French and Francophone Studies

FREN 101: Elementary French

This course introduces the basic structures of the French language, everyday vocabulary and cultural situations. Students practice all four skills (reading, writing, listening, and speaking) in French. Taught five days a week in French. Prerequisite: none (Placement score for students with previous experience in French). 6; Does not fulfill a distribution requirement; offered Fall 2007 -- Staff

FREN 102: Elementary French

This course introduces complex sentences and various tenses through short literary and cultural texts. Students practice all four skills (reading, writing, listening, and speaking) in French. Taught five days a week in French. Prerequisite: French 101 or placement score. 6; Does not fulfill a distribution requirement; offered Winter 2008 -- Staff

FREN 103: Intermediate French

This course reviews basic and complex sentence patterns in greater depth through the discussion of authentic short stories. Students practice all four skills (reading, writing, listening, and speaking) in French. Taught five days a week in French. Prerequisite: French 102 or placement score. 6; Does not fulfill a distribution requirement; offered Fall 2007, Spring 2008 -- Staff

FREN 204: Intermediate French

Through discussion of book-length literary and cultural texts (film, etc.), and including in-depth grammar review, this course aims to help students acquire greater skill and confidence in both oral and written expression. Taught three days a week in French. Prerequisite: French 103 or placement score. 6; Does not fulfill a distribution requirement; offered Fall 2007, Winter 2008 -- Staff

FREN 206: The Media: A Multifaceted Approach

By way of various French and Francophone media, this course aims to increase your knowledge of France and the Francophone world, as well as improve your oral and written expression. In addition to the reading of various newspaper and magazine articles from diverse sources (France, Canada, Morocco, etc.) you will engage with such resources as film, radio and television. 6; Does not fulfill a distribution requirement; offered Fall 2007, Spring 2008 -- A. Fritz-Smead, C. Keïta

FREN 208: Paris Program: Conversation and Composition

Focusing on topics of current interest in French society, this course is designed to help students gain ease and proficiency in spoken and written French. The course will be conducted and supervised by local instructors assisted by recent graduates of the Program in French as a Foreign Language at the University of Paris X. In addition to regular in-class activities, the graduate assistants will meet with students for weekly tutorials. 6; Arts and Literature; offered Spring 2008 -- Non-Carleton Faculty

FREN 210: Coffee and News

Keep up your French while learning about current issues in France, as well as world issues from a French perspective. Class meets once a week for an hour. Requirements include reading specific sections of leading French newspapers, (Le Monde, Libération, etc.) on the internet, and then meeting once a week to exchange ideas over coffee with a small group of students. Prerequisite: French 204 or permission of the instructor. 2; S/CR/NC; Does not fulfill a distribution requirement; offered Fall 2007, Winter 2008, Spring 2008 -- D. Strand, C. Yandell

FREN 233: The French Cinema

In this overview of the major trends in French cinema, we will consider the intersections of the political, social, cultural, and artistic dimensions of films by a number of different French directors. Discussions will focus on such questions as the following: In what ways has French cinema mobilized (or undermined) national myths? What role has film played in mediating the French historical memory? How have French films dealt with the nation's (colonial) others? Course materials will incorporate critical theory and cultural readings. Taught in English with all films subtitled. 6; Arts and Literature; not offered 2007-2008

FREN 235: Francophone Literature of Africa and the Caribbean

Reading and discussion of literary works, with analysis of social, historical and political issues. Conducted in English. 6; Arts and Literature, Recognition and Affirmation of Difference Requirement; not offered 2007-2008

FREN 240: Introduction to French and Francophone Literatures: Sexuality and Sagacity

What is the relationship between sexuality and knowledge? We will attempt to answer this question through novels, poetry and plays of such authors as Ronsard, Baudelaire, Gide, Sade, Sartre, Kundera and Nimier, as well as films of Téchiné and Kassovitz. This course serves as an introduction to the study of French and Francophone literatures and aims to develop students' skills in analysis and discussion in French. Prerequisite: French 204 or the equivalent. 6; Arts and Literature; offered Fall 2007 -- C. Yandell

FREN 241: The Lyric and Other Seductions

French lyric poetry occupies a privileged position in the literary landscape of the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. However, it also shares a common heritage with less literary siblings, such as popular music and even advertising. Starting with the study of such poets as Lamartine, Desbordes-Valmore, Baudelaire, Mallarmé, Valéry, and Bonnefoy, we will also investigate poetic techniques in popular songs and contemporary ads. Conducted in French. Prerequisite: French 204. 6; Arts and Literature; offered Winter 2008 -- S. Carpenter

