Courses
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- Language Courses
- Upper-Level Courses (above FREN 106)
- Cross-listed with French and Francophone Studies
Spring 2025 Course Listings
All schedule information is tentative. Please see the Registrar's site for the latest information.
For a short introduction to each of our course offerings or language levels, click on the course title below.
Language Courses
For more information about FREN 10-106 placement/enrollment, please see our Language Programs Placement page. If you have any questions, please contact Prof. Theobald.
(1) M,W,Th 10:10–11:00 AM; T 10–10:50 AM, Lerme
For students with little or no knowledge of French language. Permission required (please see instructions on our Language Programs Placement page).
What do Montréal, Paris, and Dakar have in common? What are the rules regarding how many times one kisses a friend on the cheeks? Why is France called l’Hexagone? Learners discover the basics of French language and culture while speaking, listening, reading, and writing about everyday situations in France & Francophone countries.
(1) M,T,W,Th 11:15 AM–12:05 PM, Lerme
Prerequisite: A grade of C- or higher in FREN 10a or the equivalent. Permission required (please see instructions on our Language Programs Placement page).
How does the attitude of a French student toward family and strangers differ from the experience of an American student? How do the French view work and vacation? Learners will deepen their knowledge of French and Francophone cultures while expanding their ability to speak, read, listen, and write in French.
(1) M,W,Th 10:10–11:00; F 10–10:50 AM, Niehaus
(2) M,W,Th 12:20–1:10 PM; F 12:45–1:35 PM, Niehaus
Prerequisite: A grade of C- or higher in FREN 20b or the equivalent. Permission required (please see instructions on our Language Programs Placement page).
Did you study French in the past and need more speaking and writing practice plus a grammar review? This Intermediate French class is for you! Exploring social “controversies” related to, for example, gender identity and Smartphone addiction, it focuses on essential communication skills such as comprehension, contemporary vocabulary use, and conversational practice. Our materials include videos, music, websites, articles, and short stories, with an emphasis on Haitian culture in the final unit.
(1) M,W,Th 1:20–2:10 PM, Lerme
Prerequisite: A 30-level FREN course or the equivalent. Permission required (please see instructions on our Language Programs Placement page).
Students advance their speaking, listening, reading, and writing skills, while focusing on key elements of French and Francophone cultures. Through the study of films, comics, current events, and cultural comparisons, we explore the ways in which French speakers’ perceptions of time and space differ from our own. We also examine issues of globalization in the francophone world.
(1) M,W,Th 11:15 AM–12:05 PM, Harder
Prerequisite: FREN 104b, or the equivalent. Permission required (please see instructions on our Language Programs Placement page).
Improve your speaking skills while learning about and discussing socio–cultural issues that distinguish the French view of the world from that of Americans. Students will focus on expressing themselves better orally while continuing their work on reading, listening, & writing as they explore current topics of debate like slang usage and immigration.
(1) M,W,Th 12:20–1:10 PM, Harder
Prerequisite: FREN 105a, or the equivalent. Permission required (please see instructions on our Language Programs Placement page). [DL; WI]
Innovative strategies and digital resources enable students to improve their descriptive and analytical writing and speaking skills. Students examine different types of texts (including films, photographs, and AI-generated images), exploring their style, determining their authority and creativity, and understanding how words and images move and manipulate readers and viewers.
Upper-Level Courses (above FREN 106)
(1) M,W, TH 1:20–2:10 PM, Harder
Prerequisite: FREN 106b, or an equivalent course.
Examines how manifestations of anti-Semitism, which concern religious differences as well as economic, social, cultural, and political differences, first appeared in France and have changed in form and context from the 1789 Revolution to today. After contextualizing the notion of anti-Semitism in contemporary France after October 7, 2023, we will focus on three turning points in the history of anti-Semitism ion France: the Revolutionary period when Jews were granted full citizenship rights, the Dreyfus Affair when the place of Jews in the Republic was called into question, and the consequences of the Vichy regime in anti-Semitism in France today. Usually offered every third year.
(1) M,W 2:30–3:50 PM, Theobald
Prerequisite: FREN 106b, equivalent, or permission of instructor.
Students will analyze the forms and functions of humor in francophone texts (French, Canadian, and Caribbean) from the Middle Ages to the present day. Course themes will include farce, comedy of manners, wordplay, and satire. The course will include archival work. Usually offered every third year.
Cross-listed with French and Francophone Studies
(1) T,F 12:45 PM–2:05 PM, Yourgrau
Focuses on the legendary Christian Platonist French philosopher Simone Weil, revolutionary and mystic. A key theme in her philosophy: Is divine perfection reconcilable with human suffering? Though she died tragically at the tender age of 34, Weil rethought the foundations of contemporary civilization in philosophy, science, mathematics, ethics, politics and religion. Usually offered every third year.