FREN 5520/8520 - Masculine/Feminine: Gender, Sexuality, and Self in French Renaissance Literature

This course will examine texts from a variety of genres in which men and women of the sixteenth century write about themselves and each other, constructing similarities and differences, expressing love or hatred, admiration or rivalry, perplexity or a claim to know. What ideas of the body, sex, and gendered roles informed their thinking? In a period marked by new humanist models of learning, the perennial querelle des femmes, and the outbreak of civil war, sexual, social, political, and religious categories are at once circumscribed and fluid; the stakes of writing are high; the exploration of the self and the other in history is an undertaking at once urgent, tentative, and contested.

Tuesday 3:30 – 6:00pm (Ferguson)

FREN 5585/8585 - Thinking France in the World

What does it mean to think about “France in the world”? Starting from the controversy around the 2017 L’Histoire mondiale de la France (France in the World: A New Global History), we will explore France’s global interactions from the medieval to the post-WW2 periods, how these interactions have shaped France and its interlocutors, and how scholars understand this history today. Readings and discussions in English (with optional French readings and writing for FREN students). Advanced undergraduates may enroll with instructor permission.

This combined section course with HIEU5585/8585  will be offered by Professors Janet Horne (French) and Jennifer Sessions (History)

Thursday 3:30 – 6:00pm (Horne)

FREN 7500 - Literary Theory: Classic Thoughts, Modern Texts, Contemporary Debates

This course serves as an introduction to theoretical texts we encounter most frequently in the discourses of literary criticism. Our aim is to gain a deeper understanding of how literature has been thought and debated as well as how literary criticism has been practiced over time. In the first part of the course, we will read key texts of the critical tradition from antiquity to the early twentieth century. In the second part of the course, we will survey the major theoretical movements of the twentieth and twenty-first centuries such as formalism/ structuralism/ deconstruction, reader response theory, psychoanalysis, feminism/ gender studies/ queer theory, eco-criticism/ animal studies. (Due to time constraints, we will not cover post-colonial theory and its variations in the francophone context, given that several seminars in the department treat the subject.)

Monday 3:30 – 6:00pm (Lyu)

FRTR 3584: Topics in French Cinema - Masterpieces of French Cinema (TAUGHT IN ENGLISH)

An introduction to great works of French cinema, from the earliest short films of the Lumière Brothers and George Meliès, to feature-length works by Jean Vigo, Jean Renoir, Jean-Luc Godard, François Truffaut, Agnès Varda, Mathieu Kassovitz, Michael Haneke, Céline Sciamma and others. Students will study various film genres, movements, and trends (poetic realism, the new wave, cinema of the banlieue) in relation to larger social, cultural, and aesthetic contexts. They will also spend time paying close attention to film form. Required work includes a series of short papers and film reviews, a more substantial critical essay, regular contribution to group discussion, and the production, in small teams, of a short film inspired by one or more works on the syllabus. All films are in French with English subtitles.  Course conducted entirely in English. No knowledge of French required. 

TR 11:00am – 12:15pm (Blatt)

Creo 1020-001: Elementary Creole II

(Dramé)

Creo 2020-001: Intermediate Creole II

(Dramé)

FREN 3030: The Sounds of French

FREN 3030 is an introductory course in French phonetics. It provides basic concepts in articulatory phonetics and phonological theory, and offers students techniques for improving their own pronunciation. The course will cover the physical characteristics of individual French sounds; the relationship between these sounds and their written representation (orthography); the rules governing the pronunciation of "standard French"; the most salient phonological features of selected French varieties; phonetic differences between French and English sounds; and to some extent, ‘la musique du français’, i.e., prosodic phenomena (le rythme, l’accent, l’intonation, la syllabation). Practical exercises in 'ear-training' (the perception of sounds) and 'phonetic transcription' (using IPA) are also essential components of this dynamic course.

Pre-requisite: FREN 2020 (or equivalent). Course taught entirely in French; counts for major/minor credit in French and Linguistics

TR 2:00 PM – 3:15 PM (Saunders)

FREN 3031: Finding your Voice in French

This course offers an opportunity for students to explore and develop their own “voice” in written and spoken French. Through reading and viewing a variety of cultural artifacts in French, and completing a series of individual and collaborative creative projects, students will have a chance to develop their own potential for self-expression. They will develop greater confidence in their communicative skills, command of grammar, and ability to revise and edit their own work. The course is conducted entirely in French.

Pre-requisite: Completion of FREN 2020 or 2320; exemption from FREN 2020 by the UVA (F-Cape) Placement Test; a score of 3 on the AP French Language Exam; or a score of at least 660 on the SAT exam. FREN 3031 is a Pre-requisite for all undergraduate French courses at a higher level.

