Academic Catalog

French (FREN)

FREN 1101.  Elementary French I.  (4 Credits)  
Elementary French grammar. Emphasis on speaking, listening, reading, and writing skills. Cultural and social content reinforces the linguistic skills taught in every class.
Not open to students who have had three or more years of high school French. May not be taken out of sequence after passing FREN 1102, 1103, 1104, 1174, 1175, or any 2000 level or higher course taught in French.  
  
FREN 1102.  Elementary French II.  (4 Credits)  
Elementary French grammar. Emphasis on speaking, listening, reading, and writing skills. Cultural and social content reinforces the linguistic skills taught in every class.
FREN 1101 or permission of the Language Coordinator. Not open for credit to students who have had three or more years of high school French.  
  
FREN 1103.  Intermediate French I.  (4 Credits)  
Continuation of FREN 1102. Review and extension of French grammar. Graded composition. Intensive and extensive reading. Intensive oral practice. Cultural and social content reinforce the linguistic skills taught in every class.
FREN 1102 or two years of high school French or permission of Language Coordinator. May not be taken out of sequence after passing FREN 1164, 1175, or any 2000-level or above course taught in French. Not open for credit to students who have passed FREN 1174.  
  
FREN 1104.  Intermediate French II.  (4 Credits)  
Continuation of FREN 1103. Review and extension of French grammar. Graded composition. Intensive and extensive reading. Intensive oral practice. Cultural and social content reinforce the linguistic skills taught in every class.
FREN 1103 or two years of high school French or permission of Language Coordinator.  
  
FREN 1169.  Modernity in Crisis: France and the Francophone World From 1850 to Today.  (3 Credits)  
A cultural history of France and its colonial empire through political, social, artistic and literary revolutions and scandals. Topics include: Impressionism and the shock of the new, the Eiffel Tower scandal, Nazi occupation and the resistance, U.S. cultural imperialism, feminism, immigration and the crisis of national identity. Taught in English. CA 1. CA 4-INT.
  
Content Areas: CA1: Arts & Humanities, CA4INT: Div & Multi Intl  
FREN 1171.  French Cinema.  (3 Credits)  
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. Readings, viewings and lectures in English. May not be used to meet the foreign language requirement. CA 1. CA 4-INT.
  
Content Areas: CA1: Arts & Humanities, CA4INT: Div & Multi Intl  
FREN 1176.  Literature and Cultures of the Postcolonial Francophone World.  (3 Credits)  
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. Taught in English. CA 1. CA 4-INT.
  
Content Areas: CA1: Arts & Humanities, CA4INT: Div & Multi Intl  
FREN 1177.  Magicians, Witches, Wizards: Parallel Beliefs and Popular Culture in France.  (3 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.
  
Content Areas: CA1: Arts & Humanities, CA4INT: Div & Multi Intl  
FREN 1193.  Foreign Study.  (1-6 Credits)  
Special topics taken in a foreign study program.
May be repeated for credit  
FREN 3101.  French for Engineering I.  (1 Credit)  
Provides dual-degree French and Engineering students with the technical and scientific vocabulary needed to discuss a wide variety of topics in engineering.
Open only to dual-degree French and Engineering students; instructor consent required. Recommended preparation: FREN 1103 or equivalent.  
  
FREN 3102.  French for Engineering II.  (1 Credit)  
Provides dual-degree Engineering and French students more advanced vocabulary, methods, and field-specific knowledge. Students will learn to describe scientific processes, to follow scientific presentations in French, and to create preparation and evaluation materials for these presentations.
Open only to dual-degree French and Engineering students; instructor consent required. Recommended preparation: FREN 1103 or equivalent.  
  
FREN 3103.  French for Engineering III.  (1 Credit)  
Provides dual-degree Engineering and French students more advanced vocabulary, methods, and field-specific knowledge. Students will learn to describe scientific processes, to follow presentations in French, to do research to create preparation materials for their interviews with engineers. Students will also learn practical job-seeking skills, including practice with French-style CVs, job letters and interviews.
Open only to dual-degree French and Engineering students; instructor consent required. Recommended preparation: FREN 1103 or equivalent.  
  
FREN 3210.  French Art and Civilization.  (3 Credits)  
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 architecture, painting and sculpture. Some lectures by and discussions with experts from Anthropology, Music, Political Science, History, and Art History. CA 1.
Recommended preparation: French 1104, three years of high school French, or equivalent proficiency level.  
  
Content Areas: CA1: Arts & Humanities  
FREN 3211W.  Contemporary France.  (3 Credits)  
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.
ENGL 1007 or 1010 or 1011. Recommended preparation: French 1104, three years of high school French, or equivalent proficiency level.  
  
