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 will place emphasis on grammatical rules and their application to composition. Short readings in French will provide a context for discussion, writing, and grammar practice. Self-guided grammar exercises will be assigned as homework. Students will be graded on homework, contribution to small and whole-group discussions, short quizzes, dictations, compositions, a mid-term, and a final exam.

9:00-9:50 MWF - Mr. Simon
10:00-10:50 MWF - Ms. Ogden
11:00-11:50 MWF - Ms. Zunz
12:00-12:50 MWF - TBA
1:00-1:50 MWF - TBA

  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.

The development of writing skills and strategies in French: grammar, vocabulary, organization and style. Careful reading and analysis of a variety of texts (for example, poetry , theater, fiction and essays). Sections will be limited to fifteen students. Several papers in French (10-15 pages total).

9:00-9:50 MWF - TBA
10:00-10:50 MWF - Ms. Zunz
11:00-11:50 MWF - Ms. Sapir
11:00-12:15 TR - Mr. Lyons
9:30-10:45 TR - TBA

  FREN 333 - ORAL AND WRITTEN EXPRESSION IN FRENCH (3)

Prerequisite: Completion of FREN 232 or equivalent. Permission of course chair 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 some which class members choose, mastery of advanced vocabulary, weekly graded written and oral assignments including one guided short presentation, 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 course chair to avoid duplication. Students who have studied in a French speaking country for a year should enroll in FREN 334 if they completed 331 or transferred equivalent credits. Section size is limited to 14 students. Consistent attendance and ACTIVE participation are essential.

12:00-12:50 MWF - Mr. Barreyre

  FREN 334 - ADVANCED ORAL AND WRITTEN EXPRESSION IN FRENCH

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.

2:00-2:50 MWF - Mr. Barreyre

  FREN 339 - FRENCH PHONETICS

The study of the sound system of French (theory and practice): phonetic transcription, syllabification, articulation of vowels, consonants and semi-vowels (with practical exercises aimed at training the ear and improving pronunciation and enunciation), contrastive analysis of French and English sounds, etc. Involves classroom instruction and practice in the language laboratory. Basis of evaluation: 4 - 5 quizzes, final exam, 'travaux pratiques' and in-class performance. Required text: D. Dansereau, Savoir Dire: cours de phonétique et de prononciation.

12:00-12:50 MWF - Ms. Saunders
1:00-1:50 MWF - Ms. Saunders

  FREN 342 - LITERATURE OF THE 17TH AND 18TH CENTURIES

A study of representative works of the 17th and 18th centuries, emphasizing certain themes throughout the two centuries. Readings chosen from: Molière, Racine, Mme de Lafayette, Montesquieu, Voltaire, and Rousseau. Two papers, mid-term and final examinations.

1:00-1:50 MWF - Ms. Sapir

  FREN 344 - TOPICS IN FRENCH CINEMA

This course, conducted in French, combines a presentation of basic concepts for description of film with an overview of French cinema from the Frères Lumière to the Nouvelle Vague. Weekly screenings of films by such directors as René Clair, Marcel Carné, Luis Buñuel, René Clèment, Jean-Luc Godard, Max Ophüls, Jean-Pierre Melville, Jacques Tati, Eric Rohmer, Jean Renoir, François Truffaut. Three short papers, a mid-term, and final examination.

2:00-3:15 TR - Mr. Lyons

  FREN 345 - LA FRANCE PENDANT L'OCCUPATION 1940-1945

Ce cours se concentrera sur une des périodes les plus sombres de la France au XXe siècle, de la « drôle de guerre » à la Libération. On se servira de documents de l'époque et d'après, de textes littéraires, de quelques films et chansons pour essayer de reconstruire le climat culturel et politique de l'époque. On étudiera, d'une part, le mouvement de la Résistance et de la France libre, dominé par la personnalité du général de Gaulle et, d'autre part, la Collaboration, caractérisée par le gouvernement de Vichy et le rôle du maréchal Pétain. En conclusion, on se posera la question de savoir dans quelle mesure la période de l'Occupation a pesé sur la société française jusque dans les années 80, et quelles ont été ses conséquences les plus dramatiques.

NB : Ce cours exige de se familiariser avec la technologie de l'internet.

Lectures (liste provisoire) : Jean Dutourd, Au bon beurre ; Jean-Paul Sartre, Les mouches ; Vercors, Le silence de la mer ; Marcel Aymé, Le vin de Paris ; Albert Camus, Lettres à un ami allemand.

Filmographie : Les enfants du paradis ; Le corbeau ; Nuit et brouillard ; Uranus.

Travaux : 8 à 10 mini-essais de deux pages et participation individuelle et collective à la constitution d'archives multimédia. Présence assidue et participation aux discussions.

2:00-3:15 MW - Mr. Simon

  FREN 346 - L'IMMIGRATION EN FRANCE

Sujet brûlant de l'actualité politique et sociale française, l'immigration fait resurgir de vieux débats ainsi que des interrogations sur « l'identité nationale. » Nation, identité nationale, assimilation, intégration, autant de concepts que ce cours se propose d'aborder à travers l'histoire et l'actualité. En plus des livres exigés, divers articles de presse photocopiés et un film illustreront notre thème.

