Courses

Spring 2007 - French Course Descriptions

French 001 - Elementary French I

This course introduces the fundamental grammatical structures and vocabulary of French. Through the development of basic language skills of reading, writing, listening comprehension and speaking, it promotes the practical use of language in a variety of social settings. Conducted in French. No prerequisites.

French 002 - Elementary French II

A - Block A - Tracy Pearce
B - Block C - Marie Gillette
C - Block F - Marie Gillette
D - Block G - David Pauling

A continuation of French 001. The course advances the study of basic grammar, fosters the development of vocabulary, and broadens the range of situations in which the student can understand and impart information. Audio-visual materials provide the cultural context for linguistic activities. Conducted in French. Prerequisite: French 001 or equivalent.

French 003 - Intermediate French I

A - Block E - Kerri Conditto
B - Block IJr - Ellen Detwiller
C - Block N - Liliane Arnet

Review and continued presentation of French grammar with attention to all four skills: reading, writing, listening, and speaking. The course aims to develop fluency and the functional use of language. Class discussions will be based on short literary texts and readings about French society. Regular listening work and frequent compositions are required. Conducted in French. Prerequisite: French 002 or equivalent.

French 004 - Intermediate French II

A - Block C - Kerri Conditto
B - Block F - Annie Geoghegan
C - Block G - Agnès Trichard-Arany
D - Block KLr - Ellen Detwiller

The course continues the grammar review begun in French 003, introduces the use of more advanced structures, and promotes the acquisition of a large active vocabulary. It aims to develop language proficiency sufficient to converse about practical concerns and to narrate in past, present, and future time. Readings from several different types of prose develop sensitivity to tone and style. Course work consists of regular lab assignments, compositions, class discussions, and oral presentations. Students are required to register for a recitation section that consists of a weekly 40-minute conversation group. Conducted in French. Prerequisite: French 003 or equivalent.

French 021 - Composition and Conversation I

A - Block C - Saliha Ziane
B - Block E - Anne Christine Rice
C - Block H - Annie Geoghegan
I - Block I - David Pauling

This course aims to develop the student's ability to speak and write French, with special emphasis on oral-aural skills and a focus on contemporary French culture. A review of more advanced grammar structures promotes correct expression. Lab assignments and readings, in the form of cultural texts and short fiction, serve to expand vocabulary and provide subjects for class discussions. Given the focus on oral expression, active participation in class is essential. Regular lab work, compositions, oral exposés and debates. Students are required to register for a recitation section that consists of a weekly 40-minute conversation group. Conducted in French. Prerequisite: French 004 or equivalent.

French 022 - Composition and Conversation II

This course, like French 021, provides a grammar review and work on oral/aural skills, but its focus shifts to written expression. Readings are drawn from contemporary French and Francophone texts. To prepare students for upper-level courses, increasing emphasis is placed on analytical skills and on the cogent presentation of ideas and points of view. Course work includes oral and written assignments, video, film, and exams. Students are required to register for a recitation section that consists of a weekly 40-minute conversation group. Conducted in French. Prerequisite: French 021 or equivalent.

French 32-A - Readings in French Literature II

Block E+ - Eglal Henein

Through the study of French and Francophone literature, we will practice techniques of close reading. Special attention will be given to the cultural background of texts. Three short papers, one research paper presented to the class and a final exam. The course is conducted in French. Prerequisite: Fr 21, or instructor's consent

French 32-B - Readings in French Literature II

Block D+ - Claire Schub

Readings of the 19th- and 20th-century texts including literary, social, and and cultural developments using various theoretical approaches. The course includes the novel, short story, poetry, essay, and theater, and is intended to strengthen students’ oral and written critical expression. Oral presentations, mid-term and final exams, three papers (2-3 pages, 4 pages, and 5-7 pages). Prerequisite: French 21 or equivalent.

French 32-C - Readings in French Literature II

Block G+ - Gérard Gasarian

A close reading of five major works from the 19th and 20th centuries. Through lectures, class discussions, oral and written assignments, the course will introduce specific methods for dealing with literary texts from different genres and periods. Short papers and exposés will be required. Conducted in French. Not for senior majors or for students returning from programs abroad. Prerequisite: French 21 or equivalent.

French 32-D - Readings in French Literature II

Block H+ - Isabelle Naginski

Selected readings in various literary genres (novel, short story, poetry) from Pre-Romanticism to the present. The course emphasizes close textual analysis and is designed to refine further students’ critical skills. Class participation is essential. Four short papers (2-3 pages) or three short papers and one exposé; midterm and final examinations. Conducted in French. Not for seniors or for students returning from programs abroad. Prerequisite: French 21 or equivalent.

