French (FREN-UA)

Open to students with no previous training in French and to others on assignment by placement test. Not equivalent to FREN-UA 10. Only by combining FREN-UA 1 with FREN-UA 2 can a student complete the equivalent of FREN-UA 10 and then continue on to the intermediate level. Offered every semester. 4 points.

Continuation of FREN-UA 1. In order to continue on to the intermediate level, a student must complete both FREN-UA 1 and FREN-UA 2. This sequence is equivalent to FREN-UA 10. Offered every semester. 4 points.

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. Offered every semester. 6 points.

Not equivalent to FREN-UA 20. Only by combining FREN-UA 11 with FREN-UA 12 can a student complete the equivalent of FREN-UA 20 and then continue on to the post-intermediate level. Offered every semester. 4 points.

Continuation of FREN-UA 11. In order to fulfill the MAP requirement and continue on to the post-intermediate level, a student must complete both FREN-UA 11 and FREN-UA 12. This sequence is equivalent to FREN-UA 20. Offered every semester. 4 points.

Completes the equivalent of a year's intermediate level in one semester. Offered every semester. 6 points.

In this French immersion course you will have the opportunity to work on improving your spoken French as we explore together the linguistic, historical, and cultural contexts of French-speaking Louisiana with a focus on Louisiana (Cajun) French. This course combines eight class meetings in New York with a week-long linguistic and cultural immersion program in New Orleans, Baton Rouge, and Arnaudville, Louisiana. This program is being run in partnership with NYU's Alternative Spring Break Program, and as such it will include a service learning component. In addition to a number of scholarly articles on a variety of both historical and modern-day aspects of francophone Louisiana, readings for this course will include a selection of Louisiana poetry and short stories as well as a novel.

This course offers a unique combination of classroom study in New York and a study and service week (in coordination with the Alternative Spring Break program) in locations in the United States and Canada: Lowell, MA; Orono, ME; Quebec City; Victoriaville; and Montreal. The course introduces students to the linguistic and cultural diversity of the francophone presence in North America, promoting the discussion of Francophone cultures and issues of migration, integration, and cultural diversity in relation to the United States. Readings include scholarly materials (in English and French) as well as texts by Franco-Americans (including Jack Kerouac) and novels, short stories, and poems by Québécois authors.. The work done during the trip will include academic community service (recording for an oral history project) and more traditional community service (volunteering in Quebec). Through this course, participants will gain a greater understanding of the diversity of Francophone America as well as a sharpened awareness of issues of multiculturalism and migration. Application required, contact the Department of French for more information.

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 literary analysis.

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.

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.

Provides advanced French language students with the opportunity to improve their pronunciation through a detailed analysis of the sound systems of both French and English.

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 (for example, 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.

Practice of translation through French and English texts taken from a variety of sources to present a range of contrasting grammatical and stylistic problems. Also stresses acquisition of vocabulary.

This course is designed for students who want to further explore the richness of the French language and culture through a wide range of activities, topics and materials. This upper level course provides students with a unique opportunity to reflect upon the challenges that any translation work involves, primarily by making assessments and decisions. You will work on engaging pieces of literature and philosophy, journalistic essays, comics, cinema and subtitling, music, poetry and more.

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.

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.

In this course, students with a solid grasp of French have the opportunity to continue refining their knowledge of the language by a variety of workshop-based creative-writing activities. Time will be split between reading and discussing short texts in a variety of genres (as models, points of inspiration, etc.) and creative writing proper. Students will write a variety of texts throughout the semester, ranging from autobiographical to experimental.

Approaches the French language as it is used both in and outside of France through an exploration of some of the principal domains of linguistic study: phonetics, phonology, morphology, syntax, the external history of French, and sociolinguistic and regional variation. Emphasizes the internal workings of the French language as well as the place and roles of French throughout the Francophone world.

retired

This course is an introduction to France on the basis of several topics including history, economics, foreign policy and business practices. Key problematics include: what is the role of France in the European Union? How does French culture impact politics and business? What are the specifics of France when it comes to business habits and legal frameworks? Is France a good platform for investments in neighboring regions such as Africa and the Middle East? Students will acquire knowledge of France and the European Union’s recent history, economy and institutions, understand business practices in France and Europe, and have a better understanding of France’s key industries, including in the fashion, food, wine and luxury-goods sectors.

