University Catalog

French (FREN)

Courses

FREN 1441. BEGINNING FRENCH I. 4 Hours. (TCCN = FREN 1411)

Multimedia immersion in the culture and language of French-speaking countries. Designed to enable students to understand and communicate effectively in French at the beginning level. No prerequisites.

FREN 1442. BEGINNING FRENCH II. 4 Hours. (TCCN = FREN 1412)

Continuation of beginning French. Prerequisite: FREN 1441 with a grade of C or better.

FREN 1491. CONFERENCE COURSE. 4 Hours.

Independent study; consultation with instructor on a regular basis. May be repeated for credit. Prerequisite: Permission of the instructor.

FREN 2301. TOPICS IN FRENCH LITERATURE IN TRANSLATION. 3 Hours.

Study of the works of major authors and intellectual trends of a given period or periods. May be repeated for credit as topics or periods vary. FREN 2301 may be taken to fulfill the foreign language literature requirement. Prerequisite: ENGL 1301 and ENGL 1302 with a grade of C or better.

FREN 2310. FRENCH AND FRANCOPHONE CULTURES IN THE WORLD. 3 Hours.

An overview of the cultures of the French-speaking world in a global context, examining cultural products such as food, art, music, popular culture, literature, and/or film. Taught in English.

FREN 2313. INTERMEDIATE FRENCH I. 3 Hours. (TCCN = FREN 2311)

Continued immersion in the culture and language of French -speaking countries. Application of strategies and technology in mastering listening, speaking, reading, and writing at the intermediate level. Prerequisite: FREN 1442 with a grade of C or better.

FREN 2314. INTERMEDIATE FRENCH II. 3 Hours. (TCCN = FREN 2312)

Continuation of intermediate French. Prerequisite: FREN 2313 with a grade of C or better.

FREN 2391. CONFERENCE COURSE. 3 Hours.

Independent study; consultation with instructor on a regular basis. May be repeated for credit. Prerequisite: Permission of the instructor.

FREN 3300. FRENCH PRONUNCIATION. 3 Hours.

This course is designed for students who have taken a year or more of French. Emphasis is on speaking skills, pronunciation, and vocabulary. This class prepares you to have a conversation with native speakers of French about everyday life. Students will also be introduced to French phonetics and phonology. Not open to native and heritage speakers of French. Prerequisite: FREN 1442 with a grade of C or better.

FREN 3303. FRENCH CONVERSATION. 3 Hours.

French Conversation aims to refine the skills learned during the first years of language study and to develop fluency and confidence in speaking at the intermediate level. The focus will be on developing oral proficiency and listening comprehension while reinforcing the mastery of basic grammatical forms and structures. Special emphasis will be placed on vocabulary building and on producing longer and more complex sentences. Using films, songs, and games as content, students will learn to carry on conversations with greater sophistication and authenticity. Credit will not be granted to native or heritage speakers of French. Prerequisite: FREN 1442 with a grade of C or better.

FREN 3304. READINGS AND WRITING IN FRENCH. 3 Hours.

This course emphasizes reading comprehension, writing skills, and compositional techniques. Grammar is reviewed. Short stories, essays, movies, and social media provide content material. Credit will not be granted to native or heritage speakers of French. Prerequisite: FREN 2314 with a grade of C or better.

FREN 3305. FRENCH CULTURE AND CIVILIZATION. 3 Hours.

Historical development of the social, institutional, intellectual, and artistic life of France from inception to the present. Credit will not be granted to native or heritage speakers of French. Prerequisite: FREN 2314 with a grade of C or better.

FREN 3309. FRENCH FILM: ART, TECHNOLOGY AND SOCIETY. 3 Hours.

The course is an overview of major movements in French film from the Lumières brothers and Méliès to the contemporary cinema of Leconte, Varda, Bonello, and Denis. It introduces students to the technologies that helped shape French films and uses film to raise important issues about national identity, politics, and gender in France and in the wider Francophone world. Prerequisite: FREN 2314 or equivalent with a grade of C or better.

FREN 3310. INTRODUCTION TO LITERATURE. 3 Hours.

Principles of literary analysis pertaining to genre, concepts of literary structure, language, and criticism through examination of selected works. Prerequisite: FREN 2314 with a grade of C or better.

FREN 3311. CATHEDRALS, CASTLES, AND REVOLUTIONS. 3 Hours.

This course examines the conditions that shaped France from medieval times to the Renaissance, and onward to the Enlightenment and the Revolution of 1789. The course explores main currents of French literature, art, and thought. Prerequisite: FREN 2314 or equivalent with a grade of C or better.

FREN 3312. FRENCH LITERATURE AND CULTURE 19th to 21st CENTURIES. 3 Hours.

