Departmental Writing Requirements :

The following writing requirements apply to courses in which the authorized enrollments do not exceed 20 (French 331 and 332) or 25 (literature and civilization courses numbered higher than French 332) :

• FREN 331 and 332 : 10-15 pages, typically divided among 4 to 5 papers. Peer editing introduced during class and practiced outside.
• 300-level literature and civilization courses : 10-15 pages, typically divided among 2 to 4 papers. Relatively less sophisticated content than at the 400-level. Peer editing outside of class may be offered to students as an option (or requirement).
• 400-level literature and civilization courses : 15-20 pages, typically divided among 2 to 4 papers. Relatively more sophisticated content than at the 300-level. Peer editing outside of class may be offered to students as an option (or requirement).
• In all courses the quality of written French (that is, accurate use of grammar and vocabulary ) is an important factor in grading. Command of the language affects how understandable, persuasive, and impressive writing is. As students move from 300- to 400- level courses they will be expected to show greater sophistication in sentence structure, grammar, and use of idioms.

  FREN 331 INTENSIVE GRAMMAR AND COMPOSITION

Prerequisite: Exemption from FREN 201 & 202; or a score of 3 on the AP French language exam; or a score of at least 660 on the SAT. Required as preparation for all subsequent courses except FREN 333 and FREN 339.

This course offers an intensive review of grammar rules and their application to oral and written communication. Short readings in French will provide a context for discussion, writing, and grammar practice. Students will be graded on short quizzes, dictations, compositions, a mid-term, and a final exam. The course is conducted in French.

  FREN 332 THE WRITING AND READING OF TEXTS

Prerequisite: French 331. This course is a prerequisite for all undergraduate courses on a higher level except French 333 and French 339.

Ce cours est une introduction à la lecture critique et à l'analyse de textes. Il est à la fois un atelier d'écriture intensive, car le travail de lecture attentive sera accompagné de courts essais de deux à trois pages visant à interpréter les textes. Pour cela, on devra acquérir un minimum de vocabulaire technique spécifique à chaque genre littéraire (qu'il s'agisse de textes de prose, de poésie ou de théâtre) et un lexique analytique générique. Bien entendu, la qualité du français écrit et parlé sera une composante importante de l'évaluation du travail : il convient donc de continuer de prendre la grammaire très au sérieux.

  FREN 333 ORAL AND WRITTEN EXPRESSION

Prerequisite: Completion of FREN 232 or equivalent. Permission of instructor for those having completed only FREN 202. Students having completed French 332 are excluded
from this course and MUST enroll in French 334.

An intensive course designed to give students a better command of present-day spoken and written French. Conversation on topics of current events (French and international, including but not limited to politics, economics, education, language, and entertainment), including some articles which class members choose, mastery of advanced vocabulary, weekly graded written and oral assignments including one guided short exposé, several one-two page papers, oral and written quizzes, and a final exam. This course is designed for students who have not had the advantage of an extended stay in a French-speaking country. Students who have participated in semester study-abroad programs must confirm placement and transfer credit with the instructor to avoid duplication. Students who have studied in a French speaking country for a year should enroll in FREN 334. Section size is limited to 14 students. Consistent attendance and ACTIVE participation constitute 30% of the semester grade.

1400-1450 MWF Ms. Stuart

  FREN 334 ADVANCED ORAL AND WRITTEN EXPRESSION IN FRENCH (3)

Prerequisite: Students must have completed FREN 331 and 332 or their equivalent, or must be concurrently enrolled in FREN 332. Counts for major/minor credit.

An intensive course designed to improve more advanced students' oral and written language skills. Assignments include discussion on topics of current interest, presentations, translations, and compositions. All materials are French- or Francophone-related. The course focuses on language development in a Francophone cultural context, so students can get familiar with French and Francophone cultures and comfortable in expressing their viewpoints in French. A good preparation for more advanced classes in French. Consistent attendance and active participation are essential.

1100-11100-1215 TR Ms. Diallo-Gibert
1100-1215 TR Mr. Huwart
1400-1515 TR Ms. Diallo-Gibert

  FREN 339 FRENCH PHONETICS

French 339 is an introductory course in French phonetics, intended to present basic concepts in phonetic theory and to teach students techniques for improving their own pronunciation. It includes an examination of the physical characteristics of individual French sounds, the relationship between these sounds and their written representations, the rules governing the pronunciation of “standard French”, the most salient phonological features of selected regional varieties (e.g. le français méridional), and much more. Taught in French.

Required text: C. Martins & J-J Mabilat, Sons et Intonation, Paris: Didier, 2004 (available at UVA Bookstore) + course packet (available at Copy Shop, Elliwood)

1230-1345 TR Ms. Saunders

  FREN 342 LITERATURE OF THE SEVENTEENTH & EIGHTEENTH CENTURIES

Prerequisite: FREN 332.

Studies representative works of the 17th and 18th centuries, emphasizing certain themes common to the two centuries. The tentative list of authors to be studied will include Corneille, Moliere, Madame de Lafayette, Montesquieu, Voltaire, and Beaumarchais.

1300-1350 MWF Ms. Sapir

  FREN 343 LITERATURE OF THE 19TH & 20TH CENTURIES

Littérature des 19e et 20e siècles

Le cours sera consacré à la formation, puis à la contestation de la littérature coloniale. Parmi les auteurs au programme on trouve Staël, Duras, Lamartine, Loti et Césaire. Nous tiendrons compte du phénomène du "zoo colonial" ainsi que de la négripub(licité) qui a marqué le 20e siècle. Dans ce contexte nous examinerons le rôle qu'a joué Joséphine Baker dans la formation de l'image du Noir dans la société française des dernières décennies de l'Empire colonial.

