French Courses by Semester

Summer 2023

FREN 1001 - Basic French I

Handling the immediate context of daily experience in spoken and written French: identifying, describing, and characterizing people, objects, places and events; giving information and instructions; issuing simple commands and requests.

Course is taught in French.

Prerequisite: French Placement Exam score: 0-250.

This course may not be audited or taken pass/fail.

View detailed course description.

FREN 1002 - Basic French II

Speaking and writing in French about past and future events: telling a story (narrating and describing in the past), promising, predicting and proposing simple hypotheses and conjectures.

Course is taught in French.

Prerequisite: FREN 1001 or French Placement Exam score: 251-350.

This course may not be audited or taken pass/fail.

View detailed course description.

FREN 1003 - Intermediate French I

Increasing active vocabulary, reinforcing mastery of basic grammar, dealing with more complex structures (verbal phrases, subordinate clauses) and using some patterns of indirect speech (e.g., repeating or relaying messages, giving reports, summarizing).

Course is taught in French.

Prerequisite: FREN 1002 or French Placement Exam score: 351-400.

This course may not be audited or taken pass/fail.

View detailed course description.

FREN 1004 - Intermediate French II

Consolidation and further expansion of the ability to understand as well as produce a more complex level of oral and written discourse emphasizing subjective expression: issuing indirect commands and requests; giving opinions; making proposals; building arguments; defending and criticizing ideas.

Course is taught in French.

Prerequisite: FREN 1003 or French Placement Exam score: 401-500

This course may not be audited or taken pass/fail.

View detailed course description.

FREN 2005 - Language, Culture, and Society

This is the first course in a two-course sequence designed for students at the advanced-intermediate level. Through an introduction to French history, 2005 promotes conversational skills and helps students develop the ability to write and comprehend somewhat complex texts on a broad range of topics. An extensive grammar review is included.

Course is taught in French.

This course satisfies GPAC requirements.

Prerequisite: FREN 1004 or French Placement Exam score: 501-550

View detailed course description.

FREN 2006 - Language, Culture and Society II

This course expands the range and complexity of oral communication skills via a variety of discussion formats as well as formal oral presentations and debates. 2006 also aims to develop the student's ability to analyze and comprehend more elaborate, expository prose and to write critically on a broad range of contemporary political, social and cultural topics. French 2006 continues the intensive grammar review begun in 2005.

Course is taught in French.

This course satisfies GPAC requirements.

Prerequisite: FREN 2005 or French Placement Exam score: 551-601

This course may not be audited or taken pass/fail.

View detailed course description.

FREN 3010W - Advanced French Language, Structure and Composition

MTWR 12:30 - 1:30pm

Professor Sarah-Kay Hurst

Refining rhetoric in French, integrating notions from linguistics. Improving written and spoken French through new perspectives into the language itself. Register, borrowings, idiomatic expressions, and stylistic variation between French and English. Includes a significant engagement in writing as a form of critical inquiry and scholarly expression to satisfy the WID requirement.

Prerequisite: FREN 2006 or equivalent.

Spring 2024

FREN 1001 - Basic French I

Handling the immediate context of daily experience in spoken and written French: identifying, describing, and characterizing people, objects, places and events; giving information and instructions; issuing simple commands and requests.

Course is taught in French.

Prerequisite: French Placement Exam score: 0-250.

This course may not be audited or taken pass/fail.

View detailed course description.

FREN 1002 - Basic French II

Speaking and writing in French about past and future events: telling a story (narrating and describing in the past), promising, predicting and proposing simple hypotheses and conjectures.

Course is taught in French.

Prerequisite: FREN 1001 or French Placement Exam score: 251-350.

This course may not be audited or taken pass/fail.

View detailed course description.

FREN 1003 - Intermediate French I

Increasing active vocabulary, reinforcing mastery of basic grammar, dealing with more complex structures (verbal phrases, subordinate clauses) and using some patterns of indirect speech (e.g., repeating or relaying messages, giving reports, summarizing).

