An introduction to the basic elements of the French language. Work in all communicative skills: listening, speaking, reading and writing, with particular attention to grammar and pronunciation. Introduction to the geography and culture of the French-speaking world. Spring.

An introduction to the basic elements of the French language. Work in all communicative skills: listening, speaking, reading and writing, with particular attention to grammar and pronunciation. Introduction to the geography and culture of the French-speaking world.

Continued systematic development of all communicative skills. Further understanding of French culture, geography, and customs, enhanced by readings and video selections. Fall.

Selected readings deal with world languages and cultures. Texts read may be classics in a national literature, works by writers who recently won a high literary prize, or texts dealing with current topics critical to the history or politics of a particular country. Texts may be tied to on-campus lectures on world literature by invited speakers. This course can be repeated once for credit with the permission of the chair.

Continued systematic development of all communicative skills. Further understanding of French culture, geography, and customs, enhanced by readings and video selections. Satisfactory completion of FREN 211 meets global language proficiency. Spring.

Continued systematic development of all communicative skills. Further understanding of French culture, geography, and customs, enhanced by readings and video selections. Satisfactory completion of FREN 211 meets the global language proficiency goal and prepares the student for FREN 212.

Francophone cultures through short literary and cultural readings and short films, with a grammar review component and continued development of reading, writing and speaking skills in French. Fall

This course will help students to improve their written and oral skills in French and train them to develop an approach to various writing assignments. This is designed to broaden the range of options available to them for expressing themselves in the language.

This class is designed to introduce students to the techniques and tools required for both academic and personal writing. Over the course of the semester, students will learn how to write a variety of different types of texts including: the description, the compte rendu universitaire, the journalistic portrait, and other textual genres.

This class is built as a series of discussion sessions. Throughout group discussions about news and precise topics (gastronomy, French music, immigration…) students will acquire basic vocabulary and learn more about social and cultural facts and French contemporary civilization. We will study topics such as immigration in France, the French social system, cinema, leisure…and provide the students with basic information in everyday life. Learning will be based on listening and speaking with material such as songs, TV shows, movie extracts… A vocabulary sheet will provide basic vocabulary about the topic studied. Focus will be put on correct vocabulary and pronunciation.

Supervised reading or research at the lower-division level. Permission of department chair required. Consult department for applicability towards major requirements. Not available to first-year students.

Selected readings deal with world languages and cultures. Texts read may be classics in a national literature, works by writers who recently won a high literary prize, or texts dealing with current topics critical to the history or politics of a particular country. Texts may be tied to on-campus lectures on world literature by invited speakers. This course can be repeated once for credit with the permission of the chair.

A study of contemporary cultural topics in French-speaking countries, including geography, people, and customs. Readings cover social systems such as education, health care, technology, family, religion, art, business, and political thought. Students will integrate these topics with intensive study of the French language, grammar, and phonetics. Emphasis placed on conversational skills and oral expression. Taught in French. Spring.

An introduction to French-language texts and media from a variety of genres: cinema, fiction, poetry, bandes dessinées, advertising, and theater. The course offers the opportunity to discuss the works studied and to practice textual analysis with continued emphasis on grammar, speaking and writing. Taught in French. Fall.

In this course students become familiar with some of the great books which gave rise to French literary culture. Readings are drawn from verse, drama, fiction, and essays. Emphasis on fostering an appreciation of French literature, understanding the works in their social and historical context, and learning the techniques of literary analysis.

This course focuses on the poetry, theatre, and prose written during the Modern era. Emphasis on fostering an appreciation of French-language literature, understanding the works in their social and historical context, and learning the techniques of literary analysis.

The poems, plays, graphic novels and prose works in this course provide insight into the beginnings of the French democracy and the expansion of its colonial empire, with emphasis on the post-colonial period in the contemporary francophone world. Emphasis on fostering an appreciation of French literature, understanding the works in their social and historical context, and learning the techniques of literary analysis. Taught in French.

A study of diverse Francophone cultures as they have evolved from colonization to independence. Films, cultural readings and literary texts are used in this study of Quebec, and francophone countries in Africa, Asia, and the Caribbean.

