French and Francophone Studies
Department Website:
https://www.haverford.edu/french
The major in French and Francophone Studies lays the foundation for an understanding and appreciation of French language and of French and Francophone cultures through their literatures and the history of their arts, thought, and institutions.
Course offerings serve those with interest in French and Francophone literature, literary theory, and criticism, as well as those with interest in studying France and French-speaking countries from an interdisciplinary perspective. As the faculty teaches exclusively in French, a thorough knowledge of the language is required. Our courses adopt a variety of approaches, including literary studies, film and media studies, social history of ideas, and the study of politics and popular culture.
Our program is known for its rigor. Unlike at universities and Ivy League institutions, faculty rather than graduate students teach our undergraduates in French. Study abroad in France or in another Francophone country is an integral part of our students’ training. Virtually all majors and minors spend one semester abroad (see below).
Often our graduates have chosen to double major, in political science, economics, anthropology, comparative literature, or in the natural sciences; some opt to minor or concentrate in a related field, such as art history or international relations.
Learning Goals
We wish to empower our students to:
- Speak, read, and write in French with near-native proficiency.
- Engage the French and Francophone world and achieve cultural literacy.
- Become aware of cultural and linguistic diversity as global citizens who may someday work in the Francophone world.
- Communicate, with logic and empathy, among different perspectives and values especially in cross-cultural contexts.
- Think critically about texts, films, music, and fine arts as objects of inquiry.
- Analyze French and Francophone literatures as sources of human experience.
- Prepare for and pursue graduate studies, if they wish, in a variety of fields.
Haverford’s Institutional Learning Goals are available on the President’s website, at http://hav.to/learninggoals.
Curriculum
Unless they have not previously studied French, all entering students (first-year and transfers) who wish to pursue their study of French must take a placement examination upon entrance to Haverford.
Those students who begin French study the language and cultures in Elementary French (the sequence FREN H001–FREN H002 ). This is a year-long course that must be taken both semesters for the language requirement credit.
At the intermediate level students study the language and cultures non-intensively (the sequence FREN H003–FREN H004). This is also a year-long course, requiring both semesters for credit for the college language requirement. It is open to students who have taken FREN H001–FREN H002 or been placed by departmental examination.FREN H003 is only offered in the fall semester.
The 100-level courses further explore literature and culture through a series of texts and flashpoints in France's history. Students at this level strengthen their skills in French language and expression through grammatical exercises, discussions, presentations, and essays.
Courses at the 200-level are devoted to advanced language training (FREN H212 ), and French and Francophone literatures and civilizations from the beginning to the present day.
Advanced (300-level) courses offer detailed study either of individual authors, genres, and movements or of particular periods, themes, and problems in French and Francophone cultures. The department admits students to advanced courses after satisfactory completion of at least one semester of 200-level courses in French.
Major Requirements (minimum of 10 credits)
Majors must acquire fluency in the French language, both written and oral. Taking FREN H212 , or its equivalent when studying abroad, could help them to do so.
- FREN H001-FREN H002 (2 credits)
- FREN H003-FREN H004 (2 credits)
- FREN H101–FREN H102 (2 credits)
- 200-level sequence: minimum of two courses, one of which may be taken outside the department. Courses taken outside the department should contribute to your independent program of study and must be preapproved by your major advisor and entered in your major work plan (2 credits)
- 300-level sequence: minimum of two courses, one of which may be taken outside the department, pending pre-approval of your major advisor (2 credits).
Senior Project
The department offers a tailor-made experience for Senior majors along one of three lines:
- Students write a Senior essay in the context of a 300-level course taken either in the fall or the spring. In either case, students will be invited to collaborate on the design of the course in question.
- Highly motivated and capable students may also design their own independent course in the fall under the guidance of a faculty member as a preparation for an independent thesis in the spring.
- For students with interdisciplinary projects and/or double-majors, we will accept their work for a Senior thesis seminar in another department (for example, History, Philosophy, English, etc.) as a prelude to a spring independent thesis supervised at least in part by a faculty member in French and Francophone Studies. This Senior thesis seminar in another department may not count as one of the two courses in English toward the major.
Senior Project Assessment
Both Senior Thesis and Senior Essay include a final oral defense lasting thirty minutes. At this time, the student is expected to speak with authority about the research, the writing process, and some of the intellectual ramifications of the work accomplished.
Senior Project Learning Goals
At the end of their career at Haverford, we expect our students to have achieved an extensive appreciation of French and Francophone literatures and cultures as well as an advanced level of linguistic and cultural fluency in French. We also require that they demonstrate the capacity to analyze a text and critically engage it in a sustained fashion, formulate an argument and present it intelligibly in both oral and written form. Whether writing a thesis or a senior paper they must show that they can conduct research efficiently.
Requirements for Honors
Students with a GPA of 3.7 or above are usually recommended for departmental honors.
Minor Requirements (minimum of 6 credits)
Note that FREN H001 does not count toward the minor and that the courses must be taken in sequential order, regardless of the level at which you enter the program. For example, those students beginning at the Elementary level will take, after their first year,FREN H003-FREN H004; FREN H101-FREN H102, and one 200-level course to complete the minor.
