French Course Descriptions

FREN 101- 102 Beginning French I and II (3, 3)
These introductory courses are aimed at developing basic communicative proficiency inFrench and also offer insight into French-speaking cultures. (101 Fall; 102 Spring)

FREN 201-202 Intermediate French I and II (3, 3)
These intermediate courses review material typically covered in a first-year Frenchcourse. They are aimed at building student proficiency in all four language skills(listening, speaking, reading and writing) and enhancing knowledge of the cultures ofFrench-speaking people. Prerequisite: FREN 102 or equivalent. (201 Fall; 202 Spring)

FREN 210 Intermediate French Conversation (1)
Students learn vocabulary for a variety of daily conversational situations and strivetoward intermediate speaking proficiency.

FREN 250 Study Tour: Selected Geographical Area (1-3)
Group cultural study tour in a particular geographical area in the French-speakingworld. Students will enhance their general cultural knowledge of that region with aMount professor. This course is conducted in English. May be repeated for credit.

FREN 270 Study Abroad: Selected Geographical Area (3-12)
Individual or group study in a particular geographical area in the French-speaking world.Students will complete language skills courses at an approved foreign language instituteor university equivalent to 200-level foreign language Mount courses. May be repeatedfor credit.

FREN 301 Writing Provence: French Composition (3)
This advanced review of French grammar examines the visual and literary arts ofProvence and the ways in which its culture and geography have inspired numerousFrench writers and artists. Through the study of this region, students refine their abilityto read and write a range of styles. Prerequisite: FREN 202 or equivalent.

FREN 302 Advanced French Conversation (3)
Students learn to express themselves clearly and correctly when they speak Frenchand to understand French spoken in a variety of contexts. Prerequisite: FREN 202 or equivalent. FREN 301 is not a prerequisite for FREN 302. This course is not open tonative speakers of French.

FREN 310 French for Business (3)
This course provides students with a general knowledge of French business practices andthe vocabulary necessary to function in a variety of professional settings. The studentslearn terms and concepts related to the fields of economics, management, finance,marketing as well as contemporary French civilization which connects to the businessworld. Prerequisite: FREN 202 or equivalent.

FREN 315 French Civilization through the Vallée de la Loire (3)
Taking the Loire Valley as its text, this course introduces students to the majorhistorical and cultural developments of French civilization prior to 1880 throughreadings and discussions of selected texts of historical and literary importance, worksof art, architecture and music originating in this region. Prerequisite: FREN 202 orequivalent.

FREN 320 Modern France: La Belle Epoque to 1968 (3)
Students develop an appreciation of the distinct national character of modern Francethrough a study of exemplary works of literature, music, art, and cinema producedin the period extending from the “Belle Epoque” to 1968. Prerequisite: FREN 202 orequivalent.

FREN 330 Contemporary France: Film and Culture (3)
A study of contemporary French culture and civilization through the medium of film.The course uses representative films and contemporary literature in order to explorecurrent issues such as the effects of the world wars, colonialism, and immigration onFrench national identity. Prerequisite: FREN 202 or equivalent.

FREN 340 Phonetics and Francophone Identities (3)
This course examines the linguistic characteristics of the French-speaking communities
around the world. After studying the basic elements of French linguistics, theInternational Phonetic Alphabet, the position of speech organs in the production ofthe principal phonemes of standard French, and speech intonation patterns, students analyze the French language as it is spoken in Africa, Canada, Belgium, Switzerland,Louisiana, and the Caribbean. Additionally, students consider the history of the French language, the development of French-based creoles, and the formation of vocabularyboth formal and slang in a variety of French-speaking regions in order to gain further insight into the nature of Francophone identities. Prerequisite: FREN 202 or equivalent.

FREN 350 French Literary History I (3)
This course traces the literary development of France from the Middle Ages through the 18th century. In this survey, students acquire an appreciation of the major themes andliterary movements of French letters through close readings of select excerpts from the Song of Roland to Candide. Prerequisite: FREN 202 or equivalent.

