Department of Romance Studies

All schedule information is tentative. Please see the Registrar's site for the latest information.

For a full list of courses offered next semester, download the PDF brochure: French and Francophone Studies Course Offerings Spring 2024

For a short introduction to each of our course offerings or language levels, click on the course title below.

For more information about FREN 10-106 placement/enrollment, please see our Language Programs Placement page. If you have any questions, please contact Prof. Harder.

(1) M,T,W,Th 9:05–9:55 AM, STAFF

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 and Francophone countries.

(1) M,T,W,Th 11:15 AM–12:05 PM, STAFF

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,F 9:05–9:55 AM, Niehaus
(2) M,W,Th 10:10–11:00; F 10–10:50 AM, 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” like sexism and globalization, 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.

(1) M,W,Th 10:10–11:00 AM, STAFF

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 history, as well as space and nature differ from our own. We also examine issues of globalization in the Francophone world.

(1) M,W,Th 12:20–1:10 PM, Niehaus

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, and writing.

(1) M,W,Th 1:20–2:10 PM, Theobald

Prerequisite: FREN 105a, or the equivalent. Permission required (please see instructions on our Language Programs Placement page). [DL; WI]

Innovative strategies and online tools enable students to improve their creative and analytical writing skills. Students examine different types of texts, exploring their literary style, determining their authority, and exploring how words and images may move and manipulate readers and viewers.

(1) M,W 2:30–3:50 PM, Randall

The “Republic” analyzes how the republican ideal of the citizen devoid of religious, ethnic, or gender identity has fared in different Francophone political milieux. Course involves understanding how political institutions such as constitutions, parliaments, and court systems interact with reality of modern societies in which religious, ethnic, and gender identities play important roles.

(1) M,W,Th 11:15 AM–12:05 PM, Randall

Prerequisite: FREN 106b, equivalent, or permission of instructor. [WI; Cross-listed with COML, ECS, & MERS]

Analyzes the symbolic appearance of the city in French literature and film from the Middle Ages to the present day. The representation of the city in literature and film is contextualized in theoretical writings of urbanists and philosophers. Literary texts include medieval fabliaux, Pantagruel (Rabelais) and Nana (Zola) as well as theoretical texts by Descartes, Ledoux, Le Corbusier, Salvador Dalí, and Paul Virilio.

(1) M,W,Th 12:20–1:10 PM, Theobald

Prerequisite: FREN 106, equivalent, or permission of instructor. [Cross-listed with ECS and FA]

Examines bodies of literature, visual arts, and courtiers at Versailles in the theatrical society of intrigue and exile under Louis XIV. Concentrates on how the texts, maps, and art of the palace fashion a global portrait of absolutism: the Sun King.

(1) M,W 2:30–3:50 PM, Dowden

Explores the interrelationship of literature, music, painting, philosophy, and other arts in the era of high modernism. Works by Artaud, Baudelaire, Benjamin, Mann, Mahler, Schoenberg, Stravinsky, Kandinsky, Schiele, Beckett, Brecht, Adorno, Sartre, Heidegger, and others.