Affiliated Faculty
Koffi AnyinefaProfessor of French and Francophone Studies
Kathryne Corbin
Assistant Professor and Chair of French and Francophone Studies
Christophe Corbin
Visiting Assistant Professor of French and Francophone Studies
David Sedley
Professor of French and Francophone Studies
Courses at Haverford
FREN H001 ELEMENTARY FRENCH (1.0 Credit)
Kathryne Corbin
Division: Humanities
Domain(s): A: Meaning, Interpretation (Texts)
This is the first course in a two-part series of elementary French. The course will introduce students to the cultural and ethnic diversity of France and the francophone world and will help students develop French communicative skills in a comprehensive manner, including interpretive listening, interpretive reading, presentational speaking, presentational writing, and interpersonal communication. The course meets for five (5) hours a week: three (3) hours with the instructor, one (1) hour with a TA, and one (1) hour with a conversation partner. Students who take FREN 001 at HC have priority of enrollment in the second semester FREN 002. Reserved for students with no previous to very little experience in the French language.
(Offered: Fall 2024)
FREN H002 ELEMENTARY FRENCH NON INTENSIVE (1.0 Credit)
Christophe Corbin, Staff
Division: Humanities
Domain(s): A: Meaning, Interpretation (Texts)
This is the second course in a two-part series of elementary French. The course will introduce students to the cultural and ethnic diversity of France and the francophone world and will help students develop French communicative skills in a comprehensive manner, including interpretive listening, interpretive reading, presentational speaking, presentational writing, and interpersonal communication. The course meets for five (5) hours a week: three (3) hours with the instructor, one (1) hour with a TA, and one (1) hour with a conversation partner. Students who take the first semester at HC have priority of enrollment in the second semester.
(Offered: Spring 2025)
FREN H003 INTERMEDIATE FRENCH NON INTENSIVE (1.0 Credit)
Christophe Corbin, Koffi Anyinefa
Division: Humanities
Domain(s): A: Meaning, Interpretation (Texts)
The emphasis on speaking and understanding French is continued, texts from French literature and cultural media are read, and short papers are written in French. Students use the Language Learning Center regularly and attend supplementary oral practice sessions. The course meets in non-intensive (three hours each week) sections which are supplemented by an extra hour per week with an assistant. This is a year-long course; both semesters (003 and 004) are required for credit. Prerequisite(s): FREN 001 and 002, or French placement exam.
(Offered: Fall 2024)
FREN H004 INTERMEDIATE FRENCH (1.0 Credit)
Christophe Corbin, Staff
Division: Humanities
Domain(s): A: Meaning, Interpretation (Texts)
The emphasis on speaking and understanding French is continued, texts from French literature and cultural media are read, and short papers are written in French. Students use the Language Learning Center regularly and attend supplementary oral practice sessions. The course meets in non-intensive (three hours each week) sections which are supplemented by an extra hour per week with an assistant. This is a year-long course; both semesters (003 and 004) are required for credit. Prerequisite(s): FREN 001 and 002, or French placement exam
(Offered: Spring 2025)
FREN H101 PERSPECTIVES SUR LA FRANCE CONTEMPORAINE (1.0 Credit)
Christophe Corbin, Koffi Anyinefa
Division: Humanities
Domain(s): A: Meaning, Interpretation (Texts)
This course introduces French culture and cultural analysis through a series of flashpoints in France's history. What distinguishes France as a nation? How did it emerge before the Revolution of 1789 and how has it evolved since? What questions have shaped and reshaped French and Francophone identities? Today, France has a diverse population, due to its colonial pasts and its place at the crossroads of several ideological and aesthetic traditions. How does French society accommodate antithetical perspectives? As we explore these issues, we will learn to examine them analytically. Because the tools of analysis are often themselves "made in France," French culture will provide not only objects of study but also their means of interrogation. All the while, students will strengthen their skills in French language and expression through grammatical exercises, discussions, presentations, and essays. Prerequisite(s): FREN 004, or French placement exam
(Offered: Fall 2024)
FREN H102 INTRODUCTION À L'ANALYSE LITTÉRAIRE (1.0 Credit)
David Sedley, Kathryne Corbin
Division: Humanities
Domain(s): A: Meaning, Interpretation (Texts)
The goal of this course, the sequel to French 101, is to continue to develop your powers of expression and analysis in French. A difference between French 102 and 105 (the other sequel to 101) is that here the objects of study will be literary, and that through them we will consider what the value of studying literature is. In French and Francophone cultures, literature has an important and volatile relation to the question of civilization. The relation is important because literature has been used to define and to instill a sense of civility, that is, what it takes for people to live peacefully with one another. On the other hand, the relation is volatile because people disagree about literature's role in defining civility as well as about how to define civility (and therefore civilization) itself. We will explore these fundamental issues in French and Francophone cultures through texts and films of diverse periods, genres, and origins. Authors and artists will include Marivaux, Abdellatif Kechiche, Jean de La Fontaine, Victor Hugo, Françoise de Graffigny, Michel de Montaigne, and Patrick Chamoiseau. Prerequisite(s): FREN 005 or 101
(Offered: Spring 2025)
FREN H105 DIRECTIONS DE LA FRANCE CONTEMPORAINE (1.0 Credit)
Kathryne Corbin
Division: Humanities
Domain(s): A: Meaning, Interpretation (Texts)
An examination of contemporary society in France and Francophone cultures as portrayed in recent documents and film. Emphasizing the tension in contemporary French-speaking societies between tradition and change, the course focuses on subjects such as family structures and the changing role of women, cultural and linguistic identity, an increasingly multiracial society, the individual and institutions (religious, political, educational), and les loisirs. In addition to the basic text and review of grammar, readings are chosen from newspapers, contemporary literary texts, magazines, and they are complemented by video materials. Offered in the second semester. Prerequisite(s): FREN 005 or 101
