Exchange Fellowships

Amherst College Graduating Seniors are eligible for two Exchange Fellowships for study in France:

The First fellowship offers an affiliation with the most prestigious of French graduate schools, the École Normale Supérieure (ENS) in Paris, and includes a free room, ENS library privileges, and a card of admission to any university course in Paris, including those at the ENS.  This fellowship does not come with a stipend; however, the French Department will provide the recipient with a grant of 3,000 dollars. The second fellowship is a teaching assistantship in English language and American civilization at the Université de Bourgogne in Dijon. The Dijon assistantship pays a monthly stipend of approximately 1150 euros after taxes, for 12 months (October-September) for nine months of teaching (mid-September through mid-June), and assures free admission to courses at the University.  Fluency in French and a formal written statement in French are prerequisites to candidacy for either fellowship.

For the ENS Fellowship, applicants should prepare a two-page proposal in which they describe their study plans for their stay in France.  Applicants for the Dijon Fellowship should submit a two-page statement describing the methods and materials they would use to teach a course on American culture and civilization.

All Amherst College seniors are invited to apply for either or both positions, but we ask applicants to express a clear preference for one of the two.  Statements of study plans written in French must be sent to the Departmental ADC by 4:00 p.m. on March 27, 2024. For more information contact the ADC.

It may be helpful for students to review previous exchange fellowship applications of successful candidates. Please see this page for successful proposals for both the École Normale Supérieure (ENS) Fellowship and Université de Bourgogne (Dijon) Fellowship.


Departmental Awards

Every year the Department recognizes the distinguished work of two of its students in the form of the following awards:

  • The Jeffrey J. Carre Award. Established in 1983 by his family, friends, professional colleagues and students, the Jeffrey J. Carre Award is presented to a sophomore or junior who has demonstrated excellence in the French language. The Prize is to be used toward travel in France during the summer following the award.
  • The Frederick King Turgeon Prize. Established by former students of Frederick King Turgeon, professor of French at Amherst (1926-1969), upon the occasion of his retirement, the Frederick King Turgeon Prize is used for the award of a book to a graduating student who, in the judgment of the Department of French, has done particularly distinguished work in French during the year.

Nominations for departmental awards are made by members of the French Department Faculty. All students of French are considered. There is no application process.

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