Course level: 100 | 200 | 300 | 400

FREN-101 French for Beginners
Elements of speaking, reading, and writing French. Enrollment limited to those who have not studied French previously. A student may not receive credit for both 101 and 103.


FREN-102 French for Beginners
Elements of speaking, reading, and writing French. Enrollment limited to those who have not studied French previously. Successful completion of 101 is a prerequisite for entry into 102. A student may not receive credit for both 102 and 104.


FREN-103 Elementary French
Fundamentals of French grammar, composition and pronunciation. Emphasis on oral comprehension, verbal communication, reading and writing in the broader context of French and Francophone culture. Classroom interaction stresses oral-aural method of language learning. Enrollment limited to those with previous study of French or according to achievement on the Departmental Placement Examination. A student may not receive credit for both 101 and 103.


FREN-104 Elementary French
Fundamentals of French grammar, composition and pronunciation. Emphasis on oral comprehension, verbal communication, reading and writing in the broader context of French and Francophone culture. Classroom interaction stresses oral-aural method of language learning. Enrollment limited to those with previous study of French. Successful completion of 103 is a prerequisite for entry into 104 unless a student is placed in 104 according to the Departmental Placement Examination. A student may not receive credit for both 102 and 104.



FREN-201 Intermediate French
Grammar review and practice in oral French, with stress on reading and written expression in the spring. Contact with French culture is maintained throughout. Enrollment limited to those who have previously studied French and who have completed 101-102, or who are enrolled according to achievement on the Departmental Placement Examination. Successful completion of 201 is a prerequisite for entry into 202, unless student is placed there according to the placement examination.


FREN-202 Intermediate French
Grammar review and practice in oral French in the fall semester, with stress on reading and written expression in the spring. Contact with French culture is maintained throughout. Enrollment limited to those who have previously studied French and who have completed 101-102, or who are enrolled according to achievement on the Departmental Placement Examination. Successful completion of 201 is a prerequisite for entry into 202, unless student is placed there according to the placement examination.



FREN-300 Practice in Communication
Oral, aural, and written practices of French structures. Collaborative writing, group discussions, individual compositions, and presentations. Recent French films serve as text. Course is a prerequisite for all 300-level courses. Offered every semester.


FREN-305 Approach to Literary Analysis
Reading and analysis, in their entirety, of representative selections of prose, poetry, and theatre. Course aims to introduce students to interpretive strategies, and to make them more aware of and competent in the art of reading. Prerequisite: French 202 or equivalent. Required of all majors and minors. Course is a prerequisite for all literature courses at the 300-level for both majors and minors. Offered every semester.


FREN-310 French Revolutions: Political,Social & Cultural Upheaval Since 1789
Overview of the various literal and figurative revolutions in France following the Revolution of 1789. Course examines the many political changes from the rise of the French Republic to the political, social, demographic, economic, intellectual and artistic developments in the multicultural France of the 21st century, including its place and role in the expanding European Union. Required of all majors. Offered every semester.


FREN-315 Exploring French Foodways
Study of foodways in France through an anthropological lens, incorporating theories of taste, consumption, and gifts. Topics covered include French producers of food, from royal cooks and modern chefs to bakers and confectionary artists, as well as the shifting meanings attached to the production, consumption, and exchange of emblematic French foods (bread, wine, cheese, champagne, chocolate). Recent debates on fast food, genetically modified foods, childhood obesity, and the certification of regionally “authentic” foods are also explored.


FREN-326 19th Century Prose Fiction
Reading and analysis, through lecture and discussion, of nineteenth-century novels and short stories of such major authors as Constant, Hugo, Sand, Stendhal, Balzac, Flaubert, Maupassant, and Zola. Prerequisite: French 305 or equivalent.


FREN-331 Francophone Identities
Study of literary texts from the Francophone world (French-speaking countries in North Africa, Sub-Saharan Africa, the Caribbean, Quebec, and Vietnam). In addition to their intrinsic literary worth, the selections bring to light the changing identities of formerly colonized people in a post-colonial world. Major emphasis placed on the study of the literary texts, but the historical and cultural context is also covered. Prerequisite: French 305 or equivalent.


FREN-332 Image,Sound,Theory in French Film
Study of selected major French films from the New Wave movement to recent cinema. Course is an introduction to the study of the techniques, theory, and semiotics of film as an art form. It includes a reflection on the relationships between image production, social landscapes, and lifestyles in changing contemporary France. Students learn to distinguish between the production and reception of cinematic language.


FREN-334 Diversity in French Cinema Since the 1980's
Study of French films that present the perspectives and situations of groups or individuals who are marginalized or who find themselves excluded from the mainstream society. Since the 1980's, in France and in Europe, an increasing number of film directors have developed specific artistic techniques in order to emphasize social issues. In this course, techniques and language systems pertaining to each artistic expression are identified and debated. Concepts of exile, exclusion, identity, and questions of languages and cultures are examined as perceived in the films and also against today's French socio-political backdrop. The old debate about the role of art in society and in its relationship with reality is revisited.


FREN-335 Women on Women in French Literature
Study of the female experience through the words of women themselves. As Annie Leclerc pointed out in Parole de femme, for too long men have coopted language and assumed the task of telling women who they are. Course addresses such a presumption and examines, in both fiction and nonfiction, firsthand experience from childhood through aging. Prerequisite: French 305 or equivalent.


FREN-336 Immigrants and Young Ethnics: The French Paradox
Study of an emerging body of literature in France written by Beur authors as well as first generation of French African authors. The focus is on the experience of the protagonists who, when trying to mix their cultural heritage to the French culture, encounter a myriad of reactions. Major emphasis is placed on the study of literary texts, but the historical and cultural context is also covered as well as themes such as racism, post/colonialism, women, and religion. Prerequisite: French 305 or equivalent.


