Coordinator:
Carlo Lavoie, Department of Modern Languages
Coordinating Committee
Edward MacDonald, History
James Moran, History
Scott Lee, Modern Languages
One Faculty Member from the Department of English
The Minor in Acadian Studies aims to provide a better understanding of the place and importance of the French language and the Acadian community on Prince Edward Island and in Maritime Canada. The program consists of an immersion in general cultural subject areas and of an analysis of specific literary and cultural topics. The study of Acadian culture may pave the way to graduate school and/or education programs or simply be complement to one's University study. On the one hand, UPEI’s Minor in Acadian Studies offers students the opportunity to develop both their analytical and the practical skills in French and will provide its students with the foundational skills with which they can pursue their interest in the practice of French. On the other hand, the Minor in Acadian Studies aims to link in a common thematic different courses offered in English which propose a reflection on the Acadian as part of a cultural and linguistic minority.
Requirements for a Minor in Acadian Studies
A Minor in Acadian Studies consists of twenty-one (21) semester hours of credit taken from the list of approved courses. The language requirements are French 241 and French 242 (both courses could be counted in the Minor in Acadian Studies if they are not counted for the Major in French). Acadian Studies 201 and three courses among Acadian Studies 491/492 and French 443/444, are compulsory for the Minor.
Prospective students should note, however, that Acadian Studies 491 and 492 require students to make a significant contribution to study of Acadie which will be approved by the Instructor. One of these four courses will, typically, be only offered in the Winter Term of the academic year. In addition, students must select three elective courses. Students using any of the approved courses to complete the Minor in Acadian Studies may not use them to complete a Major or another Minor.
REQUIREMENTS IN FRENCH
FRENCH 241 FRENCH COMPOSITION AND ANALYSIS I
(See French 241)
FRENCH 242 FRENCH COMPOSITION AND ANALYSIS II
(See French 242)
ACADIAN STUDIES CORE COURSES
201 INTRODUCTION TO ACADIAN STUDIES
This course is designed to provide an opportunity to examine the development of Acadian culture through the oral tradition, songs and folk tales. The themes of colonialism, regionalism, folklore and oral traditions will provide the basis for this examination. The object of the course is to develop an awareness of the complex patterns of development in Acadian culture from the French period to the present. The course will consist of seminars and lectures conducted in French.
PREREQUISITE: French 241 and French 242 or the permission of the Coordinator of Acadian Studies
Three hours a week
491 SPECIAL TOPICS
Centered around a topic (a specific question or a writer), this course is specifically designed to enable students to express themselves and to do research on their own. Students will be given topics to research and to present to the class. The content will vary from year to year.
PREREQUISITE: Acadian Studies 201 or the permission of the Coordinator of Acadian Studies
Three hours a week
492 DIRECTED STUDIES
The purpose of the course is to provide an opportunity for intensive interdisciplinary research in an area to be determined by the student and the coordinator of the program. Readings and research on the course will be supervised and the student is expected to present the results of the research in the form of an extended essay. This is a tutorial and seminar course.
PREREQUISITE: Acadian Studies 201 or the permission of the Coordinator of Acadian Studies.
Three hours a week
(See Academic Regulation 9 for Regulations Governing Directed Studies)
FRENCH 443 CULTURE ET LITTÉRATURE ACADIENNES I
(See French 443)
FRENCH 444 CULTURE ET LITTÉRATURE ACADIENNES II
(See French 444)
ELECTIVES
Note: Students who are enrolled in the Major in French and the Minor in Acadian Studies can take at least two electives outside the Department of Modern Languages.
Canadian Studies
301/302 – The Canadian Experience
Education
213 – Introduction à l’éducation en français au Canada
English
331 – The Literature of Atlantic Canada
History
231/232 – The Atlantic Region
424 – History of Canadian Nationalism and the Canadian Identity
Modern Languages (French)
339 – Théâtre canadien-français
252 – Le français des affaires
Sociology & Anthropology
262 – Minority and Ethnic Groups in Canada
312 – Rural Society in Canada
Women Studies
311 – Identity and popular Culture
Directed Studies
With the approval of the Coordinator, the Dean of Arts, and the relevant Department, a student may credit three hours of Directed Studies in any subject linked to Acadian Studies towards the Minor.
