| Department of French

Spring 2021 Undergraduate Courses

The following writing requirements apply to courses in which the authorized enrollments do not exceed 20 (French 3031 and 3032) or 25 (literature and civilization courses beyond French 3032): FREN 3031 and 3032: 10-15 pages, typically divided among 4 to 5 papers. Peer editing is introduced during class and practiced outside.

3000-level literature and civilization courses: 10-15 pages, typically divided among 2 to 4 papers. The content is relatively less sophisticated than at the 4000-level. Peer editing outside of class may be offered to students as an option or it may be required.

4000-level literature and civilization courses: 15-20 pages, typically divided among 2 to 4 papers. The content is relatively more sophisticated than at the 3000-level. Peer editing outside of class may be offered to students as an option or it may be required.

In all courses, the quality of students' written French (that is, the degree to which their use of grammar and vocabulary is correct and appropriate) affects the grades they receive on their papers, since it affects how comprehensible, persuasive, and impressive their writing is. As students move from 3000- to 4000- level courses, they are expected to show greater sophistication in sentence structure, grammar, and use of idioms.

French in Translation Course

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FRTR 3814/WGS 3814 Gender & Sexuality in France

If you imagine the Middle Ages as a far-off land occupied by only “knights in shining armor and damsels in distress,” think again. This course will open your eyes to a far more complex conversation about sexuality and gender that resonates in surprising ways with contemporary views. We will read in tandem medieval religious writings, medical works, and conduct manuals that set the stage for distinguishing between men and women based on their biological and behavioral “predispositions” alongside works of fiction that challenged these official stances. Among our readings will be letters exchanged between one-time lovers, a church leader and abbess, that recount in real time their efforts to think through the different expectations placed on them as church figures. Poetry, romance, and travel narratives that treat the Christian West’s encounter with other religions, races, and ethnicities will further reveal the fault lines that destabilize rigid binary treatment of the sexes. The thirteenth-century romance of a young girl raised to adulthood as a boy will provide ample treatment of how our medieval counterparts struggled with the notion that “biology is destiny.” Finally, the work of the first feminist and professional writer of Europe, Christine de Pizan, who composed the first manifesto written by women in their defense, will help us fully appreciate the challenges faced then and now when breaking down gendered expectations. Through our reading of these fascinating works, it is hoped that students will acquire a thicker and more nuanced appreciation of the long history of gender, sexuality, and identity. Class discussions will introduce students both to medieval culture and to the basic tenets of gender theory. Graded work will include short critical engagement and creative responses to readings, class discussions and presentations, and written exams. There are no pre-requisites for this class. The second-writing requirement can be fulfilled with this course (requires instructor permission). Lectures and readings are in English.

No knowledge of French required

MW 3:30 PM – 4:45 PM (McGrady)

Advanced Courses in French

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FREN 3030 Phonetics: 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 French 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 ‘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. Taught in French.

Counts for major/minor credit in French and in Linguistics. Prerequisite: FREN 2020 (or equivalent).

Taught in French

Counts for major/minor credit in French and in Linguistics

TR 9:30 am – 10:45 am (Saunders)

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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.

Prerequisite: 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 prerequisite for nearly all undergraduate French courses at a higher level.

TR       11:00 am – 12:15 pm              (Lombart)
MW     2:00 pm – 3:15 pm               (Boutaghou)
MWF   10:00 am – 10:50 am              (James)
TR       2:00 pm – 3:15 pm               (Lombart)

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FREN 3032 Text, Image, Culture

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.

Prerequisite: FREN 3031. FREN 3032 is a prerequisite for nearly all French undergraduate courses on a higher level.

MWF   9:00 am -   9:50 am               (Geer)
TR       9:30 am – 10:45 am               (Ogden)
TR       2:00 pm -    3:15 pm              (Allen)
TR       12:30 pm -   1:45 pm              (Allen)

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FREN 3034 Advanced Oral Expression in French

This course will allow students to learn and reflect on issues that are of concern to their French-speaking contemporaries. It offers an excellent opportunity for students to practice their French speaking skills in a variety of communicative contexts. Class resources will include French online newspapers, magazines, radio, and television. Discussion topics will be based largely on student-driven interests, but likely topics will include education, family life, the arts, immigration, Franco-American relations, and business culture. Students will be graded on their engaged involvement in class discussions, their in-class presentations (individual and group), an audio and/or video contribution to a class web-journal, and a final oral exam.

