Fall 2012 Courses

French 110
Elementary French I
Staff
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French 110 is the first semester of the elementary level sequence designed to develop functional proficiency in the four skills and gain familiarity with French and Francophone culture. The primary emphasis is on the development of the oral-aural skills, speaking and listening. Readings on topics in French culture as well as frequent writing practice are also included in the course.

As in other French courses, class will be conducted entirely in French. You will be guided through a variety of communicative activities in class which will expose you to a rich input of spoken French and lead you from structured practice to free expression. You will be given frequent opportunity to practice your newly acquired vocabulary and grammatical structures in small group and pair work which simulate real-life situations. The course will introduce you to French and Francophone culture through authentic materials including written documents, simple articles, songs, films, videos, and taped conversations between native speakers. Out-of-class homework will require practice with CDs as well as regular writing practice. The course will also invite you to explore the Francophone world on the Internet.


French 112
Elementary French: Accelerated
Staff
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French 112 is an intensive elementary language course covering the equivalent of French 110 and 120 in one semester. Students must have departmental permit to register. The course is normally open only to students who have no previous knowledge of French, and who have already fulfilled the language requirement in another language.


French 120
Elementary French II
Staff
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French 120 is the second semester continuation of the elementary level sequence designed to develop functional proficiency in the four skills and gain familiarity with French and Francophone culture. The primary emphasis is on the development of the oral-aural skills, speaking and listening. Readings on topics in French culture as well as frequent writing practice are also included in the course.

As in other French courses, class will be conducted entirely in French. You will be guided through a variety of communicative activities in class which will expose you to rich input of spoken French and lead you from structured practice to free expression. You will be given frequent opportunity to practice your newly acquired vocabulary and grammatical structures in small group and pair work which simulate real-life situations. The course will introduce you to French and Francophone culture through authentic materials including written documents, simple articles, songs, films, videos, and taped conversations between native speakers. Out-of-class homework will require practice with CDs as well as regular writing practice. The course will also invite you to explore the Francophone world on the Internet.


French 121
Elementary French
Staff
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French 121 is an intensive one-semester language course for students who have had some French before but who can benefit from a complete review of elementary French. Students with an SATII score between 380 - 440 or a placement score between 18 - 29 should enroll in French 121. This course will provide a re-introduction of the basic structures of French with intensive work on speaking and listening designed to prepare students to take Intermediate French. Due to the nature of the course, the first half will progress rapidly with much more difficult material being presented after the midterm period.

As in other French courses, class will be conducted entirely in French. You will be guided through a variety of communicative activities in class which will expose you to rich input of spoken French and lead you from structured practice to free expression. You will be given frequent opportunity to practice your newly acquired vocabulary and grammatical structures in small group and pair work activities which simulate real-life situations. The course will introduce you to French and Francophone culture through authentic materials including written documents, simple articles, songs, films, videos, and taped conversations between native speakers. Out-of-class homework will require frequent practice with audio and video material, and will include daily written assignments. The course will also invite you to explore the Francophone world on the Internet.


French 130
Intermediate French I
Staff
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French 130 is the first half of a two-semester intermediate sequence designed to help you attain a level of proficiency that should allow you to function comfortably in a French-speaking environment. You are expected to have already learned the most basic grammatical structures in elementary French and you will review these on your own in the course workbook. This course will build on your existing skills in French, increase your confidence and ability to read, write, speak, and understand French, and introduce you to more refined lexical items, more complex grammatical structures, and more challenging cultural material.

As in other French courses at Penn, class will be conducted entirely in French. In addition to structured oral practice, work in class will include frequent communicative activities such as role-plays, problem-solving tasks, discussions, and debates, often carried out in pairs or small groups. Through the study of authentic materials such as articles, poems, songs, films, videos, you will deepen your knowledge of the French-speaking world. Daily homework will require listening practice with audio and video material, in addition to regular written exercises in the workbook and frequent composition practice.

Students having completed French 120, or with an SATII score of 450 - 540 or a placement score between 30 and 35 should enroll in this course.


French 140
Intermediate French II
Staff
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French 140 is the second half of a two-semester intermediate sequence designed to help you attain a level of proficiency that should allow you to function comfortably in a French-speaking environment. You are expected to have already learned the most basic grammatical structures in elementary French and will review these on your own in the course workbook. This course will build on your existing skills in French, increase your confidence and ability to read, write, speak, and understand French, and introduce you to more refined lexical items, more complex grammatical structures, and more challenging cultural material.

