French (FR)

Professor: H. N. Sanko; Associate Professors: M. N. Richards, M. Pereszlenyi-Pinter

The program in French is offered by the Department of Classical and Modern Languages and Cultures. (For general information about the department see page 161).  All courses are taught in French, unless otherwise noted.  The mission of the French section is to help students acquire knowledge of the languages, literatures, and cultures of France and Francophone countries.  Through beginning, intermediate, and advanced language courses, students develop the skills to read, write, speak, and understand French.  Courses on the literatures and cultures of French-speaking communities in France and in other countries of Europe, Africa, the Caribbean, North and South America, as well as the French possessions in the Indian and Pacific Oceans, instill an appreciation of Francophone cultures in their diversity.  Extracurricular projects promote active engagement in cultural and linguistic exchanges.  In keeping with the broader liberal arts mission of John Carroll University, the French section seeks to train students in the skills of both critical analysis and written and oral argument, skills that they can use in graduate school or in their future professional and personal lives.  All students are also strongly encouraged to study in a French-speaking country.

101. BEGINNING FRENCH I 3 cr.  Film-based introduction to French language and culture.  Development of the four language skills (speaking, listening, reading, and writing) in a cultural context.  Film; lecture; individual, pair, and group work; computer-assisted instruction. 
102. BEGINNING FRENCH II 3 cr.  Prerequisite:  FR 101, FR 101R, or equivalent.  Continuation of FR 101/101R. (Spring)
191-192. BEGINNING SUPERVISED STUDY 3 cr. each.  Supervised independent study of French at the beginning level.
199. SPECIAL TOPICS 3 cr.  Occasional course on a selected topic announced in advance.
201-202. INTERMEDIATE FRENCH I, II 3 cr. each.  Prerequisite:  placement test or 102 or equivalent; FR 201 or equivalent prerequisite for FR 202.  Review of beginning French; study of authentic materials dealing with French and Francophone cultures.  Builds on all four skills (speaking, listening, reading, and writing), including vocabulary expansion, improved pronunciation, reading strategies, short compositions, and other writing assignments.  Classroom, multimedia, computer-assisted instruction.  (Fall-201, Spring-202)
291-292. INTERMEDIATE SUPERVISED STUDY 3 cr. each. Supervised independent study of French at the intermediate level.
299. SPECIAL TOPICS 3 cr.  Occasional course on a selected topic announced in advance.
301. FRENCH CONVERSATION THROUGH FILM AND MEDIA 3 cr.  Prerequisite:  placement test or FR 202 or equivalent.  Development of speaking and listening skills through active participation by students.  Discussions and activities based on film and other forms of media, and on contemporary issues. (Fall)
302. FRENCH COMPOSITION 3 cr.  Prerequisite:  placement test or FR 202 or equivalent.  Development of both formal and informal writing skills.  Classroom, multimedia, computer-assisted instruction.  Activities based on film and other forms of media, and on contemporary issues.  Depending on instructor and class make-up, may also include study of selected works by contemporary French and Francophone authors for principles of clear and effective writing.  (Spring)
303. SELECTED SHORT READINGS IN FRENCH 3 cr.  Prerequisite:  FR 202 or equivalent.  Introduction to reading literature in French with continued emphasis on improving language skills.  Selections of popular, classical, and modern works, including short stories, dramatic works, and poetry presented in their cultural contexts.
304. THE QUEST FOR BEAUTY THROUGH FRENCH LITERTURE AND THE ARTS 3 cr.  Prerequisite:  FR 202 or equivalent.  Study of French literature through visual and other arts (architecture, painting, sculpture, and music, including the ballet); representative sampling of works from various literary periods.
305. FRENCH PHONOLOGY 3 cr.  Prerequisite:  FR 202 or equivalent.  Systematic analysis and practice of the sounds of spoken French.
306. FRENCH FOR BUSINESS I 3 cr.  Prerequisite:  FR 202 or equivalent.  No previous study of business is expected.  Introduction to the world of business and technology in France and Francophone countries.  Study of socioeconomic issues affecting business; everyday commercial activities such as job interviews, on-the-job routines, banking.  Emphasis on terminology of commercial French. Continued development of language skills appropriate to the course topic and level of students.
307. THE MEDIA AND POPULAR CULTURE IN FRANCE 3 cr.  Prerequisite:  FR 202 or equivalent.  Representative sampling and comparative analysis of television, radio, and the press, and also as reflected in popular culture.
309. LA LOUISIANE HIER ET AUJOURD’HUI 3 cr.  Prerequisite:  FR 202 or equivalent.  Historical, literary, and cultural legacy of French Louisiana from the colonial period to the present day.  Emphasis on creole and cajun cultures and literature of French expression.
310. FRENCH FILM 3 cr.  Prerequisite: FR 202 or equivalent.  Emphasis on selected films either as genre or as expression of culture, civilization, language, or a combination of these, depending on the instructor’s field of specialization and student interest.  Films, instruction, and discussion in French.
