Undergraduate Course Offerings - Spring 2009

University of Virginia

Department of French Language & Literature

Descriptions of FREN 101, 102, 105, 201, 202, 232, and 101G can be found HERE.

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

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 in French

Prerequisite: Completion of FREN 232 or equivalent. Permission of instructor for those having completed only FREN 202. Students having completed French 332 may not take this course.

An intensive course designed to give students a better command of present-day spoken and written French. Class discussion of news articles on current events (French and international), including but not limited to politics, economics, education, language, and entertainment, and including some articles which class members choose.  Mastery of advanced vocabulary, weekly graded written or oral assignments including one guided short exposé, several one-two page papers, oral and written quizzes, and a final exam. Consistent attendance and ACTIVE participation constitute 30% of the semester grade.

This course is designed for students who have not had 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 or above.

FREN 334 - Advanced Oral and 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 - Representative Literary Texts, 1080-1599: Sinners, Saints and Storytellers

"Medieval," in current usage, frequently means reactionary, superstitious or ignorant.  "Renaissance" suggests breadth of knowledge and sudden resurrection after a period of intellectual darkness.  However, the periods we now call the Middle Ages (1000-1499) and the Renaissance (1500-1599) witnessed the almost continuous revival and re-evaluation of both classical texts and folk traditions.  The scholars and artists of this period are responsible for reworking the ideas, stories and literary genres of earlier ages into the forms that determine our "modern" assumptions about subjects such as romantic love, common courtesy, gender, literary conventions, virtue and heroism, sport and entertainment, and truth.  Readings for this course include La Chanson de Roland, La Vie de saint Alexis; texts by Chrétien de Troyes, Marie de France, Christine de Pisan, Michel de Montaigne; and a selection of lyric poetry from each century.  There will be several short assignments, a five-page essay, a midterm and a final exam.

FREN 342 - Literature of the 17th & 18th Century

A close reading of representative works of the 17th and 18th centuries, emphasizing the historical and cultural context of
each text. Readings chosen from Corneille, Moliere, La Fontaine,
Montesquieu, Rousseau, and Beaumarchais. Coursework requires two papers, a mid-term, and a final essay, plus active participation in class discussions.

FREN 343 - Literature of the Nineteenth and Twentieth Centuries: Great Books

Rather than focus on any single theme, movement, motif, or overarching problematic, this seminar will examine five of the most admired and influential novels in the history of modern French literature: namely, Honoré de Balzac’s Le père Goriot, Gustave Flaubert’s Madame Bovary, Marcel Proust’s A la recherche du temps perdu (excerpts), Albert Camus’ L’étranger, and Alain Robbe-Grillet’s La jalousie. 

 Required work to include: active participation in class discussion, regular response papers (1-2 pages), an oral presentation, 2 longer papers (4-5 pages), and a final exam.  Course conducted in French.

FREN 343 - Literature of the Nineteenth and Twentieth Centuries : Passion disorders

A survey of major literary works from the 19th and 20th centuries, this course will explore multiple representations of passion disorders, and more specifically of jealousy, in modern works of prose, poetry, theater, and film. What are the causes and effects of jealousy on a love relationship? From the suffering of a desperate lover to a the ridiculous behavior of a hysterical jealous husband, from desire to hatred, this course will examine the various psychological and physiological manifestations of jealousy on men and women, while focusing on the stylistic features of passion disorders.

Required work to include : active participation in class, regular response paper (1-2 pages), an oral presentation, 2 longer papers (4-5 pages) and a final project.

May include literary works by Stendhal, Proust, Cohen, Robbe-Grillet, Annie Ernaux, Claudel, Marie Chauvet, film by Carné and theoretical texts by Freud, René Girard, and Barthes.

FREN 345 - Topics in Cultural Studies : Le Québec

Ce cours se veut une introduction à la civilisation québécoise telle qu’elle s’est développée depuis la « Révolution Tranquille » dans les années 1960. Nous étudierons de façon générale son théâtre, son cinéma, sa littérature, sa musique, sa cuisine, etcetera) en nous interrogeant sur des éléments fondamentaux de son histoire et de sa société. Comme les Etats-Unis et les autres pays industrialisés du monde, le Québec a connu un essor rapide depuis la Deuxième guerre mondiale, mais il se distingue des États-Unis et des provinces canadiennes où le français n’est pas la langue d’usage. Nous essaierons de voir pourquoi/comment.

