Undergraduate Catalog 2005 - 2006

French (FREN)

Head of Department:  Professor David K. Herzberger
Department Office:  Room 228, J.H. Arjona Building

Consult the Modern and Classical Languages Department listing in this Catalog for requirements for Majors in French.

Consult the Departmental Handbook for courses offered and further description of these courses.
 

161-162. Elementary French I and II Both semesters. Four credits each semester. Four class periods and a one-hour laboratory period. The fourth class period is devoted to culture and society and reinforces through these areas the linguistic skills taught in the preceding classes. Not open for credit to students who have had three or more years of high school French. Students who wish to continue in French but feel ill prepared should contact the head of the Modern and Classical Languages Department.  Elementary French grammar. Emphasis is on the skills of speaking, oral and written comprehension, reading of simple texts and writing.

163-164. Intermediate French I and II Both semesters. Four credits each semester. Four class periods and a one-hour laboratory period. The fourth class period is devoted to culture and society. Prerequisite: FREN 162 or 173 or two years of high school French. Continuation of 161-162. Review and extension of French grammar. Graded composition. Intensive and extensive reading. Intensive oral practice.

165-166. French for Reading Knowledge Either semester. Three credits per course. Open only to seniors and graduate students. Not open to undergraduates who have had FREN 161-162 or 172-173. May not be used to meet the undergraduate foreign language requirement or as a prerequisite for other French courses. Basic French grammar and intensive practice in reading expository prose in a variety of subjects, for use as a research tool and in preparation for the Ph.D. reading examination.

169. Studies in the French-Speaking World Either semester. Three credits. Conducted in English. Recent trends in French life. Selected materials to acquaint students with the French contribution to the changing face of modernity. Weekly topics include: popular culture, women in France, cultural myths, the Francophone world, regionalism, decolonization and racism, etc.

171. French Cinema Either semester. Three credits. One 3-hour class period. Readings, viewings and lectures in English. May not be used to meet the foreign language requirement. Weekly screenings of French films from the first comedies and surrealism to the New Wave and the young filmmakers of the 1990's. Introduction to film history, analysis, and interpretation of films. CA 1. CA 4-INT.

172 through 175. Intensive French I-IV Both semesters. Eight credits each semester. Two hours a day, four days a week, plus a 2-hour laboratory practice. Open only with consent of instructor. Intensive coverage of two years in two semesters. French 172-173 (fall) covers the same material as 161-162; French 174-175 (spring) covers the same material as 163-164.

184. Literatures and Cultures of the Postcolonial Francophone World  Three credits. Either semester. Taught in English.  Evolution of literatures and cultures formerly under French colonial rule. Language, identity, religion, art and politics as they shape these societies passage to cultural autonomy. CA 1. CA 4.-INT

193. Foreign Study Either or both semesters. Credits and hours by arrangement. May be repeated for credit. Consent of Department Head required, normally before the the student's departure. Special topics taken in a foreign study program.

196. Magicians, Witches, Wizards: Parallel Beliefs and Popular Culture in France  Either semester.  Three credits. The search for traces of a counter culture which grew out of pagan beliefs and remained latent despite the domination of Christianity from the Middle Ages to modern times. Tales of magic and witchcraft, as presented by texts and films. The evolution of exemplary figures like Merlin or Nostradomus. Taught in English. CA 1. CA 4-INT.

210. French Art and Civilization First semester. Three credits. Recommended preparation: FREN 164 or 175 or three years of high school French or consent of instructor. Studies of the arts in the cultural context of French and Francophone civilization, from the Middle Ages to the late nineteenth century. Considerations of social systems, passions, sexuality, relations of power in their manifestations in architechture, painting and sculpture. Some lectures by and discussions with experts from Anthropology, Music, Political Science, History, and Art History. CA 1.

211. Contemporary France Second semester. Three credits. Recommended preparation: FREN 164 or 175 or three years of high school French or consent of instructor.  An historical and cultural overview of France in the 20th and 21st centuries: from D-Day to the European Union, from Communism to the Green Party, from ballad crooners to rap, from love stories to action films; the changing French nation through authentic documents, literary texts, and films. CA 1. CA 4-INT.

215. Practical Translation Either semester. Three credits. Recommended preparation: FREN 267 or 268 or consent of instructor. The course is primarily designed to acquaint students with the practical aspect of translating by working on a variety of articles on politics, science, business, and the arts

216. Advanced Translation Either semester. Three credits. Prerequisite: FREN 215 or consent of instructor. Gordon, Melehy Translation of texts from the press, contemporary literature, film, and media. This level of translation requires the completion of an individual project.

