Course Descriptions

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101. Elementary French.
Fall. Credits: 4.
Fundamentals of the language including pronunciation, grammar, reading, writing, and speaking.

102. Elementary French.
Fall, Spring. Credits: 4.
Fundamentals of the language including pronunciation, grammar, reading, writing, and speaking. Continuation of 101.

134. Hitchcock and Truffaut.
Spring. Credits: 4.
Degree Requirements: Humanities, F5.
A study of films that exemplify the influence of French language and culture on Hitchcock and of Hitchcock on Truffaut. Taught in English.

154. African Literatures of French Expression in Translation.
Fall. Credits: 4.
Degree Requirements: F4, F9.
An introduction to the reading and analysis of African literatures written in French. The course examines identity/otherness, “race,” cultural hegemony, oral literatures, gender-related issues, and post-colonialism. No prior knowledge of French is necessary: All works are read and discussed in English.

200. Intensive French.
Summer. Credits: 4 or 6.
Degree Requirements: F10, F11.
Immersion-style French language study at the intermediate level, in a Francophone country. May be used to satisfy the college’s proficiency requirement in foreign languages.
Prerequisites: French 102 or equivalent.

201. Intermediate French.
Fall, Spring. Credits: 4.
Degree Requirement: F10.
Continued practice and acquisition of the basic language skills.

202. French Connections.
Fall, Spring. Credits: 4.
Enhanced practice and acquisition of linguistic and cultural skills. In French 202, particular attention is placed on the reading and discussion of literary and cultural texts.
Prerequisites: French 201 or equivalent.

301. Composition.
Fall. Credits: 4.
Degree Requirements: F2.
This course develops the ability to read critically and write substantial analytical essays in French. Introduction to literary criticism and advanced grammar review.
Prerequisites: French 202.

305. Intensive French.
Summer. Credits: 4.
Degree Requirements: F11
Immersion-style French language study beyond the intermediate level, in a Francophone country. Counts as one elective course beyond the three core courses in the French minor, but does not count toward the major in French.
Prerequisites: French 202, or the equivalent.

306. Conversation Practicum.
Fall, Spring. Credits: 1.
Emphasis on oral expression and listening comprehension. Small group format. May be repeated once for credit with a different instructor or topic. Recommended in conjunction with French 301.
Prerequisites: French 301 or permission of instructor.

308. French Cultural Heritage.
Summer. Credits: 4.
Intensive French language study at the advanced level in a Francophone culture, supplemented by an in-depth investigation of a major aspect of that culture’s civilization. Research paper and formal oral presentation. Counts as one course towards the major in French.
Prerequisites: French 301 or permission of the instructor.

317. Modern French Civilization.
Credits: 4.
Degree Requirements: Humanities.
Life in France and the Francophone world. French readings on contemporary society, lifestyles, values, art and fashion, commerce, and advertising. Readings in current periodicals. Research project.
Prerequisites: French 301 or permission of the instructor.

321. French Society from the Middle Ages to the Revolution.
Spring. Credits: 4.
Degree Requirements: Humanities, F2i, F3
Survey of the historical, intellectual, and artistic forces that shaped French society from the Middle Ages to the fall of the Ancien Régime in 1789.
Prerequisites: French 301 or permission of instructor.

322. French Society from Napoleon to the 21st Century.
Spring. Credits: 4.
Survey of the social, political, intellectual, and artistic changes that have created modern French society and its contemporary issues.
Prerequisites: French 301 or permission of instructor.

323. Survey of Pre-Revolutionary Literature.
Credits: 4.
Degree Requirements: Humanities, F4.
Major French authors of the Middle Ages, Renaissance, classical period and enlightenment.
Prerequisites: French 301. Students are advised to take French 321 or 322 prior to French 323.

324. Survey of Literature Since the Revolution.
Credits: 4.
Degree Requirements: Humanities.
Major French authors of the nineteenth and twentieth centuries.
Prerequisites: French 301. Students are advised to take French 321 prior to French 324.

332. French Drama.
Fall. Credits: 4.
Degree Requirements: Humanities, F5.
Plays by representative French dramatists from the French classical period to the present.
Prerequisites: French 301, and 321 or 322 and 323 or 324.

333. French Poetry.
Credits: 4.
Degree Requirements: Humanities.
Study of French poetics and survey of principal forms with focus on major French poetical movements.
Prerequisites: French 301, and 321 or 322 and 323 or 324.

334. French Cinema.
Credits: 4.
Degree Requirements: Humanities, F5.
A study of prominent directors and movements of French cinema, this course emphasizes techniques and themes of French filmmaking from the silent era through surrealism and the New Wave to the present. Taught in English. Counts toward the Film Studies minor.
Prerequisites: Students wishing this course to count toward the French minor or major should have completed French 301 and 321 or 322 and French 323 or 324 prior to taking 334. Credit toward the French major or minor will not be granted retroactively.

335. Readings in French Fiction.
Fall. Credits: 4.
Degree Requirements: Humanities.
Selected prose readings from the French classical period to the twentieth century. The major focus of the course will be the study of representative French novelists. May be repeated for credit with a different topic.
Prerequisites: French 301, and 321 or 322 and 323 or 324.

336. Contemporary French Literature.
Credits: 4.
Degree Requirements: Humanities.
An examination of selected authors and developments in prose, drama, and film since World War II. Focus on the theater of the absurd, nouveau roman, and the literary representation of marginalized populations in France.
Prerequisites: French 301, and 321 or 322 and 323 or 324.

337. French Language Studies.
Credits: 1-4.
Special studies in contemporary French usage. Focus on practical analysis of the French language.
Prerequisite: French 301, and 321 or 322 and 323 or 324.

340. Introduction to Translation.
Credits: 4.
Degree Requirements: Humanities.
Emphasis on problems and strategies of translation. Students will be trained in a variety of techniques to translate accurately and idiomatically from French into English and from English into French.
Prerequisites: French 301, and 321 or 322 and 323 or 324.

354. African Literatures in French.
Spring. Credits: 4.
Degree Requirements: Humanities, F9.
Examines the origins and development of sub-Saharan African literatures written in French. Emphasis on the origins and dynamics of the Négritude movement, “postcolonial” theories and literatures, and the emergence of women’s voices in literature.
Prerequisites: French 301, and 321 or 322 and 323 or 324.

441-442. Special Topics in French.
Fall, Spring. Credits: 4-4.
Intensive study of some aspect of French literature, culture, or linguistics.
Prerequisites: Permission of instructor.

485. Senior Paper.
Spring. Credits: 2.
An independent research and writing project to result in an oral presentation and a paper of critical literary inquiry on a topic of the student’s choice. Required of all majors.
Prerequisites: Senior standing.

486. Senior Review.
Fall. Credits: 2.
Review of the major movements in French and Francophone literatures from the Middle Ages to the present. Preparation for the Senior Papers. Required of all majors.
Prerequisites: Senior Standing.

495-496. Honors Tutorial.
Fall, Spring. Credits: 4-8,4-8.