Course is taught in French.

Prerequisite: FREN 1002 or French Placement Exam score: 351-400.

This course may not be audited or taken pass/fail.

View detailed course description.

FREN 1004 - Intermediate French II

Consolidation and further expansion of the ability to understand as well as produce a more complex level of oral and written discourse emphasizing subjective expression: issuing indirect commands and requests; giving opinions; making proposals; building arguments; defending and criticizing ideas.

Course is taught in French.

Prerequisite: FREN 1003 or French Placement Exam score: 401-500

This course may not be audited or taken pass/fail.

View detailed course description.

FREN 2005 - Language, Culture, and Society

This is the first course in a two-course sequence designed for students at the advanced-intermediate level. Through an introduction to French history, 2005 promotes conversational skills and helps students develop the ability to write and comprehend somewhat complex texts on a broad range of topics. An extensive grammar review is included.

Course is taught in French.

This course satisfies GPAC requirements.

Prerequisite: FREN 1004 or French Placement Exam score: 501-550

View detailed course description.

FREN 2006 - Language, Culture and Society II

This course expands the range and complexity of oral communication skills via a variety of discussion formats as well as formal oral presentations and debates. 2006 also aims to develop the student's ability to analyze and comprehend more elaborate, expository prose and to write critically on a broad range of contemporary political, social and cultural topics. French 2006 continues the intensive grammar review begun in 2005.

Course is taught in French.

This course satisfies GPAC requirements.

Prerequisite: FREN 2005 or French Placement Exam score: 551-601

This course may not be audited or taken pass/fail.

View detailed course description.

 
FREN 3020 - Contemporary France

MW 12:45-2:00 pm
Prof. Kathryn Kleppinger

What has made France the country it is today? To answer this question in all its complexity, we will undertake a historical and thematic approach to understand the major events, debates, and questions that have faced French politicians, writers, and citizens over the past century. We will consult political sources (speeches, declarations, and manifestos), literature (novels and eye-witness accounts), and cultural documents (newspaper articles, songs, films) to understand the varying perspectives and arguments that have shaped French politics, culture, and identity throughout the 20th and 21st  centuries. During the first half of the semester we will consider important events in French history throughout the
20th century, from the turn of the century through World War II and the wars of decolonization. Then, during the second half of the semester, we will undertake thematic studies to understand the recent impact of these events. Topics include: immigration and the colonial past, France as a nation and as part of Europe, and contemporary social identities. 

Prerequisite: FREN 2006 or equivalent

FREN 3030 - French for Professional Purposes

TRF 11:10 am – 12:00 pm
Prof. Hadia Anaye

Ce cours de français à objectif professionnel, ou “Business French”, a pour objectif de former les étudiants aux exigences du monde des affaires. A travers des mises en situations et projets de groupe, les étudiants développeront des compétences en communication professionnelle essentielles pour les futurs employeurs. Dans ce cours, nous étudierons le vocabulaire spécifique à divers secteurs d’activité tels que la diplomatie, les technologies, l’environnement, ou bien la santé publique, ainsi que la culture des entreprises francophones. De plus, des visites d’institutions internationales basées à Washington D.C. seront organisées, pour discuter de thèmes majeurs qui touchent le monde d’aujourd’hui. Nous analyserons également différents types de documents authentiques pour permettre aux étudiants une meilleure compréhension et  préparation pour le monde professionnel au sein d’entreprises et organisations francophones.

Prerequisite: FREN 2006 or equivalent

FREN 3100W - Introduction to French Literature

Prof. Charlee Bezilla
TR 12:45-2:00 pm

This course is an introduction to French literature and the gateway to the French Minor and Major. We will read closely a broad selection of texts from different genres (poetry, prose, theater) and historical periods (from the Renaissance to the 21st century) and learn how to read and write analytically about literature in its cultural context using different techniques and methodologies of textual analysis. Our journey is focused on learning an efficient method of literary analysis and deepening your appreciation of French literature.

This course satisfies the WID requirement.