This course focuses on the culture of French-speaking countries beyond the borders of France. Along with your classmates, you will explore the cities of Dakar, Fort-de-France and Marrakesh, investigating the diversity of the francophone world through film, literature and music. As in other French courses at Penn, class is conducted entirely in French. In addition to structured oral practice, work in class will include frequent communicative activities such as problem-solving tasks, discussions, and debates, often carried out in pairs or small groups. Daily homework will require researching in the library and on the Internet, listening practice with video-clips, in addition to regular written exercises in the workbook.


French 180
Advanced French in Residence
Staff

Open only to residents in La Maison Francaise


French 200
The Fantastic Voyage from Homer to Science Fiction
Prof. Francis

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Tales of voyages to strange lands with strange inhabitants and even stranger customs have been a part of the Western literary tradition from its inception. What connects these tales is that their voyages are not only voyages of discovery, but voyages of self-discovery. By describing the effects these voyages have on the characters who undertake them, and by hinting at comparisons between the lands described in the story and their own society, authors use fantastic voyages as vehicles for incisive commentary on literary, social, political, and scientific issues.

In this course, we will explore the tradition of the fantastic voyage from Homer’s Odyssey, one of the earliest examples of this type of narrative and a model for countless subsequent voyage narratives, to modern science fiction, which appropriates this narrative for its own ends. We will determine what the common stylistic elements of voyage narratives are, such as the frame narrative, or story-within-a-story, and what purpose they serve in conveying the tale’s messages. We will see how the voyagers attempt to understand and interact with the lands and peoples they encounter, and what these attempts tell us about both the voyagers and their newly-discovered counterparts. Finally, we will ask ourselves what real-world issues are commented upon by these narratives, what lessons the narratives have to teach about them, and how they impart these lessons to the reader. Though this course is primarily dedicated to literature, we will also watch several seminal film adaptations to determine how cinematographic techniques can inform narratives of fantastic voyage.

This course is meant not only for SF fans who would like to become better acquainted with the precursors and classics of the genre, but for all those who wish to learn how great works of fiction, far from being intended solely for entertainment and escapism, attempt to improve upon the real world through the effect they have on the reader. Readings and discussion are in English; an additional discussion group devoted to the original French versions of Cyrano, Verne and Boulle may be formed, as well, given sufficient interest.

 

Texts and Films

- Homer, The Odyssey (8th century BCE)
- Lucian of Samosata, A True Story (2nd century CE)
- Cyrano de Bergerac, The Other World: The States and Empires of the Moon (1657)
- Jonathan Swift, Gulliver’s Travels (1726)
- Jules Verne, Twenty Thousand Leagues under the Seas (1870)
- 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea, dir. Richard Fleischer (1954)
- H. G. Wells, The Time Machine (1895)
- A Trip to the Moon , dir. Georges Méliès (1902)
- Karel Čapek, War with the Newts (1936)
- Pierre Boulle, Planet of the Apes (1963)
- Planet of the Apes,, dir. Franklin J. Schaffner (1968)
- Planet of the Apes, dir. Tim Burton (2001)


French 202
Advanced French
Staff
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French 202 is a one-semester third-year level French course. It is designed to prepare students for subsequent study in upper level courses in French and francophone literature, linguistics, civilization, cinema, etc. It is required for students who have completed 140 and recommended for those with an equivalent level, wishing to continue in more advanced French courses or preparing for study abroad.  Exceptions can be made with permission of undergraduate chair.

It is also the appropriate course for those students who have time for only one more French course and wish to solidify their knowledge of the language by continuing to work on all four skills - speaking, listening, reading and writing. Students’ work will be evaluated both in terms of progress in language skills and of ability to handle and engage in the content areas.

This course does not include a systematic review of French grammar (that is done in French 212). Nevertheless, through the diverse writing assessments (e.g. creative writing; essays), the various textual and visual references (e.g. novels; articles; films; clips), the communicative approach, the students will play an active role in their learning process and consequently will be led to consolidate and deepen their grammatical competence. 

