Undergraduate Courses in French

FALL 2005

(Course information subject to change)
(Cross-reference with Department Roster)

French 110 
Elementary French
Staff
(See Timetables for times)

French 110 is a first-semester elementary language course for students who have never studied French before or who have had very little exposure to the language. Most students with previous French should be in French 121 (elementary French for "false beginners"). All students who have already studied French elsewhere are required to take the placement test to determine which elementary course is appropriate for them. Students with a score of less than 380 on the SAT II or below 18 on the computer placement test should enroll in French 110.

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 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 practice with audio and video material, and will include regular writing practice. The course will also invite you to explore the Francophone world on the Internet.

French 112
Elementary French: Accelerated
Staff
MWF 9:00-10:00; TR 9:00-10:30

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
Staff
(See Timetables for times)

French 120 is the second-semester continuation of the elementary sequence and is open to students who have completed French 110 at Penn (see the description of 110). Students who place into the second-semester level should normally enroll in French 121. In those semesters when French 121 is not offered, students with an SATII score between 380 - 440 or a placement score between 18 - 29 are allowed to enroll in French 120.

French 121
Elementary French
Staff
(See Timetables for times)

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
Staff
(See Timetables 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. 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.

French 140
Intermediate French
Staff
(See Timetables 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. Students having completed French 130, or with an SATII score of 550 - 640 or a placement score above 35 should enroll in this course. See the course description for French 130.

Through the study of authentic materials such as articles, poems, songs, films, video-clips, and taped conversations between native speakers, you will deepen your knowledge of France as well as North Africa and other French-speaking areas. The content areas you will explore include the world of work and contemporary social issues, such as the environment, poverty, homelessness, crime, and racism.

French 180
Advanced French in Residence
Staff

Open only to residents in La Maison Francaise

French 202
Advanced French
Staff
(See Timetables 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 FLAC Courses (Foreign Language Across the Curriculum) 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 - together with a selective review of grammar.

The class will study three thematic units dealing with a wide variety of magazine articles, literary texts, historical documents, films, TV, songs, comedy sketches and "bandes dessinées". The thematic units include: youth-related issues (such as upbringing and education, unemployment, AIDS, racism, etc. ). The class will touch upon issues of identity in France as well as in the Francophone world, in the context of immigration and colonization. Students will also get a chance to expand their knowledge of French history, with one major focus on World War II and the German occupation of France. Students will use Louis Malle's movie Au revoir les enfants as well as its CD-ROM version to help them understand a comprehensive historical dossier. Finally, students will study the history and current status of the French-speaking Caribbean, with a focus on Martinique and the movie Rue cases-nègres. Within each unit, work will be done on all four skills. Student work will be evaluated both in terms of progress in language skills and of ability to handle and engage in the content areas.

French 211
French for Professions I
Slowinski
MW 3:00-4:30
MW 4:30-6:00

This content-based language course, taught in French, introduces economic, business, and professional terminology through the study of the following topics: the French economy and monetary policy (transition to the Euro); financial institutions (banking and postal services, stock market and insurance); specificity of the French fiscal system; business practices (business letters and resumes); advertising and the internal structure and legal forms of French companies.  France’s atypical system of industrial relations as well as cultural differences and their impact on the business world will also be explored.

On completion of the course, students will have the opportunity to take the Certificat Pratique de Français Commercial et Economique, administered by the Paris Chamber of Commerce and Industry.

Prerequisite:  Intermediate-high advanced level French.

French 212
Advanced French Grammar and Composition
Staff
(See Timetables 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.  There will also be a reading component (magazine and newspaper articles as well as selections from Camus’s L’Etranger).

French 214
Advanced French Composition and Conversation
Staff
MWF 11:00-12:00

This is a course aimed at improving writing and conversational skills.  It is based on the study and discussion of short extracts from a variety of texts (literary, journalistic, advertising, etc.) which are used as models for writing and as a basis for oral discussion.  Students will write frequent short compositions based on these extracts and will be asked to present a series of short oral reports.  After the presentation of their oral reports, students will then lead a discussion on the report.  Videos of French news broadcasts and films will be used to stimulate discussion and to aid in improving students’ comprehension of contemporary spoken French.

