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The Department of French and Francophone Studies
Graduate Handbook

Financial Aid

Various forms of financial aid are available to graduate students in the French and Francophone Studies Department. However, it is not possible to give financial aid to all deserving students because of limitations on funding. There are several kinds of funds: fellowships provided by Penn State's Graduate School and also by the College of the Liberal Arts, and teaching assistantships provided through the French and Francophone Studies Department. Forms of financial aid are processed through the Department when any Penn State budget is the source of the funds. Students interested in most kinds of financial support should begin their application by getting in touch with one of the Co-Directors of Graduate Studies. Deadlines vary somewhat, but in general all material should be submitted by mid-January for support for the following academic year; after this time, some options may be closed.

Assistantships

Several teaching assistantships are usually available in French every year. Most commonly, Teaching Assistants are appointed beginning in the fall semester. Teaching Assistants are assigned to teach beginning and intermediate French courses (French 1, 2, 3), some courses in conversation and composition (French 201, 202, 401) and, when possible, introductory literature and culture courses, depending on the TA's previous experience and training. In addition to stipends, Teaching Assistants receive grants-in-aid that pay for their tuition and 80% of the Penn State insurance coverage.

Number of years of TA support
Assuming that undergraduate course enrollments remain steady or increase, Teaching Assistants who make satisfactory progress toward their degree and who have satisfactory teaching evaluations are normally given the following number of years of support:

• 2 years (4 semesters) to completion of the M.A. degree
• 3 years (6 semesters) to completion of the Ph.D. Comprehensive Exams and submission of the dissertation proposal
• 1 year (2 semesters) for dissertation support

In cases where a student is granted one or more semesters of credit for graduate-level work done at Penn State or at another institution, the support period will be reduced by the same number of semesters.

During the first semester in residence, all Teaching Assistants are required to participate in an orientation before the Fall semester begins and be registered for French 581 (Theory and Techniques of Teaching French) for 3 credits. Exceptions to this requirement are rare and can be made only by the faculty member teaching French 581. Students who hope to get a Teaching Assistantship during their second semester in residence should also take the course during their first semester (the course is offered only once a year, in the Fall semester).

Teaching Assistants may not normally hold other jobs during the academic year.

Note that students who take a leave-of-absence from the University must reapply for a Teaching Assistantship prior to their return. Teaching Assistantship positions cannot be reserved unless the student is on a departmental international exchange program (see below).

Teaching Assistantships are based on successful teaching performance and satisfactory progress toward the degree. The Department reserves the right to terminate a teaching assistantship if performance in either of these categories is deemed unsatisfactory.

Graduate Student Evaluation
Graduate students are evaluated in December and May of each year by the Graduate Faculty of the Department. Evaluation is based on two major criteria: (1) Satisfactory progress toward the degree, with an overall grade-point average of 3.4 or above (also stipulated by the Graduate School); and (2) satisfactory teaching performance (based on student evaluations and written reports submitted by course coordinators). If performance is unsatisfactory in both of these areas, a student will lose both the Teaching Assistantship and degree status in the Department. If performance is unsatisfactory in the teaching area, the result is the loss of the Teaching Assistantship. In cases of marginal performance, students may be put on probationary appointments resulting in termination if the performance does not improve as stipulated by the Graduate Faculty and the Department Head.

Following the May evaluation meeting, the Co-Directors of Graduate Studies will inform students, in writing, of the assessment of their performance. For additional policies governing Teaching Assistants, see the Department of French and Francophone Studies Handbook for Teaching Assistants.

Liberal Arts College Policy on Instructor Absences from Class
Teaching your scheduled classes, whether at the beginning of the semester, the end of the semester, before holidays, or during the rest of the semester, is a minimum requirement for all instructors, no matter what your rank or status. If you know in advance that you must be absent from a class for reasons such as attending a conference, you are expected to notify your department head ahead of time and, within the options approved by each department head, inform the head how the class will be handled in your absence. It is the head's role to approve or not approve the absence. It is not acceptable to reschedule classes, with the exception of independent studies or small graduate courses if this is done in a way that does not shorten the semester or lengthen vacations.

If you are teaching online, or partly online ("blended learning"), it is your responsibility to keep up to date with the course schedule and to promptly respond to student messages and grade their assignments. If you will not be able to do so, you must inform your department head how the class will be handled in your absence; as with residence-education courses, it is the head's role to approve or not approve the absence.

Of course, unanticipated absences for reasons such as sudden illness or injury or serious family emergency are exceptions to this requirement. Obviously, it is not possible in those situations to make arrangements in advance, but you should provide notification to the head as soon as possible.

