Course Offerings (CAS Bulletin)COURSES CONDUCTED IN FRENCH Placement in French language courses: The placement of students in French language, literature, and civilization courses is explained under “Placement Examinations” in the Academic Policies section of this bulletin. Fulfillment of the Morse Academic Plan (MAP) language requirement: The language requirement in French may be fulfilled either by an intensive sequence of two 6-point courses (V45.0010 and V45.0020) for a total of 12 points, or by an extensive sequence of four 4-point courses (V45.0001, V45.0002, V45.0011, and V45.0012) for a total of 16 points. With departmental approval, a student may follow a plan of study combining two 4-point courses with one 6-point course (V45.0001, V45.0002, V45.0020, or V45.0010, V45.0011, V45.0012) for a total of 14 points. All students planning to continue their study of French beyond the MAP requirement are strongly advised to follow the intensive sequence since this permits completion of the intermediate level in two semesters. INTRODUCTORY LANGUAGE COURSES INTENSIVE SEQUENCE Intensive Elementary French V45.0010 Open to students with no previous training in French and to others on assignment by placement test. Completes the equivalent of a year’s elementary level in one semester. Given every semester. 6 points. Intensive Intermediate French V45.0020 Prerequisite: V45.0010 or V45.0001-0002. Open to students who have completed the equivalent of a year’s elementary level and to others on assignment by placement test. Completes the equivalent of a year’s intermediate level in one semester. Given every semester. 6 points. EXTENSIVE SEQUENCE Elementary French I V45.0001 Open to students with no previous training in French and to others on assignment by placement test. Not equivalent to V45.0010. Only by combining V45.0001 with V45.0002 can a student complete the equivalent of V45.0010 and then continue on to the intermediate level. Given every semester. 4 points. Elementary French II V45.0002 Continuation of V45.0001. In order to continue on to the intermediate level, a student must complete both V45.0001 and V45.0002. This sequence is equivalent to V45.0010. Given every semester. 4 points. Intermediate French I V45.0011 Prerequisite: V45.0001-0002 or V45.0010. Open to students who have completed the equivalent of a year’s elementary level and to others on assignment by placement test. Not equivalent to V45.0020. Only by combining V45.0011 with V45.0012 can a student complete the equivalent of V45.0020 and then continue on to the postintermediate level. Given every semester. 4 points. Intermediate French II V45.0012 Continuation of V45.0011. In order to fulfill the MAP requirement and continue on to the postintermediate level, a student must complete both V45.0011 and V45.0012. This sequence is equivalent to V45.0020. Given every semester. 4 points. LANGUAGE COURSE WITH SPECIAL PREREQUISITES Conversation and Composition V45.0030 Prerequisite: V45.0011-0012 or V45.0020. Open to students who have completed the equivalent of a year’s intermediate level and to others who have passed the proficiency examination but who wish to review their French in order to take advanced courses in language, literature, and civilization. Given every semester. 4 points. Systematizes and reinforces the language skills presented in earlier-level courses through an intensive review of grammar, written exercises, an introduction to composition, lexical enrichment, and spoken skills. ADVANCED LANGUAGE COURSES Spoken Contemporary French V45.0101 Prerequisite: V45.0030, assignment by placement test, or approval of the department. Assumes a mastery of the fundamental structures of French. May be taken concurrently with V45.0105. Given every semester. 4 points. Helps the student to develop vocabulary, improve pronunciation, and learn new idiomatic expressions. Introduction to corrective phonetics and emphasis on understanding contemporary French through a study of such authentic documents as radio and television interviews, advertisements, and spontaneous oral productions. Advanced Conversation V45.0102 Prerequisite: V45.0101 or permission of the department. For students with relative fluency in French who wish to further strengthen their pronunciation and command of spoken French. Given every semester. 4 points. Develops the skills presented in V45.0101 through an in-depth study of French phonetics (corrective and theoretical) and analysis of the modes of oral discourse in French. Emphasis on understanding spoken French (modes of argument, persuasion, and emotion) through analysis of authentic documents; development of student discourse in French. Written Contemporary French V45.0105 Prerequisite: V45.0030, assignment by placement test, or approval of the department. Given every semester. 4 points. Designed to improve the student’s written French and to provide advanced training in French and comparative grammar. Students are trained to express themselves in a variety of writing situations (e.g., diaries, transcriptions, narrations, letters). Focuses on the distinction between spoken and written styles and the problem of contrastive grammar. Emphasis on accuracy and fluency of usage in the written language. Translation V45.0107 Prerequisite: V45.0105 or V45.0106. Given every fall. 4 points. Practice of translation through French and English texts taken from a variety of sources to present a range of contrastive grammatical and stylistic problems. Also stresses acquisition of vocabulary. Acting French V45.0109 Prerequisite: V45.0030 or permission of the department. Given every spring. 