The Department of French Literature, founded in 1982, offers courses on French Literature, French Culture and Comparative Literature at both undergraduate and postgraduate level, as part of the Studies Programme of the French School. The first director of the Department, Professor Zoe Samara, organised the undergraduate and postgraduate levels by introducing courses on literary and theatre theory. In time, the faculty was enhanced with notable young scientists who respond to the requirements of an enriched Studies Programme. The Academic Staff is currently composed of eight professors.
Since 1993-94, the Department of French Literature has organized and run a Postgraduate Studies Programme in French Literature, leading up to an MA and PhD in French Literature. The other two Departments of the French School have also recently joined the Programme with their respective directions of Didactics and Translation/Traductology. The Department is also involved in the European Programmes DESE and ERASMUS-MUNDUS.
Considering the current academic requirements at European level, the Department of French Literature aims to provide its students with high-level knowledge and language training in order to highlight their skills. To this end, it aims to:
- Train the students on a theoretical and practical level, and to promote research into French and Francophone Literature, Literary and Theatre Theory, French and European Culture and Comparative Literature.
- Through its extended field of knowledge, the Department aspires to enhance the students’ intellectual skills, education, scientific and critical thinking, as well as shape their European consciousness.
As regards its educational activities, the Department of French Literature offers 15 compulsory courses, as well as elective courses which cover a wide range of specialized knowledge on literature, culture, methodology and ways to approach a narrative text, literary theory, etc. In order to ensure a high level of linguistic training for all students, all courses at the Department of Literature are taught in the French language.
The Library of the Department of French Literature, which is located on the ground floor of the Old Building of the Faculty of Philosophy (room 106), has an important collection consisting of more than 12,000 volumes.
The Department’s educational and research activities are interwoven and interrelated with those of the Comparative Literature Workshop, which is located on the ground floor of the New Wing of the Faculty of Philosophy (room 5) (for more details on its activities, see link).
Doctor Honoris Causa awards
The Department of Literature has awarded the title of Doctor Honoris Causa to distinguished representatives of French letters and contemporary French thinking, namely: Claude Blum, Michel Butor, Pierre Brunel, Fernando Arrabal, and Julia Kristeva.