Prerequisite: FREN 2006 or equivalent.

FREN 3600 - Writing Workshop in French

Prof. Abdourahman Waberi
MW 2:20-3:35 pm

This course will allow our students to improve their French writing skills and to explore or expand their writing desires and interests. They will refine their knowledge of the language through a variety of workshop-based activities and will learn to express creativity by writing different types of texts, including autobiographical sketches, poems, songs, and short stories. Multiple drafts will be required for each writing assignment, and individual attention will be given to each student. 

Prerequisite: FREN 2006 or equivalent.

FREN 3220 - Modern French Literature

Prof. Abdourahman Waberi
MW 3:45-5:00 pm

Dans ce cours nous étudierons des textes canoniques du 18e siècle jusqu’à nos jours, en considérant leurs contextes historiques, sociaux, et culturels. Ces œuvres partagent une interrogation sur la nature des rapports entre les hommes : quelles structures sociales sont possibles, et quel est l’impact de ces structures sur des individus ? Les sources littéraires peuvent contribuer des perspectives nuancées à un débat qui reste pertinent même aujourd’hui. Ce cours vise à développer vos capacités en plusieurs domaines : historique, littéraire, et sociologique. Vous apprendrez à identifier des thèmes communs à la littérature française au cours des 18e, 19e, 20e et 21e siècles et aussi à lire plus profondément pour apprécier les aspects artistiques des œuvres.

Prerequisite: FREN 2006 or equivalent

FREN 4600.10 - Fake News! Rumors, Scandals, and Culture Wars in Early Modern France

Prof. Charlee Bezilla
TR 2:20-3:35 pm

This course will explore what gossip, rumors, and “fake news” can tell us about the society and culture of the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries in France and the Francophone world more broadly—and about cultural flashpoints in our own time. We’ll study different types of issues that led to scandal and debate in early modern France, from blood transfusions, sightings of fantastic creatures, and romantic affairs to political intrigue and controversial philosophies. The first half of the course will focus on primary sources such as images, periodicals, literary texts, and other forms of material culture. During the second half of the semester, our classroom will take the form of an Ancien régime "salon" as we delve into a historical role-playing game where you will have the opportunity to experience one of the period’s biggest culture wars from the perspectives of its participants.

*This course satisfies the minor requirement for a course in literature and culture before 1800*

Prerequisite: FREN 2006 or equivalent
FREN 4700 - Race Matters: Tradition and Modernity in Africa and the Maghreb

Prof. Abdourahman Waberi
MW 11:10 am-12:25 pm

This course will explore the daunting issues that confront Africa and the Maghreb in its transformation from tradition to modernity. If tradition comprises the centuries-old oral legacies, modernity may refer to what has appeared or been produced recently, namely the writings along with films, visual arts, music etc. We will use a wide range of sources (novels, memoirs, films and songs) in order to understand the link between past and present, yesterday and tomorrow. Our topics will include language and memory, Islam and Christianity, urbanity and cultural productions, emancipation, and utopia

Prerequisite: FREN 2006 or equivalent

Fall 2023

FREN 1001 - Basic French I

Handling the immediate context of daily experience in spoken and written French: identifying, describing, and characterizing people, objects, places and events; giving information and instructions; issuing simple commands and requests.

Course is taught in French.

Prerequisite: French Placement Exam score: 0-250.

This course may not be audited or taken pass/fail.

View detailed course description.

FREN 1002 - Basic French II

Speaking and writing in French about past and future events: telling a story (narrating and describing in the past), promising, predicting and proposing simple hypotheses and conjectures.

Course is taught in French.

Prerequisite: FREN 1001 or French Placement Exam score: 251-350.

This course may not be audited or taken pass/fail.

View detailed course description.

FREN 1003 - Intermediate French I

Increasing active vocabulary, reinforcing mastery of basic grammar, dealing with more complex structures (verbal phrases, subordinate clauses) and using some patterns of indirect speech (e.g., repeating or relaying messages, giving reports, summarizing).