4 points. Use of dramatic situations and readings to help students overcome inhibitions in their oral use of language. The graduated series of exercises and activities is designed to improve pronunciation, intonation, expression, and body language. These include phonetic practice, poetry recitation, skits, improvisation, and memorization of dramatic texts. Reading, discussion, and performance of scenes from plays by renowned dramatists. Extensive use of audio and video material. Business French V45.0110 Prerequisite: V45.0030, or permission of the department. Given every spring. 4 points. Designed for students who wish to learn the specialized language used in French business. Emphasis on oral and written communication and the acquisition of a business and commercial vocabulary dealing with the varied activities of a commercial firm (e.g., advertising, transportation, banking). Stresses group work in simulated business situations and exposure to authentic spoken materials. LITERATURE AND CIVILIZATION COURSES CONDUCTED IN FRENCH The following courses are open to students who have successfully completed V45.0105, who are assigned by placement test, or who have the permission of the Director of Undergraduate Studies. Masterpieces of French Literature V45.0115 Given every semester. 4 points. Introduction to French literature and thought in their historical dimension through a close study of selected masterpieces from the Middle Ages to the 20th century. Special emphasis on the aesthetic and intellectual currents that have shaped French literature. French Society and Culture from the Middle Ages to the Present V45.0163 Given every fall. 4 points. Retrospective and introspective view of French civilization from early periods to World War II through the interrelation and interaction of fine arts, music, philosophy, literature, and history. Study of major trends, personalities, and events; search for a meaning and a definition of what constitutes the cultural heritage of France. Primary sources and documents such as chroniques, mémoires, journaux, revues, and correspondance. Contemporary France V45.0164 When conducted in English, this course is numbered V45.0864. When offered in English, it is also open to French majors who read the works in the original and do their written work in French. Given every spring. 4 points. The concept of “French civilization” in both its mythical and real aspects. Gives the student considerable knowledge about the economic and social features of contemporary France. Uses the comparative approach between French and American culture. LITERATURE AND CIVILIZATION COURSES CONDUCTED IN FRENCH WITH SPECIAL PREREQUISITES The following courses, conducted in French, are open to students who have successfully completed V45.0115 or V45.0163, who are assigned by placement test, or who have the approval of the department. Versailles: Life as Art in the Age of Grandeur V45.0150 When conducted in English, this course is numbered V45.0850. When offered in English, it is also open to French majors who read the works in the original and do their written work in French. Given every other year. 4 points. Fabulous Versailles, the synthesis of baroque and classical aesthetics and the cult of kingship, introduces study of major aspects of 17th- and 18th-century culture and French influence on European civilization. Views the intellectual, artistic, and social complexities of the period through the works of contemporary philosophers, dramatists, artists, memorialists, and historians from Descartes to Voltaire. Films, field trips, and multimedia presentations of music and art. Classicism V45.0462 Given every other year. 4 points. Studies French classical literature as one of the summits of the struggle of human beings to understand themselves and their place in the universe. Authors studied include Descartes, Pascal, Madame de Sévigné, Madame de Lafayette, La Fontaine, Molière, Corneille, Racine, La Bruyère, and La Rochefoucauld. The 18th-Century French Novel V45.0532 Given every other year. 4 points. The novel comes into its own during the 18th century. It fought for recognition as a “worthy genre.” The development of the novel as an aesthetic form and the social and moral preoccupations it reveals are studied in a variety of authors such as Marivaux, Voltaire, Diderot, Rousseau, Laclos, and Sade. French Thought from Montaigne to Sartre V45.0562 Given every other year. 4 points. Deals with the various currents of ideas and the transformations in values, taste, and feeling that constitute the Enlightenment in France. Particular attention to the personality, writings, and influence of the following authors: Montaigne, Descartes, Montesquieu, Voltaire, Diderot, Rousseau, and Sartre. Significant works by these thinkers and others are closely read and interpreted. 