Spring 2010 Courses

 French Course Descriptions
 

101G. French for Reading          MWF 9:10-10:00

This is a zero credit course for graduate students seeking to fulfill a reading level proficiency requirement for their degree. The course will systematically cover all grammatical concepts to enable you to successfully translate texts from French to English. No prior experience is required. Professor Susan Kevra

 

115F. The French Experience in the Americas         MWF 11:10-12:00

Today’s French speaking population of North America is concentrated in the province of Quebec, with a few small pockets in New England, other Canadian provinces, and in Cajun Louisiana. At its peak, however, the French presence in the Americas extended across a vast territory from Hudson Bay to the Gulf of Mexico and from Newfoundland to Lake Superior. Explorers and missionaries wrote volumes about life in the New World, from Jean de Lery’s gripping accounts of 16th century life in Brazil amongst the Tupinamba Indians, to Marie de L’Incarnation’s correspondence, detailing her attempts, as the first woman missionary in North America, to establish a convent in Quebec. We will attempt to understand the point of view of native populations to the arrival of Europeans, as well as studying the different strata of French colonizers: traders, les filles du roi -- women imported from France to help populate the colonies, Jesuit missionaries, the French elite, etc.  We will also look at literary representations of the French experience in the New World by French and Anglo writers such as Longfellow’s epic “Evangeline,” a poetic rendering of the Acadian deportation of 1755, the folk record (songs and tales and oral histories) as well as literary works and films from Quebec. We will conclude by taking stock of the current state of French in America and questions of linguistic and cultural survival.  Professor Susan Kevra

 

115F. Americans In Paris          MWF 12:10-1:00

This first-year seminar looks at Paris as an historic and cultural phenomenon, examining why Americans have been so fascinated with this city. Readings and projects cover the eighteenth through twentieth centuries and include the history and evolving concept of the city. Paris will be explored through the writings of authors including Jefferson, Franklin, Stowe, Twain, Cassatt, Stein, and Hemingway. Writing projects will be biographical, historical, architectural or artistic, giving students the opportunity to try different literary forms in exploring Paris as an urban reality and as a myth. The course will include films and other media, as well as readings from letters, documents, travel literature and novels. Professor Mary Beth Raycraft

 

201W. French Composition             4 sections: MWF 9:10-10:00, MWF 10:10-11:00, MWF 11:10-12:00, TR 1:10-2:25

In this course students prepare themselves for advanced-level work in French. Todevelop proficiency in reading and writing, students will study grammar and analyzehow it is used to create meaning in a variety of texts. Professors Martine Prieto, Mary Beth Raycraft, & Holly Tucker

 

203. Phonetics          MWF 10:10-11:00  

Methodical comparison of French and English sounds. Correct formation of Frenchsounds; oral exercises and aural training. Professor Martine Prieto

 

205. Medical French in Intercultural Contexts          MWF 1:10-2:00

Advanced conversation course incorporating linguistic skills and cultural information necessary for dealing with medical issues in the Francophone world. This course will prepare students for the Diplôme de Français Medical, administered through the French government.  Prerequisites: two 200-level courses. Professor Nathalie Dieu-Porter

 

211. Textes & Contextes: Middle ages to the Enlightenment           TR 2:35-3:50

Literature and culture in historical contexts. Prerequisite: 201w. Professor Jérôme Brillaud

 

212. Textes & Contextes: Revolution to the present           3 Sections: TR 11:00-12:15, TR 1:10-2:25, MWF 1:10-2:00

Literature and culture in historical contexts. Prerequisite: 201w. Professors Nathalie Debrauwere-Miller, Marc Froment-Meurice, & Anthère Nzabatsinda,

 

214. Advanced Conversational French          MWF 12:10-1:00      

Get ready to go to France OR keep up the French you learned in France! Students will discuss newspaper and magazine articles, complete web exercises, and analyzecontemporary French movies to improve oral and written communication skills. Prerequisite: 201W. Professor Nathalie Dieu- Porter

 

226. Advanced French Grammar           MWF 2:10-3:00   

Organized around language functions (raconter, exprimer ses sentiments, contredire, interdire, etc.) this course helps students develop advanced-level proficiency in oral andwritten French.  Students will work on readings, translations, and presentations.  Prerequisite: 201W. Professor Martine Prieto

 

