FREN H001  ELEMENTARY FRENCH  (1.0 Credit)

Kathryne Corbin

Division: Humanities
Domain(s): A: Meaning, Interpretation (Texts)

The speaking and understanding of French are emphasized particularly during the first semester. The work includes regular use of the Language Learning Center and is supplemented by intensive oral practice sessions. The course meets in intensive (nine hours each week) and non-intensive (five hours each week) sections. This is a year-long course; both semesters (001 and 002) are required for credit.

(Offered: Fall 2023)

FREN H002  ELEMENTARY FRENCH NON INTENSIVE  (1.0 Credit)

Kathryne Corbin

Division: Humanities
Domain(s): A: Meaning, Interpretation (Texts)

The speaking and understanding of French are emphasized particularly during the first semester. The work includes regular use of the Language Learning Center and is supplemented by intensive oral practice sessions. The course meets in intensive (nine hours each week) and non-intensive (five hours each week) sections. This is a year-long course; both semesters (001 and 002) are required for credit.

(Offered: Spring 2024)

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 2023)

FREN H004  INTERMEDIATE FRENCH  (1.0 Credit)

David Sedley, 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: Spring 2024)

FREN H101  PERSPECTIVES SUR LA FRANCE CONTEMPORAINE  (1.0 Credit)

Kathryne 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 2023)

FREN H102  INTRODUCTION A L'ANALYSE LITTERAIRE ET CULTURELLE II  (1.0 Credit)

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 2024)

FREN H105  DIRECTIONS DE LA FRANCE CONTEMPORAINE  (1.0 Credit)

David Sedley

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

(Offered: Spring 2024)

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

(Offered: Fall 2023)

FREN H250  INTRODUCTION À LA LITTÉRATURE FRANCOPHONE: ECRITURES/FICTIONS DE SOI FRANCOPHONES  (1.0 Credit)

Koffi Anyinefa

Division: Humanities
Domain(s): A: Meaning, Interpretation (Texts)

Writing, reflecting, about one’s life necessarily involves writing about others. How do contemporary Francophone writers and filmmakers understand and express the inter-relational nature of selfhood, identity, and community? In this course we will study a representative sample of Francophone literary and filmic texts in light of current perspectives on postcolonial autobiographical narratives. Possible writers and filmmakers may include Al Malik, Begag, Bouraoui, Bugul, Chamoiseau, Feraoun, Kane, Peck, Pineau and Rahmani. Prerequisite(s): FREN 101 and 102/105, or 005 and 102/105

(Offered: Spring 2024)

FREN H254  MATTERS OF TASTE: FRANCE AND ITS CULINARY CULTURE  (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 why the French don’t like doggie bags… anymore.) Materials for consideration include literature, cookbooks, menus, film, television, sociological and historical text, as well as topics of contemporary political and social debate. Crosslisted: COML. Pre-requisite(s): First-year writing course

(Offered: Fall 2023)

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  JUNIOR SEMINAR: REPRÉSENTATIONS DE L’ALTÉRITÉ: CARMEN DE MÉRIMÉE ET SES ADAPTATIONS  (1.0 Credit)

Koffi Anyinefa

Domain(s): A: Meaning, Interpretation (Texts)

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 (whether orally or in written form); knowing how to conduct research efficiently; and knowing how to cite this research effectively in an argument and in a manner that follows the rules of the discipline. Pre-requisite(s): One 200-level course in French. Open to non-majors a well

FREN H312  ADV TOPICS FRENCH LITERATURE: L''AMÉRIQUE' VUE DU MONDE FRANCOPHONE: ENTRE ADMIRATION ET MÉPRIS  (1.0 Credit)

Koffi Anyinefa

Division: Humanities
Domain(s): A: Meaning, Interpretation (Texts)

Georges Duhamel, one of the authors on the program, called the United States of America “Outre-Occident”. Obviously, the term is semantically loaded and connotes above all a certain exoticism, a difference. In this course, we will study and interrogate representations of “America” by French-speaking authors: what are the dominant features of these depictions? What are the ideas that underpin them? The tradition of portraying “America” is an old and very rich one, at least since the publication of On Democracy in America, de Tocqueville's famous study. Consequently, we will limit ourselves mostly to authors of the 20th and 21st centuries: Baudrillard, Beauvoir, Dalembert, Duhamel, Godbout, Hergé, Labro and Sartre. Crosslisted: FREN and COML

(Offered: Fall 2023)

FREN H312B  ADV TOPICS FRENCH LIT: JUGEMENTS ET PRÉJUGÉS DES ESSAIS DE MONTAIGNE  (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 very 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. Crosslisted: FREN and COML Prerequisite(s): At least one 200-level course

(Offered: Spring 2024)

FREN H398  SENIOR CONFERENCE  (1.0 Credit)

David Sedley

Division: Humanities

A weekly seminar examining representative French and Francophone literary texts and cultural documents from all periods, and the interpretive problems they raise. Close reading and dissection of texts, complemented by extensive secondary readings from different schools of interpretation, prepare students to analyze others critical stances and to develop their own. In addition to short essays and oral presentations, students write a long paper each semester and end the year with Senior Comprehensives, which consist of an oral explication of a French literary text or cultural document and a four-hour written examination.

