Ph.D. Program in French

A distinctive trait of the French Program is its longstanding innovative and interdisciplinary curriculum. In addition to a regular training in literature, students may pursue one of five curricular options: Translation Studies, Comparative Studies, Cultural Studies, Performance Studies, and International Human Rights in the French-Speaking World. In addition to courses offered by the French program students may draw from the broad array of courses taught at the Graduate Center. Further, students are encouraged to pursue one of the Graduate Center’s Interdisciplinary Certificates in American Studies, Critical Theory, Film Studies, Medieval Studies, Renaissance Studies, or Women’s Studies. These certificates are important assets for increasing students’ marketability.

The Program trains students in the history, genres, and theories of French and Francophone literature and emphasizes the relations between literature and history, philosophy, psychoanalysis, political thought and the arts, including music and film. It hones approaches to Edouard Glissant's “littérature-monde” and fosters the exploration of critical theory, including poetics, film theory, translation theory, postcolonial theory, feminist, gender, and queer theory, and theories that explore the notion of the human. The Ph.D. Program in French also provides a welcoming home to projects in the Digital Humanities.

With its commitment to interdisciplinary research, our program draws an international student body from a variety of backgrounds, including art history, philosophy, journalism, and political science. Among our twenty-eight faculty members, we count Distinguished Professors Mary Ann Caws, Nancy K. Miller, and Domna C. Stanton. This scholastic diversity makes our program, located in the heart of New York City, a vibrant place to study.

Executive Officer

Deputy Executive Officer

Assistant Program Officer