217. Business French Either semester. Three credits. Recommended preparation: FREN 164 or 175 or three years of high school French or consent of instructor. French and international business, from day-to-day entrepreneurial operations to the new European economy and globalization. Preparation for the Diplôme de Français des Affaires given by the Paris Chamber of Commerce and Industry. Recommended for those interested in working in international business and institutions.

218. Francophone Studies Either semester. Three credits. Recommended preparation: FREN 261 or 262 or 210 or 211 or consent of instructor. The literatures, societies, and cultures of French-speaking countries in North Africa, West Africa, the Caribbean, the Pacific, and of Francophone communities of Europe and North America.  CA 1. CA 4-INT.

220. Theater Studies Either semester. Three credits. Recommended preparation: FREN 261 or 262 or consent of instructor. A study of French dramatic texts and genres (tragedy, comedy, etc.). Popular theatre. The theory and practice of performance in contemporary France. The semiotics of stage production. Use of audio-visual material.

221. Forms and Topics in French Fiction Either semester. Three credits. Recommended preparation: FREN 261 or 262 or consent of instructor. A study of literary forms in prose in their social and cultural contexts. Forms include: classic psychological novel, classic and contemporary science-fiction, the realist novel, the fantastic short story, the new novel, detective fiction, electronic fiction.

222. Poetry Either semester. Three credits. Recommended preparation: FREN 164 or 175 or three years of high school French or consent of instructor. Examples of poetry of different epochs ranging from the epic to the lyric to the limerick.

223. French Film and Theory Either semester. Three credits. Recommended preparation: FREN 261 or 262 or 210 or 211 or consent of instructor. French and Francophone film and its aesthetic and social function. Evolution of film language and the relation of film to literature and to other cultural expressions. May be offered in English or in French.

224. Issues in Cultural Studies, the Media, and the Social Sciences Either semester. Three credits. Recommended preparation: FREN 211 or consent of instructor. May be repeated twice for credit.  The economics of the media industry, mass audiences and new technologies, the marketing of culture, French nationalism and the global market, electronic democracy, the politics of food and addictions, ethics and new forms of human reproduction.  CA 1. CA 4-INT.

226. French and Francophone Cinema Either semester. Three credits. Prerequisite: FREN 210 or 211 or 261 or 262, or instructor consent. Moments and themes in the history of French and Francophone cinema, studied chronologically.

230. The Middle Ages: Myths and Legends Either semester. Three credits. Recommended preparation: FREN 261 or 262 or consent of instructor. Founding myths and legends of Occidental culture, including a socio-cultural approach. Strong audio-visual component. CA 1.

231. Renaissance and Reformation Either semester. Three credits. Recommended preparation: FREN 261 or 262 or consent of instructor. Literary works from the sixteenth century in their cultural context: the secularization of daily life, passions, religious violence, the changing roles of women and reconceptualizations of sexuality, representations of the body, the relationship to Greco-Roman Antiquity; the relationship to the "Other," the "New World".

232. French Classical Culture and Society Either semester. Three credits. Recommended preparation: FREN 261 or 262 or consent of instructor. Exploration of cultural and social change through literature and art. Women and Salons, theories and discourses on love and passions, the Cartesian revolution, the Libertins, classical science-fiction and utopias, classical comedy and tragedy, political absolutism, Versailles and the Sun King, classical colonialism and nationalism, the Ancients and the Moderns.

233. The 18th Century: Travelers, Philosophers, and Libertines Either semester. Three credits. Recommended preparation: FREN 261 or 262 or consent of instructor. The most important texts and figures of the Enlightenment: Montesquieu, Voltaire, Diderot, and Rousseau.

234. Romanticism, Realism, Fin de Siècle: 19th-Century Literature Either semester. Three credits. Recommended preparation: FREN 261 or 262 or consent of instructor. The literary and artistic innovations that made France the center of 19th-century culture. The Fantastic, Realism, Naturalism, and Decadence. CA 1.

235. French Modernity Either semester. Three credits. Recommended preparation: FREN 261 or 262 or consent of instructor. A portrait of  France in the 20th Century through contemporary French literature: exoticism, sexuality, war, colonialism, feminism, end of the century, related films and works of art. CA 1.

250. Global Culture in French I Either semester. Three credits. Recommended preparation: FREN 164 or 175 or three years of high school French or consent of instructor. Intense study of oral French. Learning of oral techniques of communication in conjunction with weekly topics of conversation associated with various francophone cultures. Rigorous and active oral practice through dialogues, interviews, roundtables, and oral reports.

