FREN 101

Intensive Elementary French I

Designed to develop a basic ability to read, write, understand, and speak French. Since all linguistic skills cannot be fully developed in 101 alone, stress will be placed on the acquisition of basic structures, which it will be the function of 102 to develop and reinforce. Students who wish to acquire significant proficiency should therefore plan to take both 101 and 102 in sequence. Four hours of class work, plus one required drill hour. Other than beginning students must have the explicit permission of the instructor.

1.50 units, Lecture

FREN 102

Intensive Elementary French II

Continuation of 101, emphasizing oral practice, consolidation of basic grammar skills, compositions and reading comprehension. Four hours of class work, plus one required drill hour.

1.50 units, Lecture

FREN 201

Intermediate French I

Review of basic grammatical concepts and development of fundamental language skills, with increasing emphasis on written expression and spoken accuracy. Use is made of video-based presentations. Since significant linguistic progress cannot be achieved in 201 alone, students wishing to acquire proficiency should plan to take both 201 and 202 in sequence.

1.00 units, Lecture

FREN 202

Intermediate French II

Further reinforcement of written and spoken skills, with continuing practice in the use of complex grammatical structures and greater emphasis on the mastery of contemporary usage through extensive class discussion, reading, and writing.

1.00 units, Lecture

FREN 233

Women & War: World War I and World War II

This course will bring to light the lesser known and diverse story of women in war as active participants in combat, as ambulance drivers at the front, as members of resistance groups, in espionage for or against their own country, as munition workers, and in laboring positions previously denied them because of their gender. Some women collaborated with the enemy and were subject to execution or imprisonment after the wars while others stayed at the "home front" and involved themselves in volunteer work to contribute to the war effort. Through readings of novels, plays, poetry, short stories, diaries, memoirs, and history books, and through viewings of art, documentary, and feature films, we will study the experiences of European women during World War I and World War II; and consider the social and political changes these events brought to their lives. (Listed both as Modern Languages 233-77 and French 233-09; and under the History Deparment, and the Women, Gender, and Sexuality Program.)

1.00 units, Lecture

FREN 233

Orientalism and homosexuality in North African and Western Literature

This course will compare North African and Western Literatures, cinema, and art within the framework of Orientalism and gender dynamics, and in particular male homosexuality.

1.00 units, Lecture

FREN 241

Advanced Composition & Style

Development of a high level of proficiency through the reading and analysis of texts and films in contemporary idiomatic French, with considerable emphasis on attainment of grammatical accuracy.

1.00 units, Lecture

FREN 250

Advanced Language Study

This course is designed to strengthen and develop students’ reading, writing, and translating skills, to facilitate the transition between lower-level language courses and the upper-level study of literature and culture. Readings will focus on the short story as a genre in order to build vocabulary and increase students’ ability to read with ease, as well as to appreciate the literary value of a text. Weekly writing will be assigned on a variety of topics taken from the readings, as well as the students’ own creative writing (essays or short fiction). The translation component of the course will entail passages from the texts read in class, but students will also translate their own creative work. Texts by contemporary writers such as Le Clézio, Assia Djebar, Véronique Tadjo, Philippe Delerm, and others will be used.

1.00 units, Lecture

FREN 251

French Literature I: From the Middle Ages to Romanticism

This course is designed to introduce the student to the major authors of French literature from the Middle Ages to the 19th century. Representative works will be read in chronological order to foster a sense of literary history. Special emphasis will be placed on techniques of literary appreciation. Class conducted entirely in French.

1.00 units, Lecture

FREN 252

French Literature II: Modern French Literature

This course will be a survey of the major texts of 19th- and 20th-century France. Principles of literary history and literary appreciation will be emphasized.

1.00 units, Lecture

FREN 281

Conversational French: Current Events

This course is designed for students who want to be informed about and keep abreast of current events in France, and who want to develop a high level of oral proficiency in French. We will examine current political, social, historical and educational issues as they appear in French journals, periodicals, reviews and magazines such as "L’Express," "Le Monde," "Le Nouvel Observateur," and others. Students will lead and participate in class discussion through presentations of oral reports on the issues under study. All work will be done orally.

1.00 units, Lecture

FREN 305

Modern Culture and Civilization

A study of modern France through its history, arts, politics, and social structures. This course is designed to help students understand why the French think the way they do and why their societal concepts are often very different from those of the Americans. To do so we will see that for the French the presence of the past deeply informs the present and how this historical phenomenon has shaped, at least in part, the concept of the family, the government, the educational system, and the position of women in France. We will also examine the important issue of immigration, which is one of France’s major social issues today. Finally, we will look at the role that France is playing in the shaping of European unity.

1.00 units, Lecture

FREN 320

French Cinema

This course is designed to familiarize students with the development and art of the French cinema as seen through its important phases and movements, and in its relationship to modern France. Relevant literary and critical texts will accompany each film. Lectures and coursework will be in English. (Listed both as Modern Languages 233-33 and French 233-05.)

