French Studies

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French Course Descriptions

Lower Division Courses

FREN 110 Communicating in French I (3):
Introduction to French language and culture; reading, writing, speaking, listening. The course emphasizes the acquisition of communicative skills.

FREN 115 Communicating in French II (3):
Prerequisite: FREN 110 or placement.
Continuation of FREN 110. Expansion of oral and written communication skills in areas of immediate needs, personal interests and written communication skills in areas of immediate needs, personal interests and daily life.

FREN 210 Intermediate French Language and Culture (3):
Prerequisite: FREN 115 or placement.
Continued practice in and development of all language skills, enabling the student to function in an increased number of areas. Materials and discussion relating to French culture.

FREN 222 French Culture and Civilization (3)

FREN 225 Literature of French-Speaking Africa and the Caribbean (3):
No prerequisites.
An overview of the literature of different French-speaking African and Caribbean nations. A focus on the effects of colonization on creating an African or Caribbean identity. Taught in English.

FREN 293 Special Topics (0-3)

FREN 298 Independent Study (0-3)
Prerequisite: Prior approval required of sponsoring professor and department chairperson.

Upper Division Courses

FREN 310 Discovering the French-Speaking World (3):
Prerequisite: FREN 210 or placement.
Students discover varied aspect of the French-Speaking world, both locally and internationally, while raising their proficiency in French to a level at which they can communicate with increasing ease and accuracy. Emphasis on oral expression and listening comprehension, reinforced by writing skills.

FREN 315 Text, Voice, and Self-Expression (3):
Prerequisite: FREN 210 or placement.
Students discover varied aspects of the French-Speaking world, both locally and internationally, while raising their proficiency in French to a level at which they can communicate with increasing ease and accuracy. Emphasis on oral expression and listening comprehension, reinforced by writing skills. Lab required (0).

FREN 324 Contemporary French Culture (3):
Prerequisite: FREN 310, FREN 315, or the equivalent. With permission of the instructor, this course may be taken concurrently with FREN 315.
The study of trends in society, work, politics, education, the arts, and notions of leisure as they relate to the multi-cultural environment in France and to France's place within the European community.

FREN 410 21st-Century France. (3):
Prerequisite: FR-310, FR-A315 or equivalent.
Students extend their knowledge of contemporary French and Francophone cultures, while strengthening their communication skills and ability to talk about unfamiliar and abstract topics. Special focus on current issues. Emphasis on oral expression and listening comprehension. Lab required (0).

FREN 415 Society, Nation, and the Arts in Pre-Revolutionary France (3):
Prerequisite: FREN 310, FREN 315, or equivalent.
Through studying important historical figures, concepts, and literary movements of French civilization from the Middle Ages to the French Revolution, students learn to write extended analyses on abstract topics. Emphasis on mastering various writing styles. Lab required (0).

FREN 416 French for the Professional (3):
For students interest in developing the proficiency needed in business-orientated activities.

FREN 420 Perceiving other US and France:
Prerequisites: FREN 310, 315, 410, 415, or the equivalent. Permission of the instructor. May be taken concurrently with FREN 415.
The study of French and American cultures. perceptions of each other and frequent cultural misunderstandings, placed in the perspective of their development in history and of current events. Taught in French.

FREN 421 Language and Linguistics (3):
Cross listed with GR 421, RUSS 421, and SPAN 421. An introduction to the basic concepts and application of linguistic studies. Presentation and discussion of three main aspects of language: linguistic structures, language as a social dimension, and language as a mirror of cognitive processes.

FREN 431 Contemporary Women Writers in France and Quebec (3):
20th Century Feminine Literature fiction in French examined in light of French and Québequois feminist theory. De Beauvoir, Duras, Sarraute, Brossard, Maillet, Cixous, Irigaray, Redonnet. In French.

FREN 432 French Short Story (3):
The study of themes, techniques, and perspectives as seen in a diversity of French short stories. Texts may include selections from as early as the Medieval fabliau through contemporary writings by Michel Tournier and J.M.G. Le Clezio.

FREN 433 Studies in French Prose: Rabelais through 17th Century (3):
Humanism, preciosity, classicism, Montaigne, Rabelais, Descartes, Pascal, Sevigné, LaFayette and La Bruyère. In French.

FREN 434 Studies in 18th Century French Prose (3):
A course on society, literature, art, and revolution in 18th century France. A focus on how the concepts of society and social change are articulates in the novels and essays of writers such as Montesquieu, Voltaire, Rousseau, Diderot, Olympe de Gouges, Condorcet

FREN 435 Studies in 19th Century Novel (3):
The development of the novel in 19th century France, as seen in representative works of the period from Romanticism to Naturalism. Authors studied may include: Chateaubriand, Hugo, Stendhal, Balzac, Flaubert, Zola.

FREN 436 Paris in 19th Century Literature (3):
Paris in the 19th century was a city in transition- politically, economically, culturally. This course deals with some of the great writers of the period who, as visionaries of their time, were able to grasp the true meaning underlying the ever-changing Parisian panorama. Texts include works by Hugo, Balzac, Gautier, Murger.

FREN 439 Studies in 20th Century French Prose (3):
Examines the new directions taken by French fiction in the 20th century. Beginning with Proust, through the Existentialists and the post-war nouveau roman, ending with an evaluation of recent literary trends in the light of the concepts of modernity and post-modernity.