MWF  11:00 am – 11:50 am (James)
TR      2:00 pm – 3:15 pm (Ben Amor)
TR      11:00 pm – 12:15 pm (Hapgood)
TR      3:30 pm – 4:45 pm (Krueger) 

FREN 3032: Text, Image, Culture

In this course, students will discover and engage critically with a broad sampling of French and Francophone cultural production representing a variety of periods, genres, approaches, and media.  Students will learn how to become more sensitive observers of French and Francophone culture, attuned to the nuances of content and form. They will read, watch, write about, and discuss a range of works that may include poetry, painting, prose, music, theater, films, graphic novels, photographs, essays, and historical documents. They will also make significant progress in their oral and written comprehension and communication in French.  The course is conducted entirely in French.

Pre-requisite: French 3031. FREN 3032 is a Pre-requisite for all French undergraduate courses on a higher level.

TR       9:30 am – 10:45 am (Boutaghou)
MWF   9:00 am – 9:50 am (Geer)
TR       2:00 pm – 3:15 pm (Simotas)
MW     3:30 pm – 4:45 pm (McGrady) 

FREN 3034: Advanced Oral Expression in French

This advanced course in oral expression will allow students to learn and reflect on issues that are of concern to their French-speaking contemporaries. It provides an excellent opportunity for students to practice their French speaking skills in a variety of communicative contexts.  Discussion topics will be determined largely by student interests but will likely include education, family life, the arts, immigration, Franco-American relations, sports and business culture.  All class resources (including articles from French newspapers and magazines, journals, TV and radio) will be available online.  Students will be graded on their engaged involvement in class discussions, their in-class presentations (individual and group), a final oral reflective exam and an audio and/or video class project or contribution to a class web-journal.   FREN 3034 is the only course on offer to emphasize, exclusively, the skill of speaking French (spontaneously and fluently)

Pre-requisite: FREN 3031 and either completion of FREN 3032 or concurrent enrollment in FREN 3032. This course is not intended for students who are native speakers of French or whose secondary education was in French schools.

TR 12:30 pm – 1:45 pm (Saunders)

FREN 3034: Advanced Oral Expression in French: Popular Music and Cultural identities in Contemporary France

What constitutes a “chanson française?” This course will explore the complexities of this question by interrogating the roots and current trends of popular music in contemporary France with an emphasis on its urgent intersections with language, history, culture, politics, and identity. Class resources will include music videos, live recordings, reviews, interviews, podcasts, radio, television, film clips, and excerpts from online newspaper and magazine articles. Thematic units centered around themes of love and relationships, gender and the body, race and social justice, and composition and community will facilitate student-driven discussion. The aim of this course is to improve oral expression and thus assessment prioritizes speaking. In addition to active participation in class, graded assignments include exploratory homework, collaborative podcasts, two round-table discussions, and a midterm and final that involve group presentations. 

Pre-requisite: FREN 3031 and either completion of FREN 3032 or concurrent enrollment in FREN 3032. This course is not intended for students who are native speakers of French or whose secondary education was in French schools.

TR 12:30 pm – 1:45 pm (McGrady)

FREN 3037: French for Global Development and Humanitarian Action

Designed for students seeking to develop advanced linguistic skills in oral and written French and cultural competence in preparation for careers related to global development and humanitarian action. Discussions and assignments revolve around case studies and simulated professional situations drawn from real-life global development and humanitarian aid initiatives, with a focus on francophone West African countries. Our cases and topics this semester will encompass community health, education, economic development, and advocacy for human rights and gender equity.

Course pre-requisites: FREN 3031 and FREN 3032 (or equivalent)

MWF 9:00 – 9:50 am (James)

FREN 3042 – French-Speaking World II

During the Classical Era, Louis XIV built Versailles, France colonized Canada and the Caribbean, philosophers dared to challenge the Catholic Church, and in the end, the Revolution changed France forever. In view of this tumultuous historical background, this course will provide an overview of the writings of this era, from the canonical works of Corneille, Molière, Voltaire, and Diderot to lesser-known but significant works that grapple with issues of slavery, gender roles, atheism, and foreignness. We will examine how writers used wit, emotion, and logic to persuade readers to accept their controversial ideas.

MW 3:30 pm – 4:45 pm (Tsien)

FREN 3043 The French Speaking World III: Modernities - Tradition et innovation: comment (se) transformer à travers le temps, l'espace et la culture?

Ce cours vous invite à réfléchir sur les questions essentielles qui se trouvent au cœur de toute entreprise humaine qui tente de créer une œuvre artistique et/ou intellectuelle: comment faire surgir le nouveau de l'ancien, l'originalité de l'imitation, le singulier du conformisme? Ainsi, nous explorerons la relation entre la tradition et l'innovation à travers les écrivains, les artistes et les penseurs modernes qui ont façonné leurs œuvres en dialogue explicit avec le passé et la voix des autres. Que pouvons-nous apprendre, par exemple, de l'écrivain franco-chinois Cheng qui, élu à l'Académie française, écrit en un français qui est traversé par la langue et la pensée chinoises?; ou de la philosophe belge Despret qui reprend la thèse cartésienne du 17ème siècle sur la supériorité des hommes sur les animaux et la resitue dans le contexte éthique, féministe et écologique de nos jours?; ou du musicien belgo-rwandais Stromae qui transpose en performance du 21ème siècle (vidéo/youtube et concert) la chanson de l'opéra de Bizet qui, à son tour, puise dans la nouvelle de Mérimée du 19ème siècle?

