Course Descriptions

French in Translation (Taught in English)

FRTR 220 - (3) (IR)
Topics in French and Francophone Culture
Introduction to the interdisciplinary study of culture in France or other French-speaking countries. Topics vary from year to year, and may include cuisine and national identity; literature and history; and contemporary society and cultural change. Taught by one or several professors in the French department.

FRTR 221 - (3) (IR)
Literary Lovers of Medieval France
Study of the theme of love in the great romances, poems, and tales of the French High Middle Ages; spiritual and physical love as embodied by Tristram and Isolde, Lancelot, Arthur, and Guenevere, in the lays of Marie de France, and in the lyric poetry of the courts.

FRTR 223 - (3) (IR)
Sun King: French Culture During the Reign of Louis XIV
Masterpieces of French classical literature studied against the background of the period's plastic and performing arts.

FRTR 244 - (3) (IR)
The French Novel on Film
Course focuses on cinematic rewritings of French literary works from the 17th-20th centuries. Topics include literary theory and cinematic practice; narrative adaptations; the language of prose and cinema; representations of the body; and reconstructions of plot for contemporary audiences.

FRTR 329/790 - (3) (Y)
Contemporary Carribean Culture
A comparative examination of contemporary culture in the Caribbean region with an emphasis on literature. Historical writing (essays), musical forms, and film are also considered as manifestations of the process of creolization in the area. Questions of ethnic diversity and nation-building are central to the course.

Courses Given in French

FREN 101 - (4) (S-SS) Elementary French
Prerequisite: No previous formal instruction in French, or a limited amount of previous formal instruction in French
Development of basic oral expression, listening and reading comprehension, and writing. Language laboratory work is required. Followed by FREN 102.

FREN 102 - (4) (S-SS) Elementary French
Prerequisite: FREN 101 or one or two years of previous formal instruction in French and appropriate SAT score.
Designed for students with an elementary knowledge of French. The skills of speaking, listening, comprehension, reading, and writing are further developed. Language laboratory work is required. Followed by FREN 201.

FREN 105 - (4) (Y)
Accelerated Elementary French
Prerequisites: Previous background in French (more than two years of French in secondary school) and an achievement test score below 540 or a placement score below 378, or permission of the department
A review of basic oral expression, listening, reading comprehension, and writing. FREN 105 students cover the material in the FREN 101-102 text in one semester at an accelerated pace. Language lab required Followed by FREN 201.

FREN 201 - (3) (S-SS) Intermediate French
Prerequisite: FREN 102 or one to three years of formal instruction in French and appropriate SAT score
Designed for further development of the skills of listening, speaking, reading, and writing. Focus on reading skill development through readings on contemporary Francophone culture and short stories. Followed by FREN 202.

FREN 202 - (3) (S-SS) Intermediate French
Prerequisite: FREN 201 or one to three years of formal instruction in French and appropriate SAT score
Designed for continued development of the four skills at an advanced level. Readings emphasize contemporary Francophone culture and include a modern French play.

FREN 211 - (1) (S)
Intermediate French Conversation
Corequisite: FREN 201 and FREN 202, or permission of instructor
Supplementary course in conversation and vocabulary to compliment FREN 201 and FREN 202.

FREN 231 - (1) (S)
Intensive Intermediate French Conversation
Corequisite: FREN 232
Supplementary course in conversation and vocabulary to complement FREN 232.

FREN 232 - (3) (S)
Intensive Intermediate French
Prerequisite: Three to four years of high school French, FREN 201, or appropriate SAT score
Intensive course specifically for potential majors in French. Skills of listening, speaking, reading, and writing are thoroughly developed at an accelerated pace. Readings concentrate on literature without excluding cultural aspects of French civilization. May be taken concurrently with FREN 231. May not be used to satisfy the humanities requirement.

FREN 311 - (1) (S)
French Conversation and Vocabulary
Prerequisite: Completion of the foreign language requirement; corequisite: enrollment in a 300-level French course
Supplementary course in conversation and vocabulary development. May not be used to satisfy the language requirement, nor for major or minor credit.

FREN 331 - (3) (S)
Intensive Grammar
Prerequisite: FREN 202, FREN 232, or the equivalent, or appropriate SAT score. Required of majors and strongly recommended to others as preparation for all subsequent courses (except FREN 333 and FREN 339)
Confirms and consolidates the knowledge of basic linguistic patterns. Emphasizes writing and progressive build-up of vocabulary.

FREN 332 - (3) (S)
The Writing and Reading of Texts
Prerequisite: FREN 331
Development of writing skills and strategies in French including grammar, vocabulary, organization, and style. Careful reading and analysis of a variety of texts (for example, poetry, theater, fiction, and essays). This course is a prerequisite for all undergraduate French courses on a higher level except FREN 333 and FREN 339.

FREN 333 - (3) (S)
French Conversation and Free Composition
Prerequisite: Completion of FREN 232 or equivalent; permission of instructor for those having completed only FREN 202; students having completed FREN 332 are excluded from this course and must take FREN 334
Improves student's command of present-day spoken French. Conversation on topics of current interest; advanced vocabulary; some individualized writing practice. Section size limited.