French 32-E - Readings in French Literature II

Block I+ - Agnès Trichard-Arany

Readings of several major works from the 19th and 20th centuries from various literary genres: autobiographical and fictional novel, short story and poetry. The emphasis of the class will be on techniques of close reading and critical analysis of different genres. Three papers, one exposé, a midterm and a final examination. Conducted in French. Not for seniors or for students returning from programs abroad. Prerequisite: French 21 or equivalent.

French 32-WW - Writing Workshop

Block Jt (Tuesday 3-4) - Isabelle Naginski

Students using the Writing Workshop Option should register for French 32 WW. Workshop in this case means that the course will pay special attention to students’ writing skills in French by emphasizing the planning and revision stages of writing. Informal writing assignments will encourage students to formulate and develop their ideas about the readings and the issues raised in the main class. Students do no extra graded writing but use writing to help in thinking out questions related to the course material.

The Writing Workshop associated with French 32 is open to all students of French 32. Those who choose the Writing Workshop option will meet for one additional 50-minute session per week for special writing assignments, peer discussion of drafts, revisions, and individual conferences with the instructor. Only final versions of papers will be graded. A record of participation will appear on your transcript.

French 75 - Classics of French Cinema (in English)

Block L+ - Brigitte Lane

Viewing of films: Block 10 or at any time of your choice, at the Tisch Media Center.

This course will focus on remarkable French films which, since the early 30s have proven to be landmarks in the history of French Cinema and have imposed their print on more recent ‘new classics’. Special attention will be granted to the aesthetic styles these films represent: from the subversive poetic realism of Jean Vigo to the rebellious spirit of Godard and Kassovitz, among other trends. Films will be considered within the sociocultural and artistic context of their times, especially in the case of “The New Wave School”. Viewing of films (one per week), individual presentations, class discussion, short readings. One midterm paper (6-7 pages), one final paper (10-12 pages). No prerequisites. Films may be viewed either as a group during the reserved time slot (Block 10) or individually, at any chosen time, at the Tisch Media Center. Course conducted in English.

French 92-A - Comparative Caribbean Literature (in English)

Block 6 - Paulette Smith

This course examines the pioneering representative Francophone, Hispano-Caribbean and Anglo-Caribbean currents of thought that have "typified" literature from these zones. Antillean identity will be brought forth through the discussion of the popular concepts of "nationalism", "post-négritude", "antillean bovarysm" "magical realism", "antillanité, "insularity", "ethnicity”, “mythical syncretism” and of their application in novels, films, drama and poetry from the Antilles. Short essays from well know critics such as Edouard Glissant, Patrick Chamoiseau, J. P. Mars, L. Hearns, E. Moutoussamy (Francophone); Derek Walcott, V.S. Naipaul, George Lamming, Michael Dash, Jamaica Kincaid, Kamau Brathwaite, Emma Brodber (Anglophone); and Jean Rhys, Antonio-Benitez-Rojo, (Hispanophone). The authors weave a rich tapestry reflecting a diverse and mixed racial and cultural Caribbean make-up based on créolité and métissage, as is manifested in the design of plot setting and character's identity. Films will be arranged outside of class. Presence and active participation based on weekly Worksheet Preparation, 1 oral exposé, 2 reaction papers ( 2 pages each), one final Term paper (10 pages). Conducted in English.

French 94 - Independent Study (in English)

ARR - Members of the Department

Guided individual study of an approved topic in French literature or civilization. Variable credit. Prerequisite: consent. To register for an Independent Study, see the Department Administrator.

French 121 - Advanced French Language: French and Francophone Women’s voices

Block F+ - Claire Schub

In-depth study of contemporary language with emphasis on idiomatic usage and different styles of expression through analysis of written and spoken French. Readings include both critical and fictional prose and concentrate on women’s voices in French and Francophone society, culture, and literature. Grammar review; frequent written assignments and papers; explications de texte; oral proficiency through exposes and group projects; exams. Active class participation is essential. Not for native speakers or for those who have studied in French-speaking countries.
Prerequisites: French 21 and 22, or consent.

French 171 - 20th-Century French Theater & Society

Block F+ tr - Brigitte Lane

An in-depth study of some of the marking French dramatic works of the 20th century and the crucial relationship of the dramatic text with the stage (acting and directing). Special attention will be granted to the contrasting directions, during that period, of the “Theater of the Absurd” and the “Théâtre engagé” (socially committed theater) as well as to the influence of major avant-garde foreign trends, such as the American experimental theater. The birth of new and freer forms of French popular theater, in the 1970’s, will be considered in the context of the then newly established French regional Dramatic Centers. The most recent legacy of this socially-oriented theater will also be examined through the impact of some new/‘multicultural’ French writers, whether born out of immigration or not. Oral presentations, work in small groups; independent or collective creative writing possible. Active participation in class a must. One midterm paper (6-7 pages); one final research project (10-12 pages). Prerequisites: French 31 and 32, or consent.