These courses provide opportunities for students to strengthen their oral and written French at the advanced level. Additional prerequisites at least one 4-credit advanced course.

This course will help students deepen their mastery of the structures of spoken French and enrich their active vocabulary. Using Saussure’s “Cours de linguistique générale” as a starting point, students will learn the International Phonetic Alphabet, develop an understanding of basic linguistic terminology of articulatory phonetics and of the principles that govern French pronunciation. Using multimedia, short transcriptions and audio recordings, students will analyze dialectal variation and historical changes in the language, syllabic and metrical structure, liaison, intonation, and prosody, as well as the relationship between orthography and spoken language in order to improve and perfect their pronunciation and aural comprehension of Modern Standard French.

This course’s main focus is theater of the 17th century, though it is meant as an introduction to French literature of the Grand siècle. Through its study, students will analyze the aesthetic and ideological notions of “baroque” and “classicism” and will explore how they co-existed during the 17th century. Cultural and historical topics that accompany literary production will be discussed in class, including religious tensions, literary quarrels and philosophical ideas. Discussions will also include secondary sources and film. At the end of the semester, students will be able to describe the main characteristics and elements of French literature and culture of the Grand siècle, as well as write a paper in the style of the French “commentaire composé”. Taught in French.

In this course, students will become acquainted with a diverse corpus of "real" and fictional letters including some of the great classics of the French epistolary tradition, film and texts that these foundational works have inspired, and various published and unpublished letters produced in French since the Enlightenment. Through a study of letters in various forms, students will be able to identify major themes of epistolary theory and production, debate the relationship of letters to literature, and engage in formal correspondence that respects the conventions of letter- writing in French while recognizing the evolving practices of epistolary exchange.

In this upper division Topics in Culture class, students will be introduced (or review) content related to the world of francophone gastronomy and to les arts de la table. It will include historical aspects of the gourmet culture of the francophone world, as well as literary texts and film that address the importance of that food culture. This discussion-based course will also include experiential learning opportunities, in collaboration with local resources available to our students. Students will develop writing skills in French and there will be select grammar review, dependent on students’ needs. Taught in French.

An exploration of the changing image of Paris, France, from its ancient and medieval origins to the present. We focus on three tumultuous periods: the 1789 Revolution, the multiple revolts of the nineteenth century, and the Occupation of Paris during World War II. Individual student projects bring in other revolutionary issues and periods, from medieval sieges to the student revolution of 1968, from the gilets jaunes to the challenges of the European Union.

In this course, we explore the ways in which women (in history and in literature) have engendered power, for male leaders, for themselves as agents, for their community, for their gender. We will begin with the warrior nation-builders like Geneviève and Jeanne d’Arc and continue with the women of revolution and salon of the 17th and 18th centuries. We will also examine figures representing the divas of opera, screen, and Parisian life, such as the soprano in Balzac’s Sarrasine, Carmen, and Salome. We will then turn to the women of the French Resistance, student riots, and post-colonial conflicts and wars of the 20th C. Finally, we will consider contemporary figures constructing different images, realities, and possibilities for women and men in the 21st century. Individual student projects will allow us to expand our study to include literary prototypes and cultural leaders, thinkers, artists, fashion designers, cinematographers, and writers from around the francophone world. One question we will follow throughout is to what extent these images and figures related to power are constructed by women or projected by the culture onto women, to what extent individuals and groups are bound or freed by such constructs.

In this course we will work on French phonetics and pronunciation using poems from the 16th-20th centuries as material for practicing French pronunciation. We will also review poetic form and work on writing a French explication de texte on one or more poems.

This course makes use of cinema, (the French “seventh art”), to help students increase their knowledge of Francophone film and the Francophone world, while building their vocabulary and honing discussion and presentation skills in French. This course may take place in tandem with Tournées Film Festival: French Language Film on Campus.