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)

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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

TR 2:00 pm – 3:15 pm (Lyu)

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FREN 3559 French for Global Development

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. Readings, discussions, and assignments revolve around case studies and simulated work-related situations drawn from real-life global development initiatives, with a focus on French-speaking west African countries. Topics will include economic development, community health, and education.

Pre-Requisite: FREN 3031 (this course is not intended for students who are native speaker of French).

MWF 11:00 am – 11:50 am (James)

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FREN 3570 Topics in Francophone African Studies –– African Literatures and Culture

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.

Prerequisite: FREN 3031 and FREN 3032

MW 2:00 pm – 3:15 pm (Dramé)

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FREN 3585.001 Topics in Cultural Studies –– Contemporary France and Social Movements

If your social media feeds intersect with those from France, it is very likely that, in recent years, you have repeatedly scrolled past images resembling a war zone. Who's fighting whom? And why are these violent confrontations taking place? One thing is for certain: a multi-layered crisis has motivated citizens to take to the streets. Spontaneous movements of resistance have emerged such as "Nuit Debout," "Gillets Jaunes," and various "ZAD." While the fires are still smoldering, and the clouds of tear gas are far from settled, police violence has already left an indelible mark in many people's lives and bodies.

In this course, we will open and examine the file of an increasing number of documents that have already been piling up. We will read essays, chronicles, pamphlets, and fiction, and we will watch movies and documentaries all offering an insider's look or taking stock of the situation. In a spirit of collaborative investigation, we will discuss what's happening today in France, and we will make connections with social justice movements in other parts of the world.

Prerequisite: FREN 3031 and FREN 3032

MW 3:30 pm – 4:45 pm (Simotas)

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FREN 3585.002 Topics in Cultural Studies –– Women's Work: Women, Literature, and Society

Simone de Beauvoir famously wrote that, “On ne naît pas femme: on le devient.” What does it mean to be a woman? How do women define, defy, and redefine their place in society? This course considers French and Francophone women’s works of literature and film through the examination of the domestic sphere and conventions that have traditionally defined women’s places and roles. We will study autobiographical and fictional accounts of women's lives, conventions, transgressions (of gender, sexuality, language, morality, norms), and debates on/about women, women’s space, the feminine, the domestic, and feminism. Course texts will include essays, films, short stories, and novels from a variety of time periods and French and Francophone cultures. Students will participate actively in class discussion, collaborate on a group research presentation, write short reaction papers, a midterm and a final paper. Course conducted in French.

Prerequisite: FREN 3032

MWF 1:00 pm – 1:50 pm (Hall)

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FREN 4580 Advanced Topics in Literature –– Philosophes noirs/Black Philosophers in French

Since the 1950s, Black philosophers adopted an antiracist and anti-colonial perspective in French. They have questioned for decades aporias and blind spots of our past. Historically many of them are from the Caribbean. We will read together in French : Frantz Fanon, Aimé Césaire, Edouard Glissant, Patrick Chamoiseau and see how they first paved the thinking of race and colonialism. We will analyze their system in light of the debate about race in the US and in France. The course will be entirely conducted in French.

Prerequisite: FREN 3032

MW 3:30 pm – 4:45 pm (Boutaghou)

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FREN 4582 Avanced Topics in French Poetry –– Baudelaire et la modernité

Dans ce cours, 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 pour examiner la sensibilité et l'esthétique baudelairiennes: le mal et l'éthique de la poésie, la structure et la déstructuration de la forme poétique, l’inspiration et la lucidité dans l'entreprise poétique. De façon plus générale, nous nous intéresserons à la nature et au pouvoir du langage poétique et réfléchirons sur la relation entre le langage poétique et le langage quotidiens ainsi que sur la fonction que peut avoir la poésie dans notre vie.

Pre-requisite: Au moins un cours de littérature, culture, ou de cinéma au-delà de 3032.