FREN H202 RÊVES D'EMPIRE ET RENAISSANCE FRANÇAISE (1.0 Credit)
David Sedley
Division: Humanities
Domain(s): A: Meaning, Interpretation (Texts)
Pendant sa Renaissance (d'environ 1500 à 1600) la France n'avait pas l'empire qu'elle aurait plus tard. Néanmoins, cette période représente un point tournant dans l'histoire de la vision impériale française—ainsi que de la critique de cette vision. Ce cours juxtapose le rêve de fonder un empire géo-politique et le programme culturel de la Renaissance. Nous verrons deux ambitions comme étroitement liées: 1) celle de transformer la France d'une ancienne colonie (de l'Empire romain) en le centre de son propre empire; et 2) celle de transmettre la Renaissance d'Italie en France. Nous étudierons une série de projets littéraires, artistiques et architecturaux qui manifestent non seulement cette fusion de culture et d'impérialisme, mais aussi sa mise en question. (Les auteurs de ces projets sont François Rabelais, Geoffroy Tory, Joachim Du Bellay, Marguerite de Navarre, Michel de Montaigne, et Léonard da Vinci, entre autres). Cette expérience nous permettra de mettre en perspective historique la pratique du colonialisme et post-colonialisme français des siècles suivants. In French. Prerequisite(s): FREN 101 and 102/105, or 005 and 102/105
FREN H203 LE GRAND SIÈCLE (1.0 Credit)
David Sedley
Division: Humanities
Domain(s): A: Meaning, Interpretation (Texts)
What makes a culture "great"? A good place to explore this question is 17th-century France. It is often thought that during this century, French culture became great—hence the century's nickname, le grand siècle. In this course we will consider the hypothesis of French grandeur, but not to assess it as true or false. Rather, we will approach it as a notion that gets constructed, applied, and interrogated in the 1600s through a series of theatrical, political, architectural, theological, and scientific œuvres. These works—mainly by Molière, Madame de Lafayette, Racine, La Bruyère, Corneille, Descartes, Elisabeth de Bohême, and André Le Nôtre—differ radically in their ideas, forms, perspectives, and effects. Nevertheless, they are all regarded in France as "classics" in that they serve in the classroom as essential ingredients of an education. The significance of this class, therefore, extends beyond the specific period it covers to include French culture in general and the values that it may (or may not) have today. We will pay particular attention to theatrical plays as objects of individual passion and political appropriation, to the place of women with respect to ideologies of state and reason, to the development of a centralized––i.e., modern––state (as represented, e.g., through the palace of Versailles and its gardens), and to the establishment of the French colonial empire and its infamous code noir. In French. Prerequisite(s): FREN 101 and 102/105, or 005 and 102/105
FREN H250 INTRODUCTION À LA LITTÉRATURE FRANCOPHONE: CUISINE ET CULTURE EN FRANCE (1.0 Credit)
Kathryne Corbin
Division: Humanities
Domain(s): A: Meaning, Interpretation (Texts)
In 2010, “the gastronomic meal of the French” was inscribed on the UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity, with particular mention to “togetherness, the pleasure of taste, and the balance between human beings and the products of nature.” In addition, UNESCO noted the importance in choosing the right dish or recipe, how products are procured, which flavors marry well, the art of the table setting, and the specific structure of the meal. Why is “food” so central to French culture? Culinary culture is constructed from a rich fabric of narratives that sustain its very practice. What are those stories and how are they shared? In this course, we will explore the discourse, indeed the language, that led to the emergence of French cuisine and the rise of gastronomy in the nineteenth century. (We will even consider the complex relationship the French have with doggie bags...) Primary sources include works by Roland Barthes, Pierre Bourdieu, Annie Ernaux, Agnès Varda and Émile Zola. Materials for consideration include literature, cookbooks, menus, film, television, sociological and historical texts, as well as topics of contemporary political and social debate. Prerequisite(s): FREN 101 and 102/105, or 005 and 102/105
(Offered: Spring 2025)
FREN H254 WHEN TO OBEY IS TO BETRAY: THE FRENCH RESISTANCE IN CINEMA AND LITERATURE (1.0 Credit)
Christophe Corbin
Division: Humanities
Domain(s): A: Meaning, Interpretation (Texts)
This interdisciplinary course explores the French Resistance during World War II through the lens of cinema and literature. Delving into the complex intersections of history, fiction, and memory, students will uncover the dynamic relationships between popular culture and collective remembrance. Students will examine how fiction intersects with historical “truth”, challenging conventional narratives and revealing the intricate myth-making strategies at play. Highlighting both iconic and lesser-known works, this course sheds light on the often-overlooked contributions of women to the Resistance movement, exploring their invisibility in traditional accounts and their resurfacing in contemporary depictions. Students will critically engage with the complexities of historical representation, grappling with questions of “truth”, memory, and the enduring legacy of resistance. This course is designed for students with interests in cinema, history, literature, and cultural studies. Crosslisted: COML. Pre-requisite(s): First-year writing course
(Offered: Fall 2024)
FREN H262 DÉBAT, DISCUSSION, DIALOGUE (1.0 Credit)
Kathryne Corbin
Division: Humanities
Domain(s): A: Meaning, Interpretation (Texts)
The art of conversation and debate has a long history in French culture. For the French, to engage in constructive public debate is often divisive, yet offers a way to negotiate solutions. Debate in more intimate situations fosters respect among colleagues, friends, and strangers. In this course, students will build oral and analytical skills by engaging in the discussion of topics ranging from philosophical to political as we consider current events of the Francophone world.