FREN 440 French poetry: Origins through 18th Century (3):
Marot, Ronsard, DuBellay, Malherbe, LaFontaine, Boileau, Chenier. In French

FREN 442 French Poetry : Romanticism to Baudelaire (3):
An examination of Symbolism of the Romantic period as a moment of explosive creative activity in poetry and art during a time of profound social and economic change. Selections may include works by Lamartine, Vigny, Hugo, Musset, Gautier, Nerval, Baudelaire.

FREN 444 French Poetry: Symbolist to Present (3):
Analysis of Symbolism and subsequent schools (from Naturism to Simultaneism). Apollinaire, Aragon, Breton, Cendrars, Char, Saint John Perse, Senghor, Supervielle, Toulet. In French.

FREN 451 French Drama : Early Modern French Theatre (3):
Nature of tragedy and comedy; seventeenth-century drama in the context of classical theories and modern criticism. Corneille, Racine, and Molière. In French.

FREN 452 French Drama: 18th Century to the Romantics (3):
A course on theater and theatricality for Neo-Classicism to the Romantics focusing both on the themes of the family romance and on the creation of the Artist. Text include works by Marivaux, Beaumarchais, Hugo, Musset, Vigny.

FREN 454 French Drama: 20th Century (3):
Theatre of commitment, art, the absurd, cruelty, and alienation. In French.

FREN 461 French Cinema (3)
A history of French Cinema by movements and authors. Bunuel, Vigo, Gance, Renoir, Clouzot, Cocteau, Tati, Truffaut, Godard, Rohmer. In French.

FREN 462 The Prose Literature of Quebec (3):
Examines 20th century Quebecois Literature, focusing on the genres of the tale, the short story, and the novel. Brulotte, Ducharme, Hebert, Godbout, Ferron. In French.

FREN 463 Themes in French or Francophone Literature (3)

FREN 464 Studies in Francophone Literature (3):
An overview of Francophone literature of Africa and the Caribbean. Focusing on themes of imperialism, de-colonization, and negritude as seen in the words of authors such as Césaire, Senghor, Ba, Schwartz-Bart.

FREN 465 French Cinema II 80s-90s (3):
A look at French cinema since 1980 as indicative of a French identity and value crisis. Examines new genres: Ciné du look, memory films, heritage films, post-modern parody and satire. Directors studied include young directors (Besson, Carox), older directors (Truffaut, Malle) women (Varda, Kurys), minority (Kassowitz) and foreign directors (Kieslowski).

FREN 466/566 Nation, Identity, and Culture (3):
This course promotes an understanding of the dynamics at play in contemporary French culture by examining how the State has shaped society from the Revolution of 1789 to now. Through various texts and films, students explore the shifting notions of Nation, Identity, and Culture during this period. (Offered Occasionally)

FREN 467/567 Postcolonialism and Violence (3):
After examining socio-political conditions that produced violence in individual francophone cultures and countries, we will analyze ways in which texts (novels, plays, life narratives and testimonies) and films arouse horror, discomfort, denial, or connection in readers and spectators. (Offers Occasionally)

FREN 470/570 Love and Honor in Early Modern France (3):
An exploration of the evolution of the concept of honor, as well as the depiction and expression of romantic love, in French literature throughout the early modern period. Students analyze the literary representation of the heroic figure and examine the voice and the depiction of the beloved, considering the relationship in terms of gender and power.

FREN 471/571 Women and Writing in Early Modern France (3):
An examination of the role of women in early modern French literature as symbol/image and as writer. Students explore the representation of identity and power, gender differences in writing, and the textual strategies underpinning these considerations.

FREN 485 Seminar on Molière (3):
This seminar endeavors through a thorough analysis of Molière's plays, to recapture the time, the life and the literary theories of one of the world's best playwrights. Video cassettes make it possible to first view the plays, then analyze them in light of Aristotelian and modern criticism.

FREN 488 Senior Inquiry: Research Project (0)

FREN 489 Senior Inquiry: Comprehensive Examination (0)

FREN 490 Film Series Internship (3)

FREN 493 Special Topics (1-4)

FREN 495 Senior Residency (0)

FREN 496 Inter-Semester Study Abroad-ECLM (0-3):
For elective credit and language majors. Summer semester.

FREN 498 Advanced Independent Study (0-6)
Prior permission required of sponsoring professor and chairperson.

FR X-115 Communicating in French II (3):
Prerequisite: Two years high school French or placement. 1818 ACC program only.
Prepares the student to function in simple situations related to personal interests and daily life. If offered across two semesters in the same academic year, students will in the Spring semester earn four credits.

FR X-210 Intermediate French: Language and Culture (3):
Prerequisite: FR X-115. 1818 ACC program only.
Continued practice in speaking emphasis on functional skills. Readings and discussion of French culture. If offered across two semesters in the same academic year, student will register in the Spring semester to earn 4 credits.

FR X211 French Culture and Civilization 1 (3):
Prerequisite: FR X-210. 1818 ACC program only.
Content based language course with an emphasis on French culture and civilization. Course mainly taught in French.

FR X212 French Culture and Civilization II (3):
Prerequisite: FR X-211. 1818 ACC program only.
Continuation of FR X-211.

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