TR 3:30 pm – 4:45 pm (Lyu)

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FREN 4585.001 Advanced Topics in Cultural Studies –– Getting Medieval on the Movies

Why isn’t Jamie Foxx cast as Robin Hood, or Zoe Saldana as Lancelot, or Michelle Yeoh as Merlin? When we’re dealing in myths, why do some ideas of “historical realism” seem to matter... and how sure are we that we know what medieval European society really looked like? When we imagine the world of over a thousand years ago, why do 1950s (or even 21st-century) race and gender dynamics so often structure it? Why does it matter how we retell important myths in popular culture anyway?

Writers and artists of the Middle Ages often didn’t share our worries about historical accuracy in representation and gave us the lasting legacies of a white Jesus and a pink-cheeked Virgin Mary—even if regional alternatives in fact existed with various degrees of cultural (in)sensitivity. What legacies are we passing down to future generations in our retellings of stories about Robin Hood, the Holy Grail, and Lancelot’s illicit love for Guenevere? Who benefits from perpetuating a singular image of the Middle Ages? Is there a future for different ways of using these stories, as in the work of French rapper Black M or American artist S. Ross Browne?

This class will look at such stories as told in medieval French texts (in modern French translation) and modern stage and screen adaptations, such as the 2012 musical “Robin des Bois” and classics like Rohmer’s 1964 Perceval. For cultural contrast, we’ll also examine a few Anglo adaptations (like Monty Python and the Holy Grail / “Spamalot,” Black Knight, and the 2018 Robin Hood).

No previous study of film required.

TR 12:30 pm – 1:45 pm (Ogden)

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FREN 4585.002 Advanced Topics in Cultural Studies –– The Double

The theme of the double, known also as the Doppelgänger, has existed in the literature and in the culture of many civilizations since antiquity. This theme is often related to death and to the fear of a malevolent being who returns in the shape of someone who has not been properly buried. French literature and film contain important examples of doubles, and the work of cultural anthropologist and literary critic René Girard has given renewed vigor to this concept. This course will study doubles and doubling in some of the following novels, stories, plays, and films: Corneille, Le Menteur; Gautier, La Morte amoureuse; Green, Le Voyageur sur la terre; Grimonprez, Double Take; Kieslowski, La Double vie de Véronique; M.M. de Lafayette, Zayde, histoire espagnole; Molière, Amphytrion; Maupassant, Le Horla; Resnais, Hiroshima mon amour; Vigne, Le Retour de Martin Guerre. For purposes of comparison, we may also consider Hoffmann, The Doppelgänger; Poe, William Wilson; Stevenson, The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde; Wilde, The Portrait of Dorian Gray.

Three papers, short quizzes, active participation in discussion, and an oral presentation.

TR 2:00 pm – 3:15 pm (Lyons)

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FREN 4585.003 Advanced Topics in Cultural Studies –– Joan of Arc in History

Joan of Arc looms large in French cultural memory, but her status changes (often dramatically) according to place and time. According to who is telling her story, she can appear as warrior or victim, saint or heretic, trailblazer or follower, feminist or traditionalist, spiritually inspired or mentally unstable. No two accounts of Joan are alike. How are we to understand this diversity of opinion and the continued debate surrounding Joan’s story that places her among the top ten historical figures in world history most often treated by writers and artists? This course will examine Joan’s legendary status as it is developed in legal, artistic, historical, and religious works from medieval to modern times. Instead of seeking out the historical “truth” or artistic “faithfulness” of these accounts, we will examine how these works speak to their own cultural moment. To explore this issue, the first half of the semester will focus on contemporary writings that range from letters of Italian merchants, opinions of theologians, and poems of praise about Joan to multiple legal inquiries into her case, including the trial that culminated with her 1431 execution. Thereafter, we will explore key cultural moments when Joan’s story re-emerges in French society, beginning with the “epic failure” of early modern writers to make of her a heroic figure. We will then examine her troubled “life” as a national hero in post-Revolution France before closing with a study of her conflicting modern status as a saint (she was canonized in 1920), as a political mascot, and as an international feminist icon outside of France. Student work will include short essays, presentations on assigned topics, and for the most ambitious students, research projects that match their interests (possible research topics include legal history, medicine or theology; Joan’s depiction in painting, sculpture, cinema, theatre; her use in modern French politics or her role on the international stage).