FREN H298 CARMEN DE MÉRIMÉE ET SES ADAPTATIONS (1.0 Credit)
Koffi Anyinefa
Domain(s): A: Meaning, Interpretation (Texts)
Since its publication in 1845, Prosper Mérimée's short story Carmen has been adapted in a variety of media: opera, film, theatre, dance, comic strips. Carmen has indeed become a myth with almost universal resonance, taken up by European, American and African artists alike. What is it about Mérimée's eponymous character that attracts artists so much? Her femme fatale looks? The “Gypsy” that she is? The character so naturally prone to transgression? We will first study Mérimée's short story and then move on to its adaptations: Which characterizations of Carmen have been retained, altered or simply rejected and why? What rewritings of the myth of Carmen do these adaptations propose (Bizet, Brook, Dornford-May, Gai Ramaka, Godard, Preminger, Townsend, Rosi, Saura; Vidor)? In French Pre-requisite(s): Pre-requisite(s): FREN 101 and FREN 102. Open to non-majors.
(Offered: Fall 2024)
FREN H312 ADV TOPICS FRENCH LITERATURE (1.0 Credit)
Kathryne Corbin
Division: Humanities
Domain(s): A: Meaning, Interpretation (Texts)
During the 19th century, and more specifically the Second Empire (1852-1870), Emperor Napoleon III and Baron Eugene Haussmann embarked on the demolition and reconstruction of Paris, a project that would establish the capital as the modern city so widely celebrated today. In this course, we will explore the ways writers and artists during this time experienced the city and discovered new ways of seeing their world as a result of these (sometimes polarizing) transformations. Through works by Baudelaire, Balzac, Sue, and Zola, as well as artists such as Caillebotte, Cassatt, Manet, Monet, and Renoir, we will appreciate what writers and artists discovered as they became « painters of modern life », looking closely, for the first time, at everyday objects as veritable objects of art. Alongside the readings of these classics, students will keep a personal journal where they will consider new ways of seeing their world, reflecting on mundane encounters, and transforming simple objects and panoramas into their own « chefs d’œuvre ». Crosslisted: FREN and COML
(Offered: Fall 2024)
FREN H312B ADV TOPICS FRENCH LIT (1.0 Credit)
David Sedley
Division: Humanities
Domain(s): A: Meaning, Interpretation (Texts)
This course is about Michel de Montaigne, whose fame in French is comparable to Shakespeare's in English. In any language, Montaigne is the inventor of an intellectual exercise typically assigned to college students: the essay. Montaigne wrote the first book of "essays" as experiments in judging. He did so in order to improve the quality of his own—and his readers'—judgments. In conducting these experiments, however, he discovered cognitive, emotional, and cultural reflexes—in other words, prejudices—that preceded judgment and skewed its outcomes. In this course, we will follow the struggle between judgment and prejudice staged in Montaigne's Essais. We will thereby gain perspective on the values of essay-writing in the context of an education charged with the task of decolonizing the mind. In French. In French. Crosslisted: FREN and COML Prerequisite(s): At least one 200-level course
(Offered: Spring 2025)
FREN H399 SENIOR THESIS (1.0 Credit)
Koffi Anyinefa
Division: Humanities
Courses at Bryn Mawr
FREN B001 ELEMENTARY FRENCH (1.0 Credit)
Corine Ragueneau, Julien Suaudeau
Division: Humanities
Domain(s): A: Meaning, Interpretation (Texts)
The speaking and understanding of French are emphasized particularly during the first semester, and written competence is stressed as well in semester II. The work includes intensive oral practice sessions. The course meets five hours a week in non-intensive sections. This is a year-long course and students must register for both semesters.