19th-Century French Novel and Society V45.0632 Given every year. 4 points. Study of Balzac, Stendhal, Flaubert, and Zola as a means of identifying the individual’s changing relationship to the environment and the social, political, and intellectual contexts of his or her epoch. Problems of 19th-century novel, narrative structure, point of view, invention, and observation. Literature and the Arts in the Age of Surrealism V45.0722 Given every other year. 4 points. The historical framework of this course is the period between the two World Wars, a time in which the spirit of surrealism dominated the intellectual and artistic aspects of French culture. Studies the “surrealist revolution” through both detailed analyses of texts by Breton, Aragon, Eluard, and Desnos and of painting and cinema. Explores the relation between theory and practice in literature and the arts. Contemporary French Novel V45.0731 When conducted in English, this course is numbered V45.0831. Given every year. 4 points. The major French novelists of the 20th century have moved the novel away from the traditional 19th-century concept. Proust and Gide developed a first-person-singular narrative in which the reader is participant. Breton uses the novel for a surrealist exploration. With Céline and Malraux, the novel of violent action becomes a mirror of man’s situation in a chaotic time and leads to the work of Sartre and Camus, encompassing the existentialist viewpoint. Covers Beckett’s sparse, complex narratives and Robbe-Grillet’s “new” novels. Novels are studied with respect to structure, technique, themes, language, and significant passages. French Poetry from Baudelaire to the Present V45.0741 When conducted in English, this course is numbered V45.0841. Given every year. 4 points. Major trends in French poetry from the late 19th century to the present. Beginning with the precursors of contemporary poetry in France and other countries—Baudelaire, Rimbaud, Mallarmé, and Laforgue—innovation is studied in the 20th-century writers: Apollinaire and the New Spirit; the surrealist poets, including Aragon and Breton; Saint-John Perse; Michaux and exorcism through the word; Ponge and the world of things; and the postwar poets. Includes textual analysis, poetic theory, and relationships of the works to their literary environment. New Novel and New Theatre V45.0763 Given every other year. 4 points. Reaction in the post–World War II novel against traditional 19th-century novels. The novelist no longer controls his characters but limits himself to what can be seen. Emphasis on the world of objects and the difficulty of literary creation. The novels of Robbe-Grillet, Butor, Sarraute, Duras, Simon, and Pinget. On stage, the theatre of the absurd, antirealistic, with startling techniques, downgrading of language, and a stress on action; the theme of lack of communication in the world. The theories of Artaud and the plays of Ionesco, Beckett, Genet, Adamov, Vian, and others. Existentialism and the Absurd V45.0767 When conducted in English, this course is numbered V45.0867. Given every year. 4 points. Main expressions of existential thought in Jean-Paul Sartre, Simone de Beauvoir, and Albert Camus. Attention to the French existentialists’ concern for commitment in political and social affairs of the times. Examines absurdist literature since the 1950’s in the “theatre of the absurd,” in fiction, and in critical work of other contemporary French writers. Covers Ionesco, Beckett, Genet, Robbe-Grillet, and Barthes; precursors of the absurd such as Kafka and Céline; and practictioners of the absurd outside of France (e.g., Pinter, Albee, Barthelme). Proust V45.0771 When conducted in English, this course is numbered V45.0871. When this course is offered in English, it is also open to French majors who read the work in the original and do their written work in French. Given every other year. 4 points. Reading of Remembrance of Things Past. Major topics include the novel as confession, the unconscious and creation, perception and language, sexuality, decadence, the artistic climate in Europe and France from the end of the 19th century through World War I, and the hero as artist. Beckett V45.0774 When conducted in English, this course is numbered V45.0874. Given every other year. 4 points. Study of Samuel Beckett’s diverse work and the unifying element of the human condition as two complementary components—the impossibility of existence and the need to voice that impossibility. Works include Molloy, The Unnamable, Waiting for Godot, Endgame, Cascando, Not I, How It Is, Krapp’s Last Tape, and First Love. Theatre in the French Tradition. V45.0929 When conducted in English, this course is numbered V45.0829. When offered in English, it is also open to French majors who read the works in the original and do their written work in French. Given every other year. 4 points. Study of the theatrical genre in France, including the golden age playwrights (Corneille, Racine, Molière); 18th-century irony and sentiment; and the 19th-century theatrical revolution. Topics include theories of comedy and tragedy; development of stagecraft; romanticism and realism; and the theatre as a public genre, its relationship to taste and fashion, and its sociopolitical function. The Image of Human Experience in the French Novel V45.0932 When conducted in English, this course is numbered V45.0832. When offered in English, it is also open to French majors who read the works in the original and do their written work in French. Given every other year. 4 points. Man’s attempt to come to terms with himself and his universe has been the central impetus of all great literature. Covers the changing image of man through the centuries in the works of French writers of international repute: Voltaire in his philosophical tales; Diderot as a precursor of the modern novel; Stendhal in The Red and the Black; Flaubert in Madame Bovary; and Proust, Camus, and Beckett, all of whom have attempted to define man in relation to the major problems of his existence. Women Writers in France V45.0935 Identical to V97.0935. When conducted in English, this course is numbered V45.0835. When offered in English, it is also open to French majors who read the works in the original and do their written work in French. Given every year. 4 points. The rich and diverse literary works by women express their individuality and their important social and cultural