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.

  FRTR 329 Contemporary Caribbean Culture

An upper-division course in Caribbean culture studied through literary texts published in English, French, and Spanish. All texts will be read in English. No knowledge of French or Spanish is required, although it will be advantageous to have a foreign language. Students who have done well in this course in the past have had a solid introduction to the Caribbean either in Anthropology, Afro-American studies, or History. The introduction to Comparative Literature (CPLT 201, 202) can also be helpful.

Interpretation of cultural materials will stress the process of creolization in the region. Differences between Caribbean and US definitions of ethnicity will be stressed, as will attitudes toward gender roles. Authors who have been read in recent offerings of this course include Alexis, Carpentier, Césaire, Danticat, Depestre, Naipaul, Rhys, Santiago, and Walcott.

This course satisfies the Non-Western Studies requirement in the College.

Course requirements: Midterm exam and substantial term paper.

3:30-4:45 MW Mr. Arnold

  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.

9:00-9:50 MWF Ms. Doyle
10:00-10:50 MWF Ms. Dietzman
10:00-10:50 MWF Instructor TBA
11:00-11:50 MWF Ms. Dietzman
11:00-11:50 MWF Mr. Simon
11:00-11:50 MWF Instructor TBA
12:00-12:50 MWF Instructor 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.

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.

9:00-9:50 MWF Ms. Bargach
10:00-10:50 MWF Ms. Bargach
11:00-11:50 MWF Ms. Doyle
1:00-1:50 MWF Ms. Dietzman
2:00-3:15 MW Ms. Ogden
2:00-3:15 MW Ms. Lyu

  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.

  FREN 341 LITERATURE OF THE MIDDLE AGES & 16TH CENTURY - MEDIEVAL AND RENAISSANCE LITERATURE

The French Middle Ages and Renaissance, a period covering over 500 years, may seem like a faraway world of knights and crusaders, artists and explorers. Yet, modern culture continues to reveal its fascination with that distant past. Books from those centuries between 1050 and 1600 shaped ideals, tastes and cultural icons that continue to capture the imagination today. Our readings will include selections from La Chanson de Roland; Marie de France's Lais; Chrétien de Troyes Yvain; Christine de Pizan's La Cite des Dames; Rabelais's Pantagruel; Montaigne's Essais and some lyric poetry. They reveal changing notions of the hero and of love, and they question the individual's relationship to God, to society, and to the unknown. Taught in French with attention to improving written and oral expression. Three short papers totaling 12-15 pages, a mid-term and a final.

11:00-12:15 TR Ms. McKinley

  FREN 342 LITERATURE OF THE 17TH & 18TH CENTURIES

The battle of the sexes featured prominently in the literature of the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries, not only because the theme was immensely popular among readers, but because writers could use it as a pretext for social criticism and for reflections about the individual. This course will examine major works of the period which treat the manifold conflicts that occur between men and women: jealousy, oppression, murder, gossip, lies, trickery, and duels.

Readings will include texts by Molière, Corneille, La Fayette, Diderot, Rousseau, and Choderlos de Laclos.

The course will be taught in French and the grade will be based on participation, three short papers, a midterm and a final exam.

11:00-11:50 MWF Ms. Tsien

  FREN 344 TOPICS IN FRENCH CINEMA

France, where cinema was invented, has produced over a century of important and influential films. This course offering has two major purposes: to given students the conceptual and linguistic tools for discussing film in French and to provide an overview of major French films.

9:30-10:45 TR Mr. Lyons

  FREN 345 TOPICS IN CULTURAL STUDIES - The most famous French-speaking mystery novelist of the 20th century

Mystery novelist and Belgian writer Georges Simenon, owes his fame to Maigret, the superintendent of the Préfecture de Police in Paris and the main character of his 76 mystery novels. Maigret is to Simenon what Sherlock Holmes is to Conan Doyle or Hercule Poirot to Agatha Christie. At long last here is a first-rate French writer who does not pile up long prepositional sentences. What made Simenon so successful that he was translated in 87 languages? Why are his books available in train stations and airport bookshops in cheap paperback editions and at the same time available in the most prestigious literary series of Gallimard (French publisher)? This course is invitation to solve many mysteries, including the Simenon mystery itself. The course will be taught in French.