234. Medieval French Literature          MWF 9:10-10:00

This class examines interactions between Christians and Muslims during the Middle Ages in France. We will read travel literature, epic poetry describing the crusades, romances set in the East, and religious literature exhorting Christians to retake the Holy Land. Artwork, maps, and music will also play a role in our course. Placing these works in their historical context, we will explore the roots of this religious conflict to better understand today’s issues. Prerequisite: 201w. Professor Lynn Ramey

 

256. French Intellectual History           TR 2:35-3:50

Parcours des grands mouvements intellectuels « français » de Descartes à Derrida : rationalisme; les philosophes des Lumières ; romantisme, socialisme ; positivisme; surréalisme ; existentialisme ; structuralisme ; postmodernité & déconstruction. Selon les auteurs et périodes, on étudiera des textes entiers ou des extraits.Prerequisites: French 201W & 211. Professor Marc Froment-Meurice

 

258. The Struggle of Encounter: The Israeli-Palestinian Conflict in Literature            TR 11:00-12:15  
In an attempt to understand the stakes of the conflict between Jews and Arabs in the Francophone context, the aim of this course is to explore the representations of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict in the texts written by Jewish and Arab writers in French. The principal historical markers will be the origins of Zionism until the first and second Intifadas of 1987 and 2000.  We will also study the role of literature which on the one hand can serve as an idealization in which conflicts are resolved through mutual recognition.  On the other hand, and less optimistically, literature can act as an imaginary realm through which antagonisms and resentment are acted out. Prerequisite:  201w.  Professor Nathalie Debrauwere-Miller

 

261. Age of Louis XIV          MWF 3:10-4:00

The age of Louis XIV is anchored in the imagination. It is the period of Louis XIV and Versailles. It is the great moment of classicism and the famous theatrical triad: Corneille, Racine, and Molière. In this course we will look critically at the legacy of the Grand Siècle as monolith. Relying on "canonical" works as well as lesser studied ones (society newspapers, fairy tales, witchcraft manuals, medical textbooks), we will explore the faultlines along which power, gender, and sexuality are constructed in seventeenth-century France.  Prerequisites: 201w. Professor Patricia Armstrong

 

 

Italian Course Descriptions

 

102. Intensive Elementary Italian          MTWRF 9:10-10:00

This course is an intensive introduction to Italian whose goal is to achieve a similarlevel of proficiency in one semester to that normally attained in two semesters. Beforeenrolling in this course students are required to have studied at least one Romancelanguage, preferably at an intermediate or advanced level. Students who havecompleted Italian 101A may enroll in this class but will not receive full credit. Professor Francesca Muccini

 

103. Intermediate Italian          MWF 9:10-10:00

103 is intended for students who have completed one year of college-level Italian or two years of high-school Italian. Emphasis is on expanding reading skills and on becoming more fluent in expressing ideas, opinions, wants, and descriptions in both written and oral form. Grammar is reviewed as a means of improving these skills. Students' performance will be evaluated through written grammar exercises, class participation, three projects (a combination of short compositions and oral presentations), four quizzes, a midterm, and a final exam. Professors Tracy Barrett

 

201. Grammar and composition          MWF 10:10-11:00

Students review fundamental principles of Italian grammar through readings, grammar review, and writing assignments in order to write correctly and effectively. Professor Tracy Barrett

 

214. Spoken Italian           MWF 11:10-12:00

Development of oral fluency through in-class drills, laboratory assignments, class discussions, and presentations. Listening to and transcribing tapes and preparing original presentations. Prerequisite: 103. Professor Andrea Mirabile

 

230. Italian Civilization          MWF 12:10-1:00

This course is an introduction to the study of Italian culture: history, music, art, literature, religion, science, etc. All readings, class discussions, and papers are in English. While a history book is used as a base, it is not a history course. Most of the readings for the course are on the internet. The course was designed in order to give students traveling to or studying in Italy enough knowledge of the civilization to be able to understand cultural references and to participate in conversations about Italian culture. Prerequisite: 201 Professor Tracy Barrett

  

231. Readings from Dante’s Divina Comedia          TR 1:10-2:25

Examination of Dante’s language and philosophical tenets through study of style, characters, and themes. Professor William Franke

 

240. Modern Italian Cinema          MWF 1:10-2:00 

An exploration of Italian cinema, and its several connections with literature and painting, from post-WWII controversial movies of Neorealismo to the international commercial success of the '90s: facing the challenges of a 'European' cinematography. (IN ENGLISH)  Professor Andrea Mirabile