Prerequisite: FREN 3031 and FREN 3032

MW 2:00 – 3:15pm (Lyu)

FREN 3050 - History and Civilization of France: Middle Ages to Revolution

You love France and are intrigued by its long and rich history? This course offers you the opportunity to explore your interests and deepen your knowledge of the major events, political figures, and the artistic, cultural, and intellectual movements, prior to the Revolution, that have shaped France as we know it and whose legacy is seen and felt to this day. Setting the stage with a survey of prehistoric and Roman Gaul, we will focus on the thousand-year period known as the Middle Ages, followed by the Renaissance, the Classical Age, and the Enlightenment. Subjects will be discussed both in terms of their original historical context and their evolving significance, sometimes contested, to later and present generations. Films, visual images, and primary documents will supplement readings from secondary historical texts. Assignments will include group projects, in-class presentations, written papers, and quizzes.

TR 2:00-3:15pm (Ferguson)

FREN 3570 Topics in Francophone African Studies: African Literatures & Cultures

This course will explore aspects of African literatures and cultures. It will focus on selected issues of special resonance in contemporary African life; oral literature and its impact on all other art forms; key issues in French colonial policy and its legacy in Africa: language, politics, and education. The course will examine the image of the postcolonial state and society as found in contemporary arts, paintings, sculpture, music, and cinema. Selections from painters and sculptors like Cheri Samba (Zaire), Iba NDiaye, Ousmane Sow (Senegal), Werewere Liking (Cameroun), including such popular icons as Mamy Wata and forms such as Souwere glass painting; from musicians like Youssou Ndour (Senegal), Cheb Khaled (Algeria), Seigneur Rochereau, Tshala Muana (Zaire), Salif Keita (Mali), and Cesaria Evora (Cape Verde); from Mande, Peul, and Kabyle oral literature in French translation; from filmmakers D.D. Mambety, Moussa Sene Absa, and Ngangura Mweze. The final grade will be based on contributions to discussions, a mid-term, and 2 papers. FREN 3032 is a prerequisite for all French undergraduate courses on a higher level.

TR 12:30 - 1:45pm (Dramé)

FREN 3585: Topics in Cultural Studies - Insanity: Women and Mental Health in French Literature

Who determines conventions of sanity and what does it mean not to be “sane” or “insane”? How do we define our selves and how does society define us? What are the consequences of naming women as insane, hysterical, mad, or odd? How do writers and filmmakers portray conditions of women’s mental illness? This course examines French/Francophone women’s works of literature and film that depict various states of women's mental health, including anxiety and depression, and the repercussions of these crises. Driving questions will include how we define sanity and insanity and the effects of isolation, povery, and oppression on self and identity. We will focus on women's literature of the 20th century, including autobiographical narratives, fictions, and films. Authors and directors to be studied will include Marguerite Duras, Amélie Nothomb, Maryse Condé, Anna Gavalda, Leïla Slimani, Anne Hébert, Marie-Claire Blais, Agnès Vardas, and Claire Denis. Students will engage actively, keep a reflection journal, write a midterm and final critical essay, and collaborate on a multimedia cultural studies research project. Course conducted in French.

MWF 1:00 – 1:50pm (Hall)

FREN 4410 - The Enlightenment

The Enlightenment, or Les Lumières, was one of the most important movements in Western intellectual history. Its proponents fought against superstition and a corrupt monarchy with notoriously witty essays and with fictions that seemed, on the surface, to be about sentimentality, sex, or exotic lands. In this course, we will consider how famous philosophes such as Montesquieu, Voltaire, and Jean-Jacques Rousseau brought France into a new era and inadvertently inspired the American and then the French Revolutions. We will examine how their writings treated issues such as: slavery, women's sexuality, blasphemy, the conflict between religion and science, and moral relativism among various countries. We will also focus on strategies used by the authors to hide their provocative ideas from government censors.

MW 2:00pm – 3:15pm (Tsien)

FREN 4580 - Advanced Topics in Literatures - The Extreme Contemporary, or What the French are Reading Now

This course is designed as a survey of contemporary French literature. One might even call it an introduction to what has come to be known as “extremely contemporary” French literature (l’extrême contemporain), which is to say books that have been published within the last few years (including one or two that were published in 2021). After an initial consideration of some of the major trends to have emerged on the French literary scene since the turn of the twenty-first century, students will read a selection of texts (fictions, non-fictions, and works that fall somewhere in between) that have been hailed by critics and readers alike. While the course focuses on what kinds of books the French are reading today, we will also consider how they read, how they talk about what they are reading, and how they inform themselves further about what to read next by consulting a number of essential and readily available resources for enthusiasts of contemporary French writing, like magazines, radio programs, podcasts, websites, blogs, book reviews, and television programs (indeed, the French have a long tradition of producing quality “book tv”). Works by writers such as Jean Rolin, Jean Echenoz, Maylis de Kerangal, Vincent Almendros, Gael Faye, Maria Pourchet, Adeline Dieudonné, Marie Darrieusecq, and Tanguy Viel may find their way onto the syllabus. With any luck, students will have a few opportunities to discuss their reading (over zoom) with the writers themselves.