FREN 243: Topics in Cultural Studies: The Urban Periphery/Negotiated Cultures

The French banlieue has become a flashpoint in politics, culture, and literature. In this course, we will examine the way the banlieue is represented by others, how it attempts to represent itself, and how its mix of cultures is a source of creative (albeit sometimes problematic) representation. 6; Arts and Literature; offered Spring 2008 -- S. Cox

FREN 246: Paris Program: City of Wonders: Paris in the Arts

Home of some of the finest and best-known museums in the world, Paris has long been recognized as a center for artistic activity. Students will have the opportunity to study French art of the last two centuries onsite: in-class lectures and discussions will be complemented by guided visits to the unparalleled collections of the Louvre, the Musée d'Orsay, the Centre Pompidou, local art galleries, and other appropriate destinations. 6; Arts and Literature; offered Spring 2008 -- Non-Carleton Faculty

FREN 249: Paris Program: Myth, Reality, and Palimpsest

The French have been associated, both in stereotypes and in their own proclamations, with a certain "joie de vivre." Through literature, art, and theory, we will explore French notions of what it means to "live well," from Renaissance sumptuousness to existentialist questioning to the depiction of immigrants’ lives in contemporary Paris. We will examine the ways in which the physical environment fashions attitudes and practices that define the good life (urban and rural settings, the north and the south, housing projects and seascapes). Whenever possible, course readings and student writing will be linked with experiential learning in Paris and southern France. 6; Arts and Literature; offered Spring 2008 -- C. Yandell

FREN 250: Mali Program: Film and Society in Mali

This course will concentrate on the dynamics of traditional orality within the art of cinema in Mali. Feature films and documentaries by award-winning filmmakers such as Soulemane Cissé, Cheick Oumar Sissoko, Adama Drabo, Dany Kouyaté, and Abderrahmane Sissako will be screened and analyzed. Discussions with some of these filmmakers will introduce the student to the challenges and success of filmmaking in economically-challenged countries such as Mali and Burkina Faso. 6; Arts and Literature; offered Winter 2008 -- C. Keïta

FREN 251: Mali Program: Negotiating the Past: The Challenges of Nation-building in Mali

This course will look at various issues in Malian history (ancient and modern) and the process of political and economic change. A component of this course will be an introduction to conversational Bambara, the lingua franca of Mali. 4; Arts and Literature; offered Winter 2008 -- C.Keïta

FREN 252: Mali Program: Literature and Society in Mali

This course will focus on the theme of social change in different genres of Malian literature, from the colonial period to the present. By studying oral and written works by traditional and modern poets, novelists, and playwrights such as Seydou Badian and Massa Makan Diabaté, Moussa Konaté, and Amadou Hampaté Bâ, the student will get an understanding of issues such as education, marriage, and traditional vs. modern political power in contemporary Malian society. Meeting will be arranged with many writers and oral performers. 6; Arts and Literature; offered Winter 2008 -- C.Keïta

FREN 290: Mali Program: Directed Reading

2; S/CR/NC; Does not fulfill a distribution requirement; offered Winter 2008 -- C.Keïta

FREN 309: Beyond Words: The Fine Art of Writing in French

In this class we will attempt to master the art of writing essays, and exposés while wrestling with unruly subjunctives and pesky prepositions in French. We will study, translate and emulate various types of texts in order to develop a sense of style in French. We will work on projects such as subtitling of films, and translating picture books. Overall our work will focus on developing a continued appreciation for words and language. Required for the major in French. Prerequisite: at least one course above 204. 6; Arts and Literature; offered Spring 2008 -- C. Lac

FREN 340: Arts of Brevity: Short Fiction

The rise of newspapers and magazines in the nineteenth century promotes a variety of short genres that will remain popular to the present day: short stories, prose poetry, vignettes, theatrical scenes. In this five-week course we’ll study short works by such authors as Diderot, Sand, Balzac, Mérimée, Flaubert, Allais, Tardieu, Le Clézio. Conducted in French. Prerequisite: French 204; recommended preparation: French 206, 240, or 241. 3; Arts and Literature; offered Spring 2008 -- S. Carpenter

FREN 341: Madame Bovary and Her Avatars

Decried as scandalous, heralded as the first "modern" novel, Gustave Flaubert’s Madame Bovary (published in 1857) sparked debate, spawned both detractors and followers, and became a permanent fixture in French culture and even the French language. In this five-week course we will read the novel, study its cultural context and impact, and see how it has been variously re-interpreted in film and other media. Conducted in French. Prerequisite: French 204; recommended preparation: French 206, 240, or 241. 3; Arts and Literature; offered Spring 2008 -- S. Carpenter