FREN-340 Masterpieces of French Literature
Reading and discussion of masterworks of French poetry, prose, and theater in their historical, artistic and social contexts. Works by such authors as Villon, Montaigne, Moliere, Mme de Lafayette, Voltaire, Balzac, Flaubert, Colette and Beckett are read in their entirety. Prerequisite: French 305 or equivalent.


FREN-341 French Heroes and Mythologies
Study of the concept of heroism and its place in the French culture and national ideal. This course explores various French heroic figures that have attained mythical status in the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. A small and accessible body of theoretical texts written by prominent French thinkers and historians who reflected on the question of heroes and nationalism supplements the texts of fiction.


FREN-342 Classical Greek Heroes on the French Stage
Reading and analysis of plays based on Greek myths by such authors as Corneille, Racine, Cocteau, Anouilh and Sartre. Comparison and contrast with the original myth and/or play helps elucidate "modern" responses to the eternal questions posed by classical Greece and its literary masters. Prerequisite: French 305 or equivalent.


FREN-343 Gender Perspectives in the Contemporary French Novel
Study of the conflicting male/female perspective in representative works by major twentieth-century French writers from Colette and Butor to Proust and Beauvoir. Prerequisite: French 305 or equivalent.


FREN-344 Moralists & Immoralists in French Literature
Study of topics in French literature over the centuries, examining works of prose whose thematics revolve around the question of morality. Course presents a survey of novels, short fiction, maxims, and fragments that either advance or reject the conventional moral system. Authors studied include La Bruyere, La Rochefoucauld, Pascal, Mme de Lafayette, de Bergerac, Sade, Diderot, Balzac, Flaubert, Huysmans, Gide, Duhamel, and Camus. Prerequisite: French 305 or equivalent.


FREN-345 Turmoil and Loss in Quebecois Literature by Women
Study of Quebecois identity through careful reading of major literary works by women authors from French Canada. Course focuses not only on the literal periods of unrest as well as on the losses suffered by the Quebecois people but also on the metaphorical turmoil and loss experienced by the characters in the chosen novels. Various aspects of the cultural background are presented (language, religion, music, and art) in an effort to understand the evolution of Quebec's literary tradition and its impact in today's society. A small and accessible body of theory supplements the works of fiction. Prerequisite: French 305 or equivalent.


FREN-346 The French Stage
Study of topics in French theater over the centuries, examining works of the stage whose thematics and use of the theatrical dynamic illustrate the tradition of the genre. The course presents a survey of plays which exploit the medium of the stage and display a broad thematic horizon. Authors to be studied include Rotrou, Corneille, Racine, Molière, Voltaire, Beaumarchais, Hugo, Musset, Giraudoux, Camus, Sartre, and Ionesco. Prerequisite: French 305 or equivalent.


FREN-350 Advanced Stylistics
Intensive practice in the refinement of writing skills directed toward a sophisticated and idiomatic use of the language. Coursework includes composition, translation, comparative stylistics, French for use in commercial and other correspondence, and work in the spoken language.


FREN-351 Phonetics and Diction
Phonetic theory, practice, and transcription. Intensive training in pronunciation and diction. Intended for majors/minors prior to foreign study.


FREN-352 Translation
Study and practice in translating from French to English and from English to French. Course develops the ability to render idiomatic French into idiomatic English, and vice-versa.



FREN-400 Seminar
Intensive study of a particular aspect of French literature, civilization, or culture to be determined by the instructor. Past offerings include The Art of Emile Zola, The Image of Women in French Literature: A Feminist Perspective, The Gaze and Self-Image in French Film, 1959-89 and Postcolonial Immigrations in France. Course is for seniors (in the final semester) to complete undergraduate work in French. Prerequisites: Limited to seniors, except with permission of instructor and approval of department chairperson. Offered every spring.


FREN-450 Individualized Study-Tutorial
Individualized tutorial counting toward the minimum requirements in a major or minor, graded A-F


FREN-451 Individualized Study-Tutorial
Individualized tutorial counting toward the minimum requirements in a major or minor, graded S/U


FREN-452 Individualized Study-Tutorial
Individualized tutorial not counting in the minimum requirements in a major or minor, graded A-F


FREN-453 Individualized Study-Tutorial
Individualized tutorial not counting in the minimum requirements in a major or minor, graded S/U


FREN-460 Individualized Study-Research
Individualized research counting toward the minimum requirements in a major or minor, graded A-F


FREN-461 Individualized Study-Research
Individualized research counting toward the minimum requirements in a major or minor, graded S/U


FREN-462 Individualized Study-Research
Individualized research not counting in the minimum requirements in a major or minor, graded A-F


FREN-463 Individualized Study-Research
Individualized research not counting in the minimum requirements in a major or minor graded S/U


FREN-470 Individualized Study-Intern
Internship counting toward the minimum requirements in a major or minor, graded A-F


FREN-471 Individualized Study-Intern
Internship counting toward the minimum requirements in a major or minor, graded S/U


FREN-472 Individualized Study-Internship
Internship not counting in the minimum requirements in a major or minor, graded A-F


FREN-473 Individualized Study-Internship
Internship not counting in the minimum requirements in a major or minor, graded S/U


FREN-474 Summer Internship
Summer Internship graded A-F, counting in the minimum requirements for a major or minor only with written permission filed in the Registrar's Office.


FREN-475 Summer Internship
Summer Internship graded S/U, counting in the minimum requirements for a major or minor only with written permission filed in the Registrar's Office