FREN 334 - (3) (S)
French Conversation and Free Composition
Prerequisite: FREN 331, FREN 332
Improves student's command of present-day spoken French. Conversation on topics of current interest; advanced vocabulary; some individualized writing practice. Section size limited.

FREN 335 - (3) (Y)
Writing Workshop in French
Prerequisite: FREN 332
Improves students' skills in analytic and expository writing in French. Intensive exercises in composition and rewriting, including peer editing. Not available for major or minor credit.

FREN 339 - (3) (S)
Phonetics
Prerequisite: FREN 202 or equivalent
Review pronunciation, phonetics and phonology for undergraduates.

FREN 341 - (3) (S)
Literature of the Middle Ages and Sixteenth Century
Prerequisite: FREN 332
An examination of important trends in medieval and Renaissance literature through close reading of representative works.

FREN 342 - (3) (S)
Literature of the Seventeenth and Eighteenth Centuries
Prerequisite: FREN 332
A study of representative works of the 17th and 18th centuries, emphasizing certain themes common to the two centuries.

FREN 343 - (3) (S)
Literature of the Nineteenth and Twentieth Centuries
Prerequisite: FREN 332
An exploration of representative works of the 19th and 20th centuries.

FREN 344 - (3) (Y)
Introduction to French Cinema
Prerequisite: FREN 332
Study of the basic concepts of film structure, history, and criticism in French and within the French tradition. Includes a survey of representative films from the early works of Lumière and Méliès to the Nouvelle Vague.

FREN 345 - (3) (Y)
Topics in Cultural Studies
Prerequisite: FREN 332
Interdisciplinary seminar in French and Francophone culture and society. Topics vary from year to year. Themes may include literature and history, cinema and society, and cultural anthropology.

FREN 350 - (3) (Y)
History and Civilization of France: Middle Ages to Revolution
Prerequisite: FREN 332
A study of the social, political, economic, philosophical, and artistic developments in France from the Middle Ages to the French Revolution.

FREN 351 - (3) (Y)
History and Civilization of France: Revolution to 1945
Prerequisite: FREN 332
A study of the social, political, economic, philosophical, and artistic developments in France from the Revolution until 1945.

Note   Unless noted otherwise, the prerequisite to all courses on the 400 level is FREN 332, or the instructor's consent.

FREN 401 - (3) (Y)
Literature of the Middle Ages
Studies in the means of literary expression, the themes, the ideas, the forms, and the history of major works of French literature from 1100 to 1500. Topics include individual identity, love, war, humor, and their expression through the literary techniques. Texts are read in modern French translation.

FREN 402 - (3) (Y)
Renaissance Literature
An examination of major works of sixteenth century French literature situated in the larger historical and cultural context of the Continental Renaissance. Texts selected from the works of Marot, Sceve, Rabelais, Du Bellay, Ronsard, and Montaigne.

FREN 403 - (3) (Y)
Literature of the Enlightenment
A survey of the literature of the French eighteenth century, covering selected major works of the Enlightenment by such authors as Montesquieu, Voltaire, Diderot, and Rousseau.

FREN 405 - (3) (Y)
Romanticism
Study of the background of the literary revolution in France during the opening decades of the nineteenth century, and the ensuing social Romanticism of the 1830s and 1840s. Emphasis on Mme de Staël, Chateaubriand, Lamartine, Vigny, Musset, Hugo, Constant, and Nerval.

FREN 406 - (3) (Y)
Realism and Naturalism
Study of the literature of the second-half of the nineteenth century. Emphasizes Balzac, Flaubert, Maupassant, Zola, Huysmans, and the Ecole de Medan.

FREN 407 - (3) (IR)
La Litterature D'Hier
Readings from dramatists, novelists and poets writing between 1900 and 1940.

FREN 408 - (3) (Y)
Topics in Seventeenth-Century Literature
Topics vary; may be repeated for credit. Recent topics have included: classical theatre; poetics of the lyric; moralists; and fiction.

FREN 409 - (3) (Y)
Litterature D'Aujourd'Hui
Analysis of texts chosen from authors who have had a significant impact on French letters since 1945, including Sartre, Camus, Genet, Beckett, Arrabal, Vian, Queneau, Cesaire, Robbe-Grillet, Thibaudeau et al.

FREN 410 - (3) (Y)
Aspects of the French Short Story
A study of themes and narrative styles according to various trends, including witty, erotic, satirical, didactic, suspense stories, and moral and existential debates. Readings from Perrault, La Fontaine, Voltaire, Diderot, Maupassant, Merimee, Gide, Sartre, and Camus.

FREN 411 - (3) (Y)
Francophone Literature of Africa
Survey of a 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.

FREN 428 - (3) (Y)
History of the French Language
Prerequisite: FREN 339 or the equivalent or permission of instructor
Survey of the main currents of the French language in its development from the earliest to the present times. Taught in French.

FREN 430 - (3) (Y)
Grammaire et Style
Prerequisite: B+ average in FREN 331 and FREN 332
Grammar review through the traditional method of analyse grammaticale; includes free composition.