Lectures : Gérard Noiriel, Population, immigration et identité nationale en France ; Claire Etcherelli, Elise ou la vraie vie ; Jean-Marie Le Clézio, Poisson d'or ; Michel Tournier, La goutte d'or.

Travaux : examen de mid-term et examen final, 5 essais de deux à trois pages, un projet de recherche par équipe.

11:00-12:15 TR - Ms. Bargach

  FREN 351 - HISTORY AND CIVILIZATION OF FRANCE: REVOLUTION TO 1945

Beginning with a study of the French Revolution, this course focuses on the cultural and historical influences which have shaped Modern France. We will explore the relationship between culture and political power, the changing role of government, and how ordinary men and women experienced social change. Readings will be drawn from primary documents, memoirs and secondary historical texts. Visual elements will be incorporated in this course through the use of electronic classroom, the World Wide Web and selected films. Readings in this course will be done in both French and English. All lectures, discussions and writing will be done exclusively in French.

12:30-1:45 TR - Ms. Horne

  FREN 405 - TOPICS IN 19th CENTURY LITERATURE: DREAMING THE MONSTER IN NINETEENTH-CENTURY FRANCE

"Le sommeil de la raison engendre des monstres": Goya's famous painting of 1798 depicts the dreamer slumped over his desk while owls and bats swirl around his head. The suggestion is that the monster is not so much a threat from the outside as one from inside ourselves, born in the innermost recess of dream. In the aftermath of the Revolution and the Terror, 19th-century France dreams its own monsters, from the criminal madman to witches, demons and vampires, figures which appear not only in literature and art, but also in medical and legal writings. How do these discourses understand the monster within? How do they attempt to contain it and how does it resist such limits? What is the power, the horror and the attraction of the monster?

This course will address these questions through examination of the various images of the monster in 19th-century French literature, art and culture. As the monster itself is a creature who transgresses its own borders, we too will cross disciplinary boundaries, drawing on medical and historical texts, in addition to short stories, poems and paintings. Course work will include several short writing assignments, oral presentations, papers and exam.

  FREN 409 - LITTERATURE D'AUJOURD'HUI

Representative works of contemporary literature. In 2000 the authors read were Beauvoir, Ernaux, Genet, Tournier. Gender and colonialism will be central topics of discussion. Requirements include a midterm exam and a substantial research paper, as well as a final exam. Prerequisites: at least two literature courses at the 340-level or higher.

2:00-3:15 MW - Mr. Arnold

  FREN 411 - FRANCOPHONE LITERATURE OF AFRICA

Surveys the literary tradition in French, emphasizing post-World War II poets, novelists, and playwrights. Examines the role of cultural reviews in the development of this literary tradition.

10:00-10:50 MWF - Ms. Houyoux

  FREN 436 - THE CULTURE OF COMMERCE

Introduction to the French business environment, its organization and institutions. Although all aspects of the economic world are becoming more international, Americans entering the French business setting must confront specifically French cultural standards and practices. Why have Mickey Mouse, Coca-Cola, and McDonald's all met with angry protest? This course investigates practices, attitudes, patterns of thought and beliefs that make the French interestingly different from this side of the Atlantic. Students will use French government documents, materials distributed by the European Community, visual media, and the current press. Short exercises, midterm, individual project, and final exam.

9:00-9:50 MWF - Ms. Sapir

  FREN 437 - A RENAISSANCE CITY: LYON, 1530-1550

Crossroads of commercial and cultural traffic between Italy and Paris, Lyon enjoyed pride of place in sixteenth-century France. This course will examine how Lyon's identity emerged and how it was shaped by people who lived or visited there between 1530 and 1550: merchants, printers, doctors, ambassadors, mapmakers, kings, poets and artists. We will study printing and book production, market fairs, "rebeines" or workers' uprisings, famine and poverty relief, religious reform and suppression of heretics, the birth of urban cartography, musical performances and royal entries. Visits to Alderman Library's Gordon Collection of sixteenth-century books and the use of web-based and other technological resources will allow us to view a revolution in media culture that occurred 450 years ago in the light of another one taking place today. Mid-term and final exam, several short papers and a final project.

12:30-1:45 TR - Ms. McKinley

  FREN 445 - ADVANCED TOPICS: CULTURE STUDIES

Rooted in the 18th century, if not earlier, France's "mission to civilize" was invoked to justify its push to conquer foreign lands and expand its colonial empire. Drawing upon historical and travel writing, literature, painting and film, this course will examine both the development of France's self-proclaimed role as a "civilizing nation" and the impact of this mission upon French culture of the 19th and early 20th centuries. Course work will include regular participation in class discussion, two short writing assignments, and one longer course paper. Readings in this course will be done in both French and English. All lectures, discussions and writing will be done exclusively in French.

2:00-3:15 TR - Ms. Horne

  FREN 452 - TOPICS IN FRENCH POETRY: SURVEY OF FRENCH POETRY

Prerequisite: at least one French literature or culture course above 332.

A study of a selection of French poems from the Middle Ages to the present with special emphasis on the modern periods (19th-20th centuries). Through a careful examination of the language of poetry, we will learn how to read a poem and think about what it means to "read" a poem. The ways in which a poetic text constitutes itself and engenders it own meaning and/or non-meaning will be analyzed in depth.

Short response papers, oral presentations, papers, and exams.

3:30-4:45 MW - Ms. Krueger

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