Pre-requisite: FREN 3032 and at least one additional course in French

MW 2:00 pm – 3:15 pm (McGrady)

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FREN 4838 French Society & Civilization –– Contemporary France

Developing cultural literacy is an integral part of becoming an educated citizen of the world. The attainment of cultural literacy includes understanding social norms as well as politics and current events in a particular country. In France, cultural literacy is particularly valued in professional life, where the expectation is that you will be able to converse on a wide range of topics outside your field of specialization.

This course is designed to provide you with some tools for developing cultural literacy in the French context. Through an introduction to the politics, culture, and society of present-day France, you should come away from this class with a deeper understanding of social norms and institutional structures, as well as the ability to follow and understand French media coverage of events as they unfold in France. In your future travels in the US or abroad, you should feel comfortable discussing and debating social, political, and cultural issues and current events relating to France.

To achieve those goals, we will study the evolution of French society, politics, and culture from the end of the Second World War until the present. We will study major social problems facing contemporary France: the role of women, education, immigration, race, religion, public health as well as France's status in the European Union. Throughout the course, emphasis will be placed on readings from the French press, the televised news, and other visual sources.

Prerequisite: one 3000-level course beyond FREN 3032

TR 11:00 am – 12:15 pm (Horne)

J-Term 2021 Undergraduate Courses

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FREN 3559 French for Diplomacy Direct from Lyon, France!

FREN 3559 French for Diplomacy

(Direct from Lyon, France.)

Take this course as an opportunity to learn how you can transfer your French skills and knowledge of the Francophone culture to a professional context, should you decide to seek a job or an internship overseas, enter a career in foreign policy or get a job in international relations in the next future!

In this two-week intensive course, students learn about:

major institutions in French diplomacy
European and International organizations based in French-speaking countries
main and historical positions of France on international issues

Students will also:

be introduced to International Relations research in French
practice job interviews
hone their oral and writing language skills for use in diplomatic structures
learn the practical/cultural aspects of living and working in French.

Throughout the course, we will use case studies to further our understanding of foreign relations of the Francophone world, invite guest speakers to contribute to our discussions, examine multiple audiovisual materials related to French diplomacy, and read new articles to add to our reflections.

Individual presentations, group project, and various writing/online assignments to be expected.

Pre-Requisite: FREN 3032
Taught online
Instructor: Lova Rajaonariosoa (lr2vpr@virginia.edu)

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FREN 4585 Topics in Cultural Studies: Currents of Change: Artistic and Social Movements in 20th/21st Century France, Quebec, and the Carribbean

FREN 4585 Topics in Cultural Studies: Currents of Change: Artistic and Social Movements in 20th/21st Century, Quebec, and the Carribbean

How does art challenge social conventions? How do we change social conventions through art? In this project-focused course, students will delve into these questions through the examination of artistic and social movements of 20th/21st century France, Québec, and the Caribbean. As a whole class, we will discuss selected declarations on political, artistic, and social movements, including, among others, Manifeste du surréalisme, Le deuxième sexe, Éloge de la créolité and Défense et illustration de la langue québécoise. At the same time, students will work closely with the professor in groups or individually on a student-driven research project through which they will examine the historical and artistic context of a chosen aesthetic current, the conventions that it challenges and the social and cultural developments of the particular movement. Students will choose readings, assign discussion questions, and lead workshops on their chosen topics. Students are encouraged to use their previous experience, knowledge, and interests to determine the focus of their study. Possible concentrations could be Dadaism, Surrealism, the Absurd, Feminism, Négritude, Existentialism, Postmodernism, the Quiet Revolution, Créolité, or other aesthetic movements.