French 192-A - Love Poetry of the French Middle Ages & Renaissance

Block H+ - Vincent Pollina

A close study of medieval and Renaissance poetry and of its influence on Western views of human affection. Each class will concentrate on several texts portraying love desired, love shared, or love denied. Since much of the poetry was set to music in its day, there will be four presentations on relations between words and melody; occasional reference to developments in other European literatures will complete the picture. Class discussions, two 5-6 page papers, and a final exam. Counts toward the Interdisciplinary Minor in Medieval Studies. Prerequisite: French 31 and 32, or consent.

French 192-B - Laughter in 17th-Century French Literature

Block I+ mw - Eglal Henein

What Made Them Laugh? We’ll try to answer this question by examining farces, comedies and tales, starting with Louis XIV’s favorite play (Molière’s Sganarelle, ou le cocu imaginaire). Two papers; an oral presentation or a mise en scène; a final exam. Prerequisite: French 31 and 32, or consent.

French 192-C - Seminar on George Sand’s Lélia

Block N+ - Isabelle Naginski

Lélia is arguably George Sand’s finest and most complex novel. It exists in two radically different versions, the first published in 1833, the second in 1839. Initially, the novel caused a scandal, became something of a cause célèbre, and even provoked a duel between two literary critics. In the years to follow, Lélia would be a constant reference in French literary and cultural discourse.

In this seminar, we will begin with a careful reading and close textual analysis of Lélia. We will then go on to examine a selection of literary and philosophical works that “inspired” Sand during the composition of both redactions and study the cultural context in which both versions were composed. We will also consider several fictional texts that Lélia had an impact on. Finally, we will study the novel’s critical reception, making use of Revue des deux mondes and the Revue de Paris, which the library owns. Students will use these and other library resources as a kind of archive for their research and will present their findings to the class in group presentations and exposés. One short paper (5-6 pages); one long paper (10-12 pages). Active class participation is essential. Prerequisite: French 31 and 32, or consent.

Recommended : George Sand, Lélia (texte de l’édition de 1839), 2 vols., Editions de l’Aurore

French 192-D - Baudelaire and His Readers

Block K+ mw Gerard Gasarian

Since his trial of 1857, Baudelaire has elicited from his readers a wide array of literary, aesthetic, moral and political judgments that will be traced and discussed in chronological order. Successively seen as realist, Satanist, decadent, symbolist, dandy, aesthete, classic, Catholic, reactionary, modernist and formalist, Baudelaire presently stands as one of the most complex and puzzling literary figures of the modern period. In studying the poet’s many faces and facets, the course will pursue several goals:

(1) reach a full appreciation of his major works; (2) acquire a general knowledge of modern literary criticism; (3) learn about intellectual European history since the 1850’s. Particular emphasis will be placed on Les Fleurs du mal which will be approached from various critical points of view (sociological, theological, thematic, psychoanalytic, structuralist). Other works by Baudelaire will be read in conjunction with this major volume of verse. These include Le Spleen de Paris (prose poems), L’Art romantique (art criticism), Mon Cœur mis à nu (journal). Prerequisite: French 31 and 32, or consent.

French 192-E - Diversity and Cultural Identity in the Francophone Novel

Block 10+ (Monday 6:00 - 8:45pm) Paulette Anne Smith

Not content with fiction as the definitive European-based social document on their homelands, many francophone writers, especially women authors, call attention to some interesting psychological and aesthetic literary currents, which have evolved as a result of today's mobility and women’s emancipation. Settings and plots reveal an innovative crossing of borders and a cultural exchange among post-colonial “minority” French states that continue to share the same linguistic heritage. The object of the course is to come to a greater appreciation of the role of francophone auto-fiction as a space for encounter between different cultures; and to also puzzle out the notion of a fixed identity with a challenging approach. We hope to gain an understanding of the Francophone novel writers' contribution as social actors in the current issues of “mondialisation” (globalization), "métissage" (multiculturalism) and the concept of “minority” in the canon of French literature. The secondary purpose of the course is to enjoy the humorous way in which they freely alter “Theory” and play with the various meanings of “Diversity”, through the construction and representation of oneself as “Other.” Small group debates, 1 oral presentation (exposé), 3 reaction papers (2 pages) one final paper (8-10 pages) Prerequisite : French 31 and 32, or consent.

French 194 - Independent Study (in French)

ARR - Members of the Department

Guided individual study of an approved topic in French literature or civilization. Variable credit. No more than one credit in an Independent Study may be counted toward the major. Prerequisites: one 100-level literature course and consent. To register for an Independent Study, see the Department Administrator.

French 199-BT - Honors Thesis (Spring Semester)

ARR - Members of the Department

Open to qualified students. Variable credit. Prerequisites: French 31 and 32 and consent. To register for an Honors Thesis, see the Department Administrator. Once the topic has been approved by the Chair, the thesis must be registered in the Office of the Dean of the Colleges.

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