1.00 units, Lecture

FREN 333

Modern Existentialist

No Course Description Available.

1.00 units, Lecture

FREN 350

Critical Approaches to Advanced Translation Studies

This course will focus on techniques of translating and interpreting both French and English texts from a variety of fields (e.g., literature, culture, history, the arts, political, social, and natural sciences, cinema, international relations, entertainment). Students will learn how to do bilingual reports, summaries, and oral presentations to increase awareness of linguistic subtleties and communicative possibilities. The course emphasizes the process of translation as both an art and a methodology that sharpens critical thinking and language proficiency skills. It is meant to be of particular use to students wishing to develop high-level French language skills for application in a wide variety of contexts.

1.00 units, Lecture

FREN 351

Heart and Mind in French Literature

This course examines how French literature reflects the dichotomies resulting from our susceptibility to emotion and reason, two impulses not always in harmony with one another, but which surely govern the way we see the world. We will consider such issues as courtly and Renaissance concepts of love; the conflict of passion and reason in the age of Louis XIV; Enlightenment and Romantic attitudes toward our aptitude for thought and our capacity to feel; and the development of modern Existentialism and its impact on the way we think and feel about one another. Readings will be selected from the genres of prose, drama and poetry, and all work will be done in French.

1.00 units, Lecture

FREN 355

Seminar in French Literature: France During the Occupation

What was it like to live in France between 1940 and 1945? This course will study French lives during the German occupation in World War II through fictional literature (novels, short stories, plays and poetry), memoirs, testimonies, historical accounts, documentaries and feature films. We will focus on the issues the war raised for the population such as : collaboration, resistance, heroism, profiteering, censorship, and accommodation. We will also consider the problems of daily life that survival entailed. Our readings and approaches will be eclectic in order to encompass many experiences and views. Among the authors to be considered are Merle, Rousso, Joffo,Vercors, Sartre, Eluard,Delbo, Duras and Chaix and among filmmakers are Ophuls, Chabrol, Clair, Berri and Truffaut.

1.00 units, Lecture

FREN 363

Studies in Surrealism

This course will study the background and influence of the Surrealist Movement in European literature and of the Surrealist mode on some European films. Some attention will be paid to the precursors of the movement such as Futurism, Dada and the avant-garde. A reading knowledge of French would be helpful but is not a prerequisite. Students wishing to count this course toward any major in French must secure the permission of the instructor. They will complete their assignments in French and will meet with the instructor in supplementary sessions. Taught in English. (Listed both as Modern Languages 333-18 and French 363-01.)

1.00 units, Lecture

FREN 365

Paris:Myth & Reality

“America is my country and Paris is my home town” (Gertrude Stein). This course will first examine how and why the City of Lights has earned its name. Paris is more than the capital of France: it is in many ways its most prestigious civic and artistic achievement. It is also a myth and a dream haunting the imagination of millions. To understand Paris’s success as an urban center, we will examine the historic relationship between the city and the State, and on how the city has been and continues to be conceived culturally and politically as the driving force of the Nation. Then we will explore why Paris has captured the world’s imagination and inspired so many poets, writers, musicians, painters and film makers. We will focus on American artists in Paris such as Edith Wharton, Ernest Hemingway, Gertrude Stein and others, and in particular on Afro-American artists such as Josephine Baker, Richard Wright, Langston Hughes, James Baldwin and Sidney Bechet. For the latter group, the city was a refuge, chosen since it allowed them to express themselves freely, and yet it also represented a bitter exile for them. Finally, we will consider whether American artists are still the presence in the city they were in the first half of the 20th century and if so, how. We will be guided by the artists’ vision of the city and pose the question, what does it mean today to be an American in Paris? (Same as Modern Languages 233-74.)

1.00 units, Lecture

FREN 399

Independent Study

Submission of the special registration form, available in the Registrar’s Office and the approval of the instructor and chairperson are required for enrollment.

1.00 units min / 2.00 units max, Independent Study

FREN 401

Senior Seminar: Special Topics

This seminar is required of all seniors majoring or minoring in French: Plan A, Plan B (French as primary language), and French Studies minor. Over the term, students will work collaboratively on the various papers they are writing by way of integrating exercises in their major or minor, and the whole class will undertake a number of readings in common in order to provide informed criticism of one another’s papers. Depending on enrollment, the class may also spend part of the semester considering a special topic, author or genre in French Studies.

1.00 units, Seminar

FREN 460

Tutorial

Submission of the special registration form, available in the Registrar’s Office, and the approval of the instructor and chairperson are required for enrollment.

1.00 units, Independent Study

FREN 466

Teaching Assistantship

Submission of the special registration form, available in the Registrar’s Office and the approval of the instructor and chairperson are required for enrollment.

0.50 units min / 1.00 units max, Independent Study