French and Francophone StudiesFrench 110
Elementary French I
Staff
See Timetable for times
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 120
Elementary French II
Staff
See Timetable for times
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 130
Intermediate French I
Staff
See Timetable for times
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 134
Intermediate French: Accelerated
Staff
See Timetable for times
French 140
Intermediate French II
Staff
See Timetable for times
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
See Timetable for times
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
See Timetable for time
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
See Timetable for times
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
Prof. Philippon-Daniel
Advanced French Composition and Conversation
See Timetable for time
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.
The goal of the course is to help students to attain the Advanced level of proficiency in speaking and writing (by ACTFL standards). The specific language functions we will work on are narration, description, offering and soliciting advice and opinions, expressing feelings, critique and analysis, argumentation.
(Recommended for students who are planning to study abroad in France)
French 217
French Phonetics
Prof. Edelstein
See Timetable for time
French 222
Perspectives in French Literature
Staff
See Timetable for times
This basic course in literature acquaints students with major French literary trends through the study of representative works from each period. Students learn to situate and analyze literary texts. They are expected to take an active part in class discussion in French. French 222 has as its theme the Individual and Society.
French 227-301
Modern France: 1789-1945
Staff
See Timetable for time
French 227-302
Modern France: 1789-1945
Staff
See Timetable for time
French 227-303
Modern France: 1789-1945
Staff
See Timetable for time
French 313
French for Professions II
Staff
See Timetable for time
The course, conducted entirely in French, emphasizes verbal communication in business professional situations through three components. First, a series of student’s presentations, in-class activities (using newspapers’ articles, technical readings, radio shows and films), and debates on the following topics (list not exhaustive) related to France’s economy and society:
The role of the State in France’s economy
The French fiscal system
Labor (impact of the 35-hour workweek, “congés”, women in the workplace, etc…)
Regions of France (production)
Major French industries / companies / brands
France’s major imports / exports
“Green business”
Business of pop culture
Second, as effective communication is based not only on linguistic proficiency but also on cultural proficiency, cultural differences mostly between Americans and French will be explored.
Finally, throughout the semester, students will work in groups on the creation of their own business, association, or other organization and will be invited to present their project to the class at the end of the semester.
On completion of the course, students will also have the opportunity to take the Diplôme de Français Professionnel, Affaires C1 administered by the Paris Chamber of Commerce and Industry. This exam will be held on campus in April.
Prerequisites: Advanced level of French. French for the Professions I (211) highly recommended.
French 325
Advanced French Translation
Prof. Philippon-Daniel
See Timetable for time
This course provides an introduction to the theory and practice of translation and is designed to help foster a critical understanding of differences between French and English syntactical and lexical patterns. It will introduce students to theoretical concepts and problems of translation, with the ultimate goal being to improve their ability to communicate in more authentic-sounding French. Students will have the opportunity to practice translation individually and to work with their peers on a variety of projects (advertising, journalistic and literary texts, movie and broadcast news subtitling) and to engage in critique and discussion of others’ translations. This course will help students refine their language skills and navigate more proficiently between these cultures and language systems.
(Designed for students who already have a solid foundation in French and English grammar)
French 330
Medieval Literature: Identity, Heroism, Love, Gender
Prof. Brownlee
See Timetable for time
This course examines the extraordinary period (11 th-13 th 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.
French 340
The Era of Uncertainty: Poetry, Gender Relations, Religious Violence, and Self-Knowledge in the French Renaissance
Prof. Francis
See Timetable for time
What does choosing the best object with which to wipe one’s own behind tell us about education? Why would a jealous husband punish his wife by making her drink wine from a skull? Why do Jesus’s words “This is my body” become a matter of life and death? These are the kinds of questions that we will attempt to answer in examining the period from the late fifteenth to the early seventeenth century, a time of both boundless optimism and profound despair, a time that witnessed significant changes in how people conceived of their relationships with their nation, with their religion, with one another and with themselves. In this course, we will track these changes in the culture of the French Renaissance through four themes.
In the first theme, “Imitation,” we will see how the conception of the poet is affected by new approaches to Greek, Roman, and Italian sources, as well as what happens when Louise Labé writes poetry that has traditionally been the domain of men. The second theme, “La Querelle des Femmes,” centers on an ongoing debate on the nature of women and relations between the sexes. We will look at a female character, Bertrand de La Borderie’s “Amie de cour,” who simultaneously typifies misogynist criticisms of women and reveals the unjust situations in which society places women, and tales from Marguerite de Navarre’s Heptaméron that recount how relationships work well or go terribly wrong. In the third theme, “Reformation and Religious Conflict,” we will learn what theological issues gave rise to the Reformation and eventually to Protestantism, and will then look at opposing accounts of the horrifically violent Wars of Religion that embroiled France for over thirty years. Finally, we will examine the theme of “Humanism and the Development of the Self,” which will focus on François Rabelais’s hilariously bawdy tales of the giants Gargantua and Pantagruel and on Montaigne’s Essais. We will see how the self was believed to be shaped by education, experience, and confrontation with completely new phenomena like the New World, as well as how self-knowledge was considered to be the ultimate goal of learning.