The class studies two thematic units dealing with a wide variety of magazine articles, literary texts, historical documents, movies, songs, etc. In the first dossier, students get a chance to expand their knowledge of French history, with one major focus on World War II and the German occupation of France. In the second dossier, students study contemporary France focusing on issues such as the modern family, education, pop culture. While touching upon issues of identity in France, the class engages the students into an intercultural dialogue which enables them to be more aware of the differences and similarities between the two countries.


French 211
French for Professions I
Prof. Ciesco
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Prerequisite: FREN 202 highly recommended. No business background necessary.

This content-based language course, taught in French, introduces economic, business, and professional terminology through the study of the following topics: financial institutions (banking, stock market and insurance); business practices (business letters and resumes); trade and advertising; the internal structure and legal forms of French companies. 

The course also emphasizes verbal communication through three components:

  • In-class activities such as problem-solving tasks, discussions and debates.
  • The study of authentic materials such as newspapers and magazines’ articles, video clips, and radio shows.
  • A series of students’ presentations.

Finally, in order to use and practice the new economic and business terminology studied in this course, and to also further explore the structure, the management, and the operations of the French companies, students will work in pairs on a research project about a major French company of their choice.

One of the other goals of this course is to also prepare the students to take one of the exams offered by the Paris Chamber of Commerce and Industry: the Diplôme de Français Professionnel, Affaires, C1. This exam will be held on campus in April.


French 212
Advanced French Grammar & Composition
Staff
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Intensive review of grammar integrated into writing practice.  A good knowledge of basic French grammar is a prerequisite (French 202 or equivalent is recommended).  Conducted entirely in French, the course will study selected grammatical difficulties of the French verbal and nominal systems including colloquial usage.  Frequent oral and written assignments with opportunity for rewrites.  

 Articles from French newspapers and magazines, literary excerpts, and a novel or short stories will be used as supplementary materials in order to prepare students to take content courses in French in disciplines other than French.


French 214
Advanced Comp & Conversation
Prof. Philippon-Daniel
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This course is intended to improve speaking and writing skills by offering extensive practice in a variety of styles and forms. It will also help students better understand contemporary French culture, thought and modes of expression. The content is organized around current events and the themes of identity and art. Activities include the study, analysis and emulation of model texts as well as discussion and debates about events and social issues as covered by the French news media (television, print, Internet sources).

Students will practice oral skills in a variety of ways, including video blogs and group presentations on selected current events. Written practice will comprise reflective journals, essays and collaborative work on a class newspaper project.

(Recommended for students who are planning to study abroad in France)


French 217
French Phonetics
Prof. Edelstein
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French 221-401
Perspectives in French Literature: Love and Passion
Prof. Goulet
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This course will provide a survey of French literature through exemplary texts from the Middle Ages to the 20 th century through the thematic prism of love and passion. Although France’s shifting socio-political contexts will frame our discussions, class work will emphasize the following: a) textual analysis: what rhetorical strategies are at play? what tools can we employ to write effectively about poetry, theater, and novels?; b) literary history: how did different genres develop through the ages? how did authors respond to their predecessors?; and c) philosophical reflexion: how are desire, marriage, and sexuality intertwined? how can reading fictions from other cultures and eras help us reflect on constructions of gender?. Authors studied may include Marie de France, Pierre de Ronsard, Louise Labé, Racine, Maxime Prévost, Choderlos de Laclos, Honoré de Balzac, Charles Baudelaire, Rachilde, Marguerite Duras, and Nicole Brossard.

Requirement: successful completion of either 212 or 214 or an AP equivalent.


French 221-402
Love, Passion and Eroticism in French and Francophone Literature From the Middle Ages to the Present
Prof. Dougherty
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This course will investigate diverse representations of love, passion and eroticism from the Middle Ages to the twenty-first century. How and why have paradigms shifted throughout the ages? In writing about love, passion and eroticism, what differences can we discern between male and female authors and the characters they create? We will consider several forms of love, including unrequited, idealized, tragic, adulterous, illicit, and of course, le coup de foudre! We will also examine the transformation of love and passion into jealousy, obsession, complacency and hatred. During the course of the semester, you will also acquire the vocabulary and critical skills required to effectively analyze, both orally and in writing, poetry, theater and prose. All readings, discussion and written work will be in French.