French 217
French Phonetics
Prof. Edelstein
MW 3:00-4:30

Designed to provide students with a solid foundation in French phonetics and phonology. Part of the course will be devoted to learning how to produce discourse with native-like French pronunciation, rhythm and intonation. The second half of the course will be devoted to improving aural comprehension by examining stylistic and dialectical differences in spoken French.

French 221
Perspectives in French Literature
Gen Req III: Arts & Letters
Prof. Prince
TR 10:30-12

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 Lescaut, 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.

Prof. Peysson-Zeiss
TR 12-1:30
Freshman Seminar

Love and the written word will be the focus of this introduction to French literature. We will read works that exemplify this theme from the major literary genres: The medial lais, poetry, theater, short stories and the novel. Students in the course will learn skills of reading, analyzing, and writing about texts in French, and will develop individual approaches to the material. Although we will examine briefly various notions of love, taken from history, philosophy, psychoanalytic theory, feminism, and gender studies, the course will emphasize the idea of love as a specifically literary phenomenon—one of fundamental importance for Western culture and society—from fin’amor and courtly love, to romantic love and amour fou. We will read Marie de France’s Lais; we will also read several important poems from the sixteenth, nineteenth, and twentieth centuries. We will study Racine’s Phèdre as well as some short stories from Maupassant. Finally, we will read the novel L’Amant by Marguerite Duras. This course will make use of images, music, and film; it will be conducted entirely in French.

Prof. DeJean
TR 1:30-3

This seminar is designed to provide students with a thorough overview of the French literary tradition from the twelfth to the twentieth centuries. It will be centered on an exploration of the various ways in which love has been portrayed in the history of French literature. We will be asking why it is that France, and French literature, have always been perceived as having a particular affinity with love, romance, and eroticism. We will read major plays and novels, among them, Moliere's Le Misanthrope and Merimee's Carmen. Students will be asked to explore such issues as: evolving conceptions of love in literature; the play between
sexuality, religion, and socio-economic systems; the relationship between the individual, the amorous couple, and society. All readings and discussions will be in French.

French 226
French Civilization from Beginning to 1789
Distribution II: History & Tradition
Prof. Donaldson-Evans
MWF 10:00-11:00

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).

French 230
Masterpieces of French Cinema
Prof. Met
T 1:30-4:30, R 1:30-3:00

The purpose of this course is to provide an introduction to the history and scope of French cinema all the way to the present time through the analysis of key works of the French film canon. Particular attention will be paid to the various period styles ("le réalisme poétique", "la qualité française", "la nouvelle vague", "le cinéma du look", …) and a variety of critical lenses will be used (psychoanalysis, socio-historical and cultural context, politics, aesthetics, gender…) in a effort to better understand the specificities and complexities of these films.

Film directors considered may include Renoir, Duvivier, Carné, Clément, Clouzot, Bresson, Truffaut, Resnais, Godard, Chabrol, Tavernier, Beineix, Denis and others.
Entirely conducted in French.

French 250
French Literature in Translation: Money and the Novel
Prof. Samuels
TR 10:30-12:00

Theorists from Marx to Benjamin have seen Paris as the capital of the nineteenth century because of the way new economic structures gave rise to the social, political, and cultural formation characteristic of modernity. This course will explore the relation between literature and capitalism in this period. How did writers come to terms with the new modes of production and consumption that developed in France between the French Revolution and World War I? How did literature itself become a commodity during this period? Classic novels in the realist tradition (by Balzac, Murger, Maupassant, Zola, and Gide) will be read for their investment in the economic discourse of their age. All readings and discussions will be in English. No knowledge of French required.

