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Scholarships and Prizes

The French Department administers two award programs:  The Paul Brun Memorial Scholarship in French, and the Mousseau Prizes for Undergraduate Work in French. In addition, the Carol Dolcini Study Abroad Flight Fund makes awards to help defray the cost of student airline travel for French-language immersion programs.

The Paul D. Brun Memorial Scholarship in French was established in 1981 by Mary Brun to honor her father.

Criteria:

Recipients shall be selected based on academic ability and financial need.  Students must be officially declared in the French major and maintain an overall GPA of 3.30.  Financial need is determined based on the student's FAFSA (Free Application for Federal Student Aid) report.

Selection:

Prospective recipients will be identified, screened and selected annually, every fall semester, by the Department of French Prizes and Scholarships Committee.

The amount of the award(s) will be flexible and be dependent upon available funds and the recommendations by the Committee.

Donor Profile:

Several years ago the Chair of the Department of French drove over the hills to Modesto, California. His mis­sion: to meet and thank Mary Brun for her con­tributions to the Berkeley French Department. Over hamburgers at the Wagon Wheel Restau­rant Mary Brun recounted stories of her days as a Cal Undergraduate in the late 1920s. For three decades after graduating from Cal, Mary taught French at Modesto High School before retiring early to travel the world. Her passion, in addition to French, was photography. She was a Fellow of the Photographic Society of America, regularly exhibited her photos in competitions and served on many juries for different photography clubs and organizations. She was also a great friend of the Berkeley French Department. For decades she contributed regularly to the Paul D. Brun Memorial Scholarship in French, which she established in honor of her father. This endow­ment has grown steadily in size and now funds several undergraduate scholarships. Mary passed away not long ago, and it is with gratitude that we remember her support of our department.

Thanks to the generosity of individual donors, The French Department is pleased to offer two or more annual $250+ scholarships* to students planning to study or intern abroad in full immersion French-speaking programs. The purpose of this scholarship is to help defray travel costs, which are not covered by financial aid. [*Number and amount of awards are determined each semester; the department has offered up to seven in one semester at $300 each.]

Application deadline:  April 22, 2024

Eligibility:  Students must be accepted into a full-immersion study or intern abroad program in France or other Francophone countries.  Priority status will be given to students declared in the French major or French minor.  Examples of eligible programs:  UCEAP study at Univ. of Lyon; UCEAP study at Univ. of Bordeaux; UCEAP study (in French) at Institut des Études Politiques (“Sciences Po”), Paris; Global Internship, Paris; IFE Field Research & Insternship, Paris or Strasbourg.

Students will be notified by the end of April of their award.  The award will be disbursed as soon as the student provides proof of acceptance into a full immersion French-speaking study abroad program.

Application Process:  Please complete and submit the Carol Dolcini Study Abroad Flight Fund Application  by or before April 22, 2024. Any questions, please email Nina at frendept@berkeley.edu

This $250 prize will be awarded annually to the best paper written in French in an upper-division French class. (Projects consisting of a translation are eligible providing that the scholarly
apparatus (e.g., introduction, notes) is in French).

Nominations will be submitted by faculty.  Students will be informed by their instructor of their nomination in the semester they are taking the course, and the award will be announced at the end of the spring semester.

This $250 prize will be awarded annually if the quality of nominations warrants.

Nominations will be submitted by the thesis adviser. The award will be announced at the end of the spring semester.

Students approved for the Honors Program in French are eligible for nomination.