(Offered: Fall 2024)
FREN B001IN INTENSIVE ELEMENTARY FRENCH (1.5 Credits)
Agnès Peysson-Zeiss
Division: Humanities
French 001 Intensive Elementary is the first half of a two-semester beginning sequence designed to help students attain a level of proficiency to function comfortably in a French-speaking environment. This course allows students to: major, minor, and be able to do their JYA in a French-speaking country. It is both speaking-intensive (through pair work, group work, and drills) and writing-intensive (through blogs and essays). In TA sessions, students develop the ability to speak and understand increasingly well through songs, skits, debates, and a variety of activities. The course meets nine hours per week.
(Offered: Fall 2024)
FREN B002 ELEMENTARY FRENCH (1.0 Credit)
Corine Ragueneau, Julien Suaudeau
Division: Humanities
Domain(s): A: Meaning, Interpretation (Texts)
The speaking and understanding of French are emphasized particularly during the first semester, and written competence is stressed as well in semester II. The work includes intensive oral practice sessions. The course meets in non-intensive (five hours a week) sections. This is a year-long course.
(Offered: Spring 2025)
FREN B002IN INTENSIVE ELEMENTARY FRENCH (1.5 Credits)
Corine Ragueneau
Division: Humanities
The second half of a two-semester beginning sequence designed to help students attain a level of proficiency to function comfortably in a French-speaking environment. It is both speaking-intensive (through pair work, group work and drills) and writing-intensive (through blogs and essays). In drill sessions, students develop the ability to speak and understand increasingly well through songs, skits, debates, and a variety of activities. Class meets nine hours per week.
(Offered: Spring 2025)
FREN B003 INTERMEDIATE FRENCH (1.0 Credit)
Julien Suaudeau
Division: Humanities
Domain(s): A: Meaning, Interpretation (Texts)
The emphasis on speaking, understanding, and writing French is continued; texts from French literature and cultural media are read; and short papers are written in French. Students regularly attend supplementary oral practice sessions. The course meets in non-intensive (three hours a week) sections that are supplemented by an extra hour per week with an assistant. This is a year-long course. Prerequisite: FREN B002 or placement required.
(Offered: Fall 2024)
FREN B004 INTERMEDIATE FRENCH (1.0 Credit)
Julien Suaudeau
Division: Humanities
Domain(s): A: Meaning, Interpretation (Texts)
The emphasis on speaking, understanding, and writing French is continued; texts from French literature and cultural media are read; and short papers are written in French. Students regularly attend supplementary oral practice sessions. The course meets in non-intensive (three hours a week) sections that are supplemented by an extra hour per week with an assistant. This is a year-long course.
(Offered: Spring 2025)
FREN B005 INTENSIVE INTERMEDIATE FRENCH (1.5 Credits)
Agnès Peysson-Zeiss, Corine Ragueneau
Division: Humanities
Domain(s): A: Meaning, Interpretation (Texts)
The emphasis on speaking and understanding French is continued; literary and cultural texts are read and increasingly longer papers are written in French. In addition to three class meetings a week, students develop their skills in group sessions with the professors and in oral practice hours with assistants. Students use internet resources regularly. This course prepares students to take 102 or 105 in semester II. Open only to graduates of Intensive Elementary French or to students placed by the department or recommended by their instructor from 002 regular. Two additional hours of instruction outside class time required. Additional meeting hours on Tuesday and Thursday will be scheduled according to students availability. Prerequisite: FREN B002IN (intensive) or Placement exam. Approach: Course does not meet an Approach
(Offered: Fall 2024)
FREN B101 TEXTES, IMAGES, VOIX I (1.0 Credit)
Camille Leclère-Gregory, Grace Armstrong
Division: Humanities
Domain(s): A: Meaning, Interpretation (Texts)
Presentation of essential problems in literary and cultural analysis by close reading of works selected from various periods and genres and by analysis of voice and image in French writing and film from female and male authors in Metropolitan France, Africa, and other Francophone regions. Participation in discussion and practice in written and oral expression are emphasized, as are grammar review and exercises. This is a writing intensive course. Prerequisites: FREN B004, placement, or permission of instructor.
(Offered: Fall 2024)
FREN B102 TEXTES, VOIX, IMAGES, II (1.0 Credit)
Edwige Crucifix
Division: Humanities
Domain(s): A: Meaning, Interpretation (Texts)
Continued development of students’ expertise in literary and cultural analysis by emphasizing close reading as well as oral and written analyses of increasingly complex works chosen from various genres and periods of French and Francophone works in their written and visual modes. Readings include theater of the 17th or 18th centuries and build to increasingly complex nouvelles, poetry and novels of the 19th and 20th centuries. Participation in guided discussion and practice in oral/written expression continue to be emphasized, as is grammar review. Prerequisite: FREN 005 or 101.
