Undergraduate Course Offerings - Spring 2007

University of Virginia
Department of French Language and Literature

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.

For descriptions of FREN 101, 102, 105, 201, 202, 232, and 101G, CLICK HERE.

   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.

            0900-0950       MWF               Ms. Sapir                     CAB 335
            1000-1050       MWF               Ms. Sapir                     CAB B029
            1000-1050       MWF               Ms. Zunz                      CAB  B028
            1100-1150       MWF               TBA                             CAB 340
            0930-1045       TR                   TBA                             CAB 330

   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.

            0900-0950       MWF               TBA                             CAB 236
            1000-1050       MWF               TBA                             CAB 335
            1400-1515       MW                 Mr. Blatt                      CAB B029
            0930-1045       TR                   TBA                             CAB 335
            1100-1215       TR                   TBA                             CAB 335
            1400-1515       TR                   Ms. Tsien                     CAB B026

   FREN 333 ORAL & 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.  The 2007 French Presidential campaign will be an active topic in this particular semester.  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.

            1400-1450       MWF               Ms. Stuart        WIL 141A

   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.

            0900-0950       MWF               TBA                            FRN 102
            0930-1045       TR                   TBA                             FRN 102
            1230-1345       TR                   TBA                             FRN 102

   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.

            0930-1045       TR                   Ms. Saunders               CAB 334        

   FREN 342 LITERATURE OF THE 17TH & 18TH CENTURIES

An analysis of representative texts of the two centuries, each within its political and social context.  A discussion of the changing public over the two centuries, and themes of faith and reason, nature and art, and order and revolution.

Texts of Corneille, Moliere, Madame de Lafayette, Montesquieu, Voltaire, and Jean-Jacques Rousseau.

Three papers, a midterm and final exam.

            1200-1250       MWF               Ms. Sapir                     CAB 130

   FREN 343 - LITERATURE OF THE 19TH AND 20TH CENTURIES

Prerequisite: French 332 or equivalent

Introduction to literary texts of 19th- and 20th-centuries.  Close textual analyses of individual texts within broader literary and cultural contexts.  Examination, among others, of sensibility and aesthetics of modernity (Baudelaire), the relationship between prediction, destiny, and fulfillment (Flaubert), "feminine" expression (Colette), notions of the absurd and finality (Beckett), and relation between words and things (Ponge).

            1400-1515       TR                   Ms. Lyu                       CAB 318

   FREN 344 TOPICS IN FRENCH CINEMA

Prerequisite: French 332.  Restricted to French Majors and Minors.

A chronological survey of French films, genres, and directors, from the Frères Lumière to the Nouvelle Vague. The course is conducted in French and includes: two in-class presentations, several short  quizzes, three one- to two- page essays, one midterm exam,  and final paper.

In this section of French 344 students will create digital files for an on-line film glossary, and incorporate audio and visual data in their presentations and final papers, with  the help of a technology assistant. No technological expertise is required to take this course, but students should be willing and eager to learn how to use digital media.

1400-1515       MW                 Ms. Krueger                 CAB 341

   FREN 345 TOPICS IN CULTURAL STUDIES : Les femmes dans la société française depuis 1945

Prerequisite: French 332

Ce cours se propose d’étudier l’évolution de la place de la femme dans la société française depuis la seconde guerre mondiale. Nous aborderons les notions de genre, de rôle social, d’égalité des sexes et de parité. Nous étudierons l’évolution des pratiques dans les domaines suivants : la vie privée, la famille, le monde de l’éducation et du travail, la politique.

Les documents utilisés comprennent un manuel obligatoire (Christine Bard, Les Femmes dans la société française au 20e siècle, Armand Colin, collection U, 2001), des documents d’époque (articles de presse, essais, reportages vidéos, etc.) et des documents contemporains, notamment la couverture médiatique de l’élection présidentielle d'avril 2007.

Travaux : 4 essais (12 à 15 pages en tout), examen partiel (mid-term), présentation finale de groupe.

            1100-1215       TR                   Ms. Debray                  CAB 234

   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.

            1100-1150       MWF               Mr. Drame                   CLM 322A

   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 ; Eric-Emmanuel Schmidt, Monsieur Ibrahim et les fleurs du Coran.

1100-1215       TR                   Ms. Bargach                FRN 102
1400-1515       TR                   Ms. Bargach                FRN 102

   FREN 402 THE FRENCH RENAISSANCE

 Prerequisite: FREN 341, 342 or 343 or permission of professor.

Sixteenth-century France witnessed the Protestant Reformation, the Copernican Revolution, and the discoveries of worlds both Ancient and New.  The printed book was the new medium that announced change to a newly literate society. In Erasmus's Praise of Folly, Rabelais's Gargantua, Marguerite de Navarre's Heptaméron and Montaigne's Essais, we will see how writers both recorded and shaped their turbulent times.  These books tell stories about giants and cannibals, love and passion, the search for truth and the discovery of the self.   Readings in sixteenth-century French.  Three short papers, a mid-semester and a final exam.

                1400-1515   MW                 Ms. McKinley              CAB 337

    FREN 438 FRENCH SOCIETY AND CIVILIZATION: 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, including changing family structures, the role of women, religion, immigration, and France's place in the European union. This year, particular interest will be paid to the French presidential election. 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. In addition to traditional coursework, students will discuss the issues raised in the course with a group of students in France, via weblog and videoconferencing.

