Modern Languages: French Division Undergraduate Courses Spring 2004

FOW3240 TR 335p-450p Leushuis

Literature and Sexuality

In this course, we will study the ways in which modern Western fiction stages the relationship between sexuality and society. We will focus in particular on the notion of sexual identity and the way in which literary works represent the effects of the individual's sexual identity on his or her functioning within society. This will involve themes such as sexuality as oppression; sexual exclusion and victimization; sexuality, gender and sexual difference in Judeo-Christian religions; the political implications of sexual identity; the simplified social categorizations of sexuality as either homosexual or heterosexual, etc. We will not attempt to analyze these thematics from a historical or sociological point of view, but we will study the way in which literary works, in particular the modern novel, interpret, stage, question, and criticize them. At the same time, in doing so we will make use of a contemporary theoretical context of European and American critical writings, most notably those of the French thinker Michel Foucault.

FRE1120 varies varies varies

Elementary French I

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.

FRE1121 varies varies varies Elementary

French II 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.

FRE2200 varies varies varies

Intermediate French 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.

FRE2220 varies varies varies

Readings and Conversation 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. Prerequisite: FRE2200 or equivalent.

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

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

Immigration is one of the most hotly debated issues in contemporary France. The Islamic headscarf affair, the rise of the extreme-right National Front and the reform of nationality and citizenship laws are just some of the issues which have emerged in the last twenty years. In exploring these developments, this course examines the ways in which immigration and ethnicity have been helping to reshape the contours of French society. Working within an inter-disciplinary and comparative framework, students are invited to consider how far France can be said to display a distinctive profile in the field of ethnic relations compared with other countries such as the United States and Great Britain. After a theoretical and historical introduction, the course focuses on the post-war period, and in particular on the 1980s and 1990s, when minorities originating in Third World, especially Islamic, countries, have been at the center of key debates in French politics, society and culture. Among the topics covered are minority ethnic settlement, multiculturalism, nationality and citizenship, racism, extreme-right politics and anti-discrimination policy. The course is taught in English and may be taken by students without a reading knowledge of French. The core reading list (in English) is complemented by a reading list in French which students with a reading knowledge of that language are encouraged to use.

Professor Jean-Marc Moura, Visiting Professor in the Winthrop-King Institute for Contemporary French and Francophone Studies, will offer this year's seminar on post-colonial cultures in France, from August 23 to October 22 only. Works of postcolonial criticism largely focus on texts from specific ex-colonies, particularly those from the British Empire. But postcolonialism is not only an English-language phenomenon and several recent works have developed comparison 'across empires'. This course, taught in French, will assess the applicability of predominantly Anglophone postcolonial theories to Francophone literatures. The texts studied in the program originate from various parts of the Francophone literary world to allow students a panoramic view of "la francophonie littéraire". They include works by writers such as Tahar Ben Jelloun, Aimé Césaire, Jean-Marie Le Clézio and Victor Segalen. Particular attention will be given to the postcolonial approach of Francophone texts and contexts and the comparative dimensions of postcolonial studies regarding transnational, transcontinental and transhistorical analysis of literature. The contribution that French and Francophone studies can make, and indeed have made, to postcolonial theories will also be assessed.

This course is a survey of French literature from the Middle Ages through the Seventeenth Century. The course aims at acquainting the student with the major genres and movements of each period, while perfecting his/her command of written and spoken French. This course has an important cultural component. Students will view videos (on the medieval cathedral of Chartres and a dramatization of a Molière play) and recent movies (Le Retour de Martin Guerre and Tous les Matins du Monde).

French Medieval and Renaissance Literature Love and Friendship in the French Literature of the Middle Ages and Renaissance

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.

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