Taught online

Instructor: Elizabeth Hall (ebh3f@virginia.edu)

Summer 2023 Undergraduate Courses

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FREN 2010 | INTEMEDIATE LEVEL I

Loren Lee

DAY & TIME
Monday, May 22 – Friday, June 17
MoTuWeThFr 9am – 12pm

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FREN 2020 | INTEMEDIATE LEVEL II

Pascale Hapgood

DAY & TIME
Tuesday, June 20 – Friday, July 15
MoTuWeThFr 9am – 12pm

Description

In the two-course sequence, 2010-2020, you will listen, speak, read, and write French to develop these skills at the intermediate proficiency level, while also expanding your cultural understanding of the Francophone world. Use of authentic texts (video, audio, and print), including literary and cultural readings, short films, television, music, and Internet media, provide the basis for development of linguistic proficiency, communicative competence, and cultural awareness.

Your activities in this class will focus on communication in meaningful contexts. You will study and practice grammatical forms and vocabulary outside of class; time in class will be devoted primarily to interactive communication in real-world contexts around a diverse selection of authentic sources and themes of current interest. Class is conducted entirely in French to give you as much immersion in the language as possible.

Fall 2021 Undergraduate Courses

French Translation Courses

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FRTR 2580 – French in Translation

Description coming

TR 11:00 am – 12:15 pm (Staff)

Creo Courses

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CREO 1010-001 – Elementary Creole I

Development of basic oral expression, listening and reading comprehension, and writing. Pre-requisite: No previous formal instruction of French or Creole is required.

MWF 3:30 pm – 4:30 pm Dramé

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CREO 2010-001 – Intermediate Creole I

Develops the skills of listening, speaking, reading, and writing in Creole.

Enrollment Requirement: Must have completed CREO 1020.

Pre-requisite: Two previous semesters of Elementary Creole (I and II).

MWF 1:40 pm – 2:35 pm Dramé

Advanced Courses in French

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FREN 3030 – Phonetics: 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 in French; counts for major/minor credit in French and Linguistics

TR 9:30 am – 10:45 am (Saunders)

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FREN 3031 – Finding Your Voice 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 (Geer)
TR       3:30 pm – 4:45 pm (Staff)
MWF   1:00 pm – 1:50 pm (Hall)
MW        2:00 pm – 3:15 pm (Krueger)

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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.

TR       9:30 am – 10:45 am (Boutaghou)
MW     3;30 pm – 4:45 pm (Lyu)
TR       2:00 pm – 3:15 pm (Ferguson)
TR       3:30 pm – 4:45 pm (Tsien)

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FREN 3034 – Advanced Oral Expression in French

FREN 3034 is the only course on offer to emphasize, exclusively, the skill of speaking French (spontaneously and fluently)

TR 12:30 pm – 1:45 pm (Saunders)

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FREN 3035 –Business French

In this course, students will learn general knowledge about the business world in France and the French-speaking world, and specifically concepts on organizational structures, the primary positions within those businesses and major industries. They will also gain experience in business research, will hone their oral and written French for use in a professional-setting, will have a practice job interview, and will learn the practical aspects of living and working in French.

At the end of the semester, students will have the possibility to take the Diplôme de Français des Affaires (B1) for a fee charged by the Chambre de Commerce et de l’Industrie de Paris.

Prerequisite: FREN 3031 and 3032

TR 11:00 am – 12:15 pm (Staff)

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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)

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FREN 3041 – The French-Speaking World I

Globalization. Love and friendship. Encounters with other cultures and peoples. Separation of Church and State. Bourgeois values. Law and justice. Where did these features of modern life come from and—more importantly—what other forms might they have taken or might they still evolve into? It is said that history is written by the victors, but historical documents—literature, histories, prayer books, etc.—retain the evidence of alternate values as well as hints of (temporarily?) abandoned futures. Can we escape our preconceptions of the past and uncover, in the documents, different histories? Histories that offer alternative ways of thinking about modern institutions, assumptions, and inequities and about the stories that give them authority?

Readings in the course will be in modern French translation, with occasional discussions of the original medieval and middle French if students are interested in the history of the language. We’ll begin with the earliest narrative in French (ca. 880 C.E.) and continue up to about 1600, looking both at classic texts and little-known treasures. Reading and writing assignments will be appropriate both for students coming directly from FREN 3032 and for more advanced students who want to hone their close reading and analytical/persuasive writing skills in French.