Requirements include regular reading and active participation in class discussion, an oral presentation on a particular aspect of the contemporary literary scene, a series of short commentaries and book reviews, and a final paper.

Prerequisites: FREN 3032 and at least one other course above FREN 3040. Course conducted in French.

TR 12:30 – 1:45pm (Blatt)

FREN 4580 - Advanced Topics in Literature - “Poètes philosophes noirs”/“Poets philosophers black in French"

Black philosophers from the Caribbean adopted a critical perspective in French. They have questioned for decades aporias and blind spots of our history. Historically many of them are from the Caribbean. We will read together in French texts by: Aimé Césaire (1913-2008), Frantz Fanon (1925-1961), Edouard Glissant (1928-2011), Patrick Chamoiseau (1953-) and see how they paved thinking of race and colonialism. We will analyze their system in light of the debate about race in the US and in France.

TR 11:00 – 12:15pm (Boutaghou)

FREN 4585.001 Adv Topics Cultural Studies:Portraits

An exploration of human portraits in France from prehistoric cave art to the selfie. Students will examine a variety of genres and media including painting, drawing, film, photography, autobiography, autofiction, poetry, essays, and journals. We will focus in particular on narrative believability (in text and image), on the creation of self-image and public persona, and on the mediated self. Coursework includes a final autobiographical, auto-fictional, or biographical audio-visual project.

Pre-requisite: FREN 3031 and 3032 (or equivalent) and one literature or culture course at the 3000 level.

TR 2:00 – 3:15 PM (Krueger)

FREN 4743 – Africa in Cinema

This course is a study of the representation of Africa in American, Western European and African films. It deals with the representations of African cultures by filmmakers from different cultural backgrounds and studies the ways in which their perspectives on Africa are often informed by their own social and ideological positions as well as the demands of exoticism. It also examines the constructions of the African as the “other” and the kinds of responses such constructions have elicited from Africa’s filmmakers. These filmic inventions are analyzed through a selection of French, British, American, and African films by such directors as John Huston, S. Pollack, J-J Annaud, M. Radford, Fanta Regina Nacro, Ngangura  Mweze, Jean-Pierre Bekolo, Souleymane Cissé, Gaston Kaboré, Amadou Seck, Dani Kouyaté,  Jean-Marie Teno, A. Sissako on a variety of subjects relative to the image of Africa in cinema.

Prerequisite: FREN 3032 and FREN 3584 or another 3000-level literature, culture, or film course in French.

TR 3:30 - 4:45pm (Dramé)

FREN 5011 - Old French 

Introduction to reading Old French, with consideration of its main dialects (Ile-de-France, Picard, Anglo-Norman) and paleographical issues.  May be taken in conjunction with FREN 5100/8510 or independently.  Weekly reading exercises, a transcription and translation exercise, and a final open-book exam.  Prerequisite: good reading knowledge of modern French, Latin or another romance language.  Taught in English. 

M 1:00 PM - 1:50 PM (Ogden)

FREN 5100/8510 - Medieval Literature in Modern French I - Early Medieval French Literature Now 

Based on topics and works of both current and enduring interest to scholars, this course will allow participants to gain general knowledge of literature composed in French from 880 until about 1250 as well as to explore the most recent developments in the field. Students are encouraged to contact the professor with suggestions for subjects.  In the course of discussing secondary readings and of preparing the assignments, we will consider matters of professional development. Reading knowledge of modern French required. 

MW 2:00 PM - 3:15 PM (Ogden)

FREN 5540 / 8540 - The Problem of the Author in the Ancien Regime

This course will examine how before the establishment of copyright and freedom of expression in France, many works were published anonymously. We will look at various texts with contested authorship and texts whose authors played with the concepts of narrator and editor to elude punishment. We will also consider women authors' strategies for dealing with their societies' moral judgments.

R 3:30 PM - 6:00 PM (Tsien)

FREN 5585 / 8585 - Roland Barthes’ Century

Roland Barthes (1915-1980), critique, sémiologue, théoricien de la littérature et écrivain, fut à la fois un acteur engagé et un témoin acéré de la vie littéraire, philosophique et politique française. Ce cours propose une traversée du XXe siècle en sa compagnie : de Valéry et Gide à Blanchot, Camus et Sartre ; de Cayrol à Queneau et Duras ; de Robbe-Grillet à Kristeva et Sollers; de la Nouvelle Critique et du structuralisme à la «phénoménologie privée» en passant par la «théorie du Texte».

Il s’agira, en lisant Barthes, d’éclairer des débats et des notions qui restent au cœur de nos préoccupations : engagement, « écriture blanche », « mort de l’auteur » et retour du sujet, «responsabilité de la forme» et ethos critique.