251. Global Culture in French II Either semester. Three credits. Recommended preparation: Four years of high school French or FREN 250 or consent of instructor. Extensive practice in oral French based mainly on authentic cultural materials. Emphasis on perfecting language skills for self expression and communication, on developing new vocabulary, and on recognizing and working with linguistic differences associated with various francophone cultures.

257. French Phonetics Either semester. Three credits. Recommended preparation: FREN 164 or 175 or three years of high school French or consent of instructor. A comprehensive study of the French phonetic system. Practice pronouncing French as the French do in a wide array of contexts.

258. French Language: From Old French to Modern Slang Either semester. Three credits. Recommended preparation: FREN 261 or 262 or consent of instructor. French language through the ages, from the very first literary texts written in "Old French" to the modern variations corresponding to different linguistic levels.

261W. From the Holy Grail to the Revolution: Introduction to Literature Either semester. Three credits. Prerequisite: ENGL 105 or 110 or 111 or 250. Recommended preparation: FREN 164 or 175 or three years of high school French or consent of instructor. Texts from the Middle Ages to the 18th-Century, including  the Arthurian legend, Renaissance poetry, Classical theater, and the philosophy of the Enlightenment in the cultural context in which they were produced. CA 1.

262W. From the Romantics to the Moderns: Introduction to Literature Either semester. Three credits. Prerequisite: ENGL 105 or 110 or 111 or 250. Recommended preparation: FREN 164 or 175 or three years of high school French or consent of instructor. Study of poetry, theater and prose fiction that marks the evolution from the psychology of the romantic hero and heroine to Existentialist philosophy and the New Novel, and contemporary fiction and poetry. CA 1.

267W. Grammar and Culture Either semester. Three credits. Prerequisite: ENGL 105 or 110 or 111 or 250. Recommended preparation: FREN 164 or 175 or three years of high school French or consent of instructor. The study of French and Francophone culture through fiction, non-fiction, journalism and film. Emphasis on perfecting both oral and written expression through discussion, presentations, and composition on assigned topics. CA 1.

268W. Grammar and Composition Either semester. Three credits.  Prerequisite: ENGL 105 or 110 or 111 or 250. Recommended preparation: FREN 164 or 175 or three years of high school French or consent of instructor. Advanced study of French texts and extensive written practice in a variety of forms ranging from compositions, essays, summaries and film reviews. CA 1.

269. Advanced French Grammar Either semester. Three credits. Three hours per week. Recommended preparation: FREN 268 or equivalent. Intensive course in French grammar through a variety of fictional and non-fictional texts.

270W. French Literature and Civilization in English Either semester. Three credits. Prerequisite: ENGL 105 or 110 or 111 or 250.  Representative works of French literature, on a particular theme. How literary forms articulate the ideas and values of different periods. CA 1.

272. French Literary Theory Either semester. Three credits. Recommended preparation: FREN 268 or consent of instructor. Introduction to French literary theory, as informed by linguistics, semiotics, historical materialism, psychoanalysis, philosophy, feminist studies, postmodernism and postcolonialism. Critical practice applied to French and Francophone literatures, popular culture, advertising, the media, electronic writing.

280. Women's Studies in French Either semester. Three credits. Recommended preparation: FREN 261 or 262 or 210 or 211 or consent of instructor. Women in French and Francophone literature. Women's writings. The development of French and Francophone feminisms. Contemporary issues concerning women in the French-speaking world.

281. Quebec Studies Either semester. Three credits. Recommended preparation: FREN 261 or 262 or 210 or 211 or consent of instructor. Study of French-Canadian society and its literary and artistic production. Special attention will be given to current issues.

283. French Cultural Studies Either semester. Three credits. Recommended preparation: FREN 261 or 262. French and Francophone cultures and societies. Themes and topics include: sexuality and politics, education and violence, France and the USA, France and Africa, French multiculturism, French music (including rap), cities and "banlieues," social and cultural effects of globalization.

293. Foreign Study Either or both semesters. Credits and hours by arrangement. May be repeated for credit. Consent of Department Head required, normally to be granted prior to the student's departure. May count toward the major with consent of the advisor. Special topics taken in a foreign study program.

295. Variable Topics Either semester. Three credits. With a change in topic, may be repeated for credit. Prerequisites and recommended preparation vary.

298. Special Topics Either semester. Credits and hours by arrangement. With a change in content, may be repeated for credit. Prerequisites and recommended preparation vary.

299. Independent Study Either or both semesters. Credits and hours by arrangement. Open only with consent of instructor. With a change in content, may be repeated for credit.

Study Abroad Program in France. The University sponsors an academic program at the University of Paris in France. A program description can be found in this Catalog within the Modern and Classical Languages Departmental listing, College of Liberal Arts and Sciences.

 

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