French 221-403
Love in France from the Middle Ages to the Present
Prof. Richman
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Representations of love, passion and desire furnish the reading matter for this course.  Our goal is to trace a tradition from which contemporary culture continues to draw inspiration, as evidenced in recent songs and films also included in our panorama. Guiding our historical overview is the long-standing association between France and love. Did the French invent love---its conventions and language?  What were the historical, social and cultural factors contributing to such a connection? Does it still exist today? Also included are comparisons with theoretical speculations, from Plato, Hegel, Freud and Lacan.

Texts include excerpts from Tristan et Iseut and from correspondence of Héloïse et Abélard, Phèdre, Le Jeu de l’amour et du hasard, Une passion dans le desert,l’Amant, some poems, clips from recent films.

Requirement: successful completion of either 212 or 214 or an AP equivalent.

 

French 226
French Civilization from Beginning to 1789
Prof. Peron
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French 230
Masterpieces of French Cinema
Prof. Met
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The purpose of this course is to provide an introduction to the history and scope of French cinema all the way to the present time through the analysis of key works of the French film canon. Particular attention will be paid to successive period styles (“le réalisme poétique”, “la qualité française”, “la nouvelle vague”, “le film de banlieue”, etc.) as well as various genres (war, drama, comedy, crime, etc.). A variety of critical lenses will be used (psychoanalysis, socio-historical and cultural context, politics, aesthetics, gender…) in an effort to better understand the specificities and complexities of these films.


French 250
The Novel & Marriage
Prof. Dejean
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Historians have argued that early novels helped shape public opinion on many controversial issues. And no subject was more often featured in novels than marriage. In the course of the 18 th and the 19 th centuries, at a time when marriage as an institution was being radically redefined, almost all the best known novels explored happy as well as unhappy unions, individuals who decided not to marry as well as those whose lives were destroyed by the institution. They showcased marriage in other words in ways certain to provoke debate. We will both survey the development of the modern novel from the late 17 th to the early 20 th century and study the treatment of marriage in some of the greatest novels of all time.

We will begin with novels from the French and English traditions, the national literatures in which the genre first took shape, in particular Laclos’ Dangerous Liaisons, Austen’s Persuasion, Brontë’s Jane Eyre, Flaubert’s Madame Bovary. We will then turn to works from other European traditions such as Goethe’s Elective Affinities, Manzoni’s The Betrothed, Tolstoy’s Anna Karenina.

We will begin the course by discussing the novel often referred to as the first modern novel, The Princess de Clèves, an ideal beginning for this course, since it was written by a woman writer, Lafayette – more than any other genre, the modern novel was the creation of women writers. The Princess de Clèves was also the first novel centered on an exploration of questions central to the debate about marriage for over two centuries – everything from the question of whether one should marry for love or for social position to the question of adultery.

All readings, writing, and discussion will be in English.


French 370
French Literature of the 19th Century
Prof. Goulet
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Special Topic: Poe’s French Legacies

Edgar Allan Poe was considered a vulgar hack by many of his fellow Americans, but in 19 th-century France, he was touted as a misunderstood poetic genius, the original poète maudit. Through the translations of Charles Baudelaire, who found in Poe a kindred spirit in the “goût de l’infini,” French intellectuals came to know the American writer as a fount of aesthetic wisdom, diabolical sensibility, and mystic mastery. In this course, we will study Baudelaire’s poetry as well as the many literary and artistic movements in France that were directly inspired by Poe’s uncanny mix of the macabre and the methodical: Symbolist poetry (Valéry, Mallarmé), the Scientific Fantastic (Maupassant, Villiers de l’Isle-Adam), fin-de-siècle Decadence (Huysmanns, Odilon Redon), Science Fiction (Verne), the detective novel (Gaboriau), and 20 th-century Surrealism (Breton, Max Ernst).

All readings and discussion in French.


French 380
Twentieth Century French Novel
Prof. Prince
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A study of first person novel from from modernism and existentialism to post-modernism and from Proust and Gide through Sartre and Camus to Modiano and Toussaint.


French 390
Introduction to Francophone African and Caribbean Cultures
Prof. Anyinefa
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Purpose of this course is to introduce students to Francophone African (South of the Sahara) and Caribbean literatures, cultural theories, and cinema, and more generally to postcolonial cultures in the French speaking world. We will study some of the most celebrated Francophone African and Caribbean authors and filmmakers (among others, Bâ, Césaire, Fanon, Oyono, Peck, Sembène) and acquaint ourselves with predominant aesthetic, thematic and ideological features of their works.

Reading and class discussion in French