T 3:30 PM - 6:15 PM (Roger)

FREN 7040 - Theories & Methods of Language Teaching

An introduction to pedagogical approaches currently practiced in second-language courses at the university level. Students will examine critically the theories behind various methodologies and the relation of those theories to their own teaching experience and goals. Assignments include readings and case studies on the teaching of French, development and critique of pedagogical materials, peer observation and analysis, and a portfolio project for collecting, sharing, and reflecting on teaching methods.

Required for all GTAs teaching French at UVa for the first time. Restricted to Graduate Teaching Assistants in French. 3 credits. Students will register for the graded (letter grade) option in the SIS. Graduate exchange instructors will take the course as auditors.

TR 2:00 PM - 3:15 PM (James)

FREN 3031  Finding Your Voice in French

This course offers an opportunity for students to explore and develop their own “voice” in written and spoken French. Through reading and viewing a variety of cultural artifacts in French, and completing a series of individual and collaborative creative projects, students will have a chance to develop their own potential for self-expression. They will develop greater confidence in their communicative skills, command of grammar, and ability to revise and edit their own work. The course is conducted entirely in French.

Pre-requisite: Completion of FREN 2020 or 2320; exemption from FREN 2020 by the UVA (F-Cape) Placement Test; a score of 3 on the AP French Language Exam; or a score of at least 660 on the SAT exam. FREN 3031 is a Pre-requisite for all undergraduate French courses at a higher level.

MWF 10:00 AM – 10:50 AM (Ogden) This section of 3031 will explore how contemplative practices can help increase our attentiveness to others and to ourselves, leading to greater confidence both in comprehension and in self-expression. 

TR 9:30 AM – 10:45 AM (Levine)

TR 11:00 AM – 12:15 PM (Levine)

MW 3:30 PM – 4:45 PM (Krueger)

FREN 3032 – Image, Text, Culture

In this course, students will discover and engage critically with a broad sampling of French and Francophone cultural production representing a variety of periods, genres, approaches, and media.  Students will learn how to become more sensitive observers of French and Francophone culture, attuned to the nuances of content and form. They will read, watch, write about, and discuss a range of works that may include poetry, painting, prose, music, theater, films, graphic novels, photographs, essays, and historical documents. They will also make significant progress in their oral and written comprehension and communication in French.  The course is conducted entirely in French.

Pre-requisite: French 3031. FREN 3032 is a Pre-requisite for all French undergraduate courses on a higher level.

MW 2:00 PM – 3:15 PM (TBD)

MW 3:30 PM – 4:45 PM (Lyu)

TR 2:00 PM – 3:15 PM (Ferguson)

FREN 3034  Advanced oral expression in French

This advanced course in oral expression has two main objectives:  to provide students an occasion to practice their oral French skills in a variety of communicative contexts; and to offer them the opportunity to learn and reflect on various aspects of French culture of interest to their French-speaking contemporaries.  Topics for discussion will be determined largely by student interests but will likely include aspects of French education and family life; the arts (French music, architecture, museum exhibitions, dance, theatre, haute couture . . . ); Franco-American relations; immigrant contributions; sports; and business culture. All class resources (including articles from French newspapers and magazines, journals, videos, TV and radio) will be available online.  Students will be graded on their engaged involvement in class discussions, their in-class presentations (individual and group), a final oral reflective exam, and an audio and/or video class project or contribution to a class web-journal. FREN 3034 is the only course on offer to emphasize exclusively the skill of speaking French (spontaneously and fluently).   Pre-requisite: FREN 3031 and either completion of FREN 3032 or concurrent enrollment in FREN 3032. 

TR 11:00 AM - 12:15 PM (Saunders)

FREN 3035 - Business French

Dans ce cours, vous développerez un ensemble de compétences linguistiques et culturelles adaptées au monde contemporain des affaires dans le monde francophone. Vous pratiquerez la communication professionnelle orale et écrite, et vous l’utiliserez, afin d’accomplir une variété de tâches spécifiques à l’entreprise. Vous explorerez les principales industries du monde francophone et vous étudierez leur structure organisationnelle. Enfin, vous préparerez votre dossier de candidature pour la demande d’un emploi, et vous passerez un entretien d’embauche. Si vous cherchez une carrière dans le monde francophone, ce cours est un bon point de départ !  

TR 5:00 PM - 6:15 PM (Simotas)

FREN 3036 - Introduction to Translation

Comment dit-on… ? Que veut dire… ? This course will provide a practical and theoretical introduction to methods of translation. We will translate literary and non-literary texts such as news articles, ads, songs, essays, poems, and short stories from French to English and from English to French. Classes will be in the form of workshops as we take on the role of the translator and collaborate on translation projects using different practices and methods of translation, all while undertaking a comparative review of French (and English!) grammar and analyzing various cultural topics.