Pre-requisite: FREN 3032

MWF 11:00 am – 12:15 pm (Geer)

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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. We will pay particular attention to the idea of “nature” which radically changed meaning in this period.

TR 2:00 pm – 3:15 pm (Tsien)

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FREN 3043 –The French-Speaking World III: 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 and contemporary French literature. Special attention will be paid to the potential uses (but also, as some would put it, to the ultimate uselessness) of literature. How might reading fiction inform our understanding of the world and our place in it, if at all? Texts may include, but are certainly not limited to: Honoré de Balzac’s tale of a young law student’s drive to make it in the big city (Le Père Goriot, 1835); Gustave Flaubert’s portrait of the original desperate housewife (Madame Bovary, 1856); Alain Robbe-Grillet’s scandalously puzzling La Jalousie (1957); and/or Georges Perec's critique of consumer society in the 1960s. We will end our semester with an "extremely contemporary" novel, or two, published within the last decade or two.

Required work may include: active participation in class discussion, regular response papers (1-2 pages), an oral presentation, and 2 longer papers (4-5 pages). Course conducted entirely in French.

Pre-requisite: FREN 3032

TR 9:30 AM – 10:45 AM (Blatt)

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FREN 3559 – New Course – Filmmaking in French : An Introductory Workshop

This workshop, taught in French, introduces students to the basics of film as a visual and narrative medium. Students will master both theoretical and practical skills through writing, directing, shooting and editing their own film. Students will bring fresh materials and ideas, and workshop the script as in a “writers room” situation. 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 an individual project and contribute to the films of others as a crew member serving in a different role for each film: writing, directing, filming, acting, and editing. Throughout the semester we will watch clips that will serve as an 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.

Pre-requisite: FREN 3032

M 3:30 pm – 6:00 pm (Mamadou Dia)

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FREN 3570 – Topics in Francophone – African Oral Traditions

A Study of major texts from Oral Traditions in Africa. Historical and literary values of the narratives, poems, and songs today. Roles of Griots as creators and performers of Oral compositions. How the music of griots inspires and sustains contemporary popular musical forms across Africa today.The challenges facing Oral Traditions today and opportunities for the future in various African societies

Prerequisite: FREN 3031 and FREN 3032

TR 3:30 pm – 4:45 pm (Dramé)

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FREN 4560 – Advanced Topics in Nineteenth-Century Literature: le Romantisme

Ce cours vous invite à explorer la triple quête – du moi, du bonheur, et de l’amour – dans laquelle s’engage la jeunesse romantique française de la première moitié du 19ème siècle où de nombreux facteurs culturels, sociaux, historiques, et politiques (y compris la tombée de Napoléon Ier) concourent à façonner une esthétique littéraire à la fois complexe et contradictoire. A travers une lecture approfondie de poèmes, nouvelle, roman, traité/ manifeste, nous examinerons la sensibilité, la passion, et la révolte qui animent les héros et les héroïnes romantiques pour interroger comment ils conçoivent le moi, vivent l’amour, et poursuivent le bonheur. Nous nous intéresserons à la manière dont le genre et la différence sexuelle se construisent dans l’univers romantique ainsi qu’à la manière dont le romantisme se libère du classicisme et prépare la modernité. Tout au long du semestre, nous essayerons de dégager la pertinence de la pensée et de l’expérience romantiques du passé pour notre époque contemporaine qui et tout aussi préoccupée par le moi (ou son image), le bonheur (ou le succès), et bien sûr, l’amour.

Cours requis : Un cours sur la littérature, la culture, ou le cinéma français au-delà de FREN 3032 (ou l’accord de la professeure).

MW 2:00 pm – 3:15 pm (Lyu)

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FREN 4585.001 – Adv Topics 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, as lived by Ernest Hemingway or James Baldwin. 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.

