Fall 2010 Courses

Fren-110
Elementary French I
Staff
(See Course Timetables for time(s))

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.


Fren-112
Elementary French: Accelerated
Staff
(See Course Timetables for time(s))

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.


Fren-120
Elementary French II
Staff
(See Course Timetables for time(s))

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.


Fren-121
Elementary French
Staff
(See Course Timetables for time(s)

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.


Fren-130
Intermediate French I
Staff
(See Course Timetables for time(s))

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. 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.

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, and taped conversations between native speakers you will deepen your knowledge of the French-speaking world. The course explores the customs and values prevailing in France, Senegal, Cameroun, Martinique, and other cultures, with a focus on living standards, family traditions, cuisine, and leisure activities. Daily homework will require listening practice with audio and video material, in addition to regular written exercises in the workbook and frequent composition practice. The course will also invite you to explore the Francophone world on the Internet.


Fren-140
Intermediate French II
Staff
(See Course Timetables for time(s))

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 .


Fren-180
Advanced French In Residence
Staff
(See Course Timetables for time(s))

Open only to residents in La Maison Francaise

Fren-202
Advanced French
Staff
(See Course Timetables for time(s))

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 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.

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 youth-related issues (such as upbringing and education, television, unemployment, racism, etc…). The class touches upon issues of identity in France as well as in the Francophone world, in the context of immigration and colonization.


Fren-211
French for Professions I
Staff
(See Course Timetables for time(s))

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.

Prerequites: Intermediate-high / advanced level of French (French 202 highly recommended). No business background necessary.


Fren-212
Advanced French Grammar & Composition
Staff
(See Course Timetables for time(s))



Fren-214
Advanced Composition & Conversation
Prof. Philippon-Daniel
(See Course Timetables for time(s))

This is a course 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 mode of expression. Activities include the study, analysis and emulation of model texts, the discussion and debates about current events and social issues as covered by the French news media (television, print, Internet sources). Students will do oral presentations based on research, take part in class discussions and compile a writing portfolio (journal, essays, blog).


Fren-217
French Phonetics
Edelstein C
(See Course Timetables for time(s))


Fren-221-401
Perspectives in French Literature
Prof. Richman
(See Course Timetables for time(s))

This course is designed to provide students with a knowledge of major aspects of the French literary tradition from the Middle Ages to the present and, at the same time, to unify a broad variety of works under the rubric of textual eroticism and romance. Course materials will include prose narratives, plays, one film. All readings and class discussion in French.

 
Fren 221-402
Perspectives in French Literature
Prof. Prince
(See Course Timetables for time(s))

This course is designed to provide students with a knowledge of major aspects of the French literary tradition from the Middle Ages to the present and, at the same time, to unify a broad variety of works under the rubric of textual eroticism and romance. Texts will include prose narratives (Tristan et Iseut, Manon Lescaurt, L’Amant), plays (Phedre, On ne badine pas avec l’amour), and poetry (by Ronsard, Hugo, Baudelaire, Apollinaire). All readings and class discussion in French.


Fren 221-403
Perspectives in French Literature
Prof. Moudileno
(See Course Timetables for time(s))

This course is designed to provide students with a knowledge of major aspects of the French literary tradition from the Middle Ages to the present and, at the same time, to unify a broad variety of works under the rubric of textual eroticism and romance. All readings and class discussion in French.


Fren-226
French Civilization from Beginning to 1789
Staff
(See Course Timetables for time(s))

An introduction to the social, political and historical institutions of France from the dawn of civilization until the Revolution of 1789. The course will be illustrated with visual material of architecture and painting and readings will include literary and non-literary texts. Of interest not only to French majors (for whom it is a requirement) but also to majors in history, international relations, and political science. All readings and class discussion in French. (General Requirement - may be counted as a Distributional course in History and Tradition).