**Students who have already taken FREN 4035 “Tools and Techniques of Translation” may not enroll in this course.

Pre-requisite: FREN 2020 or FREN 2320 or equivalent placement

MWF 10:00 AM - 10:50 AM (Hall)

FREN 3043 -  French Speaking-World III: Modernities - “Great Books”

Rather than focus on any single theme, movement, motif, or overarching problematic, this seminar will examine a few of the most admired and influential novels in the history of modern French literature. Special attention will be paid to the potential uses (and to the ultimate uselessness) of literature. How might reading fiction (and learning how to read it well) inform our understanding of the world and our place in it? Texts may include, but are certainly not limited to: Balzac’s tale of a young law student’s drive to make it in the big city in Le Père Goriot; Flaubert’s portrait of the original desperate housewife in Madame Bovary; Robbe-Grillet’s scandalously puzzling La jalousie ; Georges Perec's critique of consumer society in the 1960s (Les Choses); Maylis de Kerangal's mesmerizing, polyphonic novel about love, loss, and our beating hearts (Réparer les vivants); and David Diop's harrowing portrayal of Senegalese soldiers fighting for the French during World War II.

Required work may include: active participation in class discussion, weekly ruminations on the readings posted to a forum on Collab, an oral presentation, and two analytical essays. Course conducted entirely in French. Prerequisite: FREN 3032.

TR 9:30 AM - 10:45 AM (Blatt)

FREN 3048 - Filmmaking in French

Introduction to filmmaking: this course introduces students to the basics of film as a visual and narrative medium. By the end of the semester students will gain both theoretical and practical skills through writing, directing, shooting and editing their own film. We will start with fresh materials and ideas brought by the students to then workshop the script as in a “writers room” situation. As a hands- on class, students will learn to use the camera, lighting, sound recording and editing software. Each student will have the chance to work on a project in a group as a crew member serving in a different role for each film from writing, directing, filming, acting and editing. Throughout the semester we will watch clips that will serve as inspiration to the creative process, while learning about editing styles and narrative structures. As such, in each class theoretical learning and practice will go hand-in-hand. By the end of the semester each student will have a 3 to 5mn short film script. Students will be exposed to world cinema. 

M 3:30 PM - 6:00 PM (Dia)

FREN 3051 - Histoire et civilisation de la France contemporaine

Beginning with a study of the French Revolution and ending with World War Two, this course focuses on the cultural and historical influences that have shaped Modern France. We will explore the relationship between culture and political power, the changing role of government, and how ordinary men and women experienced social change. Readings will be drawn from primary documents, memoirs and secondary historical texts. Visual elements will be incorporated in this course as well as selected films. Core readings in this course will be done in French; contextual readings will occasionally be in English. All lectures, discussions, and writing will be done in French.  Pre-requisite: FREN 3032

TR 2:00 PM - 3:15 PM (Horne)

FREN 3585 - Topics in Cultural Studies - Beasts and Beauties

Werewolves, vampires, phantoms, and fairies: these are some the creatures who inhabit the eerie space of French fiction. In fables, legends, fairy tales, short stories, novels and film, outer beauty is associated often with virtue, often with inner monstrosity. We will study the presence of menacing fictional creatures in relation to physical and moral beauty, animality, and evocations of good, evil, comfort, fear, the uncanny, kindness and familiarity,

Prerequisites: FREN 3031 and 3032  (or equivalent courses/placement)

MW 2:00 PM - 3:15 PM (Krueger)

FREN 3585 - Topics in Cultural Studies - Heroes and Villains

This course turns to artistic treatment of past villains, hero(in)es to explore the fears and ideals they represent and how they speak to pressing cultural and social issues. The material studied will focus on enduring archetypes and will range from medieval romances to modern comics. From King Arthur and Joan of Arc to giants, monstrous women and devils masquerading as humans, the medieval  period gave birth to some of the best known and most (in)famous heroes and villains of world culture. We will study romances of “knights in shining armor” and their daring damsels, villains-turned-heroes and vice versa, and the exploits of fairies, transfigures, and wily part beast/part human creatures. What ideals and fears do these characters embody? Does gender play a role in constructing archetypes of good and bad? What do they say about society and the individual, community and the outsider? What can these archetypes teach us about modern definitions of good and bad, constructions of the “Other,” and our own societal fears? Readings in modern French from the past will be combined with modern French films and comics that revive medieval hero(in)es. Course conducted in French.

TR 3:30 PM - 4:45 PM (McGrady)

FREN 4031 – Writing with Style and Precision

In this course you will review and extend your knowledge of French grammar and style, becoming more confident about how best to structure the French language and how to express yourself with clarity and concision. Regular short writing assignments will begin with the analysis of a model text. You will revise first drafts of compositions in response to feedback and through peer editing in order to produce a polished final version. Key aspects of grammar, such as tense use – especially the past tenses – the subjunctive, participles, and so on, will be studied systematically and in response to questions that arise through the collective writing process.