FREN H399  SENIOR THESIS  (1.0 Credit)

Division: Humanities

(Offered: Spring 2024)

FREN B001  ELEMENTARY FRENCH  (1.0 Credit)

Christophe Corbin, 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 2023)

FREN B001IN  INTENSIVE ELEMENTARY FRENCH  (1.5 Credits)

Corine Ragueneau

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 2023)

FREN B002  ELEMENTARY FRENCH  (1.0 Credit)

Christophe Corbin, 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 2024)

FREN B002IN  INTENSIVE ELEMENTARY FRENCH  (1.5 Credits)

Agnès Peysson-Zeiss

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 2024)

FREN B003  INTERMEDIATE FRENCH  (1.0 Credit)

Christophe Corbin, 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 2023)

FREN B004  INTERMEDIATE FRENCH  (1.0 Credit)

Corine Ragueneau, 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 2024)

FREN B005  INTENSIVE INTERMEDIATE FRENCH  (1.5 Credits)

Agnès Peysson-Zeiss, Grace Armstrong

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. Students who did not complete Intensive Elementary French must take either 102 or 105 to receive language credit. 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 2023)

FREN B101  TEXTES, IMAGES, VOIX I  (1.0 Credit)

Corine Ragueneau, 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 2023)

FREN B102  TEXTES, VOIX, IMAGES, II  (1.0 Credit)

Corine Ragueneau

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 2024)

FREN B105  DIRECTIONS DE LA FRANCE CONTEMPORAINE  (1.0 Credit)

Agnès Peysson-Zeiss, Christophe Corbin

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 2024)

FREN B201  LE CHEVALIER, LA DAME, ET LE PRÊTRE: ÉTUDES DE FEMMES, DE CLASSES SOCIALES ET D'ETHNIES  (1.0 Credit)

Grace Armstrong

Division: Humanities
Domain(s): A: Meaning, Interpretation (Texts)

Using literary texts, historical documents and letters as a mirror of the social classes that they address, this interdisciplinary course studies the principal preoccupations of secular and religious female and male authors in France and Norman England from the eleventh century through the fifteenth. Selected works from epic, lais, roman courtois, fabliaux, theater, letters, and contemporary biography are read in modern French translation. Prerequisite: FREN 102 or 105.

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 2024)

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.

FREN B214  FRENCH THEATER WORKSHOP  (1.0 Credit)

Emmanuelle Delpech

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 2024)

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

(Offered: Fall 2023)

FREN B224  RACISME ET ANTIRACISME EN FRANCE  (1.0 Credit)

Julien Suaudeau

Co-constructed with students, this course considers the genealogy of French racism as a socio-political construct and as a system of domination. We will analyze how racism "made in France" was designed, theorized, and deployed, but we will also study how its legacy is deconstructed and questioned by contemporary artists whose work focuses on the French colonial history. Art will be examined as a response to the violence of racism and discrimination - a process by which creators find their agency, their voice, and their strength, emancipating the person from the victimization framework. The class will be taught in French and will include interactions with the artists.

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.

(Offered: Fall 2023)

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.

(Offered: Fall 2023)

FREN B262  DÉBAT, DISCUSSION, DIALOGUE  (1.0 Credit)

Agnès Peysson-Zeiss

Division: Humanities

This advanced study of oral communication develops students' linguistic skills in narration, hypothesizing, persuasion or counseling, debate, negotiation, etc. Such skills will be nurtured through enrichment of vocabulary, reinforcement of accuracy in manipulation of complex grammatical structures, and enhancement of discursive strategies. The authentic material (both print and film) which serves as the basis of analytical discussion will reflect issues of contemporary importance; for example, France and Third World francophone countries.

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 2024)

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.

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.

(Offered: Spring 2024)

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.

(Offered: Fall 2023)

FREN B398  SENIOR SEMINAR  (1.0 Credit)

Rudy Le Menthéour

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 2023)

FREN B400  THESIS ADVISING  (1.0 Credit)

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 2024)

FREN B403  SUPERVISED WORK  (1.0 Credit)

Edwige Crucifix, Grace Armstrong

Division: Humanities