Course is taught in French.

Prerequisite: FREN 1002 or French Placement Exam score: 351-400.

This course may not be audited or taken pass/fail.

View detailed course description.

FREN 1004 - Intermediate French II

Consolidation and further expansion of the ability to understand as well as produce a more complex level of oral and written discourse emphasizing subjective expression: issuing indirect commands and requests; giving opinions; making proposals; building arguments; defending and criticizing ideas.

Course is taught in French.

Prerequisite: FREN 1003 or French Placement Exam score: 401-500

This course may not be audited or taken pass/fail.

View detailed course description.

FREN 2005 - Language, Culture, and Society

This is the first course in a two-course sequence designed for students at the advanced-intermediate level. Through an introduction to French history, 2005 promotes conversational skills and helps students develop the ability to write and comprehend somewhat complex texts on a broad range of topics. An extensive grammar review is included.

Course is taught in French.

This course satisfies GPAC requirements.

Prerequisite: FREN 1004 or French Placement Exam score: 501-550

View detailed course description.

FREN 2006 - Language, Culture and Society II

This course expands the range and complexity of oral communication skills via a variety of discussion formats as well as formal oral presentations and debates. 2006 also aims to develop the student's ability to analyze and comprehend more elaborate, expository prose and to write critically on a broad range of contemporary political, social and cultural topics. French 2006 continues the intensive grammar review begun in 2005.

Course is taught in French.

This course satisfies GPAC requirements.

Prerequisite: FREN 2005 or French Placement Exam score: 551-601

This course may not be audited or taken pass/fail.

View detailed course description.

FREN 3010W - Advanced French Language, Structure, and Composition

MW 2:20-3:35
Prof. Sarah-Kay Hurst

How did English words like ‘le week-end’ end up in French? Why do words like ‘forêt’ and ‘fête’ have an accent? Why do we ‘pay attention’ in English but ‘faire attention’ in French? Why do the words ‘vingt’ and ‘doigt’ have an unpronounced “g” in them? In this course, you will refine your French by integrating notions from linguistics, improving your written and spoken French through new perspectives into the language itself. You will have myriad opportunities to strengthen your writing skills for different personal and professional contexts, and we will explore notions such as figures of speech, borrowings, idiomatic expressions, and stylistic variation between French and English.
This course satisfies the WID requirement.
Prerequisite: FREN 2006 or equivalent.

FREN 3100W.10: Introduction to French Literature

MW 11:10-12:25
Prof. Masha Belenky

What can we learn from stories? In this course (a gateway to the French Minor and Major) we will study literature and film as a privileged window into French culture, history, and society. We will explore a diverse range of works from different genres (poetry, prose, theater, film) and historical periods (from the Renaissance to the 21st century) and discover the connections between aesthetic forms and ideologies. You will also have a chance to hone your critical reading and analytical writing skills, and practice your written and spoken French.
This course satisfies the WID requirement.
Prerequisite: FREN 2006 or equivalent.

FREN 3100W.11: Introduction to French Literature

TR 11:10-12:25
Prof. Kathryn Kleppinger

How can art help us make sense of the world in which we live? What ideas can artists express in their writing (or filmmaking), and how do they do so? And how can we study works with an awareness of both the artistic and social questions contained in them? By addressing these fundamental questions about the nature of reading, writing, and artistic expression, this course serves as an introduction to French literature and to the French Minor and Major. By the end of the semester we will have discussed a broad selection of texts from different genres (poetry, prose, song lyrics, and cinema) and historical periods (from the Renaissance to the 21st century), and mastered how to read and to write analytically about cultural production using different techniques and methodologies of textual analysis. You will also gain a deeper understanding and appreciation for the various forms of engagement French authors and filmmakers have employed in their quest to understand and synthesize human life in moments of crisis.
This course satisfies the WID requirement.
Prerequisite: FREN 2006 or equivalent.

