World Lang & Lit: French (WLF)

An introduction to spoken and written French emphasizing cultural perspectives. Linguistic emphasis is on basic grammar, vocabulary, and the development of reading, conversation, and writing skills while learning about the cultures of France and the Francophone world.

Continuation of WLF 101. Further development of basic grammar, reading, conversation, and writing skills while focusing on cultural materials from France and the Francophone World.

Continuing intensive study of the structures of the French language. Extensive practice in conversation and writing. Vocabulary building through the reading of appropriate texts in the literature and culture.

Study and practice of interpersonal communication skills to develop fluency in French speaking, writing, reading, and listening, with some emphasis on oral skills. Students will deploy new vocabulary across various registers, learn complex grammatical structures, and improve their pronunciation. Students will also engage with authentic fictional and non-fictional material from French and Francophone literary and visual cultures. They will participate in class discussions and writing assignments designed to help them achieve a high-intermediate level in French.

Advanced study and practice of interpersonal communication skills to consolidate fluency in French speaking, writing, reading, and listening, with some emphasis on written skills. Students will deploy new vocabulary across various registers, learn complex grammatical structures, and improve their pronunciation. Students will also engage with authentic fictional and non-fictional material from French and Francophone literary and visual cultures. They will participate in class discussions and writing assignments designed to help them solidify a high-intermediate level in French communication.

Reading and discussion of literary texts in the major genres: poetry, theater, and prose through close textual analysis. This course emphasizes the development of the analytical skills involved in doing a close reading and the critical skill needed for writing explications de texte. Regular papers required.

A survey of medieval and Renaissance French literature focusing on the origins and development of epic and lyric poetry, theater, and prose, including the essai. Readings will include such works and authors as La Chanson de Roland, Chrétien de Troyes, Marie de France, Christine de Pisan, Villon, La Farce de Maître Pathelin, Le Roman de la Rose, Marguerite de Navarre, Ronsard, Du Bellay, Louise Labé, Rabelais, and Montaigne.

Introduction to the concepts of classic and baroque, including social, artistic, and intellectual developments in the seventeenth century through study of the masterpieces of such authors as Corneille, Racine, Moliere, Pascal, Descartes, Mme. de Sévigné, La Fontaine, La Rochefoucauld, and Mme. de Lafayette.

Study of the social, intellectual and artistic development of the Enlightenment in the works of such authors as Montesquieu, Mme. de Graffigny, Voltaire, Rousseau, Diderot, Lesage, Marivaux, Beaumarchais, Mme. Roland, and Olympe de Gouges.

Introduction to the social, intellectual, and artistic developments of the nineteenth century through study of the literary masterpieces of such poets, playwrights, and novelists as Chateaubriand, Mme. de Staël, Lamartine, Hugo, Vigny, Balzac, Sand, Baudelaire, Flaubert, Zola, Rimbaud, and Mallarmé.

A course designed for students who want to use their French language skills in conjunction with any course taught in English at the college.

Introduction to the poetry, novels and plays of France through study of the works of such writers as Gide, Apollinaire, Proust, Cocteau, Mauriac, de Beauvoir, Sartre, Beckett, Aragon, Duras, Sarraute, and Robbe-Grillet. The course will also focus on contemporary artistic, social, and intellectual trends since 1890.

Study of aspects of the Francophone world (Caribbean, Africa, Canada) with particular emphasis on historical, political, and social problems. Reading and discussion of texts and documents from a variety of sources. Practice in writing critical and literary essays.

French culture and civilization from the Gallo-Roman period to the 1789 revolution and its immediate aftermath. This course will trace the succession of broad political and societal phenomena defined by traditional historians, employing a spectrum of documents representative of social, gender and religious diversity. These documents will draw equally from music, painting, science, philosophy, and literature. Through a series of films we will question the interplay between "history" and its representations.

A survey of the rich interaction that exists in French culture between writers and visual artists, mostly painters, from the Renaissance through the twentieth century. Since the sixteenth century, French writers have reflected upon the practices and productions of painters. In a multiplicity of literary genres (poems, short stories, novels, essays), they have left a body of work that theoretically uses the visual artist's craft as a means to explore the singularities of their own literary practices. Using this thematic thread that familiarizes students with different modes of French thought, culture, and writing, this course develops students' analytical skills in the reading of literary texts while exposing them to major figures of French painting.

Students will study the historical development of the French language over the centuries, from its roots in vulgar Latin to its codification with the Academie Francaise to the contemporary debate over the increasing influence of English. Language holds a particularly important place in French culture, and an understanding of the rules governing its pronunciation, and of the differences between the written and spoken language, is vital to fully appreciating the culture. Through intensive training in phonetic transcription and the principles of intonation and syllabification, students will improve their pronunciation and reading skills and will learn to better appreciate the relationship of language and culture in France.