(Offered: Spring 2025)
FREN B105 DIRECTIONS DE LA FRANCE CONTEMPORAINE (1.0 Credit)
Camille Leclère-Gregory, Rudy Le Menthéour
Division: Humanities
Domain(s): A: Meaning, Interpretation (Texts)
Ce cours a pour objet les dynamiques et les tensions qui structurent ou déstructurent la France contemporaine. Dans quelle mesure la France a-t-elle profité de la colonisation et de l'esclavage pour devenir la France ? Le modèle républicain est-il mis à mal par ce qu'on appelle les "communautarismes", ou n'est-il lui même qu'un déguisement du communautarisme de la majorité ? Quel est ce "séparatisme" qui menacerait la cohésion nationale et les valeurs universalistes de la France ? Pourquoi la laïcité est-elle en crise aujourd'hui ? L'État de droit peut-il demeurer un État de droit face au djihadisme ? L'arbitrage impossible entre priorité sanitaire et priorité économique montre-t-il que le pouvoir politique est devenu impuissant ? Les travaux à rendre vous permettront de vous exprimer dans des formats innovants (podcast, présentation vidéo, réalisation de pages Internet) et de perfectionner vos compétences à l’oral aussi bien qu’à l’écrit. Prerequisite: FREN 005 or 101.
(Offered: Spring 2025)
FREN B207 OUVRIR LA VOIX: INTRODUCTION AUX ÉTUDES FRANCOPHONES (1.0 Credit)
Edwige Crucifix
Division: Humanities
Domain(s): A: Meaning, Interpretation (Texts)
This course provides students with an overview of foundational concepts, methods and texts relevant to Francophone Studies. We will engage with past and present debates relating to identity, diversity, nation and empire in the colonial and postcolonial contexts and explore the specificity of Francophone Studies with regards to the field of postcolonial studies. While focused on literature, the course will also explore other forms of cultural production (movies, graphic novels, political speeches, etc.) from sub-Saharan Africa, the Maghreb, the Caribbean and Vietnam. The course will train students in literary analysis and develop their ability to speak and write critically in French. Prerequisites: FREN 102 or 105.
FREN B208 LA DIVERSITÉ DANS LE CINÉMA FRANÇAIS CONTEMPORAIN (1.0 Credit)
Julien Suaudeau
Until the closing years of the 20th century, ethnic diversity was virtually absent from French cinema. While Francophone directors from Northern and Sub-Saharan Africa debunked colonialism and neocolonialism in their films, minorities hardly appeared on French screens. Movies were made by white filmmakers for a white audience. Since the 1980's and the 1990's, minorities have become more visible in French films. Are French Blacks and Arabs portrayed in French cinema beyond stereotypes, or are they still objects of a euro-centric gaze? Have minorities gained agency in storytelling, not just as actors, but as directors? What is the national narrative at play in the recent French films that focus on diversity? Is it still "us against them", or has the new generation of French filmmakers found a way to include the different components of French identity into a collective subject? From Bouchareb to Gomis, from Kechiche to Benyamina and Jean-Baptiste, this course will map out the visual fault lines of the French self and examine the prospects for a post-republican sense of community. This course will be taught in French. Open to non-majors. There will be a weekly screening on Sunday, 7:00pm-9:00pm.
(Offered: Spring 2025)
FREN B211 THE ARTS AND HEALING: THE MANY FACETS OF WEST AFRICA (1.0 Credit)
Agnès Peysson-Zeiss
This course will borrow from Achille Mbembe’s views of Africa in which it is decolonization that ushered a temporal rupture which made possible a wide array of futures for the continent. After an introduction on the history of the region (background, French influence and gender relations), the 360 students will be able to examine local and global knowledge and their potentialities on the ground through a variety of approaches that include healing practices related to well-being in various areas of life, through the arts, literature, music and film. It is this exchange with both diasporic and local artists and thinkers, through lectures, readings and workshops at Bryn Mawr and in Senegal that students will be able to find some of the answers this cluster is raising. They will investigate the consequences of decolonization into the present through a series of modules and examine the differences, consequences and overlap of all the knowledge.s, creativity and futures that exist on and for the continent.
FREN B213 THEORY IN PRACTICE:CRITICAL DISCOURSES IN THE HUMANITIES (1.0 Credit)
Edwige Crucifix
Division: Humanities
By bringing together the study of major theoretical currents of the 20th century and the practice of analyzing literary works in the light of theory, this course aims at providing students with skills to use literary theory in their own scholarship. The selection of theoretical readings reflects the history of theory (psychoanalysis, structuralism, narratology), as well as the currents most relevant to the contemporary academic field: Post-structuralism, Post-colonialism, Gender Studies, and Ecocriticism. They are paired with a diverse range of short stories (Poe, Kafka, Camus, Borges, Calvino, Morrison, Djebar, Ngozi Adichie) that we discuss along with our study of theoretical texts. The class will be conducted in English with an additional hour in French for students wishing to take it for French credit.
(Offered: Fall 2024)
FREN B214 ATELIER THÉÂTRE (1.0 Credit)
How do we best learn a language? By speaking it and by being completely immersed in it. We also learn best when we play. When we have fun and are creative. This workshop will immerse the students in a French only speaking class and they will practice French on their feet. Students will be invited to improvise in French, to create little scenes in French and finally to work on a scene or a monologue from the French repertoire. The class will start with teaching very specific theatrical skills to push the students not only in their ability to speak French but also to act! This will enhance their confidence in speaking, thinking and performing in French, which will lead them to a better mastery of the language.