FREN 346 - AFRICAN LITERATURES AND CULTURES

Prerequisite: French 332

This course will explore aspects of African literatures and cultures. It will focus on selected issues of special resonance in contemporary African life. Oral literature and its continuing impact on all other art forms. Key issues in French colonial policy and its legacy in Africa: language, politics, education. The course will examine the image of the postcolonial state and society as found in contemporary arts, paintings, sculpture, music, and cinema. Selections from painters like Cheri Samba (Democratic Republic of Congo), Werewere Liking (Cameroun) and sculptors like Ousmane Sow, including such popular icons as Mamy Wata and forms such as Souwere glass painting; from musicians like Youssou Ndour (Senegal), Cheb Khaled (Algeria), Seigneur Rochereau, Tshala Muana (DRC), Salif Keita (Mali), and Cesaria Evora (Cape Verde); from Mande, Peul, and Kabyle oral literatures in French translation; from filmmakers D.D. Mambety, Moussa Sene Absa, and Ngangura Mweze. Visit to National Museum of African Arts depending on availability of funding. The final grade will be based on contributions to discussions, a mid-term exam, 2 papers, and a final exam.

FREN 353 - L’Immigration en France
Prerequisite: French 332
L’immigration est un sujet de premier plan dans l’actualité quotidienne en Europe et en France en particulier ; c’est aussi un sujet de polémique au cœur du débat politique et social.  Le fait que la majorité de l’immigration récente vienne d’Afrique (du Nord et Subsaharienne) et se revendique de l’Islam entraîne des interrogations sur l’identité nationale et sur les principes fondateurs de la République comme celui de la Laïcité. En abordant le thème de l’immigration, on traite divers domaines qui facilitent la compréhension de la France d’aujourd’hui l’histoire à laquelle l’immigration est liée, ses conséquences sociales, culturelles, économiques, politiques et parfois humanitaires.  Des œuvres littéraires, des articles de presse et des films illustreront le cours.
Livres : Pascal Blanchard, La fracture coloniale ; Claire Etcherelli, Elise ou la vraie vie ; Jean-Marie Le Clesio, Poisson d’Or ;Jean-Marie LeClesio Deser

FREN 402: Littérature de la Renaissance

Upheaval, discovery, challenge and innovation mark the literary creations of Renaissance France.   Sixteenth-century France witnessed the Protestant Reformation, the Copernican Revolution and discoveries of worlds both Ancient and New.  The printed page was the novel medium that brought change to a newly literate society.  In Erasmus's Praise of Folly, Rabelais's Gargantua, Marguerite de Navarre's Heptaméron, Jean de Lery’s Voyage au Brésil and Montaigne's Essais, we will see how writers both recorded and shaped their turbulent times.  Three short papers, a mid-semester and a final exam.

FREN 406 - Topics in Twentieth-Century Literature: Regarding the Photograph in French Literature and Film

In this seminar, we will examine some of the most intriguing points of intersection to have developed between literature, photography, and cinema over the course of the nineteenth, twentieth, and twenty-first centuries: from the literary establishment’s initial reactions to the advent of the daguerrotype and surrealist ventures with photographic form, to experimental films about photography, autobiographical photo-essays, and novels that dissect the image’s relationship to the postcolonial gaze.  As we explore how certain texts and films that engage photography illuminate our understanding of such concepts as memory, perception, science, spectacle, history, trauma, and representation (realist or otherwise), the seminar will also allow us to ponder what a photograph is, how it makes meaning, and how its ever increasing cultural prominence has impacted ways of seeing and reading alike (especially in today’s “post-photographic”/digital age).  We will also consider the role photography has played in the formation of modern French literary, cultural, and intellectual history.  Our discussions of primary works (images, texts, and films by the likes of Nadar, Marey, Breton, Atget, Man Ray, Perec, Tournier, Varda, Marker, Eustache, Ernaux, Ozon, and Calle) will be informed by a selection of critical essays that have contributed to our understanding of some of the medium’s most inherent characteristics and contradictions, including, but not limited to, foundational texts by Baudelaire, Poe, Benjamin, Bazin, Barthes, Sontag, and Bellour. Required work to include three short response papers, an oral presentation, a mid-term exam, and a final research paper (which may take the form of a critical photo-essay or “cinécrit” inspired by one or more of the readings).  Course conducted in French.

