Khâgne (French pronunciation:[kaɲ]ⓘ), officially known asclasses préparatoires littéraires ([klaspʁepaʁatwaʁliteʁɛʁ]), is a two-year academic program in the French “post-bac” (≈undergraduate) system, with a specialization in thehumanities (A/L) orsocial science (B/L).[1] It is one of the three main types ofClasse préparatoire aux grandes écoles (CPGE, informallyclasse prépa),[2] contrasting with other CPGE majors such asMaths Sup [fr] inmathematics andengineering, orPrépa HEC [fr] in thebusiness domain.
Strictly speaking, the wordkhâgne refers to the final year of that program. In fact, the course articulates into two years with separate names:
The two-year program as a whole is commonly calledhypokhâgne-khâgne[ipokaɲˈkaɲ], or simplykhâgne.
In 2020, about 130 lycées scattered across France proposedhypokhâgne classes (1st year), and at least 30 had akhâgne (2nd year).[5] Historically famous institutions for preparing thekhâgne program – some since the 19th century – include prestigiouslycées in Paris (lycéesHenri IV,Louis-le-Grand,Condorcet,Fénelon,Janson-de-Sailly…), around Paris (Lycée Lakanal inSceaux,Lycée La Bruyère [fr] inVersailles, …) and in major cities of the country (e.g.Lycée du Parc inLyon,Lycée Montaigne inBordeaux…).[6]
Once they have graduated from secondary school (baccalauréat), French students with a strong interest in the Humanities may choose to follow aLicence curriculum in auniversity (l'université, slanglafac); or they may opt for the more selectivekhâgne course, which is situated outside the university system, taking place in alycée just like secondary school.
One of the formal differences between the two competing systems (university vs.khâgne) is that, while university students discover a new form of academic organization (with typically large gatherings of students inlecture halls),khâgne students continue the organization they were familiar with inhigh schools (lycée), characterized by a stable class group with a maximum of 35 to 40 members. This is conducive to more substantial interaction between students and their professors, which is commonly understood as favouring high-quality learning.
When the khâgne program is based in apublic school, thetuition fee normally ranges between 0 and 300 euros per year;private schools require higher fees. The most prestigious khâgne programs in France are found in public schools, and are thus essentially free of charge.
The official objective ofkhâgne is to prepare undergraduate students for the competitiveentrance examination (le Concours) to the threeÉcoles normales supérieures (ENS) — more specifically to theirHumanities and Social science departments (Section Lettres,[7]Section Lettres et sciences humaines[8]).
In case of an unsuccessful attempt atConcours at the end of theirkhâgne, students are allowed to repeat that second year once or even twice. This means that students can remain in the whole programme from two up to four years in total (see also the section onslang terms).
For the vast majority of students who will fail to get selected to ENS, having merely attended akhâgne curriculum remains valuedper se on the job market, even though it provides no formal degree.
There are two kinds ofhypokhâgnes:
1) Thehypokhâgne A/L which can either lead to aKhâgne Ulm or aKhâgne Lyon.
2) Thehypokhâgne B/L which leads to theKhâgne B/L only.
There are therefore three kinds ofkhâgnes:khâgne B/L,khâgne Ulm, andkhâgne Lyon, respectively preparing to the following entrance exams:[9]
The two remaining kinds of khâgnes are literary khâgnes:khâgne Lyon andkhâgne Ulm.
Each subject taught is based on an explicit curriculum which is different each year. Although all subjects have the same importance for the written part of the exam, for the oral examination one or two subjects are strongly emphasized, which makes the entrance examination to the ENS of Lyon more specialized than the one of to the ENS Ulm. 3,000 students are attending thekhâgne Lyon each year.
For the students of Khâgne Lyon who choose to specialise in English, there is also the possibility of getting into the ENS Paris-Saclay, traditionally a more science-orientated ENS but with an additional 10 places offered to English specialists. The selection process involves a different emphasis put on the grades obtained in the exam for the ENS Lyon and an even more specialised oral exam, which only involves English-related subjects.
Unlike what is commonly assumed, the distinction between "classical" and "modern" opposing thekhâgne Ulm to thekhâgne Lyon isn't explained by the distinction between classical literature and modern literature, since classical literature is also taught inkhâgne Lyon and modern literature inkhâgne Ulm. The distinction is actually made between "classical curriculum" and "modern classical" drawn in 1902 by the Ministry of Public Instruction of the time,Alexandre Ribot. Before 1902, all high school classes were considered "classical", which means that ancient languages were compulsory even among students majoring in sciences. The reform created "modern" sections in which ancient languages weren't compulsory.
