French Courses

Assumes no prior experience in French. Moves from simple, everyday greetings to basic vocabulary and phrases describing people, places, clothing, food, travel, studies, sports, and professions. Competency-based testing of listening, speaking, reading, writing, and cultural skills.

Students progress through increasingly complex sentence structures. Listening and speaking competence tested at intermediate-low levels; reading and writing at intermediate-mid levels. (Testing includes cultural knowledge.) Prerequisite: FR 101 or placement.

An in-depth review of fundamentals and an introduction to more sophisticated grammatical patterns. Testing (includes cultural knowledge) of speaking and listening skills at the intermediate-mid levels, reading and writing at the intermediate-high levels. Prerequisite: FR 102 or by examination.

Required of majors. Extensive use of oral group activities, use of periodicals and listening comprehension through video, film, tapes. Practical work in phonetics and intonation. Speaking and listening competence at advanced-low level. Prerequisite: FR 201 or placement.

Study of advanced aspects of French grammar and stylistics with a focus on introducing students to literary analysis, including poetry, theater, and narrative prose. Oral and written presentations. Prerequisite: FR 201 or equivalent, and FR 202.

Studies in French-speaking Caribbean, African, Near Eastern, Asia and North American literatures in English translation. Topics may include non-western cultural and religious values, colonialism vs. emerging nationalism, and the quest for identity, personal, cultural and national. Satisfies GE Area C Upper Division. Prerequisite: completion of GE category A.

French civilization: history, social and political institutions, and the arts, as revealed in written documents and visual media (architecture, painting, graphics, etc.), from the medieval period to the Revolution. Readings, discussion,and oral and written reports in French. Prerequisite: FR 300 or equivalent (may be taken concurrently).

French civilization: history, social and political institutions, and the arts, as revealed in written documents and visual media (architecture, painting, graphics, etc.), from the Revolution to the present. Readings, discussion,and oral and written reports in French. Prerequisite: FR 300 (may be taken concurrently).

Readings in theatre, prose and poetry representing major writers and movements from the Middle Ages, the Renaissance, Classical and the pre-Romantic periods. May be organized around themes or genres or by aesthetic movements. Readings, discussion, and oral and written reports in French. Prerequisite: FR 320.

Readings in theatre, prose and poetry representing major writers and movements from the 19th and 20th centuries. May be organized around themes or genres or by aesthetic movements. Readings, discussion, and oral and written reports in French. May be repeated for credit when content is different. Prerequisite: FR 321.

Topics vary according to current interests and issues, e.g. the Francophone world, Paris, the French film, French feminism, French impressionism, Theatre and society, etc. Readings, discussions, and oral and written reports. May be repeated for credit when topics change. Prerequisite: FR 320 or 321 (may be taken concurrently).

An advanced writing course, culminating in a research paper on a literary or cultural topic. Prerequisite: FR 321 or 411 (may be taken concurrently).

Directed individual study. Prerequisite: consent of instructor.

Students in the intern program apply skills and methods mastered in their coursework in French in a variety of situation in public and private agencies. Credit is awarded for completion of 3 hours of work (weekly average) per unit, participation in a seminar or conferences, and a final report. Placement must be arranged in advance with department coordinator.