Pre-requisite for this course: at least one of the following FREN 212/214/221/222

Fren-230
Masterpieces of French Cinema
Staff
(See Course Timetables for time(s))


Fren-301
French Identities through Film: Changing Places
Prof. Richman
(See Course Timetables for time(s))

The central theme guiding this exploration of identity in France is "place." Films, autobiographical narratives and socio-historical documents explore correlations between place and identity as determined by region, locale, social milieu, occupation, ethnicity, gender, religion, political affililiation or cultural taste. What is the impact of dislocations effected through education, immigration, work, love and marriage?

The variety of representations included complement sociological analyses to understand if the question of place continues to be central to identity formation in France.  To do so, we must also consider the controversial interventions of the French state regarding a "national identity" or specific customs. The historic framework spans the demise of the "Glorious Thirties" [1947-75] to the present.

Requirements: Papers, [6] films screened outside of class. Conducted entirely in French.

French 226 and 227 recommended. Requirements include response papers to films coordinated with readings; short exams to test coverage.


Fren 330
Medieval Literature: Identity, Heroism, Love, Gender
Prof. Brownlee
(See Course Timetables for time(s))

This course examines the extraordinary period (11th -13th centuries) during which the French literary tradition was first established by looking at a number of key generative themes: Identity, Heroism, Love, Gender. We focus on the issues of identity and authority with regard to both the protagonist(s) and the author of a key set of canonical medieval works. The issue of how gender roles are constructed and reconstructed provides a global perspective. In the Chanson de Roland we analyze the epic paradigm of heroism, with its glorification of military sacrifice. With the Vie de Saint Alexis, we move to the saintly paradigm, powerfully redefined in the post-martyrdom age. In Chrétien de Troyes's romance Lancelot, we study a different kind of hero who is defined by his capacity to love, which thus valorizes both the elegance of courtly language and the role of the courtly beloved, Queen Guenievre. In Marie de France's Lais, we study the first female-authored collection of courtly love stories, in which contradictions and tragic endings predominate at the level of plot. In Aucassin et Nicolette we see the first real emergence of a female hero, whose power is intellectual rather than military. In Christine de Pizan's Dittié de Jehanne d’Arc (1429), we come full circle in terms of the Roland, as this female-authored text celebrates the military prowess and sacrifice of the female-gendered hero Joan of Arc in the Hundred-Years War between France and England.

All readings and discussions in French.

Distribution III: May be counted as a Distribution course in Arts & Letters.


Fren-360
Lettres d’Amour

Prof. Dejean
(See Course Timetables for time(s))

Almost no love letters survive from any period prior to the late 17 th century. They, suddenly in the 18 th century, almost everyone appears to have begun writing love letters, often vast quantities of them. And in no country were more love letters written than in France. As a result, the 18 th century became the golden age of the love letter, and the love letter became seen as an inherently French genre.

We will read real letters from some of the correspondents who, their contemporaries believed, wrote the greatest love letters of the age: from Diderot to Julie de Lespinasse. We will also read examples of a kind of novel that flourished in the 18 th century and that was built around the love letter, the epistolary novel – from Graffigny’s Lettres d’une Péruvienne to Laclos’ Liaisons dangereuses. And finally we will read works that are now considered novels, in particular the Lettres portugaises, but that contemporary readers believed to be authentic love letters. We will think about a question that first troubled readers as soon as the modern love letter came into existence: how do we know when a love letter is real?


Fren-382
Horror Cinema
Staff
(See Course Timetables for time(s))


Fren-390
Postcolonial Studies
Prof. Moudileno
(See Course Timetables for time(s))

As one of the major colonial powers of modern times, France has a long history of political, economic and socio-cultural domination over vast regions of the world. One of the consequences of the French imperial experience has been what scholars call “the colonial fracture,” that is, the profound transformation not only of colonized regions, but also of French society and culture. In this context, how does the Republic,with its set of ideals and corresponding legal structures, deal with this “fracture” ? How does civil society represent or deal with the reality of a postcolonial France?

This course is designed to provide an introduction to, or better understanding of, some of the most passionate debates on assimilation, difference and multiculturalism which have emerged in France in recent years.

Readings and class discussion in French.