Mailing Address:
19 University Place 6th Floor
New York, NY 10003-4556
Phone: (212) 998-8700
Chair of the Department: Professor Judith Miller
Director of Undergraduate Studies: Stéphane Gerson
Director of Graduate Studies: Denis Hollier
Director of French Language Program: John Moran
Department Administrator: Sandra Adams

Prospective and current students: please direct all administrative inquiries to the appropriate assistant. For questions, comments and suggestions regarding the website, please contact Charles:
Graduate Aide: Brett Underhill
Undergraduate Aide: Alex Teachey
Assistant to the Chair: Mélanie Griot pic
NYU-in-Paris Program Assistant: Julie Di Berardino

19 University Place


With a staff of internationally known scholars and teachers, the Department of French offers an unusually broad range of courses in French and Francophone language, literature, and civilization.

The program is strong and diversified, with emphasis on immersion of the student in foreign culture and language. The vast majority of courses are taught in French.

Each year the department offers a number of courses by eminent visiting professors. These visiting professors are one of the distinctive strengths of the department's graduate programs. Among the most recent visitors are Gérard Genette, Alain Robbe-Grillet, Philippe Roger, Françoise Gaillard, Lucette Finas, Tahar Ben Jelloun, and Yves Hersant. In addition, Jacques Derrida was a regular visitor to the department every fall.


Department meeting in the conference room The department offers approximately twenty-two graduate courses and seminars per year, with enrollments ranging generally from eight to fifteen. Thus, students are able to choose from the rich offerings of a large department, yet also enjoy the opportunity for close personal interaction with professors.

Mini-seminars are another important feature of the department's program. Some who have headed seminars in recent years are: Michel Zink, Michel Deguy, Jacques Darras, Guy Scarpetta, Jean Milly, Jacqueline Cerquiglini-Toulet, Jacques Roubaud, Danièle Sallenave, Pascal Bruckner, Jacques Derrida, Jacques Garelli, Robert Abirached, Erik Arnoult, and Viviane Forrester.

New York University is an integral part of the metropolitan community of New York City. Students majoring or minoring in French are strongly encouraged to spend at least one semester at the NYU center in Paris, which offers courses with well-known professors from the French university system as well as distinguished NYU faculty members. The Department offers undergraduate programs leading to the B.A. degree, including various major and minor tracks, and graduate programs leading to the M.A. and Ph.D. degrees with various areas of emphasis.