1100-1150       MWF               Ms. Levine                   CAB 130

   FREN 444 FRENCH LITERATURE AND FILM

Reflections of the République: Contemporary France through Fiction and Film

Through an exploration of some of the most dynamic novels and films to have come out of France during the last twenty years or so, this seminar seeks to understand what it means to be “French” in France today.  With the rise of multinational capitalism, the formation of the European Union, and the increasing demands of a steadily growing and ever more vocal immigrant community (one that is, paradoxically, no less marginalized), for the past few decades France has been suffering an identity crisis of sorts.  In order to better grasp the root causes of this malaise culturel, as well as the larger stakes involved, we will focus on how issues like race, class, religion, gender, and ethnicity have figured into recent constructions of francité (loosely translated as “Frenchness”). Special attention will be paid to the ways filmmakers and writers choose to engage these issues (from the social realist tone of films like Ressources humaines, to the roman policier (Daeninckx), militant satire (Salvayre’s La Médaille), and the more puzzlingly allegorical style of Haneke’s Caché).  Discussions will cover a range of topics including representations of the banlieue, racism, anti-semitism, unemployment, poverty, and the role that narrative has played in the country’s collective coming to terms with the traumas of the recent past (the Nazi occupation and the Algerian War, specifically).

Required work to include active participation in class discussion, attendance at weekly film screenings, an oral presentation, regular short response papers (1-2 pages), and a final research paper (10-12 pages).  Course conducted in French. 

Films may include: La Haine (Kassovitz, 1995), Bye-Bye (Dridi, 1996), Wesh Wesh, qu’est-ce qui se passé (Ameur-Zaïmeche, 2001), L’Esquive (Kechiche, 2004), La Petite Jérusalem (Albou, 2005), Chocolat (Denis, 1988), Caché (Haneke, 2005), Sans toit ni loi (Varda, 1985), Ressources humaines (Cantet, 1999), Ça commence aujourd’hui (Tavernier, 1999), Un hero très discret (Audiard, 1996).

Novels may include: Kiffe kiffe demain (Guène, 2004), Meurtres pour mémoire (Daeninckx, 1983), La Médaille (Salvayre, 2004), Daewoo (Bon, 2004). 

            1530-1645       MW                 Mr. Blatt                     CLM 407
            1800-2000        T                     Mr. Blatt                     CLM 332A

   FREN 483 ADVANCED SEMINAR IN FRENCH: Inspiration, imitation, invention

 Prerequisite: FREN 341, 342 or 343 or permission of professor.

"Je crois que je n'ai jamais inventé un chemin de pensée, mais qu'il m'a toujours été donné par quelqu'un d'autre. Tout ce que j'ai fait, c'est de m'en emparer immédiatement avec passion, pour mon travail de clarification "
L. Wittgenstein

Il s'agira de suivre ce que j'appellerai " les secrets insoupçonnés de l'écriture ", en accompagnant les diverses attitudes à l'égard de l'imitation. Je partirai d'une brève évocation de Platon (Ion sur le sujet de l'inspiration, Hippias, Gorgias ou Protagoras sur le sujet de la parodie et du pastiche). Je m'aiderai dans ce premier moment du texte de Barbara Cassin, Le plaisir de parler, Minuit). Etape (brève elle aussi) sur quelques textes de la Renaissance, Erasme (De copia), Rabelais (IV livre notamment et la reécriture de Plutarque), Montaigne (la fin de l'Apologie de Raymond Sebon et la reécriture du traité delphique).Je reprendrai brièvement quelques passages de la Défense et illustration de la langue française, sur cette même question.

M'appuyant sur les études d'Antoine Compagnon, La seconde main, Michel Schneider, Voleurs de mots, et Gérard Genette, Palimpsestes, je voudrais parcourir un certain nombre d'œuvres en m'interrogeant sur les procédures de reécriture, sur leur nature, leurs fonctions, leur nécessité (consciente ou inconsciente), en particulier avec M. Proust (les pastiches, l'empreinte du style kitsch) ; Joyce, Borges seront évoqués rapidement ; Louis-René des Forêts (en particulier Le Bavard), et dans deux registres très différents, 1) la lignée (ou filiation) poétique qui va de Reverdy à A. du Bouchet et A. Emaz, par exemple. 2) R.Queneau (voir Bâtons, chiffres et lettres), G. Perec (Les choses, La Vie mode d'emploi ) et si c'est envisageable J. Roubaud, et divers travaux de l'Oulipo.

Je terminerai en évoquant Steven Spielberg, et en particulier E.T.

            1100-1215       TR                   Mr. Pouilloux                CAB 130

   FREN 485 SEMINAR IN FRENCH LINGUISTICS: Langues française et anglaise en contact (et en conflit)

 Prerequisites:  Good reading, writing and speaking ability in French and at least one linguistics or linguistics-related course  (FREN 339, FREN 428, or other). 

This seminar is concerned with contact-linguistic situations in which French and English are brought together for a variety of reasons.  We shall concentrate on three very different settings:
1.   Norman French in Britain in the 11th -14th centuries (including Anglo-French in Gascony, and modern-day results in Jersey French);
2. French/English varieties in contact in New Orleans in the 18th -19th centuries;  and
3. “Franglais”-- or  French/English contact in contemporary France (i.e., post-1965, date of publication of Etiemble’s celebrated “Parlez-vous franglais?”, to present-day).

Topics will include: the variety(ies) of French and English involved in the initial contact; the historical, political, social, as well as linguistic causes and ramifications of the encounter; the accuracy and reliability of prevailing linguistic theories and data; the phenomena of bilingualism, diglossia, language shift, language death/loss; lexical analysis, adaptation and creativity . . .

Course should appeal to students interested in French language study, sociolinguistics, historical linguistics, second language acquisition, translation, and French culture in general.

Course will be taught in French, but many of the reading assignments will be in English.

            1230-1345       TR                   Ms. Saunders               CAB 337

Students who have completed two 400-level FREN courses with a final grade of B+ or better may register for 500-level FREN courses.  Graduate courses can be found HERE.

Home  Back  Top