FREN 351 French Literary History II (3)
This course continues to survey the literature of France from the period immediately following the French revolution to the 21st century. The course considers the majorauthors, movements, and genres which modern French letters have contributed to world literature. Prerequisite: FREN 202 or equivalent.

FREN 370 Study Abroad: Selected Geographical Area (3-12)
Individual or group study in a particular geographical area in the French-speaking world. Students will complete language skills courses at an approved foreign language instituteor university equivalent to 300-level foreign language Mount courses. May be repeatedfor credit.

FREN 398 Independent Study (1-3)
Supervised individual work in selected areas of French language, literature, or culture.Permission of the instructor, department chair and dean is required.

FREN 400 French in the Americas (3)
This course examines one or more of the literary and cultural traditions of the Frenchspeakingpeoples of North America and the Caribbean; i.e., the Acadians, the Cajuns, the Québécois, the Haitians, and the French Antilleans. Prerequisite: FREN 202 or equivalent.

FREN 410 French Literary Conquest of Latin America (3)
The Argentinean writer Manuel Ugarte characterizes the extensive French influence inLatin American letters and culture as a “conquest.”  This course examines the sourcesof the “literary conquest” by studying several major cultural and literary achievementsof 19th- and early 20th-century France that helped to shape the literary production ofa number of Latin American authors. The course also examines several works by LatinAmerican writers who have written in French or who have been translated into French.Prerequisite: FREN 202 or equivalent.

FREN 420 Francophone Africa and Its Literature (3)
This course introduces students to the literatures and cultures of Subsaharanfrancophone Africa. Students explore notions of orality and orature through traditionaltexts as they examine in tandem through formal literary analysis representative worksof written literature by authors from the Wolof, Mande, Fon and Ewe-speaking peoplesin Sénégal, Mali, Guinée, Togo, and Bénin. While gaining an understanding of thedistinctness of these cultures, students also consider ways in which the language ofthe colonizer has been appropriated and transformed to reflect a francophone Africanliterary culture. Prerequisite: FREN 202 or equivalent.

FREN 430 Fictions of the Maghreb (3)
This course introduces students to the literary and cultural contribution of theNorth African writers to French language letters. The course may also include worksby French-speaking authors in Lebanon, Egypt, and the Middle Eastern diaspora.Prerequisite: FREN 202 or equivalent.

FREN 440 Building Castles in Sand: Tahiti, and Other French speaking Islands (3)
Through a selection of European and American histories and fictions about the Frenchspeakingnon-western insular bodies around the globe, this course examines the ways in which Western narratives have invented and molded the “island” others. Additionally, the course studies the literary texts, myths, and artistic traditions of the island cultures in an effort to understand the ways in which the indigenous cultural traditions are employed by the islanders as a response to the imposed identity. Prerequisite: FREN 202 or equivalent.

FREN 460 Topics in French Studies (3)
A study of some aspect of literature from France—particular author(s), theme, work orgenre. Prerequisite: FREN 202 or equivalent.

FREN 465 Topics in Francophone Studies (3)
A study of some aspect of literature from French-speaking world—particular author(s),theme, work or genre. Prerequisite: FREN 202 or equivalent.

FREN 498 Senior French Capstone Experience (1)
Through a review and reconsideration of significant cultural and literary readingsstudied throughout the major program, students will demonstrate in writing andspeaking their ability to “read,” the products of a culture, to synthesize its practices, andfinally to interpret and reflect upon the perspectives of the target Francophone cultures.Prerequisite: Senior standing

FREN 475 Study Abroad: Selected Geographical Area (3-12)
Individual or group study in a particular geographical area in the French-speaking world.Students will complete culture or literature courses at an approved foreign languageinstitute or university equivalent to 400-level foreign language Mount courses. May berepeated for credit.

FREN 480 Internship (credits to be determined)
An off-campus work experience that develops French language proficiencies. Permission of the instructor,
the department chair.