This course offers an introduction to central works in French literature, while presenting students with a toolkit for literary analysis. Eschewing a strictly chronological approach, we will explore some of the key lines of thought animating French literary production from the Middle Ages through the twentieth century. Students will have the opportunity to refine their skills in reading and writing through in-class workshops devoted to techniques for close reading, developing a thesis from textual evidence, and identifying arguments in critical texts. Our objectives will be both to understand the diverse functions of literature as a cultural practice and to prepare students to take Discovery courses and other advanced seminars in literature.

This course, which is entirely conducted in French, is an introduction to French and Francophone Performing Arts from the early modern period to the present day. The emphasis is placed on the relationship between the performers and the viewers through theatrical illusion, speech, and the body in the theater, operas, ballets and poetry readings. Students will discuss the significance of social issues in French and Francophone performing arts on a global scale. The main sources are read and discussed in French. They include landmark texts and recordings of works by writers and performers including: Molière, Corneille, Hugo, Rimbaud, Verlaine, Cocteau, Mnouchkine, Delcuvellerie.

Offered every year. 4 points. Examines literature from a network of French-speaking countries that form a Francophone space. Addresses the colonial past as well as the anticolonial and postcolonial situations in which French colonialism is replaced by more complex relationships and ideologies. Special attention is paid to language and the role of the writer in elaborating a postcolonial national identity. Writers studied may include Edouard Glissant and Patrick Chamoiseau of Martinique, Jacques Roumain of Haiti, Ahmadou Kourouma of the Ivory Coast, and Assia Djebar of Algeria.

When conducted in English, numbered V45.0850 and also open to French majors who read the works in the original aWhen conducted in English, numbered V45.0850 and also open to French majors who read the works in the original and do their written work in French. Offered every other year. 4 points. Fabulous Versailles, the synthesis of baroque and classical aesthetics and the cult of kingship, serves as an introduction to the study of major aspects of 17th- and 18th-century culture and French influence on European civilization. This course 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.

This course is an introduction to the study of French visual culture. Students learn how to think critically and gain image literacy skills on the basis of a variety of media (film, photographs, paintings, internet, etc.). Images and texts are discussed through the lens of the French and francophone political, historical, cultural contexts. Students who have an interest in art history, film, media, literature, critical theory may want to consider this course.

Offered in the fall. 4 points. Retrospective and introspective view of French civilization from the early period to 1900 through the interrelation of history, literature, fine arts, music, and philosophy. Study of major historical forces, ideas, and tensions; the formation of collective identities (territorial, religious, political, and so on); France's diversity and formative conflicts; the Republican model; France and the outer world; and the relationship between state, nation, and citizenry. Primary sOffered in the fall. 4 points. Retrospective and introspective view of French civilization from the early period to 1900 through the interrelation of history, literature, fine arts, music, and philosophy. Study of major historical forces, ideas, and tensions; the formation of collective identities (territorial, religious, political, and so on); France's diversity and formative conflicts; the Republican model; France and the outer world; and the relationship between state, nation, and citizenry. Primary sources and documents such as chroniques, m?moires, journaux, revues, and correspondances.

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.

In recent years, France’s complex relationship with race has been the object of intense debates. Traditionally, France has relied on a universalist ideal of color-blindness that does not recognize the existence of race and rejects its use in public discourse and political action. Today, however, a growing number of activists and intellectuals contend that the traditional republican ban on race has not only failed to prevent racism but makes it impossible to fully measure racist discriminations. This course investigates how French and francophone writers, intellectuals, artists and filmmakers, have engaged with these questions. While exploring the historical and political context of these debates, we will ask ourselves how artistic and literary practices can challenge established concepts of identity. In addition to introducing you to important intellectual and artistic debates in contemporary France, this course will also offer you the opportunity to rethink some of the categories that structure U.S. debates on these questions by confronting them to a different cultural context.