11:00-11:50 MWF Ms. Zunz

  FREN 345 TOPICS IN CULTURAL STUDIES - LITTERATURE FRANCOPHONE MAROCAINE

La littérature francophone marocaine est à l'image du pays où elle trouve sa source: un carrefour d'influences et de cultures diverses. L'influence de la France qui a colonisé le Maroc de 1912 à 1956 n'efface en rien les racines africaines, arabo-musulmanes, berbères, andalouses et judéo-arabes que la littérature francophone marocaine traduit fort bien. Ce sont les mille facettes de cette mixité culturelle et ethnique que nous aborderons dans ce cours.

Les œuvres littéraires au programme sont d'abord celles écrites durant la période coloniale, ensuite nous étudierons des œuvres plus contemporaines qui reflètent les aspirations et les interrogations d'aujourd'hui.

Lectures :

Driss Chraïbi, La mère du printemps, Tahar Benjelloun, L'enfant de sable, Abdelfattah Kilito, La querelle des images, Fatima Mernissi, Rêve 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.

2:00-2:50 MWF Ms. Bargach

  FREN 351

Description Pending

11:00-12:15 TR Ms. Horne

   FREN 401 MEDIEVAL SAINT'S LIVES

In the Middle Ages, stories about saints were one of the most popular forms of entertainment. Transvestism, marvelous journeys to heaven and hell, spectacular sins and helpful animals were just a few of the exciting elements the authors used to draw their audiences in. For more sophisticated readers and listeners, they offered edgy commentaries on contemporary hot topics (e.g., virginity vs. marriage) and eternal issues (e.g., the conflicting goals of parents and children). Saints' Lives can thus tell us much not only about medieval theological concerns, but also about secular interests, literary trends, and the quest of both ecclesiastical and lay people to fulfill their spiritual and their terrestrial responsibilities. In this course, we will focus on French Lives written in the twelfth and thirteenth centuries (including those of the wise Catherine of Alexandria, Marie l'Égyptienne the harlot, and Louis IX, king of France), but we will conclude with one or more recent works, such as Flaubert's "Légende de saint Julien l'Hospitalier" or Anouilh's Becket, to see what has become of medieval saints in the modern literary world.

Requirements for FREN 401 will include 2 essays, a midterm, a final exam and active participation; requirements for FREN 593 will include an oral presentation, a seminar paper and active participation. Advanced undergraduates may apply to take the course for 500-level or honors credit.

Pre-requisites: FREN 332 and at least one FREN 300-level course beyond 332 (or the equivalent); previous experience with medieval vernacular literature will be immensely helpful.

11:00-11:50 MWF Ms. Ogden

  FREN 404 THE FICTIONAL ORIENT

Eighteenth-century France created an imaginary Orient filled with harems, genies, princes, and crafty merchants -- a place of fantastic luxury and excessive cruelty. In this faraway dreamland, which included countries as disparate as Persia, Turkey, India, and China, the expectations of realistic writing were temporarily suspended. The perspective of fictional foreigners also allowed French writers to discuss controversial political and moral issues without openly criticizing their own country.

In this course we will examine the ways in which "the Orient" is depicted in French literature of the eighteenth century. The readings will include fiction by Voltaire (La Princesse de Babylone, Mahomet), Crébillon fils (Le Sopha), Montesquieu (Lettres persanes), as well as excerpts from travel narratives and works from the visual arts.

The grade for the course will be based on one short paper (5 pages), one longer research paper (10-12 pages), an oral presentation, and a final exam. The course will be conducted in French.