FREN 349: Paris Program: Myth, Reality, and Palimpsest

The French have been associated, both in stereotypes and in their own proclamations, with a certain "joie de vivre." Through literature, art, and theory, we will explore French notions of what it means to "live well," from Renaissance sumptuousness to existentialist questioning to the depiction of immigrants’ lives in contemporary Paris. We will examine the ways in which the physical environment fashions attitudes and practices that define the good life (urban and rural settings, the north and the south, housing projects and seascapes). Whenever possible, course readings and student writing will be linked with experiential learning in Paris and southern France. 6; Arts and Literature; offered Spring 2008 -- C. Yandell

FREN 351: Topics in the Sixteenth Century Literature: Metamorphoses: Love, War and Monsters in Early Modern Fr

The French Renaissance continues to intrigue students and critics by its propensity for paradox, ambiguity, and contradiction. Just as literature and the arts reached new levels of aesthetic achievement, the bloodiest civil war in French history was taking shape. Simultaneously producing lyric poetry praising beautiful bodies, bawdy tales, moralizing dialogue, and chronicles of monsters, French sixteenth century culture was in a constant state of flux. Through such authors as Rabelais, Marguerite de Navarre, Ronsard, Louise Labé and Montaigne, as well as contemporaneous artistic and musical works, we will investigate the meaning of these metamorphoses. Recommended preparation: French 240-level course or the equivalent. 6; Arts and Literature; not offered 2007-2008

FREN 352: The Court and its Dissenters

Seventeenth-century France is often touted as the pinnacle of French grandeur. Under Louis XIV's absolutist rule, France supported an astounding number of normative measures--from founding academies to policing codes of behavior--designed to help the French nation to become a political, economic and cultural world power. But in the midst of all these pressures towards normativeness, could one express any dissent in the age of Versailles? To answer this question we will examine the creative (and irreverent) strategies used by a whole range of authors such as Molière, Racine, Lafayette, Fènelon, and many more. Conducted in French. Recommended preparation: French 240-level course or equivalent. 6; Arts and Literature; not offered 2007-2008

FREN 356: Topics in Nineteenth-Century Literature: Aesthetics of the False

The nineteenth century gives rise to a major literary movement that we have come to know as Realism. However, there is an undercurrent to this movement, one that capitalizes on literature's original association with falsehood. In our review of the techniques and preoccupations in the fiction and prose poetry of such authors as Balzac, Mérimée, Sand, and Baudelaire, we will focus on various notions of falsity (frauds, hoaxes, and more) especially as the false displaces the true as an aesthetic ideal. We will also look ahead to see how such concerns foreshadow various postmodern preoccupations in the twentieth century. Recommended preparation: French 240 or above. Conducted in French. 6; Arts and Literature; not offered 2007-2008

FREN 359: Twentieth Century Literature: The Novel and Memory

Marcel Proust's quest to retrieve the past set the stage for future writers who have undertaken the challenging task of probing what Bell Hooks has called "the debris of history." In this course, we will study representative novels and films dealing with memory, paying particular attention to the high stakes involved in remembering (and forgetting) at the intersection of personal story and history. Taught in French. Prerequisite: French 204 or the equivalent. 6; Arts and Literature; offered Winter 2008 -- D. Strand

FREN 360: Topics in French Studies: Faces of Marginality in Francophone N. America, Quebec and Louisiana

Focusing primarily on the literary and cultural traditions of Quebec, this course undertakes to examine French Canadian culture as a minority tradition--one locked in a struggle with majority influences. In this way, québecois literature shares a heritage with other minority French traditions, such as Cajun literature, and with more obviously postcolonial traditions, such as West and North African literature. Taught in French. Prerequisites: 200-level French literature course or equivalent. 6; Arts and Literature; offered Winter 2008 -- S. Cox

FREN 395: Autobiographical Lenses: Self/Other/Culture

While "writing the self" may first appear to be a uniquely narcissistic enterprise, autobiography also reveals much about the culture from which it emerges. Readings include such authors as Montaigne, Rousseau, Romain Gary, Hervé Guibert, Gisèle Pineau, Azouz Begag and Amélie Nothomb. Throughout the course, students will also engage in an autobiographical project of their own. Prerequisite: French 240-level course or the equivalent. 6; Arts and Literature; offered Fall 2007 -- C. Yandell

FREN 400: Integrative Exercise

During their senior year students will expand and deepen an essay in French from one of their advanced courses in the major. Normally, but not always, the director for this project will be the professor from that course. This essay may be completed during any term, but must be finished early in the Spring term, when an oral presentation (in English) of the work will be presented. 3; S/NC; Does not fulfill a distribution requirement; offered Fall 2007, Winter 2008, Spring 2008 -- S. Carpenter