(Offered: Spring 2025)
FREN B215 ETUDES THÉÂTRALES (1.0 Credit)
Camille Leclère-Gregory
Division: Humanities
Ce cours est destiné à l'étude du théâtre français et francophone. Le sujet est variable. Prerequistie: FREN 102 or FREN 105
FREN B221 FEMME SUJET/FEMME OBJET (1.0 Credit)
Grace Armstrong
Domain(s): A: Meaning, Interpretation (Texts)
An in-depth examination of how women authors from selected periods conceive of their art, construct authority for themselves, and, where appropriate, distinguish themselves from male colleagues, of whom several who have assumed female voices/perspective will be examined as points of comparison. It introduces students to the techniques and topics of selected women writers (as well as theoretical approaches to them) from the most recent (Djebar and M. Duras) to late Medieval authors. This course is taught in French. Prerequisite: FREN 102 or 105
(Offered: Fall 2024)
FREN B225 HIDDEN TRAJECTORIES: A GLOBAL SIMULATION FROM OLD WORLD TO NEW (1.0 Credit)
Agnès Peysson-Zeiss
Borrowing from Francis Debyser’s Global Simulation (GS) approach, this course aims to create a framework immersing students in historical moments, allowing them to create stories based on culture and context of the time period studied. The course will incorporate the theoretical content of the other 2 courses (dealing with narratology and biology) to recreate and unearth those hidden or lesser known stories. Global Simulation is a protocol that allows a group of learners (a whole class here) to create a universe of reference: a town in this case. In this world, participants create characters and simulate all of the cultural, socio-political and historical context that this made-up world may need. They will describe the world they live in, tell their life-story, describe their profession, live a daily life made of human interactions and issues relevant to the period. In preparation for the trip, students will be introduced to relevant French vocabulary and will be paired with French speakers to work on basic grammar and vocabulary. They will also learn relevant terminology and create a French-English lexicon for plants. With this pedagogical hypothesis, the universe invented by students of all levels is one of the best ways to learn and “GS accommodates the variety of interests, personality types, and learning styles in any given group of learners.” (Levine 2004). Students will start working on the various stories at the beginning of the semester and discover more stories on the ground when we travel to the Nouvelle-Aquitaine region. We will focus on the connections between the Old and the New World with stories dealing with: port-city life, the story of Marguerite de Navarre, the Acadian Line, Claire de Duras and her travels to Philadelphia, the story of when New York was called Angoulême to name of few places, people and time frames.
FREN B229 MONSTRES ET MERVEILLES (1.0 Credit)
Rudy Le Menthéour
Sous leurs dehors simples, les contes merveilleux ont fasciné les critiques littéraires comme les spécialistes du folklore. Ces derniers ont tenté de définir leur structure primordiale et de les classer selon des motifs universels. Nous nous inspirerons à la fois de l'analyse structurale et de l'analyse symbolique pour réenchanter des contes devenus parfois trop familiers. Pour y voir plus clair, nous lirons plusieurs versions d'un même conte. A la fin du cours, vous pourrez répondre à ces questions : quel est le rapport entre Cendrillon et les cendres ? Pourquoi le chaperon du Petit Chaperon Rouge est-il rouge ? Le devoir final sera un conte que vous écrirez vous-même.
FREN B262 DÉBAT, DISCUSSION, DIALOGUE (1.0 Credit)
Agnès Peysson-Zeiss
Division: Humanities
Despite their differences, all countries face similar problems. Examples of challenges include humanitarian aid international justice, the environment, economic inequalities, invisibility and access to health and food. What can we learn from each other in order to find solutions to shared problems? In this course, students will develop the skills necessary to debate and deal with international/global issues. Everyone will expand their vocabulary in areas such as: politics, commerce, human rights, cultural diplomacy to name only a few key areas. We will gain in-depth knowledge of a particular region of the Francophone world as we explore shared themes. Each student will choose a francophone country and speak from that region, using the local press as reference. This will require independent research; including developing a bibliography pertaining to your country for each of the themes we study. Students will regularly share your expertise with others in formats ranging from reports to debates.
(Offered: Fall 2024)
FREN B298 JUNIOR SEMINAR (1.0 Credit)
Camille Leclère-Gregory
Division: Humanities
Junior Seminar is designed to introduce the knowledge and skill-set expected of our rising seniors: a certain familiarity with the more broadly used critical references of our discipline; a capacity to read and interpret critically a “text” (whether literary, cinematographic, historical, social, etc.) in detail and in a sustained fashion; knowing how to formulate an argument and present it coherently to peers and professors (whether orally or in written form); knowing how to conduct research efficiently in a pre-determined amount of time; and knowing how to cite this research effectively in an argument and in a manner that follows the rules of the discipline. Prerequisites:: 2 (200-level) courses, with exceptions for students who have had fewer courses.
(Offered: Spring 2025)
FREN B302 LE PRINTEMPS DE LA PAROLE FÉMININE: FEMMES ÉCRIVAINS DES DÉBUTS (1.0 Credit)
Grace Armstrong
Division: Humanities
This study of selected women authors from Latin CE-Carolingian period through the Middle Ages, Renaissance and 17th century—among them, Perpetua, Hrotswitha, Marie de France, the trobairitz, Christine de Pisan, Louise Labé, Marguerite de Navarre, and Madame de Lafayette—examines the way in which they appropriate and transform the male writing tradition and define themselves as self-conscious artists within or outside it. Particular attention will be paid to identifying recurring concerns and structures in their works, and to assessing their importance to women’s writing in general: among them, the poetics of silence, reproduction as a metaphor for artistic creation, and sociopolitical engagement. Prerequisite: two 200-level courses or permission of instructor.