1:00-1:50 MWF Ms. Tsien

  FREN 411 AFRICAN LITERATURE

Survey of 20th century Francophone literature of Africa. Colonial literature and Assimilation; Negritude, Nationalism and Identity; Postcolonial literature; Feminism; Literature and Censorship; Language and Literature; Theatre and ritual performance; and Oral literature as a major intertext will all be examined through novels, poems, and plays by contemporary African writers in French. Authors will include Senghor, B. Diop, C. Beyala, M. Beti, A. Laabi, Djebar, Mimouni, Utamsi, Werewere Liking, Rabemanjara, and Ken Bugul. Weekly response papers, brief mid-semester oral presentations and bibliographies of the selected research subjects and a research paper (12-15 pages/ 570; 20-25 pages/870) are required.

REQUIRED READING (Selection of the some of the following titles)
Mongo Beti – Le Pauvre Christ de Bomba
Bernard Dadié- Béatrice du Congo
Jacques Chevrier- Anthologie africaine: poésie.
Sony Labou Tansi- La Parenthèse de sang suivi de Je soussigné cardiaque
Assia Djebar- Femmes d’Alger dans leur appartement
Driss Chraibi- L’Homme du livre
Ken Bugul- Riwan ou le chemin de sable
Calixte beyala- Comment cuisiner son mari à l’Africaine
Aminata Sow Fall- L’Ex-père de la nation
Ousmane Sembène- Guelwaar
Michel Hauser- Littératures francophones: III. Afrique noire, Océan indien.
Jacques Noiray- Littératures francophones: I. Le Maghreb.

11:00-12:15 TR Mr. Dramé

  FREN 438 FRENCH SOCIETY AND CIVILIZATION

Description Pending

12:30-1:45 TR Ms. Horne/Mr. Simon

  FREN 443 AFRICA IN CINEMA

This course is a study of the representation of Africa in American, Western European and African films. It deals with the representations of African cultures by 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 the 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 one mid-semester paper (select a film by an African filmmaker and provide a sequential reconstruction of the story based on the methods of P. S. Vieyra and of F. Boughedir ), a final paper (7-10 pages), an oral presentation and contributions to discussions. Each oral presentation should contribute to the mid-semester paper and to the final research paper. The final paper should be analytical, well documented and written in clear, grammatical French using correct film terminology supplied with this description.

Reading list (on reserve, see Toolkit for FREN 443)
Required
Ferid Boughedir -Le cinéma africain de A a Z
(Specific selections of the following works will be announced weekly.)
Kenneth W. Harrow - Matatu- With Open Eyes: Women and African Cinema
Gardies, André - Cinéma d’Afrique Noire Francophone : l’espace-miroir.
Vieyra, P. S. - Le cinéma africain
                     - Sembène Ousmane, cinéaste
Ukadike, F. N. - Black African Cinema
Research in African Literatures - Special Issue: African Cinema. Vol. 26, No.3, Fall 1995.
Diawara, Manthia - African Cinema.

2:00-3:15 TR Mr. Dramé

  FREN 445 ADVANCED CULTURAL STUDIES - BODILY KNOWLEDGE

Prerequisite: one 400-level French literature or culture course.

This course explores a premise shared by a vast range of disciplines from medicine and philosophy to art and literature that to know is to open. The desire to know the human body has often coincided, whether literally or figuratively, with the desire to open it and see its inside.

In early modern Europe, the human body became an exemplary object of knowledge with the advent of public dissections performed as spectacles in vast amphitheaters. The dissecting "anatomical method"* soon established itself as the paradigmatic "searching operation,"* constructing knowledge as outer spectacle and representation of the other. But as the site of lived experience, the human body has also been considered a privileged subject that knows. Knowledge, in this case, resides in inner awareness and experience of the self.

We will investigate two competing, or concurrent, structures of knowing/ opening -- spectacular/ representational and contemplative/ experiential -- and seek to gain bodily knowledge through theory and experience.
(* I borrow the terms from Barbara Stafford's Body Criticism)

3:30-6:00 W Ms. Lyu

Home  Back  Top