role in France from the 12th century to the present. The course studies both the changing sociohistorical context of these writers and the common problems and themes that constitute a female tradition. Writers include Marie de France, Christine de Pisan, Marguerite de Navarre, Mme. de Sévigné, Germaine de Staël, George Sand, Colette, Simone de Beauvoir, and Marguerite Duras. Modern Criticism and Theory of Literature V45.0863 Prerequisite: two advanced literature courses or the permission of the department. Given every other year. 4 points. Introduction to contemporary methods of criticism and an approach to problems in the theory of literature. Readings of a few primary authors such as Racine, Proust, Baudelaire, and Flaubert who have recently been the object of major critical reevaluation, along with the works of such pertinent critics as Mauron, Jakobson, Sartre, and Barthes. Emphasis is on a clear understanding of the critical methods and their theoretical implications. Topics in French Culture V45.0965 When conducted in English, this course is numbered V45.0865. Given every semester. 4 points. Courses on subjects of special interest by either a regular or visiting faculty member. For specific courses, please consult the class schedule. Recent topics include Paris in history, art, and literature; La Belle Époque; Paris and the birth of modernism. Topics in French Literature V45.0968 When conducted in English, this course is numbered V45.0868. Given every semester. 4 points. Courses on subjects of special interest by either a regular or visiting faculty member. For specific courses, please consult the class schedule. Recent topics include French 17th-century masterpieces and the theatre of the absurd. Internship in French V45.0980, 0981 Prerequisite: permission of the department. Given every semester. 2 or 4 points per term. Offers upper-level students the opportunity to apply their studies to the “outside world.” Working closely with a sponsor and a faculty adviser, students pursue internships in such diverse areas as international trade, banking, publishing, and law. Interested students should apply to the department early in the semester before they wish to begin their internship. Senior Seminar V45.0991, 0992 Prerequisite: permission of the department. The honors section of Senior Seminar is offered only in the fall. Section 001 in the fall is designated as the honors section. 4 points. Honors Senior Thesis V45.0995 Prerequisites: V45.0991 (honors section 001) and permission of the department. Given every spring. 4 points. Independent Study V45.0997, 0998 Prerequisite: permission of the department. Given every semester. 2 or 4 points per term. COURSES CONDUCTED IN ENGLISH The following courses, numbered in the V45.0800s, are conducted in English and may be counted toward the minor in French literature in translation and the minor in literature in translation, both of which are described under Literature in Translation. No knowledge of French is required. Metaphors of Modern Theatre V45.0822 Identical to V30.0267. Given every year. 2 points. A close reading of the classics of contemporary theatre, with emphasis on their use of vivid metaphors of the human condition and the theatre as metaphor and artistic process. Analyzes plays in detail, thematically and stylistically. Views each play as a highlight of nonrealistic theatre and as a brilliant example of the sensibilities of European artists and thinkers in the period beginning just after World War I (Pirandello) to World War II (Sartre) and the postwar period, the post-Hiroshima generation (Beckett). Theatre in the French Tradition V45.0829 When conducted in French, this course is numbered V45.0929. Does not count toward the major in French if taken in English. Exceptionally, with the permission of the director of undergraduate studies, this course is open to French majors who read the works in the original and do their written work in French. Given every other year. 4 points. For description, see Theatre in the French Tradition, V45.0929, above. Contemporary French Novel V45.0831 When conducted in French, this course is numbered V45.0731. Does not count toward the major in French if taken in English. Given every year. 4 points. For description, see Contemporary French Novel, V45.0731, above. The Image of Human Experience in the French Novel V45.0832 When conducted in French, this course is numbered V45.0932. Does not count toward the major in French if taken in English. Exceptionally, with the permission of the director of undergraduate studies, this course is open to French majors who read the works in the original and do their written work in French. Given every other year. 4 points. For description, see The Image of Human Experience in the French Novel, V45.0932, above. Women Writers in France V45.0835 Identical to V97.0935. When conducted in French, this course is numbered V45.0935. Does not count toward the major in French if taken in English. Exceptionally, with the permission of the director of undergraduate studies, this course is open to French majors who read the works in the original and do their written work in French. Given every year. 4 points. For description, see Women Writers in France, V45.0935, above. French Poetry from Baudelaire to the Present V45.0841 When conducted in French, this course is numbered V45.0741. Does not count toward the major in French if taken in English. Given every year. 4 points. For description, see French Poetry from Baudelaire to the Present, V45.0741, above. Versailles: Life as Art in the Age of Grandeur V45.0850 When conducted in French, this