FREN 435 - (3) (Y)
Tools and Techniques of Translation
Prerequisite: B+ average in FREN 331, FREN 332, FREN 430
Written and oral translation exercises to and from the target language.

FREN 436 - (3) (Y)
The Culture of Commerce and Industry in France
Americans entering the French business setting must confront specifically French cultural standards, expectations, and practices. Investigates such topics as the organization of industry, banking, marketing, and management, as well as the role of government and the educational system.

FREN 438 - (3) (Y)
French Society and Civilization
Discussion of political institutions and social problems based upon readings in recent publications and an analysis of current events.

FREN 444 - (3) (Y)
French Literature and Film
A close study of the relation between three or four French films and their sources in French literature and culture.

FREN 451 - (3) (O)
French Comedy
Prerequisite: FREN 332 and either FREN 341, FREN 342, or FREN 343
Dramatic comedy in France from the Middle Ages to the twentieth century, with comparison between comedy and other dramatic forms such as "tragi-comedy" and "theatre of the absurd." Texts by such authors as Corneille, Molière, Regnard, Marivaux, Musset, Feydeau, Jarry, and Beckett.

FREN 483, 484 - (3) (SI)
Advanced Seminars in Literature
Prerequisite: Completion of a 400-level literature course with a grade of B- or better
Close study of a specific topic in French literature. Topics vary.

FREN 493, 494 - (3) (SI)
Independent Study-Selected Topics in French Literature and Civilization
Normally, only French majors may enroll in this course and only by written permission from the department chair prior to the end of the first week of classes.

FREN 498 - (3) (SI)
Pre-Thesis Tutorial
Prerequisite: Admission to the Distinguished Majors Program
Preliminary research for thesis.

FREN 499 - (3) (SI)
Thesis
Prerequisite: FREN 498 and good standing in the Distinguished Majors Program
Composition and defense of thesis.

Note   The prerequisite to all 500-level literature courses is two 400-level literature courses with an average grade of B, or the instructor's consent.

FREN 501 - (3) (IR)
Language Development
Prerequisite: FREN 332. May not be taken by students who have completed FREN 430.
Grammar, stylistics, composition, and translation (thème et version).

FREN 508 - (3) (SI)
Introduction to Reading Old French
Selections are read from several varieties of Old French, including the Ile-de-France, Picard, and Anglo-Norman dialects. Some attention is given to the derivation of French from Latin. Taught in English.

FREN 509 - (3) (SI)
Introduction to Old Provencal Language and Literature
Old Provencal (alias Old Occitan) is presented as a grammatical system with some attention to its derivation from Latin. Readings of simple prose texts followed by poetic selections of the troubadours. Taught in English.

FREN 510, 511 - (3) (Y)
Medieval Literature in Modern French
An introduction to literary forms, habits of style and thought, and conditions of composition from the late eleventh century to the late fifteenth. Includes the Chanson de Roland, Chrétien de Troyes, Roman de la Rose, Villon, etc.

FREN 520, 521 - (3) (Y)
Literature of the Sixteenth Century
Study of important trends in French Renaissance thought and style as seen in major literary works, including the prose of Rabelais, Marguerite de Navarre, and Montaigne, or the poetry of the Lyon group, the Pleiade, and the baroque periods.

FREN 530, 531 - (3) (Y)
Literature of the Seventeenth Century
Study of art forms and society during the baroque and classical periods of French literary history. Readings in theater, fiction, rhetoric and poetry.

FREN 540, 541 - (3) (Y)
Literature of the Eighteenth Century

FREN 540: A study of religious, moral and political thinking as reflected in the works of Bayle, Fontenelle, Montesquieu, Voltaire, Rousseau, Diderot, Helvetius, etc.

FREN 541: A study of developing trends in traditional genres (drama, novel, poetry), as reflected in the works of Le Sage, Marivaux, Beaumarchais, Diderot, Chénier, Voltaire, Prevost, Rousseau, etc.

FREN 550, 551 - (3) (Y)
Literature of the Nineteenth Century
Study of Realism, Naturalism and Symbolism. Analysis of representative texts of Mme. de Staël, Chateaubriand, Constant, Lamartine, Hugo, Vigny, Musset, Nerval, Balzac, Flaubert, Stendhal, Zola, Huysmans, Maupassant, Baudelaire, Rimbaud, Verlaine, and Mallarmé.

FREN 560, 561 - (3) (Y)
Literature of the Twentieth Century
Analysis of principal literary movements and representative authors in the drama, novel and poetry.

FREN 570 - (3) (IR)
African Literature
Study of the principal movements and representative authors writing in French in Northern, Central, and Western Africa, with special reference to the islands of Madagascar and Mauritius. Explores the literary and social histories of these regions.

FREN 571 - (3) (IR)
New World Literature
Introduction to the French-language literatures of Canada and the Caribbean in their historical and esthetic context. Drama, fiction and poetry are included. FREN 571 or FREN 570 (African Literature) are normally a prerequisite to advanced work in Francophone literature at the 800 level.

FREN 580 - (3) (Y)
Literature and Society
Study of French cultural manifestations (literature, arts, education, popular culture) from various socio-historical perspectives.

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