Majors who want to pursue departmental honors and challenge themselves with an independent intellectual endeavor may undertake an Honors Thesis. Thesis students develop a research project over the course of a full academic year, in regular conversation with a thesis advisor, culminating in a 30-page paper in French. Honors are awarded to students whose theses earn a grade of A- or higher.

Thesis topics fall under the broad umbrella of francophone literary and cultural studies, but vary widely based on student interest and are often interdisciplinary. Recent topics have included:

• “‘Re-membering’ the Future: Digital Griot Delphine Diallo's Visions of the African Diaspora”
• “Islamophobia and the Rise of the Right Wing: The Evolving Nature of Laïcité in France”
• “Écriture féminine: Creating Something from Nothing”
• “False Icons: Josephine Baker and Brigitte Bardot”

Only senior French majors with a 3.5 GPA or higher in the major are eligible to write an Honors Thesis. The two thesis courses (WLF 373 Preparation for Senior Thesis and WLF 374 Thesis) are each worth 3 credits and count toward both the course and credit requirements for the major.

For information on qualifying for departmental honors, please see the Course Catalog.