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. Students will be graded on short quizzes, dictations, compositions, a mid-term, and a final exam.

10:00-10:50 MWF Ms. Sapir
11:00-11:50 MWF Mr. Simon
1:00-1:50 MWF Ms. Sapir

  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 understanding the different elements of the French language (classification, origins, and formation of words) and on the relationship that exists between those words (syntax). Students will be asked to apply grammatical rules to composition. Short readings in French will provide a context for discussion, writing, and grammar practice. Students will be graded on dictations (weekly), compositions (bi-weekly), three "interrogations," and a final exam. The course will be taught in French.

11:00-11:50 M W F Ms. Zunz
12:00-12:50 M W F Ms. Zunz

  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).Several papers in French (10-15 pages total).

9:00-9:50 MWF Ms. Bargach
10:00-10:50 MWF Ms. Houyoux
11:00-11:50 MWF Ms. Bargach
12:00-12:50 MWF Ms. Sapir
2:00-3:15 TR Ms. Lyu
2:00-3:15 MW Ms. Ogden

  FREN 334 ADVANCED ORAL & WRITTEN EXPRESSION IN FRENCH

Prerequisite: Students must have completed French 331 and French 332 or their equivalent. 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. Of course, consistent attendance and active participation are essential.

11:00-11:50 MWF Ms. Gandy
12:00-12:50 MWF Ms. Houyoux

  FREN 339 FRENCH PHONETICS

This course, conducted in French, is designed to introduce basic concepts in phonetic theory and to teach students techniques for improving their own pronunciation. We shall examine the physical characteristics of individual sounds, the relationship between sounds and their written representations, the rules governing the pronunciation of "standard French", and the most salient phonological features of selected regional varieties (e.g. le français méridional). Working independently and regularly with audiotapes in the language laboratory, and as a group with the instructor in the classroom, students will have opportunities for oral practice in the production of French sounds (in isolation, in syllabic combinations, in rhythmic groups and in phrases). Requires much memorization. Basis of evaluation: 4-5 quizzes, final exam, 'travaux pratiques' (homework assignments), and daily in-class performance.

9:30-10:45 TR Ms. Saunders

  FREN 341 MEDIEVAL AND RENAISSANCE LITERATURE: WOMEN, LOVE, POWER

The French Middle Ages and Renaissance, a period covering over 500 years, may seem like a faraway world of knights and crusaders, castles and intrigues. Yet, books from those centuries between 1050 and 1600 shaped ideals, tastes and cultural icons that still prevail today. From video games to science fiction, "Camelot" to "Shakespeare in Love," modern culture betrays its fascination with-- and debt to -- that distant past. In this course we will focus on works by and about women. We will read some lais of Marie de France, the first woman storyteller in France; excerpts from Christine de Pizan's utopian vision, La Cite des Dames; short stories by Marguerite de Navarre, sister of the king and supporter of religious reform; and love poems by Louise Labé. In each case we will read contemporary observations about women made by men, including works by Jean de Meun, François Rabelais, Jean Calvin and Michel de Montaigne. Taught in French with attention to improving written and oral expression. Three short papers totaling 10-12 pages, a mid-term and a final.

11:00-12:15 TR Ms. McKinley

  FREN 343 FRENCH LITERATURE OF THE 19TH AND 20TH CENTURY

Prerequisite: French 332

This course explores revolutions and counter revolutions in French poetry and prose from the early 19th through the
late 20th centuries. Course work includes two papers, two exams, and several short writing and discussion assignments.

3:30-4:45 MW Ms. Krueger

  FREN 344 INTRODUCTION TO 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 filmmakers such as René Clair, Marcel Carné, Luis Buñuel, Jean-Luc Godard, Max Ophüls, Jean-Pierre Melville, Jacques Tati, Eric Rohmer, Jean Renoir, François Truffaut, Jean-Pierre Jeunet, Krzysztof Kieslowski. Three short papers (8-10 pages), frequent quizzes, a mid-term, and final examination.

10:00-10:50 MWF Mr. Lyons

  FREN 346 LA LITTERATURE FRANCOPHONE MAROCAINE

La littérature francophone marocaine prend ses racines dans l'Afrique, la France coloniale mais aussi dans le monde arabo-musulman et dans les cultures berbères et judéo-arabe.
C'est cette extraordinaire mixité culturelle et ethnique que des auteurs marocains d'expression française vont illustrer dans leurs ouvrages, depuis l'époque coloniale jusqu'à nos jours.
Après avoir étudié des œuvres écrites durant le protectorat français au Maroc ou relatant cette période, nous aborderons la littérature contemporaine expression des rêves, des mythes et des aspirations politiques et sociales.

Lectures:

Ahmed Séfrioui, La boîte à merveilles ; Driss Chraïbi, La Mère du printemps ; Tahar Benjelloun, L'enfant de sable; Fouad Laroui, Les dents du topographe ; Fatéma Mernissi, Rêves de femmes : une enfance au Harem.