311. FRENCH CIVILIZATION 3 cr.  Prerequisite:  FR 202 or equivalent.  Examination through texts, films, and other media of major historical, intellectual, and artistic influences that have shaped the evolution of French civilization.  Identification of values and myths that have contributed to the formation of modern France and continue to influence contemporary French culture.
312. LE QUÉBEC ET L’AMÉRIQUE 3 cr.  Prerequisite:  FR 202 or equivalent.  Francophone culture and literature in the Americas, from French Canada to Louisiana and Haiti, passing through the New England states and the Ohio River Valley.  Emphasis on the common cultural backgrounds, disparate postcolonial histories, and emergence of the idea of américanité.
313. FRANCE TODAY 3 cr.  Prerequisite:  FR 202 or equivalent.  Designed to promote an understanding of French culture and society together with the development of oral and written expression.   Cultural topics include the historical influence on contemporary culture; French patterns of daily behavior; artistic expression; and societal, religious, and political institutions and present-day immigration.  Topics serve as the basis for in-class discussion and composition assignments.
314. FRANCOPHONE COUNTRIES 3 cr.  Prerequisite:  FR 202 or equivalent.  Ideological and cultural developments in the French-speaking countries of Europe, Africa, and the Americas (Quebec, French Antilles, French-speaking U.S.A., and French Guyana).  Selected excerpts from works of the literary and artistic production of each country.
315. EXPLICATION DE TEXTES 3 cr.  Prerequisite:  FR 202 or equivalent.  Introduction to French literature and culture through the analysis of the principal literary forms:  poetry, drama, and prose.  Texts chosen chronologically from French and Francophone literatures.  Suggested prerequisite for all other French literature courses; may be taken simultaneously with other French courses at the 300 level or above.
319. ROMANCING A CITY – “PARIS-PLAISIR” 3 cr.  Prerequisite:  FR 202 or equivalent.  Historical, literary, and cultural legacy of the city of Paris and surrounding area, through literary (poetry, novel, drama), and cultural readings and discussion of contemporary film.
320. WOMEN IN FRENCH LITERATURE AND CULTURE 3 cr.  Prerequisite:  FR 202 or equivalent.  Female authors and their literary legacy through the centuries.  Excerpts from works by Marie de France, Christine de Pisan, Des Roches, Madame de Sévigné, George Sand, Colette, Marguerite Yourcenar, Simone de Beauvoir, Andrée Chédid, Anne Hébert, Mariama Bâ, Maryse Condé, Assia Djebar, Hélène Cixous, and Julia Kristeva.
325, 326. READINGS IN FRENCH LITERATURE 3 cr. each.  Prerequisite:  FR 315 or equivalent or permission of instructor.  FR 325: Middle Ages through the French Revolution; FR 326: 19th century to present day.
398. SUPERVISED STUDY 3 cr.  Supervised independent study.  Permission of instructor.
399. SPECIAL TOPICS 3 cr. Occasional course on a selected topic announced in advance.
401. ADVANCED SPOKEN FRENCH 3 cr.  Subtleties of French phonology, morphology, and syntax, along with the development of advanced vocabulary and conversational techniques.  Activities include in-depth discussion and debate of current events and real-life problems as well as oral analysis of readings.  For advanced students of French.
402. ADVANCED GRAMMAR, SYNTAX, AND COMPOSITION 3 cr.  Theory and practice of correct grammatical usage based on everyday as well as literary language; guided and creative exercises in advanced composition.
406. FRENCH FOR BUSINESS FOR ADVANCED STUDENTS 3 cr.  Study of the terminology and practices of commercial French.  Students have the option to take the examination for the “Diplôme” offered by the Chambre de Commerce et d’Industrie de Paris. No previous study of business expected.  FR 306 not a prerequisite.
407. FRENCH TRANSLATION 3 cr.  Methods and mechanics of translation; selection of proper tools; comparison and evaluation of translated texts.
428. MARTINIQUE & GUADELOUPE IN LITERATURE & FILM 3 cr.  Study of French literature and film from the French Antilles (also known as the Caribbean Islands), with emphasis on culture via readings in postcolonial literature, and viewing and discussion of related films.  Authors under study:  Aimé Césaire, Joseph Zobel, Françoise Ega, and Maryse Condé.
445. VERSAILLES, LOUIS XIV, AND THE CLASSICAL PERIOD 3 cr.  Development of French literature in a cultural context from the early 1600s through the end of the reign of the Sun King Louis XIV (1715) and the glory of Versailles.
465. FRENCH FICTION AND FILM 3 cr.  Discussion of literary texts and their film versions.  Special attention to the changes in narration, structure, and development of the subject.
475. FRENCH THEATRE 3 cr.  Innovative dramatic works from its beginnings through the present day.
480. EIGHTEENTH-CENTURY STUDIES AND THE ENLIGHTENMENT 3 cr.  Readings from selected authors and Diderot’s Encylopedia.
482. TEXTS AND CONTEXTS OF NINETEENTH-CENTURY FRANCE 3 cr.  Major cultural and literary trends; representative works of Romanticism, Realism, Naturalism, Symbolism, and the “Parnasse.”
486. FRENCH “MODERNISMS” 3 cr.  Major cultural and literary trends from about 1900 to the present day; emphasis on ways in which these tendencies shape contemporary postmodern literature.
498. ADVANCED SUPERVISED STUDY 3 cr.  Supervised independent study on special topics.  For advanced students, by permission of instructor.
499. SPECIAL TOPICS 1-3 cr.  Occasional course on a selected topic announced in advance.