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.

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.

What is the meaning of existence, and of life in society? This is the question the principal thinkers of “French Theory” attempted to answer in the second half of the 20th century. This important moment of intellectual life continues to influence thinkers today around the world. The principal questions and intellectual movements studied in this course include: existentialism (Sartre), structuralism (Levi-Strauss), deconstruction (Derrida), the intersection of power and sexuality (Foucault), sociology of culture (Bourdieu), feminism (Beauvoir, Cixous), postcolonial identities (Glissant), animalism, political ecology (Serres).

What is the meaning of existence, and of life in society? This is the question the principal thinkers of “French Theory” attempted to answer in the second half of the 20th century. This important moment of intellectual life continues to influence thinkers today around the world. The principal questions and intellectual movements studied in this course include: existentialism (Sartre), structuralism (Levi-Strauss), deconstruction (Derrida), the intersection of power and sexuality (Foucault), sociology of culture (Bourdieu), feminism (Beauvoir, Cixous), postcolonial identities (Glissant), animalism, political ecology (Serres).

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.

What has Judaism to do with politics? Is there such a thing as Jewish politics before the establishment of the modern State of Israel? This course will take a close look at the history of Jewish political thought and the implementation of Jewish power, both in the past and in the present. We will begin with an overview of the current debate over Jewish power and powerlessness and examine some of the modern myths of Jewish power that are still with us today. We will then look at the roots of the Jewish political tradition from the Bible to Mendelssohn, explore the many sides of modern Zionism, modes of Jewish resistance during the Holocaust, and the consequences and challenges of modern Jewish power in the State of Israel.

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 Celine 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.

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 C?line; and practictioners of the absurd outside of France (e.g., Pinter, Albee, Barthelme).

"Reading of *In Search of Lost Time*. 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."

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.

Clothing is a text to be read, and artists and authors from Baudelaire to RuPaul mobilize its power in striking ways. This course will be concerned with theories of dress and with French “taste” and “style” more broadly—concepts that we will explore from aesthetic, sociological, and historical points of view. We will examine an exciting array of literary and visual works, from an 18th-century erotic novella about the seductive power of interior décor to a contemporary film about the coolness of the woman gangster. Students will gain a critical vocabulary for discussing literary and cinematic style, paying special attention to the implications of fashion for the production and rescripting of gender norms. We will investigate how taste is learned and incorporated, whether the fashion system subverts or consolidates social norms, and what it means to become the artist of one’s own life.

Study of the theatrical genre in France including the Golden Age playwrights (Corneille, Racine, and Moli?re); 18th-century irony and sentiment; and the 19th-century theatrical revolution. Topics: theories of comedy and tragedy, development of stagecraft, romanticism and realism, the theatre as a public genre, its relationship to taste and fashion, and its sociopolitical function.

No prerequisites. Taught in English. The past two hundred years have taken Haiti from pariah state to failed state. Haiti is loved or despised because it is seen as absolutely different. Haiti is indeed different but its difference is historical and not inherent. Its revolutionary origins so challenged the prejudices of its time that Haiti has been conspicuously consigned to the margins of modern history. This course is an introduction to key issues in Haitian society, history and culture and provides an overview of the political changes that have made a relatively isolated, national culture increasingly diasporic and transnational.

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.

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 ?poque; Paris and the birth of modernism.

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 C?line; and practictioners of the absurd outside of France (e.g., Pinter, Albee, Barthelme).

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.

"This course is an introduction to the history of French cinema from its origins to the New Wave through the lens of art and French civilization (history, literature, class, gender, ethnicity). The movements and directors we will be studying include : early cinema (Lumière brothers, Méliès), Surrealism and the Avant-Garde (Bunuel, Dreyer), Poetic Realism (Renoir, Carné), the « New Wave » (Godard, Truffaut, Varda, Demy). "

Globalization has generated new challenges and identities in France and in Francophonie that are reflected by contemporary French and Francophone cinemas. This course offers an introduction to the history of French and Francophone auteur cinema since the New Wave from two angles: (1) the director’s artistic signature and (2) the contextualization of films in the political and cultural history of the French speaking world.

