French and Francophone StudiesFrench 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.
Fren-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.
Fren-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 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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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.
Prerequisite: FREN 202 highly recommended. No business background necessary.
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 Composition & 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. Moisset
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Fren-221-401
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.
Fren 221-402
Perspectives in French Literature
Prof. Prince
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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
Staff
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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
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Fren 228-301
French Culture and Society since 1945
Prof. Richman
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Among the dramatic developments of post-war French culture and society, the emergence of a distinct youth culture has been viewed as a powerful vector for change. The historical overview proposed here enlists the vantage point of generational identity to examine major tends and events since 1945, including the demise of the French colonial empire, ensuing massive immigration, the student-led uprising of May’68 and the economic crisis of 1973. The ultimate goal is to appreciate the social, political, and cultural realities of present-day France within this historical perspective.
Materials for the course include a basic history book, films screened outside class [clips on Blackboard], and complementary readings from each period.
Requirements: class participation, short written exams on factual matters and commentaries on films.
Conducted entirely in French, this course is conceived as a general introduction to the history and culture of France since1945. Required: 202, for students who began French at Penn, or at discretion of professor. Recommended: 212 or 214.
Fren-230
Masterpieces of French Cinema
Prof. Gott
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This class is designed to provide students in introduction to French cinema both as an art form and as it relates to the political and social contexts of France. The course will cover a variety of schools, periods and genres including Poetic Realism, cinema of the Resistance, the New Wave, gangster films, Road Movies, documentaries, and contemporary Beur and banlieue cinema. The secondary goal is to familiarize students with the technical and formal aspects of cinema, an art form that originated in France. Class readings will initially focus on interpretations of the films we screen and will gradually become more focused on the cultural and social contexts of the film as the semester advances, leaving the technical analysis to you. Emphasis will be on close readings of the films, and students will complete regular short “response” writing assignments as well as one scene analysis. It is strongly suggested that you watch the film on which you write your scene analysis at least once outside of class. We will see films by Renoir, Carné, Tati, Melville, Godard, Varda, Malle, Guédiguian, Dridi, Kassovitz and Ferrouki.
French 350-301
The Invention of Paris
Prof. DeJean
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Paris is among a handful of truly mythical cities. Indeed, it is the only modern city that has enjoyed this status for centuries.
It was during the period 1630-1730 that Paris was transformed. To begin with, Paris was literally transformed: new neighborhoods opened up; new monuments were added to the cityscape. Paris then became the first modern city ever to be represented as more than the sum total of its buildings and its inhabitants. Rather than merely a very large city like many others (London, Amsterdam), it became promoted as the intellectual, cultural, and artistic capital of Europe, the premier destination for tourists and consumers of luxury goods: it became in short a legendary space.
As soon as the legend of Paris had taken root, authors began for the first time to set their works in real settings in the cityscape of Paris. We’ll read some of the first plays to advertise Parisian contexts – from Corneille’s La Place royale to Molière’s Le Tartuffe. We’ll look at some of the earliest novels whose plots depend on their use of settings, both prosaic and glamorous, from the city of Paris – from Préchac’s L’Illustre Parisienne to Prévost’s Manon Lescaut.
We’ll look at reality – in the form of contemporary maps and contemporary paintings depicting the city of Paris – as well as fiction. We’ll also compare various accounts of the conflict that tore Paris apart in the middle of the 17 th century: the civil war known as the Fronde. We’ll read both the accounts of participants in the civil war and political pamphlets written to encourage Parisians to take sides in the conflict. We’ll compare opposing views of Paris – Molière’s bourgeois space and the aristocratic city featured in some memoirs of the Fronde, for example. And we’ll consider above all the transformation of a real city into a space of dreams, a place where anything was possible and where temptation was everywhere: we’ll ask ourselves why this happened and why it happened when it did.
Fren 380-301
The 20th/21st Century French Novel
Prof. Gott
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Over the past 100 years the French novel has undergone significant changes as a social, political and cultural force and as a literary form. This course follows these changes with an eye on the act of writing and the experience of reading. From the roman noir to nouveau roman to the so-called contemporary banlieue novel, we will examine the role of writing and reading in light of war, revolt and the social debates of the 1960s and today. Looking beyond the social context, particular attention will be paid to the pleasure of reading: form, genre and the use of language and slang will be emphasized. We will also consider how other media such as the increasingly popular graphic novel (bande dessinée) and film interact, overlap and compete with the novelistic form.
Fren 385-301
Modern French Theater
Prof. Prince
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A study of major movements and major dramatists from Giraudoux and Sartre to the theater of the absurd (Ionesco, Beckett, Genet) and its aftermath.