These are momentous times for France and the Francophone world — between rising economic inequality and ecological or sanitary crises, between the flow of refugees seeking asylum and shelter, and an ever more influential extreme right, between Emmanuel Macron’s contested reforms of the system of social protection and the various "wildcat" social movements, from the Gilets Jaunes to the anti-sanitary pass demonstrations.
The IFS is a unique place in the American academic landscape to study these issues, among others. Since its inception in 1979, more than forty years ago, the IFS has fostered conversations between disciplines, offering courses in both French and English, inviting leading French visiting professors, and holding a summer program in Paris, we have long served as an intellectual bridge between the French and American intellectual worlds.
The IFS offers three Ph.D. degrees —in French Studies and French Literature, French Studies and History, and French Studies and Anthropology We also offer a one-year M.A. degree in French Studies, taught in both New York (fall and spring) and Paris (summer), as well as joint M.A. programs with Global Journalism, and the Law School. 100% of our students receive complete or partial financial aid, with no teaching or TA requirements.
The IFS provides students with a tight-knit community in lower Manhattan, lodged within a large, well-endowed research university. This entails:
Small seminars taught by leading scholars from the U.S. and the French-speaking world
NYU’s faculty includes experts on France and Europe, Africa and the Maghreb, the Caribbean, the Middle East, and South-East Asia. Each year, we also welcome four visiting professors from France. Recent visitors included political sociologist Choukri Hmed (Université Paris Dauphine) on French foreign policy, historian Craig Lanier Allen on the history of African Americans in Paris, Christelle Avril (EHESS) on social inequalities in health, and socio-demographer Patrick Simon (INED) on population sciences. In 2022-23, our visiting professors include Sylvain Venayre (Université de Grenoble) on the history of la bande dessinée francophone, Karim Hammou (CNRS) on the genealogy of hip hop, Emmanuelle Loyer (Sciences Po) and Antoine DeBaecque (ENS) on "Littérature, Cinéma, Histoire: les défis réciproques", and Myriam Paris (CNRS) on "Après la colonie. Sociologie historique des relations entre la France et les "Outre-mer" de Martinique, Guadeloupe, Guyane)."
A strong research component
Whether they choose archival investigations, ethnographic fieldwork, or journalistic reportage, students conduct research in both New York and Paris. In the fall, our students take a course on 19th-century France and its Empire, which serves as a methodological introduction to history; they also have the option of taking a research seminar in sociology, “French-Speaking Migrants in New York City.” In the summer, each student enrolls in a Paris-taught research seminar and conducts research in France. In all of their courses on both sides of the Atlantic, our students receive close mentoring from our faculty.
Scholarly work in both English and French
By taking half of their courses in French, students perfect their oral and written command of the language and put it to analytical use. Our French Language Lab provides linguistic support as needed.
An unmatched program of talks and events with scholars, artists, writers, filmmakers, and activists.
Recent conferences have revolved around global populism, French decolonization in global perspective, race in French cinema, disability and accessible futures, and the Resistance in transnational perspective. In 2020, the IFS organized a major symposium bringing together scholars whose research revolves around their own kin. In addition, all IFS students and faculty come together for workshops that include a talk and a Q&A with a prominent academic or public figure. These workshops are a central component of our intellectual sociability.
Generous funding
We now offer all admitted M.A. students at least 50% tuition remission (and more for our top-ranked applicants). Admitted Ph.D. students receive full fellowships (tuition plus stipend) for at least five years. In addition, the IFS has entered into an agreement with the TAPIF teaching assistant program by which we reserve some of our most generous M.A. fellowships to top alumni of the program, on a competitive basis. While this limited funding is not guaranteed, these fellowships may cover between 75% and 100% of tuition costs. Top former TAPIF alumni also receive a $3,000 summer scholarship during our program’s summer session in Paris.
Pre-professional training and service
In addition to acquiring analytical and writing skills in two languages, our students can obtain teaching credentials at the Lycée français de New York. Thanks to a new partnership, they are mentored by a Lycée teacher who guides them as they teach their own classes. We also have a partnership with French Heritage Society and its Student Exchange Program in France, which offers a few four to eight-week summer internship opportunities at historical sites in France.
Professional outcomes
Our Ph.D. students compete favorably for the best jobs in their disciplines while M.A. students go on to careers in a variety in fields that prize clear thinking, global understanding of the world, and analytical fluency in more than one language. These include Foreign Service, journalism, humanitarian assistance, immigration law, primary and secondary education, translation, and international business. Each year, some M.A. students parlay their research and relationships with IFS faculty into offers from leading Ph.D. programs in history, anthropology, literature, linguistics, or politics.
I hope you will drop by the IFS next time you find yourself in Greenwich Village. In the meantime, feel free to contact me (frederic.viguier@nyu.edu).
Warm wishes,
Frédéric Viguier
Director, Institute of French Studies