• FRE 1120 Elementary French I
• FRE 1121 Elementary French II
• FRE 2200 Intermediate French
• FRE 2220 Reading and Conversation
• FRE 3244 Intermediate Conversation
• FRE 3420 French Grammar & Composition I
• FRE 3421 French Grammar & Composition II
• FRE 4422 Advanced French Composition
• FRE 4780 Phonetics: Theory and Application
• FRE 4930 Commercial French II
• FRW 3101 Survey of French Literature: 18 - 20th Century
• FRW 3391 French Cinema
• FRW 4420 Medieval and Renaissance Literature
• FRW 4740 French Literature of Quebec
• FOL 3930 Post-Colonial Cultures in France

Graduate courses available to advanced undergraduates:

Oral comprehension, speaking, reading, and writing are stressed. May not be taken by native speakers. May not be taken concurrently with FRE 1121 and/or 2200.

Prerequisite: FRE 1120 or its equivalent. Further emphasis on oral comprehension, speaking, reading and writing. May not be taken by native speakers. May not be taken concurrently with FRE 1120 and/or 2200.

Prerequisite: FRE 1121 or equivalent. Completes University language requirement for baccalaureate degree. May not be taken by native speakers. Rapid review of basic French structures and introduction of some of the finer points of French grammar. May not be taken concurrently with FRE 1120 and/or 1121.

Completes University language requirement for baccalaureate degree. May not be taken by native speakers. Rapid review of basic French structures and introduction of some of the finer points of French grammar. May not be taken concurrently with FRE 1120 and/or 1121.

Through readings about contemporary issues facing French society-such as the evolving role of women, unemployment, immigration, economic change in the new Europe and urban renewal-this course aims at developing oral communication skills in a broad cultural context.

Prerequisite FRE 2200 or its equivalent. An in-depth study of French grammar emphasizing some subtleties of written expression.

Prerequisite FRE 3420 or its equivalent. Further study of the subtleties of written expression in the French language.

Prerequisite: FRE 3421 or equivalent. This course, intended for students with a thorough grounding in French grammar, aims at developing writing ability through the reading of a variety of sophisticated French prose works and the composition of essays based on these model texts.

Prerequisites: FRE 3244 and 3421 or equivalent. Study of the International Phonetic Alphabet and its application to French with practice in reproducing accurately French sounds and intonation patterns.

Pursues the development of language and correspondence skills appropriate to business transactions in such areas as sales, finance, transportation, management, etc., begun in Commercial French I.

Prerequisite: FRE 2220; FRE 3420 or 3421; FRW 3100 or permission of instructor. An introduction to the study of modern French literature by reading and discussing works representative of the various schools and movements. (Spring semester only.)

This course surveys the evolution of French cinema from the world premiere public showing of Louis Lumière's short films on Dec. 28, 1895, at the Grand Café in Paris (the origin of cinema), and Georges Méliès's Trick Films, to the present day. We will watch and analyze films made by some of the most famous directors of the various schools and movements, giving particular attention to two of the most prominent representatives of the New Wave period (1958-1962), François Truffaut and Claude Sautet. The course will also showcase French film makers of the new generation.

French literature of the Middle Ages and Renaissance is particularly important for understanding Western concepts of love and friendship. Texts from this period are ideal for studying the numerous nuances, differences, similarities and sometimes tensions that exist between these two feelings.

Within a socio-historical framework, we will study the repertoire of feelings and values that were associated with these two terms. We will follow the changes that they underwent throughout the Middle Ages and the Renaissance, from the first lyrical poetry of the troubadours to the chapter “On Friendship” in Montaigne’s essays. In our readings, we will seek answers to such questions as: What types of love and friendship do these texts present? What is the relationship between these feelings and the institution of marriage, the love of God, adultery, etc.? What images of women are presented in the texts? What can be said about the interaction between the sexes? To what extent are love and friendship at the foundation of religious and political communities?

In detailed readings, we will focus on the “textualization” of love and friendship. We will try to identify which literary genres lend themselves more easily to this theme and how these genres changed throughout time. How do these texts try to “teach” something to the reader? What can be said about their rhetoric?

Supplementary to the readings, this course will try to re-establish the cultural framework of the works by means of musical excerpts, slides and films.

Poetry and tales are at the true beginnings of literature in the province of Québec. Octave Crémazie, a poet, is the leading figure around 1860 of what will be inappropriately called later « the Patriotic School of Québec. » The novel around 1860 consists mostly of historical or adventure stories. Laure Conan in Angélie de Montbrun is probably the first novelist to analyze the psychological impacts of historical events on her characters. This course opens on a novel by a Frenchman who migrated to Canada in 1911, Louis Hénon’s Maria Chapdelaine. First published by installments in France, and as a book in Canada, it is still considered a masterpiece of regionalist Canadian literature. It was later published in book form in France in 1921, and was immediately successful and translated into all major languages of the world. Québec authorities names two lakes of the region Hémon and Chapdelaine in honor of the author. A film was made which will be shown in this class. The next novel, Bonheur d’occasion by Gabrielle Roy is an excellent example of the new Québec literature, free of European influences. The novel, published in 1945, received the Femina Prize in 1947. We will read five more modern novels, three recent plays and analyze several poems starting with Crémazie. Three films will be shown.

International migration from former colonies has brought a new cultural vibrancy to France. This course focuses on the hybrid cultural practices being forged in France by new generations of writers, film-makers and musicians mixing elements from African, Caribbean, French, American and other sources. Particular attention is given to artists emerging from among France’s largest post-colonial minority, whose origins lie in the Maghreb, i.e. the North African states of Algeria, Morocco and Tunisia. The course is taught in French, their main language of statement. It explores their participation in a variety of cultural spaces and seeks to identify the extent to which these new voices are being marginalized or incorporated into the mainstream of French culture. Among the works studied are novels, films and television shows by writers and directors such as Azouz Begag, Mehdi Charef, Farida Belghoul and Yamina Benguigui. Azouz Begag will be in residence at FSU during the semester, and students will have the opportunity to meet with him. They will also be able to attend an international conference on Begag as well as a screening of the film adaptation of his novel, Le Gone du Chaâba.