French

FREN 101-102. Elementary French (3 each; F, S)
Three hours per week. These courses initiate a student’s development of the four basic language skills – speaking, listening, reading and writing – through daily in-class activities, frequent assignments completed at home, and regular visits to the Language Lab. In addition, the student is introduced to the world’s Francophone peoples and their cultures through informative texts, enlightening video excepts and authentic World Wide Web sites. These courses are designed for those with little or no prior knowledge of French.

FREN 201-202. Intermediate French (3 each; F, S)
Three hours per week. Prerequisite: FREN 102 or equivalent for FREN 201; FREN 201 or equivalent for FREN 202. These courses continue the student’s development of the four basic language skills – speaking, listening, reading and writing – and augment their knowledge of the world’s Francophone peoples and their cultures. Building on the foundation of previous French study, these courses are designed for those who have already achieved an elementary mastery.

FREN 301. Conversation & Phonetics (3; F)
Three hours per week. Prerequisite FREN 202 or equivalent. Concentration on speaking skills through study of characteristic patterns of spoken French (emphasis on sounds and intonation), vocabulary building, levels of speech, idioms, word choice and relevant distinctions between written and spoken French.

FREN 302. Composition & Grammar (3; S)
Three hours per week. Prerequisite FREN 202 or equivalent. May be taken before FREN 301. This course aims to reinforce students’ grammatical foundation through a detailed review of grammatical concepts and translation and writing projects.

FREN 311. Survey of French Literature & Civilization to 1700 (3)
Three hours per week. Prerequisite FREN 202 or equivalent. Not open to native French speakers. Introduction to the outstanding literary figures and works of French civilization from the Middle Ages to 1700, beginning with the birth of French literature (La Chanson de Roland, Le Roman de la Rose, the religious theater), and continuing through the Pléiade, Rabelais, Montaigne and Descartes.

FREN 312. Survey of French Literature & Civilization from 1700 to 1850 (3)
Three hours per week. Prerequisite FREN 202 or equivalent. Not open to native French speakers. Introduction to the outstanding literary figures of French civilization from 1700 to 1850, with special emphasis on the Enlightenment and Romanticism.

FREN 313. Survey of French Literature & Civilization from 1850 to the Present (3)
Three hours per week. Prerequisite FREN 202 or equivalent. Not open to native French speakers. Introduction to the outstanding literary figures of French civilization from 1850 to the present, with special emphasis on the realistic novel, surrealism, existentialism and contemporary authors.

FREN 325. Special Topics in French (3)
Three hours per week. Prerequisite FREN 202 or equivalent. May be repeated for credit when the topic has changed. Not open to native French speakers. The study of a special topic in French literature, language or civilization.

FREN 408G. French Drama (3)
Three hours per week. Prerequisite: Nine hours credit at the 300 level or consent of the instructor. A reading of outstanding French dramas from the seventeenth century to the present, with emphasis on the way this genre has reflected the thought and manners of its age. Specific topics and approaches will vary from year to year. The course may present a chronological study (e.g., the evolution of French drama from the classic theater of the seventeenth century to the present day), or focus on an historical period or theme (e.g., the controversial romantic theater or the Theater of the Absurd).

FREN 409G. The French Novel (3)
Three hours per week. Prerequisite: Nine hours credit at the 300 level or consent of the instructor. Topics and approaches will vary from year to year. The course may present a chronological study (from Madame de la Fayette to Camus and Robbe-Grillet) or concentrate on an historical period or theme (e.g., the realistic novel of the nineteenth century or women writers). The course will focus on the novel as a genre and on the different techniques used by French writers in different literary periods.

FREN 410G. French Poetry (3)
Three hours per week. Prerequisite: Nine hours credit at the 300 level or consent of the instructor. A chronological study of French poets from Villon to the present. The course will include the Renaissance love poetry of Sceve and Ronsard and the masters of such literary movements as Romanticism, Symbolism and Surrealism, as well as examples from recent practitioners in the poetic genre.

FREN 425G. Special Topics in French (3)
Three hours per week. Prerequisite: Nine hours credit at the 300 level or consent of the instructor. May be repeated for credit when the topic has changed. The study of a special topic in French literature (e.g., contemporary literature after 1968 or existentialist novels), language (e.g., literary translation or phonology) and civilization.