This course examines the conditions that shaped French culture From Napoleon I to modern times by exploring main currents of French literature, art, film, and thought. Prerequisite: FREN 2314 or equivalent with a grade of C or better.

FREN 3316. TOPICS IN CITIES OF FRANCE AND THE FRENCH-SPEAKING WORLD. 3 Hours.

The course explores cities and other places as geographical and cultural constructs in literature, the visual arts (including film), and the media. Topics may include large cities like Paris, Lyon, Montreal, Cairo, and Algiers, for example, as well as museums, metros, parks, and other public spaces in France, the Middle East, North Africa, Africa, the Americas, and Asia. FREN 3316 may be repeated for credit when content changes. Prerequisite: FREN 2314 or equivalent with a grade of C or better.

FREN 3318. TOPICS OF IDENTITY IN FRANCE AND THE FRENCH-SPEAKING WORLD. 3 Hours.

This course is a study of places, periods, persons, or questions that helped define French and French-speaking cultural identity, from its origins to the present. Issues studied include linguistic choice, immigration, citizenship, religion, schools, and the representation of women and other groups. No prior knowledge of French language or culture is necessary. Taught in English. May be repeated as the topic changes. Offered as MODL 3318 and FREN 3318; credit will be granted for either MODL or FREN. Students who are working toward a major or minor in French will be required to take FREN 3318.

FREN 3320. LOCALIZATION AND TRANSLATION I. 3 Hours.

Introduction to cultural and linguistic issues in the translation of French language texts. Students will explore current technologies used in various real-world translation contexts and how to adapt texts, products, and services to the locale for which they are intended. May be repeated for credit as focus of course changes. Exclusively for students pursuing a minor in Localization and Translation-French. Prerequisite: FREN 2314 with a grade of B or better.

FREN 3321. LOCALIZATION AND TRANSLATION II. 3 Hours.

Continued study of cultural and linguistic issues in the translation of French and English language texts. Systematic development of advanced skills in localization and computer-aided translation and in using TMX/TBX (international standards for translation memory and terminology exchange) tools. Translation practice, individually and in translation teams, with increasingly longer and more specialized texts. Prepares localization and translation specialists for real-world careers in the language-services industry. Exclusively for students pursuing a minor in Localization and Translation-French. Prerequisite: FREN 3320 with a grade of B or better.

FREN 3345. INTRODUCTION TO COMPUTER-ASSISTED TRANSLATION. 3 Hours.

Introduction to computer-assisted translation (CAT), machine translation (MT), translation memory (TM), and terminology management tools in modern translation and localization workflows. Prepares students for real-world careers in the language services industry. Exclusively for students pursuing a minor in Localization and Translation-French. FREN 3345 cannot be applied toward the minor in French. FREN 3320 is strongly recommended before FREN 3345.

FREN 3391. CONFERENCE COURSE. 3 Hours.

Independent study; consultation with instructor on a regular basis. May be repeated for credit. Prerequisite: Permission of instructor.

FREN 3393. FRENCH INTERNSHIP. 3 Hours.

A combination of field-related experience in the business or service sector with an academic component. Coursework may include journal writing, outside readings, reflection papers, and formal presentations. Prerequisite: Permission of Instructor.

FREN 4310. GRAPHIC NOVELS AND THE MEDICAL WORLD. 3 Hours.

This course examines the ways in which the comic book medium can bring new insights to patient, healthcare, and clinical experiences. Students will become familiar with both major works of graphic medicine and key theoretical texts related to sequential art and to pathographies (autobiographies that revolve particularly around health issues). Includes a cultural comparison component through patient and practitioner stories from an American and from a French perspective. Taught in English. Students in French can read the material in French and write assignments in French with permission of the instructor. Prerequisite:FREN 2314.

FREN 4314. IMPROVING FRENCH GRAMMAR AND WRITING. 3 Hours.

A detailed study of French grammar with practice in composition requiring original themes, essays, and research papers. An overview of the history of the French language and the influences of other languages and cultures on its evolution. Recommended for senior French majors. Prerequisite: FREN 2314 with a grade of C or better.

FREN 4316. GLOBAL FRENCH CUISINES. 3 Hours.

This course examines the history and culture of French cuisines across the globe from the Metropole (France) to its colonies, protectorates, and spheres of influence in the Middle East, North Africa, West Africa, Asia, North America, Central America, and other geographic spaces across time. Topics include North African and Middle Eastern Cuisines, The Culinary Traditions of Provence, Caribbean Cuisine: History and Cultures, West African Cuisine: Colonial and Postcolonial Encounters, French Foods and Revolutions: The Socialist Baguette and the Bourgeois Croissant, Street Food and the Rise of Café and Bistro Cultures, and others. Prerequisite: FREN 2314 with a grade of C or better or permission of the instructor.

