the Cours d’été, Nancy, France

The Department of Foreign Languages has partnered with the Office of International Education to establish two study abroad experiences in Aix-en-Provence and in Nancy, France. All students having successfully completed FRNC 102  are invited to consider continuing their study of French in France. Students seeking the certificate or minor in French are strongly encouraged to study abroad in one of our centers in France.

These summer programs propose a five or six-week session, including up to 25 hours of weekly language instruction as well as cultural field trips or activities, and weekly debriefing sessions with faculty from the IUP Department of Foreign Languages. Housing options include accommodations in university housing, apartments, and home-stay with a host family. Both programs offer 6 hours of transfer credits that may be used toward completion of any foreign language requirement, the certificate in French, or the French minor.

For further information about cost and application procedures, contact the Department of Foreign Languages.

Required Courses:


(1)

Total Minor Requirements: 18-19


(1) At least nine of the 18 or 10 of the 19 credits must be taken at IUP. No more than 9cr transfer or study abroad credits will be counted toward the French minor; any additional transfer or study abroad credits will count as free electives.

(2) If a student is exempted from FRNC 201  based on his/her score on the French placement test, the student must instead take a 200-or 300- level course in place of FRNC 201 .

(3) At least 6cr of the minor must be upper-division courses, generally those numbered 300 and above or otherwise designated as upper-division.

(4) All courses taken outside of IUP must be approved by the French minor advisor. Various study abroad opportunities in France and French-speaking countries are available to students through departmental programs and offerings provided by the Office of International Education (OIE).