Clothing is a text to be read, and artists and authors from Baudelaire to RuPaul mobilize its power in striking ways. This course will be concerned with theories of dress and with French “taste” and “style” more broadly—concepts that we will explore from aesthetic, sociological, and historical points of view. We will examine an exciting array of literary and visual works, from an 18th-century erotic novella about the seductive power of interior décor to a contemporary film about the coolness of the woman gangster. Students will gain a critical vocabulary for discussing literary and cinematic style, paying special attention to the implications of fashion for the production and rescripting of gender norms. We will investigate how taste is learned and incorporated, whether the fashion system subverts or consolidates social norms, and what it means to become the artist of one’s own life.

In this course, students gather once a week for “French news, with coffee.” Before each workshop, students read articles in online French news sources (Le Monde, Le Monde diplomatique, Le Figaro, etc.), research new vocabulary, and consign the most important ideas and their personal reactions in a “news journal.” During the discussion-based workshop, students (in French) will discuss the news, review vocabulary, and generally utilize and improve their fluency and cultural competency. Particular emphasis will be placed on news items relating to diversity and ecology within France and the French-speaking world.

Students not only read the work of, but also meet and discuss their reading with, contemporary French writers who speak at the Maison Française as part of the interview series “French Literature in the Making” organized by celebrated French journalist Olivier Barrot.

Conducted in French/English How did French develop from a regional dialect of Vulgar Latin lacking in prestige into a major international language of diplomacy, literature, and commerce spoken on every continent? That is the question we will explore together in this course on the history of the French language. We will trace the development of French from its origins in Vulgar Latin up until the beginning of the modern era through an examination of the internal history of the language (phonological, morphological, syntactic and semantic changes) as well as its external history (social, demographical, and political changes). Along the way we will focus on a variety of both primary and secondary sources. While we will be discussing linguistic and sociolinguistic developments in French, this course does not require any prior knowledge of linguistics

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 S?vign?, Germaine de Sta?l, George Sand, Colette, Simone de Beauvoir, and Marguerite Duras.

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 ?poque; Paris and the birth of modernism.

Prerequisite: permission of the department. Offered 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.

Students have the opportunity to complete internships for credit either in New York City or at NYU Paris. In New York, students must identify their own internships. Students must obtain permission from their departmental advisor for an internship. In conjunction with the internship, students must enroll in an independent study under the directorship of a departmental instructor. Students are responsible for finding an instructor and coordinating with them.

Prerequisite: permission of the department. 4 points.

Two Senior Seminars are regularly offered each semester. The Senior Seminar provides French majors in their final year of study the chance to delve deep into the exploration of a specific topic (most often a specialty of the faculty member designing and teaching the course) and do their own original research.

The French Honors Program is open to all students majoring in French with an overall grade point average of 3.65 and an average of 3.65 in the major. Students admitted to the Honors Program will complete a 6-credit sequence (in addition to the credits for their major) during their senior year, which includes the writing of an honors thesis, an original work of scholarship in the field of French and/or Francophone literature or culture.

An Independent Study is an opportunity for students to work closely with a faculty advisor on a subject or interest related to their area of study. After securing approval from a faculty member in writing, the student should see the Director of Undergraduate Studies (DUS) in order to register for an Independent Study course. Independent Study courses may be taken for 2 or 4 credits. The faculty adviser and the student will together determine the course content and graded assignments of the Independent Study. An Independent Study can be applied towards the major and/or minor.

An Independent Study is an opportunity for students to work closely with a faculty advisor on a subject or interest related to their area of study. After securing approval from a faculty member in writing, the student should see the Director of Undergraduate Studies (DUS) in order to register for an Independent Study course. Independent Study courses may be taken for 2 or 4 credits. The faculty adviser and the student will together determine the course content and graded assignments of the Independent Study. An Independent Study can be applied towards the major and/or minor.