Though this course focuses primarily on literature, we will also discuss history and the visual arts where relevant. We will also watch and discuss Le retour de Martin Guerre, a movie based on a true story of mistaken identity that accurately depicts life in sixteenth-century France. Readings are in French wherever applicable, and discussions and assignments will be in French, as well. Participants should come away not only with a sense of what the defining characteristics of the French Renaissance are, but with a sense of how Renaissance culture can inform how we think about contemporary issues.
French 382
Horror Cinema
Prof. Met
See Timetable for time
This version of the course will explore (Continental) European Horror Cinema from the 1970s to the present time, focusing on a number of cult films that have helped rejuvenate and redefine the genre in a radically modern sense by pushing the envelope in terms of subversive representation of gore, violence and sex. We will look at various national cinemas (primarily Western Europe – Italy, France, Spain, Germany, Belgium, The Netherlands – with the occasional foray into Eastern Europe and Scandinavia) and at a range of subgenres (giallo, mondo, slasher, survival, snuff, …) or iconic figures (ghosts, vampires, cannibals, serial killers, …).
Issues of ethics, ideology, gender, sexuality, violence and spectatorship will be discussed through a variety of critical lenses (psychoanalysis, socio-historical and cultural context, aesthetics, politics…). The class will be conducted entirely in English
Be prepared for provocative, graphic, transgressive film viewing experiences. Not for the faint of heart!
French 386
Paris in Film
Prof. Met
See Timetable for time
Latter-day examples like Christophe Honoré’s Dans Paris, Cédric Klapisch’s Paris or the international omnibus Paris, je t’aime (with each director paying homage to a distinctive “arrondissement” of the capital), both released in 2006, or even more recently Cédric Klapisch’s Paris (2008), are there to remind us that there is something special – indeed, a special kind of magic – about Paris in and on film. Despite the extreme polarization between Paris and provincial France in both cultural and socio-economic terms, cultural historians have argued that Paris is a symbol of France (as a centralized nation), more than Rome is of Italy and much more than Madrid is of Spain or Berlin of Germany, for example. The prevalence of the City of Lights on our screens, Gallic and otherwise, should therefore come as no surprise, be it as a mere backdrop or as a character in its own right. But how exactly are the French capital and its variegated people captured on celluloid? Can we find significant differences between French and non-French approaches, or between films shot on location that have the ring of “authenticity” and studio-bound productions using reconstructed sets? Do these representations vary through time and perhaps reflect specific historical periods or zeitgeists? Do they conform to genre-based formulas and perpetuate age-old stereotypes, or do they provide new, original insights while revisiting cinematic conventions? Do some (sub)urban areas and/or segments of the Parisian population (in terms of gender, race or class, for example) receive special attention or treatment? These are some of the many questions that we will seek to address… with a view to offering the next best thing to catching the next non-stop flight to Paris!
French 389
France and the New World
Prof. Richman
See Timetable for time
Why are we speaking English instead of French? Did you know that French contact with the New World pre-dates the voyages of Christopher Columbus? Or that French Huguenots attempted to settle in Florida as early as 1562? These intriguing questions and the fascinating record of French relations with the New World are the impetus for this course. Whether inspired by real voyages, personal encounters, or philosophical speculation, the texts we have included trace the ways in which alternative lifestyles and values have provoked self-reflection among French thinkers. Selections from Montaigne, Voltaire, Rousseau, Graffigny, and Lévi-Strauss, will demonstrate why “even a little travel can be a dangerous thing.” Indeed, our texts and films span a host of controversial issues including cannibalism and early feminism, religious intolerance, the nature of penal institutions, slavery, colonialism and genocide. In conjunction with our reading of Tocqueville’s celebrated 1839 account of democracy in America, as well as more contemporary retracing of his steps, we visit the Eastern State Penitentiary, just minutes away from campus. Two daringly innovative films are also included: “How Tasty was my little Frenchman,” and “Black Robe.”
We complete our survey through French intellectual and cultural history by considering the continued relevance of the “ethnographic detour.” Does it currently exist in either France or America? Should it? If so, then how do we envisage its conceptual and practical contours?
Requirements: at least one advanced 200 level course. Conducted entirely in French, requires written comments on texts as well as oral participation and one exam in class.