course is numbered V45.0150. Does not count toward the major in French if taken in English. Exceptionally, with the permission of the director of undergraduate studies, this course is open to French majors who read the works in the original and do their written work in French. No knowledge of French is required for students who are not majoring in French. Given every other year. 4 points. For description, see Versailles: Life as Art in the Age of Grandeur, V45.0150, above. Contemporary France V45.0864 When conducted in French, this course is numbered V45.0164. Does not count toward the major in French if taken in English. Exceptionally, with the permission of the director of undergraduate studies, this course is open to French majors who read the works in the original and do their written work in French. No knowledge of French is required for students who are not majoring in French. Given every fall. 4 points. For description, see Contemporary France, V45.0164, above. Topics in French Culture V45.0865 When conducted in French, this course is numbered V45.0965. The department offers occasional courses on subjects of special interest to either a regular or visiting faculty member. Given every semester. 4 points. For description, see Topics in French Culture, V45.0865, above. La Belle Époque: Modes of Artistic Expression and Life V45.0866 When conducted in French, this course is numbered V45.0166. Does not count toward the major in French if taken in English. Exceptionally, with the permission of the director of undergraduate studies, this course is open to French majors who read the works in the original and do their written work in French. No knowledge of French is required for students who are not majoring in French. Given every semester. 4 points. Focuses on the dazzling cultural life of turn-of-the-century Paris. Explores the ascent of symbolism, postimpressionism, art nouveau, cubism, futurism, and other creative concepts. Views the social, intellectual, and artistic aspects of the period through the works of contemporary writers, dramatists, and artists such as Zola, Huysmans, Maupassant, Proust, Colette, Apollinaire, Toulouse-Lautrec, Cézanne, Picasso, Debussy, Diaghilev, Sarah Bernhardt, and Gertrude Stein. Extensive use of audio and video material. Existentialism and the Absurd V45.0867 When conducted in French, this course is numbered V45.0767. Does not count toward the major in French if taken in English. Given every year. 4 points. For description, see Existentialism and the Absurd, V45.0767, above. Topics in French Literature V45.0868 When conducted in French, this course is numbered V45.0968. Given every semester. 4 points. The department offers occasional courses on subjects of special interest to either a regular or visiting faculty member. For specific courses, please consult the class schedule. Proust V45.0871 When conducted in French, this course is numbered V45.0771. Does not count toward the major in French if taken in English. Exceptionally, with the permission of the director of undergraduate studies, this course is open to French majors who read the works in the original and do their written work in French. No knowledge of French is required for students who are not majoring in French. Given every other year. 4 points. For description, see Proust, V45.0771, above. Beckett V45.0874 When conducted in French, this course is numbered V45.0774. Does not count toward the major in French if taken in English. Given every year. 4 points. For description, see Beckett, V45.0774, above. INTERDISCIPLINARY COURSES The Department of French sponsors the following interdisciplinary courses and, in some cases, cosponsors them with other departments. No knowledge of French is required. Courses may be counted toward the minor in French literature in translation or the minor in literature in translation but not toward the major in French. The Age of Romanticism V45.0501 Identical to V29.0501. Given every other year. 4 points. Designed to examine a specific period of European culture and history in several distinct national traditions, through a variety of methodologies. The focus is both broad and specific. The uniqueness of separate romantic manifestations (prose, poetry, theatre, music, and the plastic arts) as well as the relationships between them constitute the core of inquiry. Cinema and Literature V45.0883 Identical to V30.0504. Offered by the Department of French. Conducted in English. Does not count toward the major in French but does count toward the minor in French literature in translation or the minor in literature in translation. Given every semester. 4 points. Exposes the student to various modes, such as expressionism, social realism, and the projection of the hero. One film is viewed per week and analyzed with reading assignments that include novels, plays, and poems. The objective is to exploit the potentiality of different media and to make vivid and intellectual the climate of Europe on which these media so often focus. GRADUATE COURSES OPEN TO UNDERGRADUATES Courses in the Graduate School of Arts and Science are open to seniors with a 3.5 average in three 4-point courses (12 points) of advanced work in French. If these courses are offered toward the requirements for the baccalaureate degree, no advanced credit is allowed for them in the graduate school. Before registering for these courses, students must obtain the permission of the director of undergraduate studies. A complete list of graduate courses open to qualified seniors is available in the department each semester. |
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