Presentation and systematic practice of basic structures and vocabulary of oral French through dialogues, pattern drills, and exercises. Correct pronunciation, sound placement, and intonation are stressed. For students with little or no command of French. Completes the equivalent of one year's elementary course. Textbook: Alors? Conducted in French.

A continuation of FREN-UA 10, this course is designed to provide students that have already studied one year of French (or the equivalent thereof) with the remainder of the fundamentals of the French language and to give those students that have mastered the basics of French vocabulary, culture, pronunciation, and grammar the opportunity to deepen their knowledge of the French language and the cultures for which it is a vehicle.

This course is designed to give those of you who have already begun to deepen your understanding of the French language and French and francophone cultures the opportunity to complete your fifth semester of French by mastering a fuller range of vocabulary, structures, pronunciation, and cultural information. This class will thus prepare you to tackle the classes at the advanced level and eventually to delve into more specialized literature and civilization courses.

This course is designed to help students to develop vocabulary, learn new idiomatic expressions, and improve fluency and pronunciation. The emphasis is on the understanding and production of contemporary spoken French through a study of authentic documents such as radio and television interviews, advertisements, and spontaneous oral productions.

For students with relative fluency in French who wish to strengthen their pronunciation and command of spoken French; Develops the skills presented in Spoken Contemporary French through an in-depth study of phonetics (corrective and theoretical), and analysis of the modes of oral discourses in French. Emphasis is on understanding spoken French (modes of argument, persuasion, emotion, etc.) through analysis of authentic documents and development of student discourse in French.

This course is designed to help students to develop their vocabulary, further their mastery of grammar, and improve their ability to write informally and, more importantly, formally in French. There will be an emphasis on the understanding and production of sophisticated written French through a study of authentic documents such as newspaper articles and excerpts of longer works. There will also be considerable work on learning how best to proofread, edit, and rewrite written work.

Use of drama and theatre techniques to help students overcome inhibitions in their oral use of language. Exercises and activities are designed to improve pronunciation, intonation, expression, and body language. Students work in collaboration with the professor, trained in the experimental methods of the French director Jacques Lecocq. This semester's focus will be to analyze and reenact excerpts from Molière’s plays. Conducted in French.

Designed for students who wish to become familiar with 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: advertising, transportation, banking, etc. Group work in simulated business situations and exposure to "authentic" spoken materials is stressed. Qualified students will have the option of taking the Exam of the Chamber of French Commerce at the end of the course. Conducted in French.

Helps students to strengthen and refine their abilities to express themselves with accuracy and fluency in both spoken and written French. Emphasis on debate, presentation, and argumentation in different settings (academic and non-academic).

In this course students read masterpieces of French literature from the French Revolution to the end of the twentieth century. Works are considered from various historical, aesthetic and theoretical perspectives. Texts include: Le Père Goriot (Balzac); Madame Bovary (Flaubert); Les Faux-Monnayeurs (Gide); La Nausée (Sartre); Le Ravissement de Lol V. Stein (Duras), and Du côté de chez Swan I (Proust), which will be the subject of a final essay. Conducted in French.

This course is an introduction to France on the basis of several topics including history, economics, foreign policy and business practices. Key problematics include: what is the role of France in the European Union? How does French culture impact politics and business? What are the specifics of France when it comes to business habits and legal frameworks? Is France a good platform for investments in neighboring regions such as Africa and the Middle East? Students will acquire knowledge of France and the European Union’s recent history, economy and institutions, understand business practices in France and Europe, and have a better understanding of France’s key industries, including in the fashion, food, wine and luxury-goods sectors.