In this Topics in Culture course, students will explore the culture, language, and interpersonal skills at the intersection of French and health. Class themes may include studying or practicing medicine abroad, cultural concepts of health and well-being, health care systems and social protections, global humanitarian organizations, and the vocabulary and grammar of greeting and reassuring patients, describing symptoms, and promoting healthy behaviors. This course will be conducted in French and may incorporate current events, authentic materials, in-class discussions, online interviews, and collaborative, hands-on learning to enhance student learning.

In this Topics in Culture course, students will explore the culture, language, and interpersonal skills at the intersection of French and business. Class themes may include studying or working abroad, technology and commerce, cultural concepts of work-life balance and time-management, and the vocabulary and grammar of applying for work, communicating with collaborators, and promoting yourself, your products, and your services. This course will be conducted in French and may incorporate current events, authentic materials, in-class discussions, online interviews, and collaborative, hands-on learning to enhance student learning.

We read, analyze, discuss and act out scenes from four one-act French-language plays with emphasis on literary innovation.

In this course, we study French-language works from a variety of genres: songs, spoken word, short plays (from medieval farce to experimental theater of the 20th-21st centuries); we will choose particular pieces to learn and perform for a public audience. Performance venue may vary depending on projects chosen: in class, open mic at O’Conn’s, Brother Willie’s Pub, other campus stage venues, or even Celebrating Scholarship & Creativity Day or the French Lyric Festival. May require one substantial rehearsal TBA prior to performance.

A Life of Meaning: An exploration of French-language thinkers who grapple with the fundamental question of how to live a good life. Readings include: Christine de Pisan, Montaigne, de Beauvoir, Chedid, Badiou, French commentaries on the Rule of Benedict.

Advanced study of grammar in context: emphasis on writing for varied communicative purposes, reading for style and content, translation. Students who have completed the equivalent of FREN 312 (6th semester) French will select this course.

This course provides an in-depth study of French phonetics. In class, students will practice oral production as well as improve their listening comprehension skills by working in the language lab. In addition, during these language-lab sessions, the professor will work one-on-one with students to improve their pronunciation. Over the course of the semester, students will also discover regional pronunciation differences, and grasp what it means to speak with a Parisian or Marseillais accent. By the end of the course, students will have a much better grasp of pronouncing French properly, and will have acquired all the tools necessary to progressively improve as they continue with their study of the language. The following topics are covered: the phonetic alphabet, prosody, closed vowels, the unstable “e,” rules for liaison, linking, semi-vowels, consonant chains, semi-open/semi-closed vowels, nasals, rhythm, intonation, and accents.

This course will allow students to acquire the written and oral skills necessary for pursuing a university curriculum in France. These acquired proficiencies will therefore be interdisciplinary in nature and will provide the students with the ability to adapt to different types of academic writing that are unique to the French system. Acquiring methods of structuring and organizing assignments, and a thorough reinforcement of grammatical knowledge will also be course objectives.

Supervised reading or research at the upper-division level. Permission of department chair and completion and/or concurrent registration of 12 credits within the department required. Consult department for applicability towards major requirements. Not available to first-year students.

Through an examination of 20th and 21st century Québécois texts and a study of major cultural events of this same time period, students will learn of the diversity of the Québécois people and of the linguistic and cultural specificity of Québec in North America. With a particular attention to instances of injustice in Québécois society and the unique struggles related to language, students will learn to read texts in socio-cultural context, to conduct research using primary sources across different languages and media, and to practice the art of curation to bring contemporary fights for justice to life.

The Practicum includes both an on-site component and a classroom component. The on-site component requires that a student work as French Cultural Events Assistant for the department or that a student engage in a significant leadership experience in the French Club. In order to register for this course, a student must submit a proposal outlining what s/he will do as an Events Assistant or Club leader. The proposal must be approved by the course instructor and, if applicable, the club/organization’s adviser. The classroom component will involve the equivalent of 4 or 8 hours of meetings/class sessions on-campus over the course of the semester (for 1 or 2 credits, respectively). Students will participate in discussions and complete a series of readings and reflective assignments.

Completed Application for Internship Form REQUIRED. See Internship Office Web Page.

All majors must present a senior capstone in a public forum. In consultation with a faculty advisor students choose a project appropriate to their previous course of study and/or their individual goals.