French 322 
France and the European Union
Prof. Slowinski
TR 3:00-4:30

Foreign Language Across the Curriculum
The following topics will be addressed:
1) A brief history of European integration:  The Franco-German couple–The hesitations of Great Britain.  Debate:  neutrality, sovereignty and identity
2) The Community’s institutions: Necessity for reform before enlargement.  Debate:  intergovernmental cooperation vs. federation (a European constitution?)
3) The European single market:  Europe becomes the biggest market in the world (the beef and banana war with the United States)
4) Economic and monetary union:  Introduction of the EURO; Debate:  from an economic community to a political community?
5) Political union and defense–Relations between France, Europe and NATO; Debate:  Eurocentrism vs. Atlanticism
6) Is there a social Europe?  Analysis of the cultural and social European model;  Debate:  its future vs. American or Japanese liberalism (the unemployment problem)
7) A people’s Europe:  Education and training;  Debate:  Is there a European civilization?
8) Common programs (agriculture, fishing and environment); Debate:  Impact of the common agricultural policy on France
9) The Community and its neighbors:  Debate:  a wider vs. a deeper Community
10) Europe and its relations with the rest of the world (US, Asia and the developing countries);  Debate:  Euro vs. dollar and yen
Presence and participation in class are important.  Three short papers during the semester and one final paper of the students’ choice are required.

French 330
Medieval Literature
Prof. Brownlee
TR 12-1:30

The course explores one of the greatest literary creations of medieval France: the world of King Arthur. We will study the parameters of this world in the contexts of fiction and history, politics and fantasy. Texts to be studied include Tristan (Béroul and Thomas), Perceval (Chrétien de Troyes), Les Lais (Marie de France), the Lancelot en Prose, and the Mort du roi Arthur. All reading and discussion in French.

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

French 360-301
French Literature of the 18th Century: Discourses of the Feminine in 18th Century French Literature
Prof. Weber
TR 10:30-12

In this course, we will examine the nature and status of femininity--as it relates to sexuality, the body, the exotic, society, politics, freedom, and language itself--by reading a broad array of literary works from the French 18th century. Texts examined will range from novels to philosophical essays to plays (and, in some cases, contemporary film adaptations of those plays), and from works by male authors such as Rousseau, Voltaire, and Sade, to female writers like Graffigny and Charriere. All readings, class discussion, and written assignments in French.

French 376
Jewish Identity and French Culture
Prof. Samuels
TR 3-4:30

France was the first European country to grant the Jews full civil rights and today has the largest Jewish population in Europe. But despite a tradition of openness to Jews, France continues to struggle with a legacy of anti-semitism. This class interrogates notions of Jewish identity in French culture from the Revolution to the present. Focusing on significant moments from the past (the Revolution, the Dreyfus Affair, WWII), as well as recent instances of anti-semitic violence, we will explore representations of Jews and Jewishness in a variety of media, including fiction, film, art, memoirs, propaganda, political discourse, and journalism. How have Jews in France negotiated the relation between the particular and the universal? To what extent have debates about Jews helped define notions of Frenchness? Topics to be addressed include: emancipation, anti-semitism, images of Jews, Jewish self-imaging, representing the Shoah, de-colonization, and sephardic identity. For their final projects, students will work with primary sources relating to the Dreyfus Affair in the Beitler Collection at Van Pelt Library. All readings and discussion will be in French.

French 380
Travel Literature
Prof. Met
TR 10:30-12

Within the context of the ill-defined, heterogeneous genre of the travelogue and of today’s age of globalization, CNN and the internet, this course will examine the poetics of travel writing based on a combination of fictional texts, poetic meditations and actual travel notebooks (or journaux de voyage) from early XXth century to the present time. One of the principal specificities of the texts studied is that they all evince to a lesser or greater degree a paradoxical resistance to the very idea and possibility of authentic travel. We will therefore look at how these modern or postmodern texts question, revisit, subvert or reject such key notions of “mainstream” travel literature as exoticism and eroticism, adventure and nomadism, exile and nostalgia, otherness or foreignness vs. selfhood, ethnology and autobiography, etc.

Authors considered should include: Claudel, Michaux, Leiris, Lévi-Strauss, Butor, Le Clézio, Baudrillard, Bouvier and Jouanard. A couple of films (“road movies”) might also be screened.

Please note: this capstone seminar is for seniors (majoring in French) only.

French 390
Francophone Literature
Prof. Moudileno
TR 12-1:30

This course will introduce students to the history of French colonialism in Africa and its continuing political and cultural consequences, by way of some of the most significant narratives and films produced by authors from Africa (including the Maghreb). It is of interest to majors in International Relations, Anthropology and African Studies as well as majors in French.