This course offers an introduction to central works in French literature, while presenting students with a toolkit for literary analysis. Eschewing a strictly chronological approach, we will explore some of the key lines of thought animating French literary production from the Middle Ages through the twentieth century. Students will have the opportunity to refine their skills in reading and writing through in-class workshops devoted to techniques for close reading, developing a thesis from textual evidence, and identifying arguments in critical texts. Our objectives will be both to understand the diverse functions of literature as a cultural practice and to prepare students to take Discovery courses and other advanced seminars in literature.

The aim of this course is to give the students a broad view of french history since the end of Middle-Ages to the beginning of the 20th century. We will explain the main political events as well as the main cultural, artistic, and intellectual events. This course will be based on readings and on visiting museums and exhibitions.

This course provides a linguistic introduction to the French language. Students will learn how to analyze the underlying structures of the language by using formal tools developed in linguistic theory. We will focus on the following core areas of grammar: phonetics and phonology (sound system), morphology (word formation), syntax (phrase and sentence structure) and semantics (meaning). This course should be of interest to those who wish to strengthen their knowledge of French and to develop their formal linguistic tools on the analysis of the grammatical structure of the language. Conducted in French.

On December 28th, 1895, cinema was given its official characteristics by the Lumière brothers in Paris. If for over a century, the “Seventh Art” has been an essential element and a vehicle for French culture, the city of Paris has epitomized the evolution and contradictions of the French cinema industry. Focusing on the main tendencies in contemporary French cinema, we will ask the following questions: How do the French filmmakers depict the city of Lights, the City of Love, the City of Horror? How decisive a representation of Paris and its suburbs can be? Why do the images of Paris illustrate the history of French cinema? What do they show about French culture?

Islam is the second most important religion in France (after Roman Catholicism) and France has the highest Muslim population in Europe. Complex events from the mid-20th century forward have led to continuous heated debate and controversy about the place of Muslim citizens within the secular Republic. France's interwoven history with Islam dates back, however, to the first Umayyad conquests of the Iberian peninsula in the 8th century and then to the period of the Crusades. Through the use of primary sources, literary and filmic texts, and critical readings (notably in history, sociology and cultural studies), this course traces the complexity and heterogeneity of French perceptions of Islam within a broad historical perspective beginning with these early encounters and continuing up to the present day.

This course allows students to study and perform “Theater of the absurd”, a theoretical and practical approach to theater born of the historical, literary, and philosophical context of the Second World War. We will analyze the characteristics of this type of theater which continues to influence avant-garde themes and esthetics. Students perform excerpts from selected works with a focus on destructuring language, and corporal expression. The approach of the course is intellectual, physical

This course explores the connections between major French and American expatriate writings of the Modernist period and beyond. As the site of unprecedented cosmopolitanism and creativity, early 20th-century Paris saw the emergence of artistic and intellectual movements that were to have a considerable impact on Western culture to this day. Though a variety of texts (novels, short stories, memoirs, poems, and essays) we explore the questions of inner and outer exile inherent in the modern condition, of living and writing on the margins, of otherness and estrangement in relation to class, gender, sexuality, language, and to Paris as a specific urban environment. Includes texts by, among others, Hemingway, Fitzgerald, Stein, Colette, Apollinaire, Proust, Aragon, Céline and Camus.

In this course we consider the controversies, ideals, and social conflicts that have motivated protest movements in France from the Revolution of 1789 to the present day. Taking as an approach the history of ideas, the course examines the intense debates over social justice and political representation that have moved people to action, from the idealistic Communards in the late 19th century, to the youth movements of the 1960s, or the "yellow vest" (gilets jaunes) and Black Lives Matter protests of a few years ago. Through a study of literary and philosophical texts, historical tracts, political posters, films and protest songs, we will deepen our understanding of these events and the passions they inspire. Includes visits in and around Paris. Conducted in English.

In this course we focus on four contemporary novels in which the world of the character, the narrator, or the author, is read through the lens of a literary classic. In each case, the reading and rewriting of the primary text involves temporal and spatial displacements (from the 18th to the 20th century, from Europe to the Caribbean and to the South Pacific) that generate shifting perspectives and a constant reshuffling of center and periphery. Between a reverential affiliation to the past and a creative misreading and rewriting of it, these intertextual encounters with « great » Western literary works insistently raise the questions of identity, originality, and “writing back”. Exploring these questions will therefore also involve drawing on comparative, translation, and postcolonial studies.