MW 3:30 pm – 5:15 pm (Roger)

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FREN 4585.002 – Adv Topics Cultural Studies: Love, Sex, Marriage, and Friendship in Renaissance France

If passions and emotions are part of human nature, the forms they take and the ways in which they are and can be expressed vary greatly over time and between cultures. How were love, sex, marriage, and friendship understood and lived in sixteenth-century France – in each case between members of the opposite sex and the same sex? How did they evolve in this pivotal period of transition between the Middle Ages and the modern world? How were they inflected by intellectual, social and cultural movements such as the Reformation, Humanism, developing notions of the individual, and ongoing debates about the nature of women? Through the study of a combination of contemporary texts and modern films, we will explore a fascinating culture, at once similar to and different from our own – one whose stories (like that of Romeo and Juliet) still speak to us today and with whose legacy we live and continue to grapple.

Prerequisite: At least one literature or culture course beyond FREN 3032. May be taken for elective credit for WGS.

TR 3:30 pm – 4:45 pm (Ferguson)

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FREN 4744 – Occupation and After

While in 2014 the French spent a year commemorating the centenary of the start of the “Great War” (“la Der des Ders,” the so called “war to end all wars”), in the summer of 2015 the nation marked another important anniversary: namely, seventy years since the Liberation of Paris during World War II. The German occupation of France, which lasted from 1940 until 1945, was one of the most consequential periods in the nation’s history, one that left an indelible mark on the French national psyche that continues to rouse the country’s collective memory to this day. After an initial examination of the political and social conditions in France under the Nazi regime, this seminar proposes to explore the enduring legacy of those “Dark Years” by investigating how the complex (and traumatic) history of the Occupation has impacted French culture during the last half of the twentieth century and into the twenty first. Discussions will focus on a variety of documentary and artistic sources—novels and films, mostly, though we will also explore photographs and graphic novels—that attest to what historians refer to as contemporary France’s collective “obsession” with the past.

Readings and films may include (but are not limited to) work by Némirovsky, Vercors, Perec, Duras, Modiano, Salvayre, Daeninckx, Claudel, Sartre, Clouzot, Melville, Resnais, Ophüls, Berri, Malle, Chabrol, and Audiard. Course conducted in French.

Pre-requisite: FREN 3032 and another FREN course beyond FREN 3034

TR 11:00 am – 12:15 pm (Blatt)

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FREN 4811 – Francophone Literature of Africa

Introduction to the Francophone literature of Africa; survey, with special emphasis on post- World War II poets, novelists, and playwrights of Africa. The role of cultural and literary reviews (Légitime Défense, L'Etudiant noir, and Présence Africaine) in the historical and ideological development of this literature will be examined. Special reference will be made to Caribbean writers of the Negritude movement. Documentary videos on African history and cultures will be shown and important audio-tapes will also be played regularly. Supplementary texts will be assigned occasionally. Students will be expected to present response papers on a regular basis.

In addition to the required reading material, 2 essays (60%), regular class attendance, and contribution to discussions (10%), and a final exam (30%) constitute the course requirements. Papers are due on the dates indicated on the syllabus.

Pre-requisite: FREN 3032 and at least one FREN course numbered FREN 3041 or FREN 3043 (or instructor permission)

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FREN 4838 – French Society and Civilization

Prerequisite: successful completion of at least one 3000-level course in literature or cultural studies beyond 3032.

TR 2:00 pm – 3:15 pm (Horne)

Fall 2021 Graduate Courses

Graduate Courses

Advanced undergraduate students who have earned a B+ (or higher) in at least one 4000-level course may enroll in graduate level courses with instructor permission.

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FREN 5510/8510 – Topics in Medieval Literature: Race/Gender/Class in Late Medieval Francophone Literature

This course will challenge the contemporary perception that medieval Europe was an all-white privileged masculine space by turning to creative works of the late medieval francophone world in which racialized, gendered and classed bodies take shape. This course will draw on exile and war poetry, popular theatre, romances of conquest, history writing and travel literature to investigate the role of power and privilege in the formation of premodern identity, the politics of othering, and the question of subaltern agency in late medieval society. Contemporary critical identity studies will be used to deepen our understanding of medieval culture at the same time that our medieval material will be mined for the new insights it brings to this criticism.