Allhypokhâgneux must attend 5 hours of French literature, 5 hours of history, 4 hours of philosophy, 4 hours of the first modern language, 3 hours of ancient language and cultures (2 hours of Latin or Ancient Greek and 2 hours of antique culture), 2 hours of geography and 2 hours of a second modern language a week. Then comes a chosen subject which can be art, ancient languages, geography or another modern language.In khâgne, the compulsory subjects and their respective tuition hours depend on the kind of speciality chosen:
Compared to the khâgne A/L, students of the khâgne de Lettres et Sciences sociales (B/L) (Literature and social sciences) are required to take mathematics and social sciences in addition to literary subjects (philosophy, French literature, history and languages). The khâgne B/L was created in 1983 in Henri-IV andLakanal high schools at the same time as a corresponding entrance examination was created at the ENS rue d'Ulm. The goal was to attract good high school students who majored in sciences to literary and social studies.
Both the curriculum of a hypokhâgne and a khâgne B/L is composed of the following subjects, which are considered of equal importance:
The khâgne B/L prepares students to take the entrance examinations of various schools:[10]
The majority of khâgneux B/L and A/L go on to study at a university once they have completed the khâgne, though an increasing number of khâgneux enroll ingrandes écoles such as business schools or engineering schools (ENSAE, ENSAI, etc.). During their studies in classe préparatoire, students are simultaneously enrolled at a university so that the years spent at the classe prépa are recognized by universities: a student having completed the hypokhâgne is allowed to enroll in the second year of university in a chosen subject; a student having completed the khâgne can immediately enter the third and last year of the French bachelor's programme in a chosen subject. After having repeated the khâgne, the student may be granted a partial or a total bachelor's diploma equivalence. In the case of a student who has passed the written exam but failed the oral part, there is the possibility of studying any subject they have done in the written exam at post-graduate level.In addition to grandes écoles and IEPs, khâgne students can also enroll in selective university programmes, such asmagistères.
Until 1890, secondary school graduates prepared for the entrance examination to the ENS by repeating theirclasse de rhétorique which corresponds to the final year ofsecondary education. Teachers would give them more difficult assignments than to high school juniors.Lycée Louis-le-Grand created a special class in order to gather those "veterans": thePremière supérieure class, also calledrhétorique supérieure, orrhétosup.Lycée Henri-IV then introduced theLettres supérieures (orLettres sup) year between the final year and thePremière supérieure year. Regarded as a two-year extension of high school studies,Lettres supérieures andPremière supérieure was meant to prepare students to the ENS. This system became standard by the 1930s.
As the coursework is intensive, with around 35 hours of classwork per week and a good deal of work on top of that, it can be very stressful for students. The examinations are difficult and competitive and it is common for students either to repeat the second year of classes (in slangcuber) or to fail altogether, in which case they usually obtain aLicence or other qualification. The grading system (0 to 20) reflects the general philosophy of thekhâgnes: underscoring the failings of the students rather than their strengths. Consequently, most grades hover between 4 and 11, the latter grade being an excellent grade. This grading system is quite demotivating for students but is part and parcel of the intellectual "boot camp" mentality of theclasses prépas educational system.
The classes involve elements of literature (modern and classical), history, philosophy, geography, languages and linguistics-–-a comprehensive humanities-based education-–-but students will normally specialise in one or two subjects.Critics claim that a disproportionate amount of resources is devoted tokhâgne students as against the c. 40% of Baccalauréat students who attend a standard university. They therefore see it as a feature of the elitism of the French higher education system, especially since the majority of successful candidates originate from privileged upper-class and middle-class families. Defenders see it as demonstrating an emphasis on quality.
The wordkhâgne (f.) is a pseudo-Graecism, derived from the French adjectivecagneux, meaning 'knock-kneed'. During the 19th and early 20th century, the adjective was often used mockingly to describe people in the academic strata, especially those pursuing classical studies. More specifically, thecagneux was used as a taunt by students of themilitary academy, whose curriculum included physical education such asequestrianism andfencing, against students in the humanities, who were perceived as crouching over their books, thus developing physical deformities.
In the early 20th century, the termcagneux was adapted by humanities students themselves as a mocking self-description but they changed the spelling (khâgneux) to make it look like a Greekloanword.
The play withGreek is even more conspicuous withhypokhâgne, the name of the first year. This word was jocularlyderived fromkhâgne using the Greek prefixὑπο-hypo, 'under'.
Students commonly abbreviate the name of their year usingacronyms, hencehypokhâgne isHK[aʃka],khâgne is justK[ka].
In student slang, a former hypokhâgneux attending the khâgne for the first time is calledcarré (orkhârrés). A khâgneux who fails the end-of-year entrance examination to ENS may repeat the khâgne year to try their luck a second time; in which case he or she is calledcube (orkhûbe). The origin of these terms corresponds to the number of years spent by the student in the system: two years (HK+K) correspond tocarré (cf. Fr. m² =mètres carrés = square meter), three (HK+K+K) tocube (cf. m³ =mètres cubes = cubic meter).[11]
A khâgneux who repeats the khâgne twice is calledbicarré (orbikhârré), commonly abbreviated asbica. So in a classroom of khâgne, half of the students may becarrés, a third may becubes, plus a handful ofbicas who are trying their last chance at the final examination. Usingderived verbs, one can sayJe vais cuber. (meaning "I plan to give khâgne a second try"); orJe vais quand même pas bicater! ("I'm not going to try a third year in khâgne!").