Chaque étudiant entreprendra un dossier de recherche en bibliothèque, qui approfondira un aspect du cours. Tous passeront un examen partiel et un examen final. Des rapports oraux, faits en groupe, ponctueront l'emploi du temps du cours.

Pour s'inscrire à ce cours, l'étudiant doit obligatoirement avoir suivi avec succès le cours FREN 332 qui fournit les outils littéraires, linguistiques et surtout stylistiques dont il ou elle aura besoin.

1100-1215 TR Mr. Arnold

  FREN 344 HISTORY, MYTH, AND MEMORY IN FRENCH CINEMA

This course will examine a series of films from the perspective of French cultural history. We will analyze historical film as a genre and as a vehicle for communicating ideas about the past, as well as about the present. Are historical films “accurate”? How do filmmakers represent the past? What is the role of myth and memory in historical film? Why can it be argued that Jean Renoir’s “La Grande Illusion” is as much about 1937, the year it was made, than about 1916, the year depicted in the film? Students will be expected to do close textual readings of scenes and shots to demonstrate the choices made by filmmakers who portray the past. Through various films depicting the 16th to the 20th centuries, we will also pay particular attention to the problem of French identity: what did it mean to be French during a given historical period?

1230-1345 TR Ms. Horne

  FREN 345 JOAN OF ARC IN LITERATURE AND FILM FROM THE MIDDLE AGES TO TODAY

Prerequisite: FREN 332.

The figure of Joan of Arc has fascinated poets and artists from before her death in 1431 to the present. Each generation recreates Joan in a new way. Put to death for heresy, Joan becomes a saint and national hero. The transformation of Joan's image is subject to changing political, social, and religious needs: while in some instances Joan serves as a model of female heroism or an example of religious devotion, elsewhere she represents French nationalism or becomes a tool for examining gender roles and gender anxiety. Readings will include excerpts from the ecclesiastical trials, selections from authors such as Christine de Pizan, Voltaire, Verlaine, Malraux, and Anouilh, as well as film interpretations of her life.

1300-1350 MWF Ms. Dieztman

  FREN 353 L’IMMIGATION EN FRANCE

Prerequisite: FREN 332.

An introduction to the variety of topics, issues and current events related to the phenomenon of immigration in France.

1200-1250 MWF Ms. Bargach

  FREN 356 LE CAS SIMENON

Prerequisite: FREN 332.

Studies representative works of Belgian mystery novelist Georges Simenon, emphasizing the uniqueness of his genre.

1000-1050 MWF Ms. Zunz

  FREN 402 WOMEN WRITERS OF THE RENAISSANCE

Against a dominant current of misogynistic discourse that relegated them to silence, women writers of the sixteenth century assumed new identities of female authorship. How and why did unprecedented numbers of women become authors in a world where authority was male? We will consider descriptions of women by prominent male authors (Castiglione, Erasmus, Rabelais, Calvin and Montaigne) and examine polemics about women such as the "querelle des femmes" and the "querelle des amies" as we read works by Hélisenne de Crenne, Marie Dentière, Marguerite de Navarre, Pernette du Guillet, Louise Labé, Madeleine and Catherine des Roches and Marie de Gournay. Class conducted in French. A mid-term and final exam as well as three short papers (15-20 pages total) written in French will be required.

1400-1515 MW Ms. McKinley

  FREN 409 SURREALISM

Prerequisite: successful completion of at least one 300-level literature course in the department beyond 332, preferably 343.

The surrealist movement profoundly affected poetry, fiction, drama, and the graphic and plastic arts, as well as the cinema in the period between WWI and WWII. Questions of gender were deeply embedded in the movement’s agenda as well. Our course will examine important work by the founding fathers (Aragon, Breton, and Eluard) and will then proceed to examine how women (Carrington, Mansour) entered the movement and modified its orientation. Works from a variety of genres and media will be examined throughout the semester. Painters and photographers working in Paris who helped define the movement include Picasso, Arp, Masson, and Man Ray. Michaux excelled both as a poet and painter. The illustrated book underwent a renascence under the influence of surrealism as well.

Requirements include a midterm, a final examination, and a research paper on a significant aspect of surrealism. Class discussion will be actively encouraged; each student will make an oral report at some point in the semester.

1400-1515 TR Mr. Arnold

  FREN 428 HISTOIRE DE LA LANGUE FRANÇAISE

Prerequisites: good reading, writing and speaking ability in French. Previous course work in phonetics (e.g. FREN 339) and the history of any other Romance language is an advantage, but not essential. Course conducted in French.

This course looks at some of the ways in which the French language has changed through time (from its Indo-European/Latin origins to present-day varieties). It covers the external history of the language (i.e. political and cultural events, social changes, institutions like the Académie française, the role of official organizations...) as well as its internal evolution (i.e., changes in pronunciation, orthography, morphology, syntax, vocabulary).

1100-1215 TR Ms. Saunders

  FREN 445 LA LAICITÉ : THE SECULAR TRADITION IN FRANCE

Arguably, France is the most adamantly secular country in Europe today. Yet, the French tradition of secularism--or la laicité--is being challenged on several fronts, the most visible of which is the controversy surrounding Islamic headscarves in public schools that led to the recent law that will forbid them and other religious symbols. How is an American to understand this debate? What can we learn about French culture and history if we analyse it closely?

Beginning with a discussion of the main themes of this contemporary debate, we will take a longer view and study the historical, cultural, and philosophical context that shaped this distinctive form of secularism.

Topics of study will include: the history of church/state relations in France; the legacy of the French revolution; anticlericalism; immigration and the evolution of public versus private identities; the defense and (re)definition of the secular state under the Fifth republic.

1100-1215 TR Ms. Horne

Home  Back  Top