FREN 4318. INTRODUCTION TO FRENCH LINGUISTICS. 3 Hours.

An introductory course on the linguistic structure of modern standard French, including phonology, morphology and syntax. Prerequisite: Any two 3000 level French courses with a grade of C or better. FREN 3300 is strongly recommended before taking FREN 4318.

FREN 4322. TOPICS IN 17TH-CENTURY FRANCE. 3 Hours.

This course takes a close look at the political and artistic climate of a defining period in French culture. Prerequisite: FREN 2314 or equivalent with a grade of C or better.

FREN 4324. TOPICS IN 19TH-CENTURY FRANCE. 3 Hours.

The course surveys major currents like Romanticism, Realism, Impressionism, and Orientalism in literature and art. Strong emphasis on the possibilities of leisure (theatre, travel, the phenomena that are department stores, trains, cameras, moving pictures, and high fashion), bourgeois tastes and institutions, the role of Capitalism, and the Alliance network in empire building. FREN 4324 may be repeated for credit when the content changes. Prerequisite: FREN 2314 or equivalent with a grade of C or better.

FREN 4325. TOPICS IN 18TH-CENTURY FRANCE. 3 Hours.

Major currents such as Sensibility, Libertinism, the Republic of Letters, Exoticism, and Orientalism in literature and art.  Patterns of French thought comprising the Enlightenment leading to the Revolution. May be repeated for credit when content changes. Prerequisite: FREN 2314 or equivalent with a grade of C or better.

FREN 4328. TOPICS IN GLOBAL FRENCH IN THE 20TH-21ST CENTURIES. 3 Hours.

Cultural and literary output of France, the Middle East, North Africa, Africa, the Americas, and Asia before and after the Second World War. Patterns of French thought, writing, and self-representation, New Europe, decolonization, and nationalism through various media. May be repeated for credit when content changes. Prerequisite: FREN 2314 or equivalent with a grade of C or better.

FREN 4332. MEDIEVAL AND RENAISSANCE CULTURES. 3 Hours.

Readings in modern French of Medieval and Renaissance French literature. Works include the adventures of King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table, Gargantua, reflections on the self, friendship, education, and the "Other" in Montaigne's Essais, and the love poems of Ronsard. Emphasis on the importance of religion, the evolution and the meaning of cathedrals and monasteries, and the effect of the discovery of the "New World" on perceptions of self and of community. Prerequisite: FREN 2314 or equivalent with a grade of C or better.

FREN 4334. GLOBAL FRENCH CULTURES TODAY. 3 Hours.

This course examines French media, advertisement, journalism, and business culture. It explores the historical context and the social, political, and economic environment that informs these activities. Prerequisite: FREN 2314 or equivalent with a grade of C or better.

FREN 4335. BUSINESS FRENCH. 3 Hours.

Students learn to function in French in business environments, with emphasis on writing business letters, conducting telephone conversations and business meetings, using terminology for transactions in places such as banks, post offices, airports, and hotels. Video segments and interactive computer packages are used extensively to reinforce vocabulary and knowledge acquired through lectures, translations, and readings. Preparation for the DFP (Diplôme de Français Professionnel) Prerequisite: FREN 2314 or equivalent with a grade of C or better.

FREN 4338. GLOBAL FRENCH LITERATURES AND CULTURES. 3 Hours.

This course focuses on French-speaking cultures in Europe, the Middle East, North Africa, West Africa, the Americas, and Asia from the 17th century to the present through literature, music, film, and other forms of expression. Topics include The French Caribbean Novel, World War II in French Literature and Film, Colonial and Postcolonial Experience, French Canada: History and Culture, Mediterranean Readings, The Maghreb and the Levant. May be repeated for credit when topic changes. Prerequisite: FREN 2314 or equivalent with a grade of C or better.

FREN 4339. ACQUISITION OF FRENCH. 3 Hours.

Theory and practice of language acquisition. Techniques needed to understand and analyze the sounds, vocabulary, and grammar of the French language. Primarily for students seeking teacher certification. Prerequisite: FREN 2314 or equivalent with a grade of C or better.

FREN 4341. TRANSLATION: FRENCH & ENGLISH. 3 Hours.

Techniques of translation using different types of texts explore the special difficulties inherent in the translation process. Students will compare French and English grammars and explore the role culture plays in translation. Special emphasis on how ideas, words, and sentences are transposed across cultures, languages, and contexts. Prerequisite: FREN 3304 or FREN 4314 with a grade of C or better.

FREN 4342. TOPICS IN TRANSLATION. 3 Hours.

This course provides additional practice translating texts, comparing and evaluating professional or amateur translations, and/or post-editing machine translations. May be repeated for credit when content changes. Prerequisite: FREN 3304 or FREN 4314 with a grade of C or better, or permission of the instructor.