Travaux:

Examen partiel, examen final, 5 essais de 2 à 3 pages et un projet de recherche par équipe.

1:00-1:50 MWF 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.

11:00-12:15 TR Ms. Horne

   FREN 409 LITTERATURE D'AUJOURD'HUI

The course will focus on significant literary works produced since the mid-twentieth century by such authors as Beauvoir, Camus, Duras, Ernaux, and Césaire. Concepts of gender and the gendered text will be examined in relation to fiction, autobiography, and theater. Success in this course requires a reasonable level of cultural competence (measured by completion of at least two FREN 300-level literature courses with a grade of B or better) and the ability to speak and write literary French correctly. Students' grades will be computed as follows: participation in class, including collaborative oral presentations (1/3), a midterm and a final exam (1/3), and a substantial research paper (1/3). Strongly recommended for French and Women's Studies majors. Motivated students from other departments and programs such as English and Comparative Literature are encouraged to enroll if they have the requisite language skills.

2:00-3:15 MW Mr. Arnold

  FREN 436 FRANÇAIS DES AFFAIRES

Prerequisite: FREN 331, FREN 332, plus two 300 level courses with at least a B average.

Ce cours vise à vous familiariser avec les termes propres aux documents et à la vie des affaires en France. Il peut également servir de préparation au Certificat de français des affaires de la Chambre de Commerce Internationale de Paris. Basé sur un manuel et une série de vidéos, le cours requiert un effort de mémorisation et de rédaction. La note est fonction de: tests, lettres et divers documents d'affaires, une interview et l'analyse d'unepublicité.

1:00-1:50 MWF Ms.Houyoux

  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. Midterm and final exam, two short papers and a final project.

2:00-3:15 TR Ms. McKinley

  FREN 443 AFRICA IN CINEMA

Study of the representation of Africa in American, Western European and African films. Ideological Constructions of the African as "other". History of African cinema. Sociological and ideological filmmakers from different cultural backgrounds and studies the ways in which their perspectives on Africa are often informed by their own social and ideological positions as well as the demands of exoticism. It also examines the constructions of the African as "other" and the kinds of responses such constructions have elicited from Africa's filmmakers. These filmic "inventions" are analyzed through a selection of French, British, American, and African films by such directors as John Huston, S. Pollack, J-J Annaud, M. Radford, Ngangura Mweze, Jean-Pierre Bekolo, Souleymane Cisse, Gaston Kabore, Amadou Seck, Dani Kouyate, Brian Tilley, Jean-Marie Teno on a variety of subjects relative to the image of Africa in cinema. The final grade will be based on 2 short papers (4 pages/each), a final paper (7-10 pages), an oral presentation and contributions to discussions. Each oral presentation will lead to a written paper on the subject of the presentation; the paper will address suggestions made during discussions in class. Papers should be analytical, written in clear and grammatical French using correct terminology supplied with this description.

9:30-10:45 TR Mr. Dramé

  FREN 452/550 BAUDELAIRE AND MODERNITY

Prerequisite: students should have taken at least one 400-level French literature course to take this course.

In this course, we will read a selection of works by Charles Baudelaire and examine what makes his writings "modern." Through the "figure" of Baudelaire, we will investigate several key notions of poetic modernity of nineteenth-century French poetry: theories of language, time and space of writing, failure, fragmentation, absence, memory, death...etc. Close analyses of works by Baudelaire combined with careful readings of critical and theoretical works by thinkers of modernity will allow us to explore what constitutes the specificity of the language and experience of poetry in one of the most celebrated and influential poets of French literature.

3:30-6:00 R Ms. Lyu

  FREN 493/501 ADVANCED COMPOSITION

This intensive «hands-on» course will deal with problems of essay writing in French with an emphasis on literary analysis. It will be comprised of weekly short critical papers, intensive grammar review, exercises in translation from French to English and English to French, and writing of pastiches. The use of ToolKit will be required for peer editing and share-writing.

2:00-3:15 MW Mr. Simon

RELATED COURSE OF INTEREST

  CPLT 493 MODERNISM & MODERNITY

This course will examine conceptions and formulations of modernity in Western literature in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Starting with the two texts generally credited with inaugurating "modern literature," Flaubert's Madame Bovary and Baudelaire's Flowers of Evil, both published (and prosecuted on obscenity charges) in France in 1857, we will go on to consider the legacies of Flaubert and Baudelaire in early 20th-century fiction and poetry. Texts may include Joyce's Ulysses, Woolf's Mrs. Dalloway, Proust's Swann's Way, Kafka's Trial, Eliot's Wasteland. We will also read theoretical texts on modernism and modernity, including essays by Baudelaire and Benjamin. Students will be responsible for weekly informal response papers (1-2 pages) as well as midterm and final papers (7-10 pages each).

3:30-6:00 T Ms. Ladenson

Home  Back  Top