TR 3:30 PM - 4:45 PM (Ferguson)

FREN 4509 - Seminar in French Linguistics: L’individu bilingue / the bilingual speaker

Nearly half the people in the world speak more than one language every day; and in France, some 13 million speakers use regularly several languages. Yet, says expert (renowned psycholinguist) François Grosjean, “le bilinguisme reste méconnu et victime d’idées reçues” (especially in France where, historically, a linguistic policy of monolingualism has been promoted).   In this seminar, we shall explore the many facets of the bilingual and bicultural individual (focusing particularly on the two languages that everyone taking the course will speak: French and English).  Our guide will be Grosjean’s 2015 book, Parler plusieurs langues: le monde des bilingues (an excellent analysis of the complex field for the French audience).  Through our study of Grosjean and other sources, we will gain insight into some of the persistent myths about bilingualism and the bilingual individual.  We will acquire knowledge of the linguistic characteristics of the bilingual speaker (e.g., the phenomenon of code switching, the principle of complementarity, language dominance, mixed linguistic systems, accent retention, translating / interpreting difficulties).  We will advance our understanding of how one becomes bilingual in the first place (linguistic and psycholinguistic aspects).  We will observe how others (writers, translators, artists, teachers, etc.) speak about bilingual/bicultural individuals in their work, and much more.   Students will conduct fieldwork, record and analyze oral interviews, give oral presentations, and contribute daily to the in-class discussions on assigned readings and film clips.  The seminar will be taught in French.  Participants must feel comfortable speaking French in the classroom, as well as outside the classroom (some field projects will require the use of French).   FREN 4509 counts for major/minor credit in French as well as in Linguistics.

 TR 12:30 PM – 1:45 PM (Saunders)

FREN 4582 - Advanced Topics in French Poetry - “Beaudelaire et la modernite”

Nous lirons une sélection de textes de Baudelaire (Les Fleurs du mal, Les Petits poèmes en prose, Les Paradis artificiels, et les critiques d'art) pour apprécier l'ensemble de la production littéraire de l'un des poètes les plus célébrés dans la culture occidentale. Nous procèderons par des lectures et des analyses attentives et examinerons la sensibilité et l'esthétique de la modernité baudelairienne: le problème du mal et l'éthique de la poésie, la structure et la déstructuration de la forme poétique, et la question de l'inspiration et de la lucidité dans l'entreprise poétique. De façon plus générale, nous nous intéresserons à la nature et au pouvoir du langage poétique ainsi qu'à la relation entre la poésie et la vie.

MW 2:00 PM - 3:15 PM (Lyu)

FREN 4585 - Advanced Topics in Culture Studies - “Tour de France”

While most university departments of French offer at least one undergraduate course that delves into the history, culture, and ways of inhabiting Paris (UVa regularly offers two or even three!), very few offer students a chance to explore the diverse spaces and places outside the confines of the capital city where, in fact, the overwhelming majority of French people actually live. This new course proposes to do just that by inviting students on an expansive (though by no means exhaustive) tour of France through an eclectic mix of sources both literary and visual. Focusing primarily on the 21st century, we will study the representation of an array of sites, many of them off the beaten path, that make France “France” today. From the disaffected former mining region in the Nord-Pas de Calais (just a short drive from the town of Calais and a number of migrant refugee camps nearby) to the sun-drenched valleys of Provence in the south. And from the expansive peri-urban zones around the capital city that remind us that “Paris” is a region, too, to border regions marked by mountains and seas. Special attention will also be paid to works that engage the undiscovered and largely forgotten territories that make up the sparsely populated and often disregarded “empty diagonal” that crosses central France from the northeast to the southwest. Through our reading and discussion of novels, short stories, essays, films, photographic series, and television shows, this course ultimately seeks to demystify the usual clichés about France’s diverse topographies, which are often mistaken as mere setting, background, or décor. If we look closely enough, however, these places often reveal themselves to be potent actors capable of disorienting dominant conceptions about how life in the “Hexagon” is lived. More specifically, students will discover how contemporary French culture mobilizes place as a complex vector through which important conversations (about national identity, class, immigration and postcolonialism, gender, history and memory, and the changing environment, for example) converge.  

Required work may include an oral presentation, short writing assignments, exercises in place writing, regular participation in class discussion, and a final project. Course conducted entirely in French. Prerequisite: FREN 3032.

TR 11:00 AM - 12:15 PM (Blatt)

FREN 4585 - Advanced Topics in Cultural Studies - “The City of Paris: Stories of a Living Legend”

This course will explore Paris, both as a contemporary metropolis and a multilayered palimpsest of history, legends and myths. A global city, Paris is today so much more than the capital of France; it holds meaning the world over. A real city of grit and struggle, it is also synonym of joie de vivre, as well as symbolic of lofty ideals. The principal theater of the French Revolution, it earned a reputation for insurrection and protest. A hotbed of artistic life and intellectual debate, it has been, and still is a magnet for talent, ambition, and dissent. How did Paris achieve such iconic status on the world stage? What myths and historical moments have defined it? Together, we will explore maps, paintings, and films that illustrate key features of the history, topography, architecture, and neighborhoods of Paris. We will discover the imagined city in art, literature and song. We will also interrogate the “American dream” of Paris, and explore the “Black Paris”, its promises and mirages. By the end of this course, Paris will be a familiar place. You will be able “to read” the city, unlock its codes —become a Parisian, even from a distance.