FREN B306 LIBERTINAGE ET SUBVERSION (1.0 Credit)
Rudy Le Menthéour
Division: Humanities
The libertine movement of the 18th century has long been condemned for moral reasons or considered of minor importance when compared to the Enlightenment. Yet, the right to happiness (‘droit au bonheur’) celebrated by the so-called ‘Philosophes’ implies a duty to experience pleasure (‘devoir de jouir’). This is what the libertine writers promoted. The libertine movement thus does not confine itself to literature, but also involves a dimension of social subversion. This course will allow you to understand Charles Baudelaire’s enigmatic comment: “the Revolution was made by voluptuaries.” Prerequisite: two 200-level courses or permission of instructor.
FREN B312 ADVANCED TOPICS IN LITERATURE (1.0 Credit)
Edwige Crucifix
Division: Humanities
Domain(s): A: Meaning, Interpretation (Texts)
This is a topics course. Course content varies. Prerequisites: two 200-level courses.
(Offered: Spring 2025)
FREN B325 TOPICS: ETUDES AVANCÉES (1.0 Credit)
Camille Leclère-Gregory
Division: Humanities
An in-depth study of a particular topic, event or historical figure in French civilization. This is a topics course. Course content varies. The seminar topic rotates among many subjects: La Révolution française: Histoire, littérature et culture; L’environnement naturel dans la culture française; Mal et valeurs éthiques; Le Cinéma et la politique, 1940-1968; Le Nationalisme en France et dans les pays francophones; Étude socio-culturelle des arts du manger en France du Moyen Age à nos jours; Crimes et criminalité; Ecrire la Grande Guerre: 1914-10; Le "Rentrée Littéraire”; Proust/Baudelaire; L’Humain et l’environnement.
(Offered: Fall 2024)
FREN B326 ETUDES AVANCÉES (1.0 Credit)
Camille Leclère-Gregory
Division: Humanities
Domain(s): A: Meaning, Interpretation (Texts)
An in-depth study of a particular topic, event or historical figure in French civilization. This is a topics course. Course content varies.
FREN B333 NATURE AND FREEDOM (1.0 Credit)
Rudy Le Menthéour
When referring to Rousseau’s political theory, the conjectural state of nature first described in his Discourse on the Origin of Inequality (1755) has frequently been identified with native societies as observed in America since 1492. Many scholars have been opposing this primitivist interpretation of his second discourse and showed that Rousseau might instead be considered the father of all ‘social construct’ theories. But in spite of this scholarly consensus, Graeber and Wengrow still tend to assume Rousseau’s state of nature is mostly inspired by the encounter of Europeans with native people. Why is this confusion still informing the way we read Rousseau? How did considerations on the so-called ‘noble savage’ taint his political theory? How can we assess the role an ‘indigenous critique’ played in defining Rousseau’s state of nature? And incidentally: how ‘indigenous’ is this ‘indigenous critique’? Answering to Graeber and Wengrow’s (mis)reading of Rousseau will allow us to cast a new light not only on Rousseau’s ‘unnatural’ anthropology, but also on Graeber & Wengrow’s broader claims on human nature and political freedom. Our end goal is not to offer a scholarly take on either Rousseau’s discourse of Graeber and Wengrow’s book, but to answer this pressing question: should/could we discard the very notion of nature to regain political agency here and now? Authors include: Léry, Montaigne, Hobbes, Rousseau, Lévi-Strauss, Serres, Graeber and Wengrow.
FREN B350 VOIX MÉDIÉVALES ET ÉCHOS MODERNES (1.0 Credit)
Grace Armstrong
Division: Humanities
A study of selected 19th- and 20th-century works inspired by medieval subjects, such as the Grail and Arthurian legends and the Tristan and Yseut stories, and by medieval genres, such as the roman, saints’ lives, or the miracle play. Among the texts and films studied are works by Bonnefoy, Cocteau, Flaubert, Genevoix, Giono, and Gracq.
FREN B398 SENIOR SEMINAR (1.0 Credit)
Edwige Crucifix
Division: Humanities
This weekly thesis development workshop examines French and Francophone literary texts and cultural documents from all periods, and the interpretive problems they raise. Close reading, complemented by extensive secondary readings from different schools of interpretation, prepare students to analyze other critical stances and to develop their own.
(Offered: Fall 2024)
FREN B400 THESIS ADVISING (1.0 Credit)
Camille Leclère-Gregory, Edwige Crucifix, Rudy Le Menthéour
Division: Humanities
Weekly or bi-weekly meetings with your thesis advisor will allow you to write your senior thesis efficiently and to prepare for a successful defense.
(Offered: Spring 2025)
FREN B403 SUPERVISED WORK (1.0 Credit)
Edwige Crucifix, Grace Armstrong
Division: Humanities