R 3:30 pm – 6:00 pm (McGrady)

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FREN 5560/8560 – Topics in Nineteenth Centurey Literature: Reading with Emma Bovary

In the 1857 obscenity trial against Madame Bovary, prosecutor Ernest Pinard argued that the book would corrupt the hearts and minds of its readers, particularly young marriageable women (jeunes filles) and wives. Dangerous fiction is a dominant theme in the work itself. When Emma Bovary shows symptoms of “vaporous airs,” her husband and mother-in-law decide she must stop reading novels. This course focuses on Emma Bovary’s reading habits, and on what they say about Flaubert’s aesthetic project; the social and medical discourses that Madame Bovary reflects and reinforces; and the education of women. What did Emma Bovary read, how did she read it, and how have critics in the 19th-21st centuries read her reading?

Open to graduate students with reading knowledge of French
Course conducted in French and English (depending on students’ background)
Written work in French (for French MA or PhD students), and English
Most readings in French

M 3:30 – 6:00 pm (Krueger)

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FREN 5585/8585 – Topics in Civilization/Cultural Studies: Theater in France (17-20th c)

Theater, Beaumarchais wrote at the end of the 18th century, « is a giant whose blows are lethal ». He should have known, being the author of The Marriage of Figaro, a play held responsible for the fall of the Bastille by many of his contemporaries. This course will explore the disturbing powers of theater, from the Classical Age to our days. An ill-famed entertainment in the eyes of the Church, it has often been regarded as the most prestigious achievement within the Republic of Letters. Strategically situated at the crossroads of literature and the performing arts, it has maintained a constant dialogue with the visual arts, from painting to cinema and, more recently, multimedia productions. For centuries, theater has been both a laboratory of artistic innovation, and a political agora, a hothouse of new ideas and provocative agendas. In sum, we will explore theater as a mirror of French artistic, intellectual and political life, with a special emphasis on the querelles and scandales that shook France, as well as the stage, from the « Cid Quarrel» to Genet's Les Paravents and Koltès' Roberto Zucco.

T 3:30 pm – 6:15 pm (Roger)

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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)

J-Term 2022 Undergraduate Courses

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FREN 3559 | FRENCH FOR INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS

Lova Rajaonarisoa

DAY & TIME
MoTuWeThFr 10:00am - 3:00pm

Website 10114

Spring 2022 Graduate Courses

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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)

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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)

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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)

Spring 2022 Undergraduate Courses

“Priority Boarding” for French Majors and Minors: From Nov 1- 15th certain FREN courses at the 3000-4000 levels will be reserved for Priority Enrollment for Majors and Minors in French.

Not a Major or Minor in French? You will be added to the course waitlist during that initial 2-week period (Nov. 1- 15th).

You can also declare a major or a minor in French here!

Please let us know if you have any questions or concerns about enrolling in a French class this semester. We want to hear from you!

French Translation Courses

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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 Courses

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Creo 1020-001: Elementary Creole II

(Dramé)

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Creo 2020-001: Intermediate Creole II

(Dramé)

Advanced Courses in French

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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)

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FREN 3031: Finding your Voice in French

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)

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FREN 3032: Text, Image, Culture

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)

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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)

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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)

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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)

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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)

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

Prerequisite: FREN 3031 and FREN 3032

MW 2:00 – 3:15pm (Lyu)

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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)

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

TR 12:30 - 1:45pm (Dramé)

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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)

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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)

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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)

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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)

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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)

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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)

Fall 2022 Graduate Courses

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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)

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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)

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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)

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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)

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FREN 7040 - Theories & Methods of Language Teaching

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

Fall 2022 Undergraduate Courses

“Priority Boarding” for French Majors and Minors: Enrollment for classes above 3032 will be reserved for French majors and minors until April 18, and then it’ll be open to all students.

Not a Major or Minor in French? You will be added to the course waitlist during the "Priority Boarding" period.

You can also declare a major or a minor in French here!

Please let us know if you have any questions or concerns about enrolling in a French class this semester. We want to hear from you!

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FREN 3031 Finding Your Voice in French

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)

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FREN 3032 – Image, Text, Culture

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)

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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)

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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)

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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)

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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)

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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)

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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)

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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)

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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)

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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)

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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)

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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)

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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)

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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)

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