The course description for this Topics course varies depending on the topic taught. Taught in English. Please view the course descriptions in the course notes section below.

The course explores how literature and cinema from 1945 to the present have covered the topic of the "Années noires" ("the Dark years"), or the period of German occupation in France. Figured against the backdrop of the events of World War II and the Occupation, the course examines the complexity of questions of identity, memory, and narrative in relation to this complex moment in French history. Includes texts by Sartre, Vercors, Modiano, Perec, Duras. Films include *Les Jeux Interdits (*René Clément), *Lacombe Lucien *(Louis Malle), *Night & Fog *(Alain Resnais). In addition students participate in an overnight trip to visit the D-day beaches and other World War II sites in Normandy. In French.

Aiming to enlarge our understanding of the profound transformations of contemporary France, this course focuses first on the redeployment of identities: sex and gender, age and generation, social affiliation, ethnicity, before examining some of the profound shifts in social, economic, cultural, political and demographic factors that have transpired as a result. We will examine the way these changes have been constructed through various ideological and cultural representations, in order to deepen such notions as the crisis of the model of integration, the aging of the population, the decline in the emancipation of women, the breakdown of social mobility, the break-up of elites, and so on -- all points of entry for understanding the crisis of a "French model" in full mutation. In French.

In this course, students gather once a week for “French news, with coffee.” Before each workshop, students read articles in online French news sources (Le Monde, Le Monde diplomatique, Le Figaro, etc.), research new vocabulary, and consign the most important ideas and their personal reactions in a “news journal.” During the discussion-based workshop, students (in French) will discuss the news, review vocabulary, and generally utilize and improve their fluency and cultural competency. Particular emphasis will be placed on news items relating to diversity and ecology within France and the French-speaking world.

This workshop aims to highlight the specificities of French language pronunciation in order to correct the most frequent errors and to provide students a phonetic correction necessary for a good acquisition of French as a foreign language. We will study the characteristics of French, the specific sounds of French as well as the main difficulties encountered by English speakers. The course will provide both a theoretical as well as practical approach to ensure the acquisition of good aural and oral skills in French. Students will work on listening skills as well as oral production via in-class presentations and exercises to do at home. Through the study of poetry we will work on the relationship between sounds and the spelling of words, rhymes and intonation. In addition, students will learn the international phonetic alphabet as a means to grasping the difference between written and spoken language.

Explores the contemporary arts in France in their historic and social context. Beginning with current trends, attempts to situate what's new within a longer tradition of artistic production. Themes include the nature of the object, the monochrome, the body, the idea of nature, personal mythologies, the importance of light. The course includes visits to contemporary galleries and museums. Taught in French.

A historical and political inquiry into the French system of relations with Francophone Africa from the 'race to Empire' in the 19th century to the current day. The main goals of the course are: to describe the historical development of French-African relations from the colonial to the post-independence era; to investigate the political, economic and cultural mechanisms of French influence in contemporary Francophone Africa; to understand the consequences for France of complex developments subsequent to colonialism, such as African immigration in France. Conducted in French.

Description:This course introduces students to the history, sociology, and anthropology of women, feminism, and of gender and sexuality in contemporary France from the 19th century to the present. Interdisciplinary in approach, the course draws on feminist theory and empirical studies to address a range of political, economic, social, and cultural questions and the way they have played out through time. Specifically the course addresses the following issues: the history of the relationship between the condition of women, gender roles, and feminism from the Revolution to the present day; the importance of gender to such contemporary debates as parity, sexual identities, prostitution and sex-work, hetero-centrism and homosexuality, gay marriage, sexual harassment and so on; and finally the intersection of questions of gender and post-colonialism as a means to understanding contemporary polemics, the question of the Islamic veil in particular.