Skill Codes: COMP: Writing Competency  
Content Areas: CA1: Arts & Humanities, CA4INT: Div & Multi Intl  
FREN 3215.  Introduction to Translation.  (3 Credits)  
An introduction to the techniques needed to render English into French and French into English. Examination of existing translations, comparing French and English stylistics and exploring different registers of the French language. Practice in translating texts from a range of genres, including fiction, film subtitles, technical texts, etc. Includes practical information for aspiring professional translators. Taught in French.
Recommended preparation: French 1104, three years of high school French, or equivalent proficiency level.  
  
FREN 3216.  Advanced Translation.  (3 Credits)  
Translation of texts from the press, contemporary literature, film, and media. This level of translation requires the completion of an individual project.
Recommended preparation: French 1104, three years of high school French, or equivalent proficiency level.  
  
FREN 3217.  Business French.  (3 Credits)  
Introduction to the vocabulary, communication skills, and cultural literacy required for work in a French-speaking environment. Topics may include French and international business, the French and European economy, industries, NGOs, diplomacy, and other international institutions. Composition of a curriculum vitae and business letters in formal and informal registers of French. Taught in French.
Recommended preparation: French 1104, three years of high school French, or equivalent proficiency level.  
  
FREN 3218.  Francophone Studies.  (3 Credits)  
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.
Recommended preparation: French 1104, three years of high school French, or equivalent proficiency level.  
  
Content Areas: CA1: Arts & Humanities, CA4INT: Div & Multi Intl  
FREN 3220.  Theater Studies.  (3 Credits)  
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.
Recommended preparation: French 1104, three years of high school French, or equivalent proficiency level.  
  
FREN 3221.  Classics of French Literature.  (3 Credits)  
Milestone texts in the history of French literature, with an emphasis on the range of literary forms in their social, cultural, and historical contexts. Genres include the realist novel, detective fiction, and fantasy writing; romantic and symbolist poetry; slapstick and surrealist plays and the theater of the absurd. Taught in French.
Recommended preparation: FREN 1104, three years of high school French, or equivalent proficiency level.  
  
FREN 3222.  Poetry.  (3 Credits)  
Examples of poetry of different epochs ranging from the epic to the lyric to the limerick.
Recommended preparation: French 1104, three years of high school French, or equivalent proficiency level.  
  
FREN 3223.  French Film and Theory.  (3 Credits)  
Emphasis on theoretical texts that consider cinema as an object of study. Detailed analyses of examples of cinema from the silent era to the digital age, including short films, full-length movies, documentaries and experimental film. Introduction to the tools and vocabularies to interpret moving images and overview of the many artistic, literary, and philosophical traditions focusing on film as a privileged object of study and debate. Taught in French.
Recommended preparation: French 1104, three years of high school French, or equivalent proficiency level.  
  
FREN 3224.  Issues in Cultural Studies, the Media, and the Social Sciences.  (3 Credits)  
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.
Recommended preparation: French 1104, three years of high school French, or equivalent proficiency level.  
May be repeated for credit  
Content Areas: CA1: Arts & Humanities, CA4INT: Div & Multi Intl  
FREN 3226.  French and Francophone Cinema.  (3 Credits)  
Survey of French and Francophone Cinema from the silent era to the digital age, encompassing a diverse selection of French and Francophone filmmakers. Exploration of the intersections among history, social issues, and formal experimentation across narrative, avant-garde, and documentary film. Topics may include social change and activism, experiences of displacement and migration, memorial culture, and representations of the Cold War and decolonization.. Taught in French.
Recommended preparation: FREN 1104, three years of high school French, or equivalent proficiency level.  
  
FREN 3231.  Renaissance and Reformation.  (3 Credits)  
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."
Recommended preparation: French 1104, three years of high school French, or equivalent proficiency level.  
  
FREN 3234.  Romanticism, Realism, Fin de Siecle: 19th-Century Literature.  (3 Credits)  
The literary and artistic innovations that made France the center of 19th-century culture. The Fantastic, Realism, Naturalism, and Decadence. CA 1.
Recommended preparation: French 1104, three years of high school French, or equivalent proficiency level.  
  
Content Areas: CA1: Arts & Humanities  
FREN 3235.  French Modernity.  (3 Credits)  
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.
Recommended preparation: French 1104, three years of high school French, or equivalent proficiency level.  
  
Content Areas: CA1: Arts & Humanities  
FREN 3250.  Global Culture in French I.  (3 Credits)  
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.
Recommended preparation: FREN 1104 or 1175 or three years high school French or instructor consent.  
  