FREN 4391. CONFERENCE COURSE. 3 Hours.

Independent study in the preparation of a paper on a research topic and consultation with instructor on a regular basis. May be repeated for credit. Prerequisite: Permission.

FREN 4393. FRENCH INTERNSHIP. 3 Hours.

This course is a combination of field-related experience in the business or service sector with an academic component. Coursework may include journal writing in French, outside readings, and formal presentations. Prerequisite: Two FREN 3000 level courses and permission of the instructor.

FREN 4394. HONORS THESIS / SENIOR PROJECT. 3 Hours.

Required of all students in the University Honors College. During the senior year, the student must complete a thesis or a project under the direction of a faculty member in the major department. May not be repeated for credit.

FREN 5101. TEACHING PRACTICUM I. 1 Hour.

Required of all teaching assistants in French in their first semester. May not be counted toward a master's degree. Graded P/F/R.

FREN 5102. TEACHING PRACTICUM II. 1 Hour.

Required of all teaching assistants in French in their second semester. May not be counted toward a master's degree. Graded P/F/R.

FREN 5314. ADVANCED STYLISTICS. 3 Hours.

Focuses on advanced problems of grammar and style, including syntax, morphology, semantics and stylistics. Surveys the history of the French language, including influences of other languages and cultures on its evolution. Attention given to pedagogical models and approaches as well as intensive composition practices.

FREN 5316. MEDIEVAL AND RENAISSANCE LITERATURE AND CULTURE. 3 Hours.

A study of the main currents of French literature and culture in their social, economic and political context through the representative genres of the period: epic verse, poetry, tales, fabliaux, comic narrative, and theatre to name a few.

FREN 5317. 17TH AND 18TH CENTURY LITERATURE AND CULTURE. 3 Hours.

A study of the main currents of French literature and culture in their social, economic and political context through the representative genres of the period: theatre, the romance, the novel, the portrait and maxim, the philosophic dialogue and tale, among others.

FREN 5318. 19TH AND 20TH CENTURY LITERATURE AND CULTURE. 3 Hours.

A study of the main currents of French literature and culture in their social, economic and political context through the representative genres of the period: theatre, the nouvelle, poetry, the novel, the anti-novel, etc.

FREN 5320. TOPICS IN FRENCH LANGUAGE & LINGUISTICS. 3 Hours.

Special studies in French language and linguistics not ordinarily covered by regular course offerings. Topics may include "Socio-Phonetics," French Phonetics and Phonology," and "History of the French Language." May be repeated for credit when content changes.

FREN 5321. TOPICS IN GENRES OF THE 17TH CENTURY. 3 Hours.

Investigates ideology and practice through literature, the visual arts, music and other cultural "texts." Major topics may include "Versailles: Architecture, Literature, and Politics,"; "Jansenism and its Discontents: Pascal, Racine, de Lafayette," "Libertins: Masks and Counter Masks." May be repeated for credit when topic changes.

FREN 5325. TOPICS IN GENRES OF THE 18TH CENTURY. 3 Hours.

Studies oppositional discourse as expressed through the different genres (theatre, poetry, fiction, political and philosophical writings) popular in the 18th century as well as the role and the effect of these works in constituting the Republic of Letters. May be repeated for credit when topic changes.

FREN 5330. TOPICS IN GENRES OF THE 19TH CENTURY. 3 Hours.

Concentrates on literature, the visual arts, entertainment, and fashion as expressions of popular culture. The rise of the "petite bourgeoisie,"; social utopias, the rebuilding of Paris, and responses to modernity will be studied in such courses as "Paris and Its Subcultures," Impressionism and the Bourgeoisie," "The Novel and the Body." May be repeated for credit when topic changes.

FREN 5331. TOPICS IN GENRES OF THE 20TH CENTURY. 3 Hours.

Focuses on the work of French and Francophone writers in the light of modernist and post-modernist aesthetics. Literature, art, architecture, music, film, video, television, and other forms of popular production are studied as reflections of an era in crisis. May be repeated for credit when topic changes.

FREN 5338. TOPICS IN FRENCH CULTURE. 3 Hours.

Survey of themes and structures on a range of topics such as "Women in/as Fiction," "Self and Society," & "Revolutions," "French Film." May be repeated for credit when topic changes.

FREN 5391. CONFERENCE COURSE IN FRENCH LINGUISTICS, CULTURE, OR LITERATURE. 3 Hours.

Graded R. Prerequisite: permission of Graduate Advisor. Course may be repeated for credit when the topic changes.

FREN 5398. THESIS. 3 Hours.

FREN 5698. THESIS. 6 Hours.

FREN 5998. THESIS. 9 Hours.

FREN 6310. FRENCH STUDIES. 3 Hours.