Pre-requisite: FREN 3032 plus one additional 3000-level course in French. (N.B. Students who have previously taken FREN 3652: Modern Paris may not enroll for FREN credit in this course.) 

MW 3:30 PM - 5:15 PM (Roger)

FREN 5584/8584 – Documentary Film: History, Theory, Practice

Documentary films tell different kinds of stories than fiction film. They have a different relationship to the real world. Or do they? Do documentarians have a different kind of moral imperative than fiction filmmakers? Do they have a different relationship to the truth? To their audience? What is a documentary film, actually? Students in this course will grapple with these and other fundamental theoretical questions about documentary while gaining a solid foundational knowledge of major works of French and Francophone documentary from the invention of cinema to the present. From the beginning, students will be asked to adopt the dual perspective of a scholar and a practitioner. They will be viewers, scholars and critics of a wide variety of documentary films. They will read widely in French film history and theory in order to explore questions about film, communication, truth, and reality. They will write several essays, prepare and deliver an oral presentation, and create original audiovisual material. All viewing, most reading, and all written, oral and audiovisual work is conducted in French.

W 3:30 PM – 6:00 PM (Levine)

FREN 5570/8570 – French Literature Now!

When I first taught an iteration of this course, in the early aughts, contemporary French literature seemed to be in crisis. In his incendiary rant La littérature sans estomac (2002), for example, Pierre Jourde lamented the lack of aesthetic standards in the production of contemporary French fiction, claiming instead that the market had been overrun by mediocrity. Similarly, Jean-Philippe Domecq created a stir when he attacked a certain cadre of literary critics who, he claimed, do nothing but elevate the vast array of livres de divertissement to the status of “high art.” Acclaimed (and highly provocative) author Richard Millet, in L’Enfer du roman: Réflexions sur la postlittérature (2010), issued a scathing critique of the contemporary novel, lashing out against its role in the degradation of the French language. And in one of the few articles on the state of the field to have ever appeared in the New York Times, Alan Riding pondered the curious state of “French” literature in 2006, a year in which not only were the winners of four of the country’s most esteemed literary prizes awarded to “foreign” authors (American Jonathan Littel, to cite one example, won both the Prix Goncourt and the Prix de l’Académie française for Les Bienveillantes), but one of the most popular novels of the year (in France as well as in the US) was actually written in the 1940s by a Russian-born émigré who would later disappear in the camps (Irène Nemirovsky, Suite française). All of which seemed to beg the question, as Riding asked: “Is French literature burning?”

Lately, however, after many years marked by the successes of the retour au récit (Echenoz, Toussaint…), signs of a new kind of creative and even socially-conscious dynamism have emerged. From the roman d’enquête and documentary-style exofictions to novels that exhibit a fascination for animots and a particularly Gallic iteration of eco-consciousness (I’m not sure whether to call it “nature writing” or not), the literary scene seems to have been enlivened by the inescapably present world in which authors—in which all of us—dwell. Rather than propose a definitive answer to Riding’s problematic and expressly provocative question, then, this survey of some of the most acclaimed and/or widely read prose works of the last 20 years (more or less) invites participants to ascertain the situation for themselves. Along with introducing participants to a number of essential and readily available resources for scholars and enthusiasts of contemporary French literature, including the major journals, anthologies, radio programs, websites, and blogs, the course will also seek to provide opportunities to read and, more importantly, critique cutting-edge criticism on the works under consideration. Consider this part of the seminar a practicum on critical writing about contemporary French writing.

While we will read all primary texts (and some critical analyses) in French, the course will be taught in both French and English.

T 5:00 PM – 7:30 PM (Blatt)

FREN 7559 - Premodern Francophone Worlds

This seminar is intended to introduce students to the premodern francophone world through a global perspective that recognizes French as a premodern lingua franca extending beyond the French kingdom to include England, Italy, the Mediterranean, the crusader states, and North America. Select primary materials, produced between 1100 to 1700, will range from song, romance and travel narratives to encyclopedias, religious and historical writings, and legal and medical treatises. These materials will serve to examine cultural networks of exchange that privilege cross-fertilization and the transfer of knowledge and traditions. This seminar is crosslisted with PMCC 6000, the required course for the Premodern Cultures & Communities graduate certificate, and in this context, the francophone tradition will be placed in conversation with the global premodern world. Several invited speakers from Arts & Sciences as well as outside guest speakers will lead sessions on topics ranging from travel and trade, the invention of race and the Atlantic Slave Trade, multilingualism and translation, the global book arts, gender and sexualities, and global religious practices. In addition to class presentations of primary and secondary scholarship, students will have the option of writing a traditional seminar paper on a French text that reflects the multidisciplinary approach modeled in the seminar or to produce non-traditional scholarship, whether in the form of a co-authored seminar paper, a digital project, or a collaborative podcast series.

R 5:00 PM – 7:30 PM (McGrady)