FREN 3251.  Global Culture in French II.  (3 Credits)  
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.
Recommended preparation: French 1104, three years of high school French, or equivalent proficiency level.  
  
FREN 3257.  French Phonetics.  (3 Credits)  
A comprehensive study of the French phonetic system with the goal of helping students to improve their pronunciation. Coverage of prosody (intonation, accent, syllables, rhythm) and the connection between sounds and spelling in a wide array of contexts. Taught in French.
Recommended preparation: French 1104, three years of high school French, or equivalent proficiency level.  
  
FREN 3261.  From the Holy Grail to the Revolution: Introduction to Literature.  (3 Credits)  
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.
Recommended preparation: French 1104, three years of high school French, or equivalent proficiency level.  
  
Content Areas: CA1: Arts & Humanities  
FREN 3262.  From the Romantics to the Moderns: Introduction to Literature.  (3 Credits)  
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.
Recommended preparation: French 1104, three years of high school French, or equivalent proficiency level.  
  
Content Areas: CA1: Arts & Humanities  
FREN 3267.  Grammar and Culture.  (3 Credits)  
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.
Recommended preparation: French 1104, three years of high school French, or equivalent proficiency level.  
  
Content Areas: CA1: Arts & Humanities  
FREN 3268.  Grammar and Composition.  (3 Credits)  
Advanced study of French texts and extensive written practice in a variety of forms ranging from compositions, essays, summaries and film reviews. CA 1.
Recommended preparation: French 1104, three years of high school French, or equivalent proficiency level.  
  
Content Areas: CA1: Arts & Humanities  
FREN 3268W.  Grammar and Composition.  (3 Credits)  
Advanced study of French texts and extensive written practice in a variety of forms ranging from compositions, essays, summaries and film reviews. CA 1.
ENGL 1007 or 1010 or 1011. Recommended preparation: French 1104, three years of high school French, or equivalent proficiency level.  
  
Skill Codes: COMP: Writing Competency  
Content Areas: CA1: Arts & Humanities  
FREN 3269.  Advanced French Grammar.  (3 Credits)  
An overview of grammar from points familiar to students to more sophisticated elements of the French language. Focus on texts from written, spoken, and electronic sources. Includes short creative writing projects to encourage reflection on and appreciation of the organizational function of grammar. Taught in French.
Recommended preparation: French 1104, three years of high school French, or equivalent proficiency level.  
  
FREN 3270W.  French Literature and Civilization in English.  (3 Credits)  
Representative works of French literature, on a particular theme. How literary forms articulate the ideas and values of different periods. CA 1.
ENGL 1007 or 1010 or 1011.  
  
Skill Codes: COMP: Writing Competency  
Content Areas: CA1: Arts & Humanities  
FREN 3272.  French Literary Theory.  (3 Credits)  
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.
Recommended preparation: FREN 3268 or instructor consent.  
  
Topics of Inquiry: TOI3: Div, Equity, Soc Just, TOI5: Indiv Values Soc Inst  
FREN 3274.  Diversity in France: Migration, Refugees, and Minorities.  (3 Credits)  
Study of the culture and diversity of France through history, literature, music and the news media. Themes and topics include: religion and secularism, international relations between former French colonies and France, the politics of immigration, social stratification, racial discrimination, and police violence. Taught in French.
Recommended preparation: French 1104, three years of high school French, or equivalent proficiency level.  
  
FREN 3280.  Fiction and Nonfiction by French and Francophone Women.  (3 Credits)  
Recommended preparation: FREN 3261 or 3262 or instructor consent.  
May be repeated for credit  
Topics of Inquiry: TOI2: Cultural Dimen Human Exp, TOI3: Div, Equity, Soc Just  
FREN 3293.  Foreign Study.  (1-6 Credits)  
Special topics taken in a foreign study program. 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.
May be repeated for credit  
FREN 3295.  Special Topics.  (1-3 Credits)  
Prerequisites and recommended preparation vary.  
May be repeated for credit  
FREN 3298.  Variable Topics.  (3 Credits)  
Prerequisites and recommended preparation vary.  
May be repeated for credit  
FREN 3299.  Independent Study.  (1-6 Credits)  
May be repeated for credit  
FREN 3381.  French Internship.  (1-6 Credits)  
Use of linguistic and cultural skills in French in a professional training context such as an internship or in industry in a French-speaking country. Requires contract agreed to in advance by student, internship field supervisor, and program director, detailing expectations for the credits earned. Students taking this course will be assigned a final grade of S (satisfactory) or U (unsatisfactory).
May be repeated for credit