An intermediate study and practical application of French for professional purposes. While engaging authentic professional texts, both written and aural, students will assimilate and apply the specialized vocabulary, register and communicative strategies necessary to navigate a range of basic professional scenarios across the French-speaking world. Students will demonstrate the following essential professional communicative skills: establish contacts; present one's organization; sell a product or service; negotiate terms; produce a marketing campaign; undertake professional travel; apply and interview for a position; organize and lead a meeting; and resolve disagreements. Students will discuss the (inter)cultural norms and practices relevant to French-speaking professional settings. This course prepares students for the Paris Chamber of Commerce and Industry's exam for the Diplôme de français professionnel at the A2 level. Course taught in French.

Literary or cultural study at an introductory to intermediate level of an author, a genre, a period, or a topic. Topics will vary from semester to semester.

A discussion group about an author, a period, a genre, a topic, a translation, or a research project in conjunction with another course.

Study of communication and cultural understanding in commercial transactions of everyday French life. The course covers such topics as real estate, management, advertising, marketing, insurance, personnel relations, banking, imports and exports, and doing business in France. These topics will be considered in the context of the geography of France, its agriculture and industrial production, its trade, transportation, and taxation systems. Students will be encouraged to take the Paris Chamber of Commerce exam at the end of the semester.

Development of oral and written skills to increase active vocabulary, fluency, and the use of authentic French structures through reading and discussion of issues in contemporary French society. Topics include immigration, unemployment, gender distinctions, changing family patterns, education, and political parties in the ""hexagon."" Some attention to the influence of the European community on French life.

A translation course for the study of the structure of the French language through comparative examination of vocabulary, grammar, and cultural influences. The course provides extensive practice of the traditional exercise of thème et version (translations back and forth of texts from a variety of disciplines) to develop an awareness of the idiomatic distinctions of French and English, the variety of written styles and what constitutes one's own prose expression.

Students will analyze the development of Quebecois identity over the span of Quebec's history through close study of works of fiction from the rise of patriotism and terroirisme to the social and political critiques of the Quiet Revolution. Students will gain an understanding of the identity question in Quebec through examination of literature that has played a key role in shaping the concept of "quebecitude."

Study of fundamentals and development of the French poetic form through close textual analysis of representative poets and major movements.

Exploration of major themes and techniques of narrative fiction as it has developed in French-speaking cultures.

Study of dramatic techniques and themes through careful examination of representative texts and attention to the role of the theater in French culture.

A consideration of major social, artistic, and intellectual developments from the creation of the Académie Française [French Academy] to the French Revolution, with emphasis given to a wide range of topics including the discovery of "new" worlds and peoples, scientific innovation, political and religious conflict, art and architecture, aesthetic ideals, and the Enlightenment. Students will study plays, essays, letters, and political and religious tracts by writers and artists grappling with a world in flux, giving rise to democratic forms of thought, and ushering in the French Revolution. Students will read works by such authors as Molière, La Fontaine, Descartes, Pascal, Montesquieu, Voltaire, and Rousseau.

Study of contemporary French language via online media emphasizing current events and fast-paced spoken French. Using live news, streaming TV, and film excerpts, students practice listening to French in context, learn idiomatic expressions, and expand active vocabulary. Weekly writing and analysis of online content is a regular feature of class. Specific listening challenges will be reviewed with the goal of increasing comprehension of native speech. Course taught in French.

Study of surrealism as an historical and ontological movement through analysis of poetry, novel, cinema, theater, and painting. The course examines the impact of surrealism on current literary, critical, and artistic expressions.

Students apply and develop their French language skills in conjunction with any course taught in English at the college. Students will read, report, discuss, and write about sophisticated materials in the disciplines, and learn how to translate them to and from English.

Advanced literary or cultural study in an author, a genre, a period, or a topic.

Individual study projects under the guidance of the department.

Required for all second-semester junior or first-semester senior French majors who intend to write a thesis (WLF 374). Under the direction of a thesis advisor, the student reads extensively in primary and secondary sources related to the proposed thesis topic, develops research skills, and brings the thesis topic into focus by writing an outline and a series of brief papers that contribute to the thesis.

An extended research project culminating in a paper based on readings and extensive individual conferences.

A detailed study of an author, a period, or theme prominent in France, Africa, Canada, or the French speaking countries of the Caribbean. Frequent oral reports. Close attention to development, organization, and writing of an extensive paper.