FREN 411 - Francophone Literature of Africa

Introduction to the Francophone literature of Africa; survey, with special emphasis on post- World War II poets, novelists, and playwrights of Africa. The role of cultural and literary reviews (Légitime Défense, L'Etudiant noir, and Présence Africaine) in the historical and ideological development of this literature will be examined. Special reference will be made to Caribbean writers of the Negritude movement. Documentary videos on African history and cultures will be shown and important audio-tapes will also be played regularly. Supplementary texts will be assigned occasionally. Students will be expected to present response papers on a regular basis. 
In addition to the required reading material, 2 essays (60%), regular class attendance, and contribution to discussions (10%), and a final exam (30%) constitute the course requirements. Papers are due on the dates indicated on the syllabus.

FREN 435 – Tools and Techniques of Translation

Survey of the main tools and techniques of translation. Written and oral translation exercises to and from the target language. Selection of texts will vary.  Taught in French.

Prerequesites: B+ average in FREN 331, 332, and 430 or instruction permission.

FREN 438 - Contemporary France
Prerequisite: successful completion of at least one 300-level course in literature or cultural studies beyond 332.
French 438 is designed to provide students with a background in social, cultural, political, and institutional aspects of contemporary French society in the context of recent history. We will first examine the role of geography, history, education, and politics in shaping contemporary French attitudes, cultural practices, and institutions since the Second World War.
We will then focus on important social questions facing contemporary France:
changing family structures, the role of women, religion, immigration, and France¹s place in the European union. Course materials include readings from the French press and other published sources, films, music, internet exploration, and radio and television broadcasts. The course strongly emphasizes oral participation and discussion, and students are expected to follow current events throughout the semester.

FREN 444

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, if anything, did it mean to be French during a given historical period?

Films may include: Le retour de Martin Guerre (Vigne); La reine Margot (Chereau); Ridicule (Leconte); La Grande Illusion (Renoir) La vie et rien d'autre (Tavernier); Princess Tam-Tam (Greville); Au revoir les enfants (Malle); Lacombe Lucien (Malle) ; Le Chagrin et la Pitié (Ophuls) ; Weapons of the Spirit (Sauvage) ; Outremer (Rouan); La Haine (Kassovitz).

FREN 485 - Seminar in French Linguistics:  “La langue française n’est pas une langue comme les autres (or mysteries of the French language) ”  

 This seminar explores some of the ways in which the French language is “talked about” or “represented” in French publications, by the French themselves, as well as by outsiders (English speakers, in particular).  We will inventory the claims (some of which go back to the 17th century; others are contemporary), try to understand the motivations underlying them, and then seek out the facts (linguistic or extra-linguistic) which will enable us to corroborate or refute these “visages du français”.  Here are some examples: “le français est une langue de prestige”, “…une langue universelle”, “…une langue pure”; “… un trésor à  chérir”; but also “le français est une langue pathologique”,  “une langue rongée de l’intérieur” and even “…un instrument de l’oppression bourgeoise”.    Course conducted entirely in French.  Prerequisites:  Previous course in linguistics helpful.  Students should also feel comfortable speaking French in class.

FRENCH IN TRANSLATION COURSES

FRTR 221: Joan of Arc from Medieval to Modern Times

How to describe Joan of Arc? As a cross dresser, heretic, sorceress, warrior or martyr? These descriptions and more have been used to define Joan of Arc across the ages. Beyond the 2000+ artistic works dedicated to Joan in the past 600 years, political movements, governments, and the Church have used her mystique to promote widely diverse agendas. What makes Joan of Arc so malleable? What can we learn about the self and public identity in studying her case? What can we discover about the writing of history and the creative process in examining the conflicting accounts of her life and her significance? How are we to understand the continued presence of Joan in modern society? To begin answering these questions, we will examine Joan’s trial as well as her portrayal in modern world arts – from Shakespeare’s shocking portrayal of Joan to Japanese graphic novels, from silent film to modern dance. This class will include a visit to the Staunton Blackfriar’s performance of Shakespeare’s Henry VI, Part I, funded through the generous support of the Meade foundation. THIS COURSE WILL BE TAUGHT IN ENGLISH.

Students who have completed two 400-level FREN courses with a final grade of B+ or better may register for 500-level FREN courses with instructor permission.

Graduate courses can be found HERE.