 

FREN 3210: Medieval and Early Modern French Literature in Context

MW 11:10-12:25
Prof. Charlee Bezilla

From the Middle-Ages to the seventeenth century, France underwent profound changes, including the development of several genres and literary movements that are foundational to the modern French literary tradition. The epic, the fable, the narrative genre, the essay, poetry, comedy, and tragedy are the various genres of premodern France that we will study. Through reading a variety of texts and studying other cultural objects from these periods, we will ask: What was France at the time? How did people think of themselves and of other cultures? How to build a nation, and how to live together, were key questions for medieval and early modern writers. The concepts developed in medieval and early modern texts led to a version of France that made possible both the chateau de Versailles and the Code Noir, which defined the conditions of slavery in the French colonial empire. Throughout the course, we will discuss themes that were important to premodern French authors and cultures, not least of them medievalism, Renaissance, and classicism, as well as gender, race, and religion. What makes these texts classics, and what do they still have to say for our time?
Prerequisite: FREN 3100W or equivalent.
This course satisfies the medieval/early modern requirement for the minor.

FREN 3600:Writing the Self: Autobiography and Autofiction in French

MW 12:45-2:00
Prof. Charlee Bezilla

From the Renaissance to today, writers in the French language tradition have wrestled with determining how to write about the self. In this course, we will study examples of autobiographical and autofictional texts written in French from the sixteenth to the twenty-first century, by authors from France as well as French-speaking regions outside of Europe. How do these authors convey the slippery and ever-changing notion of the self and subjective experience? How do they trouble the boundaries between fiction and reality? How do they take up and transform the conventions of different literary genres to write about their own lives (or fictionalized versions of their lives), and to what ends? In addition to studying and researching examples of these genres, this course will also include a creative writing component, in which we will produce our own autobiographical or autofictional texts informed by the models we study throughout the semester.
Prerequisite: FREN 3100W or equivalent.

 

 

FREN 4540: Power, Politics and the Press in 19th-century France

MW 2:20-3:35
Prof. Masha Belenky

Fake news, viral videos and memes and partisan media are in many ways defining features of our contemporary moment. But many of today’s phenomena are rooted in nineteenth-century France, a time that saw the rise of modern press, a press that wielded an extraordinary power to make or break political fortunes and set cultural trends. From the launch of Emile de Girardin’s groundbreaking newspaper La Presse in 1836 to Emile Zola’s pivotal article “J’Accuse” in L’Aurore in 1898 during the Dreyfus Affair, the press played a key role in shaping society and culture in nineteenth-century France.  This course will examine the role of the press both in nineteenth-century cultural imagination and in the “real world.” Topics include: the birth of modern press; political satire and censorship; the role of women journalists in shaping culture; the Dreyfus affair; feminist vs feminine press at the Fin-de-siècle; and the complex interplay between the press and the novel against the background of the tumultuous political events in nineteenth-century France. Over the course of the semester, we will read two novels -- Balzac’s Illusions Perdues (1839) and Maupassant’s Bel-Ami (1885), as well as numerous newspapers. In addition, we will study works by contemporary literary scholars and historians to help us understand 19th-century material. Studying this material will provide a unique lens on 19th-century France as well as our own cultural moment.
Prerequisite: FREN 3100W or equivalent.

FREN 4600: History of French Antiracist Thought

12:45-2:00
Prof. Kathryn Kleppinger

What does it take to be French? This question has galvanized French literature, philosophy, and political science for centuries. From the 17th-century Code Noir to recent debates on laïcité, these matters have also played out in French legal contexts. Weighing heavily on all discussions is France’s unique Republican model, which claims to be universalist in its scope and values, and how such visions of identity intersect with France’s colonial past and present. Over the course of the semester we will analyze the social and political stakes of a wide range of French literature, films, and documents that grapple with fundamental questions regarding Frenchness and national identity, all with an eye toward greater inclusivity and bringing out the best in what it means to be French. Students will develop close reading skills, practice clear oral communication in French, and master coherent written analyses of the material under study.
Prerequisite: FREN 3100W or equivalent