Fellowships

Penn State's Graduate School offers a number of fellowships for which graduate students in French may compete. Nominations are made by the department Graduate Committee. Detailed information is included in the Graduate School's Bulletin.

Penn State is a member of the Folger Institute of Renaissance and Eighteenth-Century Studies in Washington, D.C. Ask the Department about applying for Folger funds if you plan to work in this period. Students are encouraged to apply for any national or international fellowships for which they might be eligible. For example, Penn State graduate students have gone to foreign countries on Fulbright Fellowships (applications from continuing students should be submitted through the French and Francophone Studies Department in early September for subsequent-year fellowships). Mellon Fellowships are available to support graduate study in several humanistic disciplines: this is a national fellowship program administered by the Woodrow Wilson National Fellowship Foundation, Box 642, Princeton, NJ 08540. An annual directory of fellowship opportunities is included in the September issue of the journal PMLA, which is available in the Department office, in most libraries, and from the Modern Language Association.

Note: Some funding competitions carry citizenship restrictions (for example, although Fulbright grants are available in many countries, you must apply through your home country; certain other opportunities are available only to U.S. citizens). Some fellowship applications must be made as nominations by the University. If you have any questions about grants and fellowships, contact the co-directors of graduate studies and the Liberal Arts Coordinator of Grants and Contracts, 116 Sparks Building, 865.9555.

Summer Teaching Positions

Some teaching positions are available to students during the Summer Session. In Resident Instruction, the Department offers a few French 1, 2, and 3 sections, each of which is usually split between two instructors to provide support for a maximum number of TAs. Note that the number of positions available depends on undergraduate enrollment in French.

In addition, several instructorships are available in the Summer Intensive Language Institute (a Continuing Education Program). The instructors are chosen by the Director of the Institute based on exceptional teaching demonstrated during the year. The Institute operates independently from the French and Francophone Studies Department and students wishing to be considered for teaching positions must apply directly to the Institute Director.

Note: Summer teaching opportunities are offered to graduate students based on merit in their teaching and academic performance. Students should not assume that summer teaching appointments are guaranteed or made automatically. It is therefore in the interest of every student to seek other means of summer support. Summer Session appointments are generally made in April.

Students may hold other jobs while teaching during the Summer Session.

Because of visa restrictions, international students cannot hold employment in the summer without being enrolled for a minimum of 5 credits. For more information, students are referred to the Office of International Students in 222 Boucke Building.

Summer Tuition Assistant Program
Tuition grants-in-aid to take courses in the summer are available to Teaching Assistants under the following conditions:

1. Teaching Assistants who have taught both in the fall and spring semesters are entitled to register for up to 9 (nine) credits during the summer session following the year of teaching.
2. Teaching Assistants who taught during the fall or the spring semester plus summer session are entitled to register for up to 5 (five) credits during the summer session.
3. Teaching Assistants on a Fixed Term II appointment during the fall and spring semesters are entitled to register for up to 5 (five) credits during the summer session.
4. Teaching Assistants who complete their degree (the Ph.D. or the M.A. without continuation to Ph.D.) are not eligible for the summer tuition assistant program.

Note: To receive the summer grant-in-aid, teaching assistants must complete the application available in the department office. All grants-in-aid are subject to the approval of the Graduate School.

Tuition Grants-in-Aid

The Graduate School offers a number of grants that pay tuition. Information and application forms are available from the Graduate School (307 Kern Building). These grants-in-aid application forms are to be forwarded to the French and Francophone Studies Department, which must endorse each application. Tuition grants are not usually available to first-year students.

Loans and Other Financial Aid

The Office of Student Aid, 335 Boucke Building, offers limited financial assistance in the form of National Direct Student Loans. Apply through the Office of Student Aid well before April 1 for support for the subsequent academic year. Graduate students may also be eligible for Work-Study grants: apply early in the spring through the Office of Student Aid.

The Office of Residential Life Programs offers a limited number of positions for graduate students to serve as Resident Assistants in undergraduate residence halls. Applications for the upcoming academic year are accepted in the preceding fall or early winter. Resident Assistants receive partial tuition grants, plus room and board. Contact the Residential Life Office in 135 Boucke Building for details.

Some students support themselves through part-time work on campus or in State College. For information about work on campus, contact the Student Employment Office in 335 Boucke Building. Note that international students' visas may limit their work opportunities (international students should check with OIS to determine their work eligibility).

Occasionally, part-time instructorships are available in other Penn State academic units (e.g., for native speakers of English, some summer positions may be available in the Intensive English Communication Program). Such positions are usually available to students who have already taught in a department at Penn State and who are highly recommended by course coordinators/supervisors.

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