Course Descriptions

French

FREN 101: , FREN 102, FREN 103 Elementary French (1)
Development of language skills: listening, comprehension, speaking, reading and writing. Essentials of grammar complemented by readings in literature and culture, with extensive practice in speaking. Staff

FREN 101A: , FREN 103A Intensive Elementary French (1)
Equivalent to elementary French, but designed for students who wish to learn at a rapid rate; aural comprehension, speaking, reading, and writing. Extra laboratory work. Staff

FREN 101Q: Quick Start French I (1 1/2)
Fall/December break. Intensive study of the language culminating in a two-week course in Paris and Besancon, France. The instruction in the fall term is motivated by the upcoming trip: grammar and vocabulary are structured around situations the students encounter while traveling. Target language instruction includes intensive drill session; additional instruction (in English and outside regular class meeting times) focuses attention on the history, the economy, and the geography of the region visited, and includes practical exercises and keeping a journal of activities. This gives the students hands-on experience with the French language that cannot be replicated in the classroom. Staff

FREN 103Q: Quick Start French II (1)
Further intensive study of French language and culture. Student journals from FREN 101Q serve as prime sources for discussion and exercises. The course tackles some of the more difficult aspects of French grammar such as passive voice, adjective endings and relative clauses. It also includes a series of lecture-discussions focusing on French political institutions, economic policy and participation in the European Union, and contemporary culture. The latter in particular is enhanced by viewing French films and television features from Knox's library collection and taped from direct satellite feed. Staff

FREN 210: Conversation (1)
Practice in understanding and speaking French. Oral and written review of basic elements of French grammar. Some writing of simple prose. CAkuetey

FREN 211: Intermediate French Grammar and Composition (1)
This course seeks to consolidate students' skills in grammar and reinforce their listening, reading and writing abilities through dictations, written compositions, readings, and oral presentations. Readings will be taken from news articles, fiction and non-fiction, and poetry. CAkuetey

FREN 214: French-English Translation (1/2 or 1)
An introduction to the art of translation, from French to English as well as English to French. Students will all work on several short texts, both literary and non-literary, then each one will work on an individual project. HUMStaff

FREN 215: Introduction to French Literature (1)
An introduction to the different literary genres - poetry, theatre, novel - and to approaches to a literary work. Focus on close reading and discussion of texts across the centuries. Examples of authors studied: Ronsard, Moliere, Baudelaire, Zola. BDavis

FREN 220: Francophone African Literature (1)
An introduction to African authors who write in French. The texts exist in an underlying conflict between two cultures: African and European. The course emphasizes the relationship between the texts and the socio-economic and political structures. HUMCAkuetey

FREN 225E: Topics in French Civilization (1)
See course description for FREN 325. Taught in English. BDavis

FREN 230: Introduction to French Culture (1/2 or 1)
What is culture? Using a multifaceted approach - anthropological, semiotic, sociological - students will begin to define what it means to be French. Readings will include short essays by Roland Barthes and other authors who address some of the symbols and icons of French life, such as the Tour de France, the Marseillaise, etc. Films may also be used to understand daily life. BDavis

FREN 240: Introduction to French Cinema (1/2 or 1)
The French often assert that in the domain of international cinema French films represent the only serious challenge to Hollywood's hegemony. Regardless of the truth of this assertion, it is true that film as an art form occupies a privileged position in France. The purpose of this course is to examine the evolution of filmmaking in France by studying a number of the most important periods, movements, styles and artists in the history of French cinema.BDavis

FREN 248: Teaching Assistant (1/2 or 1)
Staff

FREN 295: Special Topics (1/2 or 1)
Courses offered occasionally to students in special areas of French not covered in the usual curriculum.Staff

FREN 304: Symbolist Poetry (1)
Primarily a study of Baudelaire and Rimbaud, with supplementary study of Mallarme, Verlaine and Nouveau. CAkuetey

FREN 305: Nineteenth Century French Literature (1)
The development of the Romantic movement, realism, naturalism, and symbolism. CAkuetey

FREN 309: Twentieth Century Literature (1)
A study of modern and contemporary authors, including Gide, Colette, Camus, Sartre, Proust, Apollinaire, Breton and others. Additional lectures on relevant music and art. CAkuetey

FREN 311: or FREN 311E Arthurian Romance (1)
(In French or English) A study of the French Arthurian materials in modern French or English translation. Principal texts are drawn from the works of Marie de France, Chretien de Troyes, the Tristan materials, and the Lancelot-Grail cycle. Topics addressed include the development of the Arthurian tradition and its relationship to medieval society. Staff

FREN 313: Seventeenth Century French Literature (1)
Readings and discussions of the classic drama, Corneille, Racine, Moliere, and some non-dramatic writers such as Pascal, Descartes, La Fontaine, and others. BDavis

FREN 316: Eighteenth Century Literature (1)
An analysis of works by Laclos, Diderot, Voltaire, Rousseau, Marivaux, and Beaumarchais.BDavis

FREN 318: Renaissance Literature (1)
An analysis of works by Rabelais, Ronsard, du Bellay, and Montaigne. Staff

FREN 319: Medieval Literature (1)
Readings and discussions of medieval works that have had an impact on the Western tradition: the Chanson de Roland, the Chevalier de la Charrette, and others. The course focuses on texts from the 12th-15th centuries. Staff

FREN 320: Written and Oral French (1)
Advanced practice in written and oral expression. Staff

FREN 325: Topics in French Civilization (1)
This course begins with a reflection on the concepts "nation" and "national identity" and then proceeds to identify and analyze the institutions and iconography that constitute the "deep structure" of France. How do the French remember the past? How have they "reconstructed" it? How do they view the world around them and their place in it? How do they view each other? As we attempt to find answers for these and other questions, it is necessary to look at those watershed events in French history that have over time transcended their reality and have been transformed into the myths that underlie and establish French identity. BDavis

FREN 330: or FREN 330E Great Themes of French Literature (1)
(In French or English) A socio-historical study of the development of major themes and their adaptation to other literatures or disciplines. Some themes explored: Russian-French comparative literature, French literature and international opera, etc. Staff

FREN 335: , FREN 335E France, 1939-45: Defeat, Occupation, Liberation (1)
France's fate in World War II is the stuff of Greek tragedy: after the agony and victory of 1914-18, the French nation is plunged into a new war even more devastating (at least morally) than the first, in which France's democratic institutions are dismantled by rogue politicians, and the national honor is sacrificed through collaboration with a brutal and avaricious occupier. Through the analysis of recent scholarship and primary sources, this course traces France's wartime nightmare from the collapse of the Third Republic to the ignominy of collaboration to the redemption found in a popular movement of resistance. BDavis

FREN 348: Teaching Assistant (1/2 or 1)
Staff

FREN 395: Special Topics (1/2 or 1)
Courses offered occasionally to students in special areas of French not covered in the usual curriculum.Staff

FREN 399: Senior Project (1/2 or 1)
This is a seminar style course with a common framework whose content varies according to the interests of the instructor and students. Possible topics include a specific author, a literary movement, a genre, a major historical event. Students craft a comprehensive term project which is validated by a research paper. BDavis

FREN 400: Advanced Studies (1/2 or 1)
See College Honors Program. Staff